News Walt Disney World theme park ticket price increases go into effect March 12 2019

[seascape]

I assume that this would be a bad time to mention that while cleaning out the attic this weekend I found a 1982 WDW handout with a $15 ticket price for either MK or EPCOT.

Congratulations. Now, is the ticket worth more to a collector unused or should you use it? If if were me I would put it on Ebay because some people out there pay crazy amounts for Disney stuff.

Why is the blame for overcrowding not sticking to Disney? They have determined that this is ALL the park that we will support and we will cram in as many people as possible for as long as possible. Why no additional rides/shows/attractions? Why are things shut down at peak times? Why are there shorter hours than there used to be in the past? To my point of view it this is equivalent to Apple saying that they are only going to produce X number of iPhone's this year no matter how many more people are willing to buy them, and do that year after year. Disney is leaving money in the wallets of potential customers and that should make the shareholders angry. There is no law of the universe that says Disney must always be the prime family vacation destination for all time.

I must be in a bad mood today.

I guess the reason people aren't as upset with the crowds is all the new things being built. Toystory land and SWGE in HS. Pandora and the RoL show in AK. GOTG, Ratatouille and the new announced Play Pavilion, new nighttime show and expected ride in the UP Pavilion in Epcot. And finally the Tron coaster in MK. That doesn't include DS with all it's new stores and restaurants and Entertainment that causes us to spend lots of time there. The food, shopping and entertainment are great. There are even more things coming to enjoy in the next few years.

 

[Tom P.]

Well the first major flaw in your argument is assuming the Park attendence numbers are UNIQUE visitors. They are not. Even the average tourist week trip is 5 days... so cut that 20 million number by 5 just to start. Then consider how many repeat visitors there are a year, etc.

Are you suggesting that when people go to Walt Disney World for 5 days they are spending all 5 days at the Magic Kingdom? With four theme parks, two water parks, and Disney Springs, plus all of the various resort activities, that seems unlikely. Of course it will vary heavily from one individual to the next, but I would suspect that in a 5 day visit, Magic Kingdom might account for 2 or maybe 3 days at best.

Regardless, though, it is still an extremely large number of people who are visiting both Walt Disney World and Disneyland each year. Millions, definitely. Tens of millions, likely. And, as I said, they are the most popular vacation destinations in the world -- WDW specifically is the most popular.

It is simply a ridiculous assertion to argue that everyone who visits a Disney theme park is either "rich" or lives nearby. There's simply no way that's the case.

 

[flynnibus]

Are you suggesting that when people go to Walt Disney World for 5 days they are spending all 5 days at the Magic Kingdom? With four theme parks, two water parks, and Disney Springs, plus all of the various resort activities, that seems unlikely. Of course it will vary heavily from one individual to the next, but I would suspect that in a 5 day visit, Magic Kingdom might account for 2 or maybe 3 days at best.

It doesn’t matter what the breakdown is... it’s easily more than 2... and probably much higher once you start including repeat visitors. So your numbers you want to keep repeating... are off by more than half... at best.. and likely far far far more.

You cited dl... which has nearly 1 million aps... who each likely visit 5 or more times a year to justify their AP spend. So your number there is at least 80% wrong... etc

Does it really matter what the real error is once you realize a statement is wrong by more than 50, 60 or even higher percentage? No... it’s just trashed.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

How crowded do you want the parks? If the ticket prices were $75 a day and annual pass starting at 200, they would attract 100 million a year in attendance and no one would be able to move. They need high prices to keep the attendance down to a reasonable level. Maybe the solution is to limit attendance to those staying onsite. Oh wait, that would would keep the middleclass out. If you don't like what Disney charges don't go and let those of us who don't mind paying more to have less people in the park enjoy it. If you want low prices go to Six Flags and Cedar Fair parks. They are enjoyable and not priced as an international park.

Tokyo Disneyland is about $65 for a one day ticket after the exchange rate (¥7400). They only raise prices every two to four years.

 

[eliza61nyc]

Tokyo Disneyland is about $65 for a one day ticket after the exchange rate (¥7400). They only raise prices every two to four years.

lol and the cheapest airfare from Philadelphia to Tokyo is 883.00 per person with average being ~1,094.00
So if they could push Tokyo Disneyland over that would help.

 

[seascape]

I'll keep repeating this as many times as I need to.

Disney has literally the most popular vacation destinations on the planet. In 2017, Magic Kingdom had over 20 million visitors. Disneyland had over 18 million visitors. Combined, you're approaching 40 million visitors in one year. And I think we can safely assume that the vast majority of people do not visit parks on both coasts in the same year, so most of that is unique visitors.

Either your assessment is wrong, or there are way more rich people in this country than we are led to believe.

You neglected to include the international visitors to WDW and DL. There are large numbers of visitors from the UK and other European countries, Brazil and all the other Latin American countries and Asia. Regardless, the top 20 of a country of 330 million is 66 million. Given that the vast majority of people spend 3 to 4 days it only takes 18 million people spending 3 days at WDW to total 54 million. That is only 5% of the US population. BTW I go to WDW 4 times a year and the parks a minimum of 20 days.

Now if you add all their attendance from all their parks it totals 150 million. Using just 3 days per person who actually goes they would only need 50 million people. If you used 4, it would be 37.5 million. Think about that.

 

[eliza61nyc]

Question, why is there the assumption that the majority of visitors to wdw are going on credit cards?? any thing to back that up?

 

[the.dreamfinder]

lol and the cheapest airfare from Philadelphia to Tokyo is 883.00 per person with average being ~1,094.00
So if they could push Tokyo Disneyland over that would help.

That’s not the point. We are not that resort’s market, but for its market, admission is reasonably priced.

 

[seascape]

Question, why is there the assumption that the majority of visitors to wdw are going on credit cards?? any thing to back that up?

The question should not be using credit cards because I charge everything. The way things are set up today make using credit cards is better than cash if you pay your bill in full every month. Even Disney makes you use the Chase Disney card by giving you a 2% reward for ever dollar you charge at Disney. But if you don't pay in full every month you end up subsidizing the people like me who can afford it. It is wrong. I should not be subsidized by people who can't afford to pay in full or pay cash. Again, using debt to pay for things like vacation is just stupid.

 

[Tom P.]

It doesn’t matter what the breakdown is... it’s easily more than 2... and probably much higher once you start including repeat visitors. So your numbers you want to keep repeating... are off by more than half... at best.. and likely far far far more.

You cited dl... which has nearly 1 million aps... who each likely visit 5 or more times a year to justify their AP spend. So your number there is at least 80% wrong... etc

Does it really matter what the real error is once you realize a statement is wrong by more than 50, 60 or even higher percentage? No... it’s just trashed.

So you believe that every visitor to WDW is rich?

 

[prberk]

It is not that people do not care, however, the prices have not gotten beyond rediculous. The number one complaint on here and other boards besides the price is the crowds. If you recall from your economics classes, Supply and Demand seek an equilibrium and we have not reached that point yet. If WDW is overcrowded, then the demand exceeds supply and the prices are not high enough.
WDW is a premium vacation experience. Travelling to WDW is not a right and should not be an expectation. If you value the experience more than the money, you will attend WDW. If you value the money above the experience, then you will vacation somewhere else.

If it’s too expensive for the average family, then there are a ton of above average families visiting. It’s like Christmas and New Years year round now. The experience isn’t even fun sometimes. I just had dinner with a friend’s family who was just at DHS and MK for two days...first time. They had a great time but said the parks were far too crowded with impatient and mean people...and that it was so difficult to just move through the parks.

Making the sidewalks all bigger isn’t working. Extending park hours longer isn’t working. Raising prices isn’t even working. People just keep coming.

I understand economics, and I actually think that this has a lot to do with it:

I don’t think most people would ever want to admit “I can’t afford to go to Disney World” because doing so would mean they are too poor to partake in one of the biggest rites of passage in our culture. So as long as there are credit cards and a desire for Disney “magic” I don’t see crowds dying down anytime soon.

But it is still sad to me, and not because of the crowds: Instead, because of the ridiculous cost it puts on average families, whether they have to save up forever, or especially if they use a credit card to go on something they cannot afford because they see their children getting older and they just know that the value of the experience is something they are willing sacrifice for.

It's just sad that Disney has set the bar so high on price that many reasonable families will no longer be able to do it without doing contortions on their credit.

 

[prberk]

This is a problem of Disney’s own creation. They don’t know or want to build for capacity anymore. FW used to be able to do 55 THOUSAND people per hour.

People used to slam EPCOT Center for appearing too empty, but that park was built with massive capacity Disney would never build for today.

I agree with this. And actually Disney used to be an excellent case study for logistics management. Now they just don't care about that. (And I could see that in 2015 when I stood outside of the Anaheim Convention Center with people of all ages sweating and fainting in 100-degree heat for two hours to get into the D23 conference, when a huge chunk of the air conditioned building was available for the line but they didn't use it.....)

They knew how to be people-eating attractions that were at once immersive, entertaining, and efficient. You are right about that in EPCOT Center.

Now they just want low-capacity launch coasters.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

lol and the cheapest airfare from Philadelphia to Tokyo is 883.00 per person with average being ~1,094.00
So if they could push Tokyo Disneyland over that would help.

How much does it cost to spend a night at the Poly during Christmas break?

If people can afford to visit WDW multiple times a year and stay in Deluxe hotels, they can afford to fly to Asia.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

That’s not the point. We are not that resort’s market, but for its market, admission is reasonably priced.

You can get a day and a half at Universal Japan for less than a 1 day (1 park) at Universal Orlando.

 

[seascape]

Tokyo Disneyland is about $65 for a one day ticket after the exchange rate (¥7400). They only raise prices every two to four years.

You are missing the point. If Disney didn't raise their prices the parks would be gridlocked. If you want to limit the ticket price increase to once every 2 years, I say fine. Raise them to $200 today for peak, $175 for mid and $150 for value. Change the annual pass to between $600 and $1200 depending on Blackouts. They will still offer packages for hotel and park tickets for less. It's just like Colleges. There are sticker prices and actual prices. The only people who pay Disney sticker prices are those who stay offsite. People just like to complain.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

So you believe that every visitor to WDW is rich?

Not the point being made at all.

I visited MK twice last year on different dates. I am not two different people.

MK does not have 20 million different individuals visiting every year.

 

[Tom P.]

Not the point being made at all.

I visited MK twice last year on different dates. I am not two different people.

MK does not have 20 million different individuals visiting every year.

That is ENTIRELY the point being made. I know, as I'm the one who started making it.

It doesn't matter to my point if the number of visitors to a Disney park in the United States each year is 5 million, 10 million, or 50 million. The point is that it is a very large number. A far larger number than the number of "rich" people. To argue that Disney is, and always has been, just the purview of the rich, as was stated, is beyond absurd.

 

[seascape]

That is ENTIRELY the point being made. I know, as I'm the one who started making it.

It doesn't matter to my point if the number of visitors to a Disney park in the United States each year is 5 million, 10 million, or 50 million. The point is that it is a very large number. A far larger number than the number of "rich" people. To argue that Disney is, and always has been, just the purview of the rich, as was stated, is beyond absurd.

Please tell me how many of the 330 million people in the US are rich? 5% is 16.5 million. 2% would be 6.6 million. Or give me the income level you think the rich begin. That might actually be the better number.

 

[mikejs78]

I have friends in various economic brackets, ranging from middle class to lower upper class (in my estimation). And most of them have been to Disney in the last 5 years. Most see Disney as an every 3-4 year thing, so the prices don't impact them that much. (The thing that holds them back from going more often is airfare, not park tickets.) And that doesn't feel much different than it did when I was a kid. We went to Disney three times when I was a kid, each separated by 2-3 years. And we were solid middle class.

I've been fortunate in my adult life that I've been able to go more often - sometimes once a year, a couple of times even twice a year. There have also been times I haven't gone at all, for several years. I don't blame Disney's prices for that - it was just my own circumstances at the time. And if such a time comes again, so be it, we won't go for a bit (we already aren't going for a couple of years now, but that has more to do with Galaxy's Edge and other non-financial factors).

Disney offers a product that I find has value - especially at the 4-5 day+ level (which, interestingly, didn't increase that much). If I can afford it at the time, great. If not.... That's life. But if they lowered the price, the crowds would just be out of control. Plus, you can always get discounts.

 

[eliza61nyc]

How much does it cost to spend a night at the Poly during Christmas break?

If people can afford to visit WDW multiple times a year and stay in Deluxe hotels, they can afford to fly to Asia.

have no idea as I don't do it. I purchased a dvc over 10 years ago so my room cost come out to be about 800 year. so no it's not the same as a family of 4 staying at a deluxe.

The point being that Tokyo disney is no great bargain just because the entrance tickets are cheaper to someone in America

So always throwing TDL up as an alternative is silly