Posted on 08/03/2007 8:56:30 PM PDT by ChildOfThe60s
POSTED: 5:15 pm EDT August 3, 2007 UPDATED: 9:59 pm EDT August 3, 2007
Walt Disney World is raising ticket prices for third time in two years, company officials announced Friday.
An adult one-day, one-park pass will increase 6 percent, $67 to $71 beginning Sunday. Discount packages also will be affected, but the per-day cost could be less than $23 for adults who buy as large as a 10-day package.
The change is due to an annual planning cycle of travel wholesalers, tour organizers and commercial publications, Disney officials told the Orlando Sentinel.
"We strongly believe that Walt Disney World represents a great entertainment value. Our guests agree," spokesman Rick Sylvain told the newspaper. "In our guests surveys, nine out of 10 rate their theme park experience from good to excellent."
Disney last raised prices last August when a one-day, one-park ticket went from $63 to $67.
When the theme park raised its price from $59.75 to $63 plus tax in January 2006, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando also raised their ticket prices. Price wars have become an annual rite between the three major theme parks.
Universal Orlando officials declined Friday to discuss with The Associated Press pricing strategies for its park or its competitors. SeaWorld officials did not immediately return a message left by AP.
SeaWorld is owned by a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch Cos., and Universal Orlando is part-owned by a unit of NBC Universal Inc., a unit of General Electric Co.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
In my world "price wars" do not mean raising your prices right after your competitor does. Stupid statement.
I would also point out that charging someone $10 to park before buying a $71 entrance ticket is simply a ruse to avoid saying the entrance price is really $81. Indeed, IMO this is more insulting than the overpriced tickets.
How would it look if Target "lowered" prices, but starting charging to park in their lot? Same thing, but at theme parks in Florida no one seems to have the strength of will to simply find something else to do. Until customers say no, they can expect to get reamed.
Anecdote:
Years ago I was at Disney and they had employees going around with clipboards taking "surveys". Question? "If tickets went up $5 would you still come to Disney?" Most of the common sense challenged tourists said "oh yeah, I sure would."
Disney raised ticket prices. Duh.
81 bucks to enter the gates of the happiest place on earth along with (last time I went) the purchase of “E” tickets to ride the rides?
Who is running the place? Tony Soprano..LOL
I will still go to Disneyland but instead of going for three days I will go for two, spending only one night at the Grand Californian instead of two. Tough luck, Mickey, you lose!
Jeez, if The Mouse keeps this up, only the gays will be able to afford it...
/s
Doesn’t matter. I’m never going to the homosexual pandering “Magic Kingdom” ever again anyways. I was there once back in 1995, never missed it again.
For me, I couldn’t care less if it burned to ashes.
I’ll just need to get one of those instate resident annual passes...
if I ever have the time to go...
that’s in the range of a barrel of oil.
/s
Wow, I oughta see what my “books” of tickets from the 50s will bring on eBay!
It’s terrible that it is so expensive to go now. The place gets too crowded.
WTF do you do for 10 F-ing days at Disney?
Last (and only) time I was at Disney World was probably ’82 or so.
Even then it was around $110 for a 3 day pass to Disney/Epcot Center.
Three days was probably about right to hit the main attractions but was probably two days too long to be around the relatives I was with.
The best show was in the parking lot where you could listen to families fight after driving from New Jersey (or wherever) while waiting for the tram to go to the park.
On a recent trip to Florida, we opted for Silver Springs instead of Disney for our theme park day. (I can ride roller coasters at the local Six Flags). We had a great time.
Is the “Gay Days” floorshow included in the $71?
Wow, lots of anti-Disney people here. Well, frankly, I adore Disneyland, and priced out per hour of entertainment, it’s a great deal. A much cheaper deal per hour than movies or sporting events are.
I have 3 boys, ages 11, 9, and 4, and I have very little in common with them (what is great fun for boys is not for me, usually)—Disneyland is a place the whole family can enjoy.
We go once a year for 3 or 4 days. We go in the off season, no crowds, stay in a moderately-priced hotel, and have always had a great time with great family memories.
Not to say other vacations aren’t great too, but Disney vacations are very special and, in the eyes of a child, quite magical. Worth every penny.
Knoebels is a perfect example. It is world famous for it's coasters, bumper cars, Grand Carousel, and cheap food.
Free parking and free admission. You buy tickets for the rides you want to ride once you are in the park. Also a great campground and incredible swimming pool.
It’s like movies. That’ll be $19.50, hey, why’s the place empty, better raise the price.
We bought annual passes when our daughter was young. We home schooled so my wife took her frequently. Epcot was a "science field trip"...take that public schools. At the time that pass entitled one to "free" parking. Don't know now. Quit going long before I left the state.
But, as regards parking, I consider it grossly insulting when any business charges me exorbitant "fees" to park my car in order to spend money at their place of business.
Back to the ticket prices, my point is that when consumers show no resistance to price increases, they are asking for more of the same.
You want lower cable TV prices? Fine. When 50% of the subscribers in a city cancel their service, watch prices come down. Monopoly or not. But people say to me when I suggest this, "oh, but I can't live without my cable". Well. tough noogies then.
Obviously if the place is too crowded, the problem is that the prices are too low!!
I never did see the attraction of theme parks. It’s all so fake. It’s hard to see plunking down that kind of cash, especially when there are so many wonderful natural wonders to witness in our nation, not to mention historical sites and museums.
‘Course, even as a kid I never bought into the whole “Disney” thing, so I’m kind of a weirdo there. :p
Doesn’t include lunch @ $29.95 each for a hamburger ,soda and chips.
Naaah. I can see the same thing for free watching the '08 Dhimmocratic Convention.
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