Ticket prices to be based on time of year?

Right but that is still $400 for your family to get in the door of a broadway play (and that is average for all the shows, the best ones are more that that). And that is what, 3 hours of entertainment vs a full day
That's not really true, for the entire three hours of the show you are being entertained by others and were nothing but sitting there and watching. For the whole day at WDW, for time are you really being entertained? You spend an hour in line for a three minute ride, you spend more than you would any place else to eat and don't forget you have to reserve where you're going to ride or eat months in advance for popular places. I'd venture to say that I most days you're getting significantly less in three hours of true entertainment during your day in the parks.
 
The average Broadway show ticket price passed $100 this year

Why does it seem when discussing WDW ticket prices someone is always like..."But Broadway plays!" And as a live theater goer I can tell ya that there are SOOO many ways to get great deals on Broadway tickets. We have never paid anywhere close to $100. And seriously, it's okay if someone feels as though WDW tickets are very expensive, it is!
 
Why does it seem when discussing WDW ticket prices someone is always like..."But Broadway plays!" And as a live theater goer I can tell ya that there are SOOO many ways to get great deals on Broadway tickets. We have never paid anywhere close to $100. And seriously, it's okay if someone feels as though WDW tickets are very expensive, it is!

I just picked the average price shown for all of broadway. Yes you can cheaper tickets for some shows and then others will be a lot more.

And I fully agree they are expensive- said that’s few times - just think you do get a lot for what you pay compared to many other forms of entertainment. Just an opinion, if you diasagree that is obviously fine
 


I don't like to use Broadway as an example. i like to use skiing. High end activity where you do all the work. Lift tickets are easily 100 a day.

Or rafting. A day on the river is usually $120 or so per person, and that's a lot of waiting and then a minute or so of thrills.

Everything is expensive You can always find things that aren't to compare WDW to, but when you're being intellectually honest, you'll see that it really isn't out of line. More than any of us really want to spend, sure, but not extravagant.
 
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/disney-tests-pricing-power-theme-142500349.html

This article discusses ticket prices and claims insiders have data that Disney could charge much more than it currently does and still not drive a significant number of guests away.

I happen to agree with parts of this article, specifically....

"Internal projections at Disney show that even after raising prices at roughly double the rate of inflation over the past five years, it could charge much more than it currently does without driving away too many customers, a person familiar with the company’s parks operations said."
 
I think there are two things here:
1. comparison for a one and done activity...is hard. That one and done activity has to be priced higher because its not getting another day out of you (almost like buying bulk in a store) Disney gets expensive as a whole for a week long vacation. Also the comparison to gate price is a little skewed (and i agree there are ways around this) but the additional costs once in the park are a lot (like food, parties, souvenirs). I'm willing to bet that the average person pays a lot more once inside the park in Disney than they do in a broadway show or sporting arena (2-3 meals, snacks, parties, souvenirs, parking, etc.)
2. the prices are rising faster (by percentage) than many other entertainment options. Six flags was $80 for a year pass 2-3 years ago and is still the same today. Disney pricing is starting to jump higher...faster than others.
 


Really? That works out to ~$71 per person per day. A single day at 6 Flags Great Adventure (gate price) is $74

The average Broadway show ticket price passed $100 this year

The average non-premium ticket price to a NY Knicks game is $123 - and the Knicks stink!

Not trying to say they are cheap but for all you can do in a day at a WDW park it think the park tickets are reasonable compared to other forms of entertainment

Its not so much $71 per person per day, but its a huge chunk of money to pay at one time. I've had to do it as well, and it sure wasn't easy.

As far as comparisons to sporting events or other entertainment venues: Yes, sporting events, concerts, Broadway shows are expensive and comparable to Disney. BUT, and this is a huge BUT, if I go to a concert, its a one time charge of say $80. If I take my family of four, for example, it may be a one time $300-ish charge. I may have to pay for parking, but it will only be once. I may not buy any food or sourvineers, but if I do, it would only be once. I may also pay for one night at a hotel for $50-100 a night. But, that is it. Its a one-time event, with one time charges.

Going to Disney, most folks don't go for one day unless they are local. They go for multiple days, a week or longer, so that would be like taking a family of four to 5-6 concerts each week, or 5-6 sporting events each week. Most folks really don't do that, so its hard to make a direct comparison for shows, concerts, etc. to what you pay at Disney.

Disney is expensive. Not everyone has recovered from the recession (i'm still not where I was financially in 2008, for example) and costs to go to Disney keep going up. And, what you get for the expensive cost is continually going down.

"Internal projections at Disney show that even after raising prices at roughly double the rate of inflation over the past five years, it could charge much more than it currently does without driving away too many customers, a person familiar with the company’s parks operations said."
To be honest, my family and I are now priced out. Could we find a way? Probably we could. But our trip earlier this year in February was in very crowded parks with long waits, rude people and grumpy CMs. And since then, prices for parking and other items have gone up. That really doesn't make me want to go back ever again.
 
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Its not so much $71 per person per day, but its a huge chunk of money to pay at one time.

As far as comparisons to sporting events or other entertainment venues: Yes, sporting events, concerts, Broadway shows are expensive and comparable to Disney. BUT, and this is a huge BUT, if I go to a concert, its a one time charge of say $80. If I take my family of four, for example, it may be a one time $300-ish charge. I may have to pay for parking, but it will only be once. I may not buy any food or sourvineers. I may also pay for one night at a hotel for $50-100 a night. But, that is it. Its a one-time event, with one time charges.

Going to Disney, most folks don't go for one day unless they are local. They go for multiple days, a week or longer, so that would be like taking a family of four to 5-6 concerts each week, or 5-6 sporting events each week. Most folks really don't do that, so its hard to make a direct comparison for shows, concerts, etc. to what you pay at Disney.

Disney is expensive. Not everyone has recovered from the recession (i'm still not where I was financially in 2008, for example) and costs keep going up. And, what you get for the costs is going down. To be honest, we're now priced out. Could we find a way? Probably. But our trip earlier this year in February was in crowded parks with long waits and grumpy CMs. And since then, prices for parking and other items have gone up. That really doesn't make me want to go back.


I get that and I agree it is not cheap

We also stay off site at WDW and usually get 4-5 day tickets (often military salute rates) and we often drive down so our total cost for vacation is probably a lot lower than for other people. I just see a guest getting a lot for just the admission to the parks but agree the other costs have been going way up (why we don't pay them - we are way priced out from staying on site for example)
 
I get that and I agree it is not cheap

We also stay off site at WDW and usually get 4-5 day tickets (often military salute rates) and we often drive down so our total cost for vacation is probably a lot lower than for other people. I just see a guest getting a lot for just the admission to the parks but agree the other costs have been going way up (why we don't pay them - we are way priced out from staying on site for example)

I agree Max. We checked into staying on site once. 6 day non hopper tickets, "free" dining and staying in a value resort was $4400. The same trip cost us around $2500 by staying off site. And that was years ago, so i'm sure the cost has gone up.

Even though our Disney vacations "only" cost $2200-2500 by staying offsite, its still a very huge chunk of change for us. AND Disney tickets make up 2/3 of the cost! With other things competing for the family budget these days, and costs of everything continue to go up (homeowners insurance almost doubled this year thanks to the hurricanes last year) and raises being low - IF I get one, Disney is a luxury that we can no longer afford. We've been priced out. We could probably find a way, but after our last trip being not-so-magical, why bother?
 
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I agree Max. We checked into staying on site once. 6 day non hopper tickets, "free" dining and staying in a value resort was $4400. The same trip cost us around $2500 by staying off site. And that was years ago, so i'm sure the cost has gone up.

Even though our Disney vacations "only" cost $2200-2500 by staying offsite, its still a very huge chunk of change for us. AND Disney tickets make up 2/3 of the cost! With other things competing for the family budget these days, and costs of everything continue to go up (homeowners insurance almost doubled this year thanks to the hurricanes last year) and raises being low - IF I get one, Disney is a luxury that we can no longer afford. We've been priced out. We could probably find a way, but after our last trip being not-so-magical, why bother?

I think your last point is very key. I see Disney (or at least a trip to WDW) as a luxury item and as such it needs to provide a superior return. Definitely not something you should go to and then feel it wasn't worth the money. That is why I think it is key for them to keep quality very high moreso that worry about rising costs. If you are providing an unmatched and amazing experience, I think (most) people will find a way to make it work (obviously not eveyrone) but if that return is not there (as you are finding) then it doesn't matter really if it costs $70/day or $100/day or $150/day or whatever
 
I think your last point is very key. I see Disney (or at least a trip to WDW) as a luxury item and as such it needs to provide a superior return. Definitely not something you should go to and then feel it wasn't worth the money. That is why I think it is key for them to keep quality very high moreso that worry about rising costs. If you are providing an unmatched and amazing experience, I think (most) people will find a way to make it work (obviously not eveyrone) but if that return is not there (as you are finding) then it doesn't matter really if it costs $70/day or $100/day or $150/day or whatever

I agree 100% with you Max.

If Disney wants to charge premium prices, they need to provide a premium experience to match the prices. Not occasionally, not in some areas, but consistently and in all areas. AND, and this is a big one for me, they don't need to keep raising prices while cutting perks, quality, ride capacity, etc.

On our last no-so magical trip, my 10 year old daughter commented to me "Disney used to be magical. Now its an overcrowded amusement park!" That summed up our last trip in one sentence. You know there are problems with a 10 year old Disney loving little girl has a bad time.

I now look at a trip to DisneyWorld as akin to going to a 5 star hotel with 5 star hotel expectations and paying a lot of $$$$, and finding out the hotel kitchen is closed, the toilet in your room doesn't work, and the Air Conditioning isn't working half the time.
 
I think for me at least a better comparison is to a cruise. Right now I can go to Disney for a little less than a RCL cruise and I think it provides a roughly equivalent level of vacation. That is being reasonable (maybe cheap) with extras on both. Once I have to buy DD tickets that gap will close.

If we get to the point where Disney is significantly more than a cruise, I highly don't I will go much, especially if low season keep going away.

On the flip side I could go to Cedar Point and a few other great amusement parks in that region over a week for a fraction of the money.

My biggest issue though is with them making noticeable cost cuts while increasing prices sat high rates. Give me more for more, not less for more.
 
I agree 100% with you Max.

If Disney wants to charge premium prices, they need to provide a premium experience to match the prices. Not occasionally, not in some areas, but consistently and in all areas. AND, and this is a big one for me, they don't need to keep raising prices while cutting perks, quality, ride capacity, etc.

On our last no-so magical trip, my 10 year old daughter commented to me "Disney used to be magical. Now its an overcrowded amusement park!" That summed up our last trip in one sentence. You know there are problems with a 10 year old Disney loving little girl has a bad time.

I now look at a trip to DisneyWorld as akin to going to a 5 star hotel with 5 star hotel expectations and paying a lot of $$$$, and finding out the hotel kitchen is closed, the toilet in your room doesn't work, and the Air Conditioning isn't working half the time.
So true, especially when they staff down to cut capacity and increase wait times on lower crowd days.
 
I dislike how complicated it has become even more than the pricing even though they are related. Planning when to go and where to stay and what extras to add with prices varying depending on when we go and so on just annoys me. I know that some people enjoy all of the detail but I just want to think about as little as possible when I go on vacation.
 
I dislike how complicated it has become even more than the pricing even though they are related. Planning when to go and where to stay and what extras to add with prices varying depending on when we go and so on just annoys me. I know that some people enjoy all of the detail but I just want to think about as little as possible when I go on vacation.

This is our first year with the Platinum AP's. A cool $4000 for a family of 5 with tax.

We have noticed these things more and more. It seems that the "base" ticket doesn't get you the experience it used to. I still blame mostly FP+. We don't have much luck with the refresh method, and also, with 3 kids, we don't want to have our eyes glued to our phones. If you want to ride anything "new", you either pay (EMM, After Hours, pay to stay onsite, etc..) arrive an hour early, or try your hand at being the last ones on. Perhaps it was always that way, but FP+ has killed the regular standby lines and it's made us reevaluate our favorite theme park in the world. We aren't renewing when they expire. I think they've outkicked their coverage so to speak.

We still love it, but the experience isn't worth what they are charging anymore. More power to those who have the extra monies to spend to get what we used to get in the base ticket. I hope with the new Toy Story land, Tron, SWGE, that it changes things a bit. I know upfront its going to keep driving these extras and planning, but perhaps in a few years it will come back to the experience it used to be.
 
We also may be coming to our Disney end and we get the FL resident seasonal passes. I have one daughter that I now have to pay for and another one a year away. We already stopped staying onsite, which was very difficult for the wife. If we don’t get the AP’s, we won’t buy tickets.

I’ve never been an all day kind of guy, so we get there at open and leave by 2. Pool and then a nice dinner. Without AP’s, you just can’t do that or it’s a waste of a ticket. I have a feeling next year will see a significant increase in pricing everywhere at DW and it will probably be our last year.
 
We also may be coming to our Disney end and we get the FL resident seasonal passes. I have one daughter that I now have to pay for and another one a year away. We already stopped staying onsite, which was very difficult for the wife. If we don’t get the AP’s, we won’t buy tickets.

I’ve never been an all day kind of guy, so we get there at open and leave by 2. Pool and then a nice dinner. Without AP’s, you just can’t do that or it’s a waste of a ticket. I have a feeling next year will see a significant increase in pricing everywhere at DW and it will probably be our last year.

Same boat here too. I will go back and visit, but I don't see purchasing another WDW AP until the 50th. There has to be enough new experiences/attractions to warrant the expenditure.
 
I dislike how complicated it has become even more than the pricing even though they are related. Planning when to go and where to stay and what extras to add with prices varying depending on when we go and so on just annoys me. I know that some people enjoy all of the detail but I just want to think about as little as possible when I go on vacation.

I enjoy the planning but even for me I can see this getting to a point where it is like needing to solve a math theorem or something

I still wonder how they are going to do multi-day tiered pricing if when you are there spans different tiers. Make you get the most expensive option? have you have to pay and "upcharge" if you show um on a "regular" day but only have "value" tickets ... and would love to see that scene at the gates when they tell some family that isn't into all the planning that "yes you have tickets, but those tickets aren't good for today" or whatever
 
This is our first year with the Platinum AP's. A cool $4000 for a family of 5 with tax.

We have noticed these things more and more. It seems that the "base" ticket doesn't get you the experience it used to. I still blame mostly FP+. We don't have much luck with the refresh method, and also, with 3 kids, we don't want to have our eyes glued to our phones. If you want to ride anything "new", you either pay (EMM, After Hours, pay to stay onsite, etc..) arrive an hour early, or try your hand at being the last ones on. Perhaps it was always that way, but FP+ has killed the regular standby lines and it's made us reevaluate our favorite theme park in the world. We aren't renewing when they expire. I think they've outkicked their coverage so to speak.

We still love it, but the experience isn't worth what they are charging anymore. More power to those who have the extra monies to spend to get what we used to get in the base ticket. I hope with the new Toy Story land, Tron, SWGE, that it changes things a bit. I know upfront its going to keep driving these extras and planning, but perhaps in a few years it will come back to the experience it used to be.


I get the benefit of FP+ and overall I like it - as it helps structure our day and know ahead of time what we have FP for vs what we don't and adapt to that. Plus even though we stay off site I get why there should be a benefit to staying on site

I do think they have added FP to too many rides, especially in MK. The high capacity or continual loaders really don't need FP and for many of them (looking at you Pirates and HM) the queues weren't built with having separate FP lines in mind. I think you take things like Pirates, HM, Little Mermaid, etc. off the FP system and do standby only and that would help a lot

As for the extras, I think at least for Star Wars land we will take the tact of saving elsewhere (going for shorter, definitely staying off site, reducing $ on food, etc.) and instead do a paid event as I think it will be worth it vs staying on site and *hoping* I can get a FP for at least one attraction at 60 days out or whatever
 

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