Theme Park pricing

[RBrooksC]

Every year, around this time when Disney increases their park prices, people gripe and groan about it.

Well, I was looking at where my family and I used to go to the beach when I was a wee lad, Wildwood, NJ.

In that town, the boardwalk is basically a full amusement park, with three piers and two water parks.

Just to give a comparison I thought I would show what the multiday pricing is for Morey's Piers and for WDW.

For their four day multipass it is $182 and children are $130.

For Disney it is 299.95 for adults and $280.95 for children.

Yes, that is about a $120 more per ticket. But consider what one is getting for that price.

So, while Disney is expensive, it isn't much more expensive than alternatives.

[vicster]

So, while Disney is expensive, it isn't much more expensive than alternatives.

And worth every penny!!!!!!!!!

[magicman]

My gripe is that Disney price increases are outpacing other entertainment inflation rates & inflation rates in general. In the last 30 years, the price of a ticket has gone up 894%.

At the same time, I will say that Disney should charge what the market will bear. (It just hurts to not be able to visit as often as I once did.)

[Mickey91]

We feel it more when we want to come for a short trip. Disney is pricing out those "let's go to Disney for a couple of days" trips because the tickets are marketed for a much longer stay. While I love to take 10 day trips to Disney, if ticket prices were more even for smaller stays, we would go a lot more often. We used to decide on a Friday morning to go to the MK for the day on Saturday and come home Sunday. Between the ticket increases, resort rate increases and gas prices, those impromptu trips are forever in the past. Someone other than Disney will get the benefit of our need to get away for the weekend.

[MagicalGuest]

We love Wildwood! For the past two summers we've paid almost as much for eight nights in Disney as we paid for 10 nights in Wildwood, so we skipped the beach. (BTW, we stay at the values when the meal plan is included to save $ and fly off-peak.)

This year the deals weren't as good at Disney and airfare was outrageous, so we've opted to go back to Wildwood. I'll say hi to Morey for you!

[Fastpasssteve]

If one of my travel companions didn't have extra DVC points left, we might not have been able to make our upcoming trip in less than two weeks. We're going for 8 days, so we are getting a pretty good deal on park tickets.

I understand about short trips being a thing of the past due to the sliding park ticket schedule. Hopefully, Disney will become more creative so they can get what they need, and we can get what we want.

[NJGIRL]

We're going to Wildwood tonight. We will spend an easy $200 tonight just for the three of us for dinner, a few snacks, and playing games. We won't be doing the water park and probably only a few rides if any.

[ransam]

the price for disney has never bothered me. the reason is i always have a choice not to go. I just got a 30 dollar increase in my electricity, and my cable company cut some channels but their rates are higher. that pisses me off because there's nothing i can do about that. i feel trapped about that.

when you compare prices to wdw to other things it a pretty good vaule.
and it really hasn't increased as some others.
30 years ago you could buy a concert ticket to the top band in the country for an average $6. ( i was a huge concert goier and was looking at my concert stubs last night.) now you're lucky to get a ticket to the top act for less than $50. Movies were about $4. last night i paid $14 for a movie. In college 20 years ago, at Kansas University, i bought a sports package for $35. Now if you want to buy the sports package, you hve to enter a lottery, and if you are lucky enough to get drawn, the package is almost 200 dollars.
if you think about it, over the last 30 years, the concert experience, movie experience, and sporting event's haven't changed that much.
but disney, while they have increased prices, the experience is so much different. they have 2 completely new parks. Added many hotels, downtown disney, boardwalk, new and improved rides, shows, events.

so sure the prices have changed. but so has other entertainment experiences.

[RBrooksC]

We love Wildwood! For the past two summers we've paid almost as much for eight nights in Disney as we paid for 10 nights in Wildwood, so we skipped the beach. (BTW, we stay at the values when the meal plan is included to save $ and fly off-peak.)

This year the deals weren't as good at Disney and airfare was outrageous, so we've opted to go back to Wildwood. I'll say hi to Morey for you!

Well, I would much perfer it if the original Hunt's Pier were open, but that is a subject for a different thread. But, when one looks at the other options, it can add up so, when looked it it from that way, it really isn't so outrageous to understand why Disney is pricing they way they are.

[jazzy]

My gripe is that Disney price increases are outpacing other entertainment inflation rates & inflation rates in general. In the last 30 years, the price of a ticket has gone up 894%.

At the same time, I will say that Disney should charge what the market will bear. (It just hurts to not be able to visit as often as I once did.)

I have to say i dont care how much magic Disney delivers, no family of 4 can afford to visit Disney for some ever in their life time, with recession and people getting back on their feet after being out the work force for quite some time. Spending your money on a Disney vacation is ill advised however it would be a great selling point for Disney if they grant a struggling family in this economy a free dream vacation. That would be awesome.

[texas211]

I feel my comment almost belongs in the " you might be a Disney snob if..."

But, i hate it when people complain about the prices. You are going to Disney. What do you expect. Quality isn't cheap.

Plus, it may be elitist, but one the reasons why i have usually stayed at more expensive hotels and resorts, i like the better company. I don't want someone in line ahead of me complaining a burger costs $10 bucks when you've spent hundreds to travel to Orlando, hundreds more to stay at a resort. Tickets are expensive, but worth it. Pay cheap, get cheap. Pay more, hope to get more.

[Tinkerbella16]

Funny that you posted this because me and my sister say it all the time!!! My uncle loves going to Wildwood or Ocean City for a long weekend friday-monday and, for what they always pay for 4 days down the shore, we can stay a whole week at WDW!!! You get so much more at Disney!!

[DNS]

I could be wrong here, but I don't see Disney pricing short trips out of range - I see them giving better discounts for longer trips and that makes good business sense. I know I have planned a couple of 5 or 6 day trips, then I see how little it costs in ticket prices to stay an extra 2 or 3 days and I find myself planning a longer trip. Plus travel expenses are no more to stay 3 days or 10 days. I realize some people cannot get away that long, but I understand why they price such discounts for longer trips.

[RBrooksC]

I don't think Disney has priced themselves out of anything.

When you look at other options, Disney is about on par. They may be a little more expensive but not much more and many times one is getting more for their vacation dollar.

But I think before podcasters, forum posters, fanboys, people in general complain about the prices, they need to compare the cost of a multiday trip some place else. See where Disney lies within that sphere and go from there.

[ChipNDale79]

I understand that Disney is a business and at the end of the day what really matters is the bottom line. However, I do think the ticket prices are getting a little high. Can I spend a week at disney for about the same amount of money as i could at the beach and do a lot more stuff? Sure i can. IMO the week long vacations are still a good value, if you stay at a value or moderate resort.

In our case because of price increases the 2, 3, or 4 day trips during the year are now out of the question for us. We can't afford to spend the money on gas to drive 8 hours each way, the price of hotel rooms for a night or two, and then the large amount a Disney Ticket for a couple of days cost.

So for us, we've had to cut back to once a year for a week long vacation. No more once a year week long vacations plus 2 or 3 smaller trips a year.

[RBrooksC]

Maybe, but as I said, to get a multiday pass at Wildwood, NJ for their boardwalk that isn't nearly as good as WDW you are paying $120 less. $120 less is a drop in a bucket. That doesn't include cost of a hotel stay at the beach, nor food, nor anything else.

A trip to the New Jersey shore is about on par with a trip to Disney.

Yes, one may have to travel further, but for the cost, one is still on par with other vacations.

[ChipNDale79]

We have other options around us for long weekends that cost a lot less than a trip to Disney. Like going to the mountains and camping and hiking for the weekend, we'll do that more often now then go to Disney.

Thats simply a cost thing for us, if Disney was a better value for short trips, we'd go more often.

[RBrooksC]

Just on a whim, I checked out some motel pricing in Wildwood. Just to compare amusement prices, coupled with hotel prices. I checked out two hotels. One in Wildwood Crest, south of the boards and another right on the southern tip of the boards.

Both prices were on par with a Disney moderate to deluxe resort at around $270 per night in the height of the summer season.

So, to go to the beach, the cost is going to be in the WDW ballpark.

Yes, this is one example and I am sure people will say, "You can go *here* and pay much less." I am comparing what many on the east coast would do during the summer, the beach to a vacation in WDW.

Disney isn't that much more expensive than going to a beach in Southern NJ.

[ChipNDale79]

Just on a whim, I checked out some motel pricing in Wildwood. Just to compare amusement prices, coupled with hotel prices. I checked out two hotels. One in Wildwood Crest, south of the boards and another right on the southern tip of the boards.

Both prices were on par with a Disney moderate to deluxe resort at around $270 per night in the height of the summer season.

So, to go to the beach, the cost is going to be in the WDW ballpark.

Yes, this is one example and I am sure people will say, "You can go *here* and pay much less." I am comparing what many on the east coast would do during the summer, the beach to a vacation in WDW.

Disney isn't that much more expensive than going to a beach in Southern NJ.

I dont think a lot of people are arguing that, as i noted above, we'll still go for a yearly vacation. However the short trips in between have stopped, the short trips IMO are too expensive. The longer you stay the better the value.

[RBrooksC]

I know, but living in MD, I would never make a short trip to Disney. Too much time and trouble to do that.

What my point is, whenever Disney raises their price, whether it be in a forum or, especially, on a podcast, somebody is whining and complaining about how Disney is pricing themselves too high. What I am just trying to say is their pricing is not far out of line from what other places charge.