WDW Ticket Prices

[Oddysey]

Luckily, kids get a healthy discount on admission, really easing the financial pain for families. :lookaroun

This is another one of the reasons I am not renewing. My family has expanded, and my 3 year old daughters ticket cost nearly as much as mine. This would make sense if my daughter could experience all the same attractions that I could, but she does not seem to be tall enough for a number of them. She has less options at nearly the same price. I just cannot justify it. Rather invest that money in her college fund or the like.

 

[betty rose]

The Walt Disney Company has been a public company since 1940.

Didn't know that.

 

[ryguy]

I would argue that passholders over a course of a year probably spend less than a person who spends 5-7 days and only comes once or twice over a decade.

FYI-Other than my own history I have zero proof to support my theory

I have been a season passholder, and when I was I really only spent money on Dole Whips,churros and Sprite. Maybe a souvenir or two but not much more than that. So my total throughout the course of the year was just a few hundred dollars over what I spent on my pass. Now that the passholder discounts are not much better than Florida resident rates, to me the AP prices just don't seem like a great value. The free parking is nice. But the perks on an AP are few and far between these days. Disney doesn't play the loyal customer game. Even the bounce back offers you get in your room aren't any different than a Florida resident rate. They used to be 45-50% a decade ago. Sadly the term "Used to be" seems to be my phrase of choice when discussing my thoughts and feelings about the World.

I also think Disney wants Floridians to buy these 3-4 day passes that are only good for a small window. This must make the bean counting easier.

I am going on my first Disney Cruise in two weeks so I am hoping that will bring me out of my Disney World doldrums.

 

[betty rose]

I would argue that passholders over a course of a year probably spend less than a person who spends 5-7 days and only comes once or twice over a decade.

FYI-Other than my own history I have zero proof to support my theory

I have been a season passholder, and when I was I really only spent money on Dole Whips,churros and Sprite. Maybe a souvenir or two but not much more than that. So my total throughout the course of the year was just a few hundred dollars over what I spent on my pass. Now that the passholder discounts are not much better than Florida resident rates, to me the AP prices just don't seem like a great value. The free parking is nice. But the perks on an AP are few and far between these days. Disney doesn't play the loyal customer game. Even the bounce back offers you get in your room aren't any different than a Florida resident rate. They used to be 45-50% a decade ago. Sadly the term "Used to be" seems to be my phrase of choice when discussing my thoughts and feelings about the World.

I also think Disney wants Floridians to buy these 3-4 day passes that are only good for a small window. This must make the bean counting easier.

I am going on my first Disney Cruise in two weeks so I am hoping that will bring me out of my Disney World doldrums.

 

[NearTheEars]

I would argue that passholders over a course of a year probably spend less than a person who spends 5-7 days and only comes once or twice over a decade.

FYI-Other than my own history I have zero proof to support my theory

I have been a season passholder, and when I was I really only spent money on Dole Whips,churros and Sprite. Maybe a souvenir or two but not much more than that. So my total throughout the course of the year was just a few hundred dollars over what I spent on my pass. Now that the passholder discounts are not much better than Florida resident rates, to me the AP prices just don't seem like a great value. The free parking is nice. But the perks on an AP are few and far between these days. Disney doesn't play the loyal customer game. Even the bounce back offers you get in your room aren't any different than a Florida resident rate. They used to be 45-50% a decade ago. Sadly the term "Used to be" seems to be my phrase of choice when discussing my thoughts and feelings about the World.

I also think Disney wants Floridians to buy these 3-4 day passes that are only good for a small window. This must make the bean counting easier.

I am going on my first Disney Cruise in two weeks so I am hoping that will bring me out of my Disney World doldrums.

Also anecdotal, but I'd have to agree. We've been APs for a while but we rarely eat full meals at the park. If we do it's typically QS. Every once in a while we might grab an ADR.

And most of our merch purchases are done at the two OTown outlets.

Not saying this is typical. I am just pretty cheap.

So maybe we're part of the problem.

 

[raven]

It's not the government's problem but more of the government's fault. It's our problem, though.

If the government:
- increases debt
- prints money
- raises minimum wage

Then all of those things have the end result of devaluing our currency in some form or another. That doesn't include new regulations and whatnot.

It means that the previous money you've earned (savings) and the current salary you earn are all worth less because your buying power is less.

I still don't see how that reason makes a Disney Park Ticket higher than any other park on the face of the earth.

 

[Jon81uk]

This is another one of the reasons I am not renewing. My family has expanded, and my 3 year old daughters ticket cost nearly as much as mine. This would make sense if my daughter could experience all the same attractions that I could, but she does not seem to be tall enough for a number of them. She has less options at nearly the same price. I just cannot justify it. Rather invest that money in her college fund or the like.

While I would say this is true at Hollywood Studios where the two main headline rides aren't suitable for Children, aphowever at the Magic Kingdom everything is geared towards children really and although there are a few rides not suitable for very small children, the majority is family friendly and there is many character meet and greats.

 

[Oddysey]

While I would say this is true at Hollywood Studios where the two main headline rides aren't suitable for Children, aphowever at the Magic Kingdom everything is geared towards children really and although there are a few rides not suitable for very small children, the majority is family friendly and there is many character meet and greats.

Here is a list of what my 3 year old daughter cant experience at the parks. I am not complaining that there is not enough to keep her occupied. It is just that the vast majority of "E" Tickets (and more) are not available to her, and yet I still have to pay nearly the same price for her annual pass. Most of these attractions are the most popular in all of Disney property. Moreover, I cannot experience any of these attractions when I bring her with me. As such, I personally cannot justify the cost anymore. Not saying that others should feel this way, but this is how I feel.

Can't Experience at MK
Thunder Mountain
7D Mine Coaster
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Stitch's Great Escape - the shoulder huggers don't reach her and change the experience. Not that I would dare take her anyway because she probably would not sleep that night. On a side note, why change a scary attraction because it is too scary into another scary attraction. Should have just left AE in my opinion, but that is a whole other topic.

Can't Experience at Epcot
Test Track
Soarin
Drinking alcoholic beverages - Only on the list because Disney has made drinking such a huge part of the experience at Epcot and have an entire event for it every year. I don't take her near the WS during F&W when that area of the park turns to Drunkeytown.

Can't Experience at Animal Kingdom
Dinosaur
Expedition Everest
Kali River Rapids

Can't Experience at Hollywood Studios
Toy Story Midway Mania
Tower of Terror
Rockin Roller Coaster
Star Tours

All rides except The Great Movie Ride are off limits. I know that you already mentioned HS, but HS is part of the pricing when purchasing an AP, and when you look at the sum of all the things that she cannot experience throughout all of the parks, it is much harder to justify that her annual pass cost nearly as much as mine. HS is already a half day park. If I bring her along it is about an hour a day park. Not just for her, but for all me too.

 

[Jon81uk]

Here is a list of what my 3 year old daughter cant experience at the parks. I am not complaining that there is not enough to keep her occupied. It is just that the vast majority of "E" Tickets (and more) are not available to her, and yet I still have to pay nearly the same price for her annual pass. Most of these attractions are the most popular in all of Disney property. Moreover, I cannot experience any of these attractions when I bring her with me. As such, I personally cannot justify the cost anymore. Not saying that others should feel this way, but this is how I feel.

Can't Experience at MK
Thunder Mountain
7D Mine Coaster
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Stitch's Great Escape - the shoulder huggers don't reach her and change the experience. Not that I would dare take her anyway because she probably would not sleep that night. On a side note, why change a scary attraction because it is too scary into another scary attraction. Should have just left AE in my opinion, but that is a whole other topic.

Can't Experience at Epcot
Test Track
Soarin
Drinking alcoholic beverages - Only on the list because Disney has made drinking such a huge part of the experience at Epcot and have an entire event for it every year. I don't take her near the WS during F&W when that area of the park turns to Drunkeytown.

Can't Experience at Animal Kingdom
Dinosaur
Expedition Everest
Kali River Rapids

Can't Experience at Hollywood Studios
Toy Story Midway Mania
Tower of Terror
Rockin Roller Coaster
Star Tours

All rides except The Great Movie Ride are off limits. I know that you already mentioned HS, but HS is part of the pricing when purchasing an AP, and when you look at the sum of all the things that she cannot experience throughout all of the parks, it is much harder to justify that her annual pass cost nearly as much as mine. HS is already a half day park. If I bring her along it is about an hour a day park. Not just for her, but for all me too.

But on the flipside there is a number of attractions that although I am tall enough I don't care for at MK including Dumbo, Barnstormer, Anna & Elsa, Winnie the Pooh and more. For me, the more adult side of DHS is countered by the more child friendly MK. Animal Kingdom does feel nicely family friendly, with only a few adult only rides and plenty of animal attractions that are just great for everyone.

I've noticed a trend at some tourist attractions where they are aimed almost exclusively at children where there is no adult price, everyone just pays the same and all the adults get out of the experience is watching their child play. At least at Disney it is possible to still enjoy the majority of attrsctions with the whole family at once.

 

[DisneyGentleman]

The Walt Disney Company has been a public company since 1940.

Well some might believe the Walt Disney Company of 1940 is the same as the media giant of 2015, but I don't share that view.

Actually Walt Disney Productions did not go public until 1957, and it didn't even become TWDC until 1986. Walt also set up the private company Retlaw for the purpose of siphoning money to his family - I doubt that would be tolerated today. To quote an article in Investopedia:

"In the 1980s, the company was thought to be so undervalued in terms of brand assets, which included the film catalog and the theme parks, that hostile takeover artists began circling. The company fended off the takeovers and began to focus on profiting from its vast brand equity.

From the 1980s to the 1990s, the stock grew in leaps and bounds, making Disney the largest entertainment empire in the world. The company has continued to prosper, helped in no small part by the foundation that Walt and Roy laid for the company."

One other tidbit (though some have said I'm wrong). When the investors were circling in the 80's there was serious talk of selling-off EPCOT.

 

[ILOVEDISNEY]

Don't be so quick to blame the Christians, The sons of the Prophet are refusing service at the MKE airport to those who have alcohol or dogs as those are haram. I personally find this just as offensive or more so, Because in the IN case you can always find another service provider, Yet at the airport you must use the state sponsored transit and as many of the cabbies there are 'sons of the prophet' you may be stuck.

Sorry, but I have no idea what airport MKE is, and which prophet you are referring to. What service are these "sons" not providing? In any case, I was taught two wrongs do not make a right and to believe in the Golden Rule. Obviously, there is a difference between taboo objects as tenets of a religion versus a state sponsored "Freedom of Religion" law aimed at GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) persons.

 

[erstwo]

Here is a list of what my 3 year old daughter cant experience at the parks. I am not complaining that there is not enough to keep her occupied. It is just that the vast majority of "E" Tickets (and more) are not available to her, and yet I still have to pay nearly the same price for her annual pass. Most of these attractions are the most popular in all of Disney property. Moreover, I cannot experience any of these attractions when I bring her with me. As such, I personally cannot justify the cost anymore. Not saying that others should feel this way, but this is how I feel.

Can't Experience at MK
Thunder Mountain
7D Mine Coaster
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Stitch's Great Escape - the shoulder huggers don't reach her and change the experience. Not that I would dare take her anyway because she probably would not sleep that night. On a side note, why change a scary attraction because it is too scary into another scary attraction. Should have just left AE in my opinion, but that is a whole other topic.

Can't Experience at Epcot
Test Track
Soarin
Drinking alcoholic beverages - Only on the list because Disney has made drinking such a huge part of the experience at Epcot and have an entire event for it every year. I don't take her near the WS during F&W when that area of the park turns to Drunkeytown.

Can't Experience at Animal Kingdom
Dinosaur
Expedition Everest
Kali River Rapids

Can't Experience at Hollywood Studios
Toy Story Midway Mania
Tower of Terror
Rockin Roller Coaster
Star Tours

All rides except The Great Movie Ride are off limits. I know that you already mentioned HS, but HS is part of the pricing when purchasing an AP, and when you look at the sum of all the things that she cannot experience throughout all of the parks, it is much harder to justify that her annual pass cost nearly as much as mine. HS is already a half day park. If I bring her along it is about an hour a day park. Not just for her, but for all me too.

While I can understand your logic behind your argument, I would argue that there is no better time or age to take your 3 year old daughter to WDW than now. You will never get a better value than you will at the time when Princesses are still real, Peter Pan can still fly, Cinderella really lives in the castle, wishes can actually be granted by a well and Tinkerbell really flies home to Pixie Hollow each night.

Trust me on this, that window is so fleeting. Six, seven years gone in a flash. I am SO GLAD we took every opportunity to take our children to WDW while they were still in the age of 'believing.'

 

[ILOVEDISNEY]

Well some might believe the Walt Disney Company of 1940 is the same as the media giant of 2015, but I don't share that view.

Actually Walt Disney Productions did not go public until 1957, and it didn't even become TWDC until 1986. He also set up the private company Retlaw for the purpose of siphoning money to his family - I doubt that would be tolerated today. To quote an article in Investopedia:

"In the 1980s, the company was thought to be so undervalued in terms of brand assets, which included the film catalog and the theme parks, that hostile takeover artists began circling. The company fended off the takeovers and began to focus on profiting from its vast brand equity.

From the 1980s to the 1990s, the stock grew in leaps and bounds, making Disney the largest entertainment empire in the world. The company has continued to prosper, helped in no small part by the foundation that Walt and Roy laid for the company."

One other tidbit (though some have said I'm wrong). When the investors were circling in the 80's there was serious talk of selling-off EPCOT.

Most people do not realize how close the TWDC came to being taken over by outsiders since so much money was being siphoned off by the then majority shareholders. Mikey, who had never seen a Disney animated feature, was brought in to run TWDC as a business and the rest is history for better or worse.

 

[betty rose]

Most people do not realize how close the TWDC came to being taken over by outsiders since so much money was being siphoned off by the then majority shareholders. Mikey, who had never seen a Disney animated feature, was brought in to run TWDC as a business and the rest is history for better or worse.

At this point in time, I would suggest worse....

 

[DisneyGentleman]

Most people do not realize how close the TWDC came to being taken over by outsiders since so much money was being siphoned off by the then majority shareholders. Mikey, who had never seen a Disney animated feature, was brought in to run TWDC as a business and the rest is history for better or worse.

Yes, we do have to cut him some slack - he brought prosperity to the place.

At this point in time, I would suggest worse....

As much as I or anyone else would hate to admit it, worse might have been "Six Flags over Orlando".

 

[TimothyG]

It's not the government's problem but more of the government's fault. It's our problem, though.

If the government:
- increases debt
- prints money
- raises minimum wage

Then all of those things have the end result of devaluing our currency in some form or another. That doesn't include new regulations and whatnot.

It means that the previous money you've earned (savings) and the current salary you earn are all worth less because your buying power is less.

I'm not a big fan of the price increases either (who is?), but this has nothing to do with the government. Disney has a very popular product and the parks are always PACKED. I've never seen the demand this high for their product and they only have a finite capacity.

Here's the dirty little secret. Disney is a public corporation with a fiduciary responsibility to shareholders, not it's guests. Disney increased the prices for one sole reason: because people are willing to pay the prices. There's really nothing more to it than that. They got into a situation where the parks are crowded and they can raise prices to get more money and still hit capacity.

They aren't trying to create magic for you out of the goodness of their heart. They are doing it because you pay them money to do it. Take a look at the annual reports - domestic spending at theme parks have by far outpaced the increased the expense of running them. They are making higher profit margins on their domestic operations. The price increases are because they can make more money, not because they were forced because somehow theme park operations are so much more expensive now than 2-3 years ago.

I love Starbucks too, but they are in the same boat. They aren't charging $5 for a cup of coffee because their coffee just costs so much more to make than their competitors. They are charging it because there are plenty of people who want to pay that much for it.

You can love a company but understand that they are there to take your money. I still love going to Disney. It's such a great place to escape reality. And it's a fantastic company whose values I really like. But I also understand why they're in business.

 

[DougK]

The slow season sure still exists over at Disneyland.

Serious question: when is that exactly? We are thinking of going to Disneyland after our Walt Disney World Annual Passes expire this coming November. I am simply not renewing at these rates. I know Disneyland's admission is also expensive but I will only need 2-3 days to see both Disney Parks out in California. Finding out when the slow seasons are from the knowledgeable people on this board would be really helpful. I know much more about WDW than I do about Disneyland. And there are lots of other cool things to do in Southern California, like enjoy the weather!

 

[Mike S]

Serious question: when is that exactly? We are thinking of going to Disneyland after our Walt Disney World Annual Passes expire this coming November. I am simply not renewing at these rates. I know Disneyland's admission is also expensive but I will only need 2-3 days to see both Disney Parks out in California. Finding out when the slow seasons are from the knowledgeable people on this board would be really helpful. I know much more about WDW than I do about Disneyland. And there are lots of other cool things to do in Southern California, like enjoy the weather!

I went at the beginning of this month on the 6th and 7th and was able to do basically everything I wanted to. But I have to warn you that the beginning of the year is basically refurb season. Splash Mountain and the Matterhorn were both down at Disneyland and so was Grizzly River Run at DCA. There were other rides down too but the ones I mentioned are most likely the ones that would be closed at the same time next year as well so plan accordingly. I was just happy to finally have my first trip there and the fact we had shorter than regular lines but everyone is different. Would you accept some rides down in exchange for shorter lines?

 

[Nick Pappagiorgio]

Why would they want less of their most loyal customers though? Sure, the families who come on that once in a lifetime trip most likely spend much more in one shot than we do, but how much do you think some of us have spent, in total, in our 10, 20, 30, or even 40 years of going to Disney World? Maybe I'm just crazy but I think the most loyal customers should be rewarded somehow, not given the shaft.

Its not that they want less but it seems like it is less of a priority. The focus seems to be on drawing new customers who will pay more per head. In several trips I have spent a fraction of what I have seen one timers walk out of a store with. I think back to what they did at Disneyland a couple years ago where they had a huge increase on annual passes. They were trying to weed out the people that came used a parking space, took up park resources and didn't buy the plush, pins, and other merch, that a day guest might have.

 

[ford91exploder]

Sorry, but I have no idea what airport MKE is, and which prophet you are referring to. What service are these "sons" not providing? In any case, I was taught two wrongs do not make a right and to believe in the Golden Rule. Obviously, there is a difference between taboo objects as tenets of a religion versus a state sponsored "Freedom of Religion" law aimed at GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) persons.

MKE is Minneapolis and Sons of the prophet aka Islam, The Islamic cab drivers who are benefiting from a government imposed monopoly are actively discriminating against those who are NOT members of their faith. I think THAT'S the textbook definition of religious discrimination.

As to GLBT - people wanting to have a service provided by a private business, The behavior of the so called 'Christian' business is bigoted however they don't have a government imposed monopoly on baking cakes, The GLBT people are free to have a cake prepared elsewhere, They are also free to point out the bigoted behavior and protest.

The cab customers are NOT free to call Lyft or Uber to get a ride.