Would WDW ever make the prices for kids lower?

[SteveAZee]

In a Disney MBA's mind right now is the idea to charge less for those who'll spend more in meals and merch and not waste time with wear and tear on their attractions, and charge more to those with tons of kids that pack PB&J's and buy cheap merch off property.. sort of the Vegas approach of comping the room for the whales.
(written in jest)

I guess the big question, when you're shaping prices for things like park tickets, what are you really trying to optimize in doing so? Higher pricing during peak periods may push people into the low period, evening out the load throughout the year. DVC with what, now 7 or 8 seasons, 4 or more room types, weekday vs weekend rates... try to flatten the demand curve. Ten day admission only a few dollar more than a nine day admission.

What would they try to shape with age based park admission costs?

 

[danlb_2000]

The only reason to offer a kids rate is to encourage parents to bring their children. Disney doesn't have any problem doing that already.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

My first thought was ok now, @Big Phil is not new around here so I think he knows the answer to his question , but you raised an interesting point. There ARE a lot of people that can't ride many of the rides for whatever reason - for example, my mom. We will be bringing her on our next trip. She's 75 and we'll be renting a scooter because there is no way she could do all that walking. She won't be riding any of the thrill rides or anything that might make her dizzy. (She is tagging along to see my nephew enjoy himself.) It would be nice if people like her could get a discount, but of course we know that won't happen.

Adding: I'd rather see senior discounts over children discounts.

I feel it is a rhetorical question anyway, but thought it deserved a discussion as the child prices are a lot of money and probably don't need to be. Here is the thing though, does a 3 year old really need a $100+ ticket? Couldn't it at least be 5 and up? A three year old will never remember their trip. Anyway, if the attendance at Disney is still very high then this will never be considered. I do understand why things went up as well, as I was never in favour of Disney or anything else closing in the first place, so I get the prices going up, but there could be a relaxing of prices at least with the kids.

 

[DfromATX]

I feel it is a rhetorical question anyway, but thought it deserved a discussion as the child prices are a lot of money and probably don't need to be. Here is the thing though, does a 3 year old really need a $100+ ticket? Couldn't it at least be 5 and up? A three year old will never remember their trip. Anyway, if the attendance at Disney is still very high then this will never be considered. I do understand why things went up as well, as I was never in favour of Disney or anything else closing in the first place, so I get the prices going up, but there could be a relaxing of prices at least with the kids.

Oh I agree, I think at least 4 and under could be free. That and a senior discount would be nice. A lot of grand parents probably go to be with their families and don't ride all the rides - but I'm sure they spend plenty of money!

 

[JoeCamel]

Kids have as much fun as adults at the parks, maybe more. Hey Bob you think kids should pay more?

 

[wdwfan4ver]

Very unlikely no despite all the additional costs.

There is no motive for Disney to make prices for kids lower anytime soon. Even after Epic Universe, Universal does not have enough IPS to draw that age group. Nintendo IPs can be considered for all groups including kids, but outside Nintendo IP is an issue for them. Universal does have dated IPS for kids in one of their 2 existing parks.

Universal also is known having attractions based off IPS. Expecting Universal to make attractions for kids that aren't IP related is not realistic.

 

[John park hopper]

I'm surprised Disney doesn't charge pregnant women for two tickets or at least 1 and a half. Never happen that's not in Disney's lexicon

 

[JTH781]

No but one can dream !

 

[MaryJaneP]

Can't wait for the "Baby Maker" photo package. Oh the memories that fetus will have. If they have to buy a extra ticket, do they get an extra seat on each ride?

 

[tanc]

until people are not willing to pay $105 for a ticket, nope.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Would Disney ever change this and perhaps keep the child prices stagnant?

They already offer a substantial child discount, you just have to go to Tokyo to use it.

I think the only way it’ll ever happen in WDW is if Oriental Land Company buys it though. (we can dream).

 

[NickMaio]

In my opinion, it shouldn't be age that defines a kids ticket. It should be based on height. The difference between an adult ticket and kids ticket isn't very big. My youngest daughter is 4, and at the rate she is going, at 5 won't hit the height level to ride any restricted rides. So at the very least, make 2 different kids tickets. One at the normal rate, and one that is significantly discounted for kids who don't meet height requirements. But yea, Disstevefan1 said it best. Lol

YES........

 

[dmw]

Maybe Disney could do a very reduced admission ticket, and than have different tickets/prices for each attraction. Maybe even sell a "book" of tickets. Thus, you are paying only for the attractions you want to experience.

 

[Tim Lohr]

Currently under the age of 3 it's free, then there's an under 9 price, and then over 10 is the adult price

There used to be another price range between 9 and adult but it got phased out. Most kids by age 10 are tall enough to ride all the rides, and most kids under 3 aren't tall enough to ride much of anything, that's how the current pricing is set up.

My dad is in his 70's and wants a senior price ticket cause he's too old to ride most stuff

 

[JIMINYCR]

Maybe Disney could do a very reduced admission ticket, and than have different tickets/prices for each attraction. Maybe even sell a "book" of tickets. Thus, you are paying only for the attractions you want to experience.

NOOOO. Dont ever go back to a ticket book feature. Despite a reduction of admission it would still be costly enough and a fiasco having to keep running to ticket booths to keep buying ride tickets. In a day we will hit every attraction at least one time and most multiple times. One price and ride all day is the way to go.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

I dunno. How much do kids go for now a days?

 

[doctornick]

The biggest thing is that the jump from under 3 (free) to 3+ (close to full price ticket) is so dramatic that it entices families to lie about their child’s age. There’s a lot of 3-4 year olds who are “under 3” *wink wink* at the gate. I could see the argument for a smaller child ticket (like ages 3-5 maybe) that makes that jump more gradual.

Still Disney ain’t exactly hurting for getting 5 year olds into the parks so it’s hard to argue this is a “problem” from their prospective. Except maybe it might discourage future business if children go less than they would if tix were cheaper and develop less of an attachment.

I think a senior ticket does makes sense though especially as they build more higher thrill rides. Why not the same price as the child ticket?

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

The biggest thing is that the jump from under 3 (free) to 3+ (close to full price ticket) is so dramatic that it entices families to lie about their child’s age. There’s a lot of 3-4 year olds who are “under 3” *wink wink* at the gate. I could see the argument for a smaller child ticket (like ages 3-5 maybe) that makes that jump more gradual.

Still Disney ain’t exactly hurting for getting 5 year olds into the parks so it’s hard to argue this is a “problem” from their prospective. Except maybe it might discourage future business if children go less than they would if tix were cheaper and develop less of an attachment.

I think a senior ticket does makes sense though especially as they build more higher thrill rides. Why not the same price as the child ticket?

Tokyo has almost everything people here have wished WDW would offer...

Adult tickets (18+) are about $75-90
Junior tickets (12-17) are about $60-75
Kids tickets (4-11) are about $40-50
Infants are free

They also offer a senior ticket that‘s about $10 off and a disability ticket that’s about $15 off.

It’s a great example of profit only focused management vs profit via guest satisfaction focused management.

I’ve reached the point I’ve stopped hoping Chapek gets fired (because I don’t think it would change anything) and I’m now hoping Disney sells the parks to a company like Oriental Land Company that hasn’t lost sight of what made the Disney parks the best parks in the world.

 

[Willmark]

In answer to the OP?

No.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

Tokyo has almost everything people here have wished WDW would offer...

Adult tickets (18+) are about $75-90
Junior tickets (12-17) are about $60-75
Kids tickets (4-11) are about $40-50
Infants are free

They also offer a senior ticket that‘s about $10 off and a disability ticket that’s about $15 off.

It’s a great example of profit only focused management vs profit via guest satisfaction focused management.

I’ve reached the point I’ve stopped hoping Chapek gets fired (because I don’t think it would change anything) and I’m now hoping Disney sells the parks to a company like Oriental Land Company that hasn’t lost sight of what made the Disney parks the best parks in the world.

There does have to be an eye towards profit, we know this of course, but at the same time there could be a little bit more of an incentive to bring people to WDW. I know since people are flying into the gates at what seems like a record pace (I assume the lockdowns are what have backlogged a lot of people's vacations) then nothing will change, but it is interesting that I watched Jurassic Park the other day for old time's sake and I couldn't help but notice just how excited the lawyer got when he saw the Dinosaurs and realized how much of a fortune they could make and how much they could charge for the park. John Hammond responded by saying he wanted this park to be enjoyed by everyone, not just the super rich. It reminds me of how Walt initially started Disneyland with wanting everyone to enjoy it.