Disney One-Day Ticket Goes Up to $71 On Sunday
...which only proves how good Disney really IS
Agreed 100% and this week's podcast even gets into that idea.
Basically they have a way of making you spend more than you would have or wanted to and yet walk away feeling like you got a deal.
That seems to be something that all the 'good' parks know how to do. :)
And his distain for the loss of the Living Seas at Epcot is downright hilarious. :)
Lord Gonchar said: Basically they have a way of making you spend more than you would have or wanted to and yet walk away feeling like you got a deal.
Also, Disney makes it so that it's kinda like checking out "unit prices" at the grocery store and seeing that Brand X sells for 15.9 cents/oz, while Brand Y sells for $2.83/lb.
How much is that in "furlongs/fortnight"? ;)
*** Edited 8/6/2007 6:36:58 PM UTC by rollergator***
And his distain for the loss of the Living Seas at Epcot is downright hilarious.
He's just a grown-up, in the Peter Pan-pejorative sense. The new Nemo-ized pavillion captures much more of our family's time than the old Edutainment version ever did.
And it rained....and it rained.
Like when people spend hundreds of dollars a night for hotel rooms. I've never understood that, nor relied on a hotel for more than a pool, TV, and a place to sleep before leaving the hotel and enjoying the destination I'm at. Any other perks seem unecessary (Perfect Example: Why spend 20 extra bucks to stay at Breakers Express and get an extra hour at CP in May when the longest line is going to be 30 minutes max and I'll probably get sick from so many walk-on rides anyway?).
BTW, Disney's price is rediculous. I've already scheduled for next year a trip to Carowinds to pick up a Cedar Fair Maxx Pass, then later in the year a trip to CP (2 days I assume) and King's Island. 4 days for $80-$90 or one to four for $71 to $250
dexter said:
Hehe, Disney is still a better value than SF, when you add the fact that their line jumping scam is free.*Disney = $71 + tax($4.26) + $10 Parking = $85.26
**$60 + tax($3.60) + $15parking + $30Q-Bot = $108.60
I think the difference in perception here is kind of humorous. We all know Dex is against systems like this and feels they create an unfair situation that discriminates against the "have-nots" in favor of the "haves" and that I feel pretty much exactly the opposite.
First thing is that I don't think Q-bot is necessary for any given SF visit. I've used it about 1-in-3 vists over the years and been fine when not using it. But even if we assume that it is a necessity for a decent park visit and look at the number from that angle we have Dex quoting a $108 per person price.
No wonder you think the way you do, man. If I were paying $108 per person to visit SF parks, I'd probably agree with you! :)
We don't pay close to that. We got SF passes for $45 this year and will probably end up hitting 3 SF parks a total of 4 visits. That's $11.25 per person per visit.
Parking is what it is (although we were let in to SFStL without paying it one night and SFKK is just $5), but we'll still figure the $15 as if it applies to every situation. One car, four people. That's $3.75 a head.
We haven't bought into Q-bot yet this year, but again we'll play worst case scenario and pretend we get one everytime. To put 4 people on a Q-bot at SFGAdv is $80 or $20 per person.
Our worst case scenario cost per person per visit at SF parks this year?
11.25 + 3.75 + 20 = $35
35 bucks! Really!?
I'm not sure how $35 a visit is creating a class system of any kind or keeping out the less fortunate or any of those accusations.
I just thought it was interesting that Dex sees himself as the "have-not" being forced to skip a visit by having to pay $108 and someone like me as a pompous snob throwing money around and thinks it's a good thing to keep out the less desireable customers, yet I'm paying $35 a visit. There's an irony there that I find great humor in.
And it's not even really $35 - as I said we haven't used Q-bot yet this year, parking is $5 at SFKK and we parked for free one night at SFStL. Our actual cost per person per visit for 2007 at SF is...
(drumroll)
$13.44
Read it again.
There's a big difference between $108 and $13. All four of us pay about half of what you're quoting a single day for one person at. ($13.44 x 4 = $53.76)
I guess it's that perception vs reality thing. It's just funny which side perceives things in which way. :)
That statement above is the exact reason why my wife handles the finaces. Otherwise I come home with waverunners and motorcycles. :)
Plus I really haven't had anyone to go to the parks with me. Practically everyone I know would drive up to 6 hours to go to a Concert, but no way are they even going to travel 3 hours for a theme park. Their priorities are simply different than mine.
So I have to pay the entire parking fee.
If it was $13.44 for me to go to SF, I'd be there much more often.
My situation has changed a lot since I moved to WV. It's still 3-6 hours to get to a park, but I have friends to go with me and my new-to-me Ford Explorer is very reliable. My finances have also changed a lot.
I've only been going to parks about 4 times a year. I might spend about $150 each visit, so for my summer park trips it costs me about $600. That's a lot of money for someone who works retail.
Not a smarty pants question here...What do you spend the whole summer for your park trips, including gas? It would be very interesting, especially if it were close to what I pay.
I glad we are understanding each other better lately.
dexter said:
Gonch, I don't get a season pass because I don't live close enough to a SF to justify it. When I lived in PA, it was a whopping 5 hour drive to get to SFGAdv and about 4 to SFA. So I can't just up and go to a park whenever.
I hear ya. Honestly, I didn't think I'd be getting to any SF parks this year. Funny how things change. The closest SF park to us is SFKK and that's 164 miles away.
Plus I have Car-break-down-a-phobia. I would be screwed if I broke down somewhere hours away from my home, especially with a low amount of money.
Been there too. :)
Not as long ago as one might think. And I'm also realistic enough to understand that if one thing went bad for us, I could (would?) be back there again quicker than I like to think about. But I've spent my entire life going with the flow and enjoying the ride and it seems to have worked so far... so why change now? ;)
Plus I really haven't had anyone to go to the parks with me. Practically everyone I know would drive up to 6 hours to go to a Concert, but no way are they even going to travel 3 hours for a theme park. Their priorities are simply different than mine.So I have to pay the entire parking fee.
Well, technically we pay the whole fee, but the per person cost is lower with a family of 4, but yeah, I understand the point being made. :)
Then again, the trade-off is that we have to put 3 additional people through the gate as well.
If it was $13.44 for me to go to SF, I'd be there much more often.
I also imagine at that cost, that the in-park prices suddenly wouldn't seem to hit as hard and if a coaster or two is down for the day, it's really not that big of a deal. At that price, it's easy to overlook things...or at least not care as much.
I've only been going to parks about 4 times a year. I might spend about $150 each visit, so for my summer park trips it costs me about $600. That's a lot of money for someone who works retail.
Undoubtedly.
Not a smarty pants question here...What do you spend the whole summer for your park trips, including gas? It would be very interesting, especially if it were close to what I pay.
Oddly enough, I do track that. To me anything spent that otherwise wouldn't have if we were not visiting a park is a trip expense - gas, lodging, park tickets, in-park spending, meals on the road...all that stuff. It also includes other trip things like spending a day in St. Louis and doing the Arch, things like Ruby Falls & Rock City in Chattanooga or mini golf in Branson. Basically all the 'vacation' stuff.
Without getting too specific, I can say we're still under $5000 for the year. (but we're closing in quick ;) )
We've made 19 visits to 17 parks/locations so far this year (been to KI twice and SFStL two different days). The average cost per visit is somewhere around $250 (give or take) up to this point. Divide that by 4 family members and we're running $65 per person, per park visit - all expenses included.
Just because I'm willing to spend, doesnt mean I'm stupid. :)
We're not hurting the experience either. We stay at 'nice' places (having a wife in the hotel industry doesn't hurt), we don't live on fast food, the kids play games and buy souvenirs at the parks, we always eat at least one meal in the park - it's not cutting corners in anyway, but rather being smart about it. Maximizing the season passes, buying tickets online, getting the hotel room that's a deal, the souvenir cup sharing.
As far as what's left for this year:
We're doing a little overnighter to Fun Spot later in the week. We're dropping by KI the following weekend for the Weird Al show (I know...). We're doing the Fall Affair at HW and I'm thinking of maybe a quick stop-off at SFKK on the way back home. We'll be at BooBuzz (but are skipping the cabin this year...cost control :) ). We want to get back to KI once more in the fall for their Halloween stuff. Also, currently working out the details for a possible November visit to Dollywood. The holiday stuff there looks pretty nice.
So by the time the 2007 season is over for us, it should be 27 visits to 22 different parks. I don't expect that per park average to change much by the end of the season.
If I had to make a projection I'd put the total coast of our 2007 season at around $6000-$6500.
I have no idea how that compares to whatever is "normal", but if you divide that by 4 you're looking at $1500 a person. Seems like a really good deal considering where we've gone and what we've done and seen this year. The price-to-memories/experiences cost seems like an outright steal to me.
But more to the point (after that ramble) we're taking 7 times the trips with 4 times the people (a factor of 28) and end up doing it at around 10 times the cost compared to your numbers.
So essentially, in an apples-to-apples comparison, we're running our trips at 1/2.8th the cost that you do. (and in the sprit of the question - that's not a smarty pants answer, just stating the numbers)
Which I think (and we get to bring the thread full circle here) is very comparable to the current Disney ticket situations. You get one day for $71, but you get 10 days for $225. That's 10 times the experience for 3 times the cost. The only catch is that you got to be able to spend that $225 in the first place. If your budget is tight then you get a lot less for your money.
I think that's the same idea at play with our park trips compared to yours - if you're following the concept still. We're able to spend more and maximize what we get for each dollar.
Seems silly, but it's really not unlike buying in bulk at Sam's Club vs buying single units at Wal-Mart.
I glad we are understanding each other better lately.
Or at least trying, right? :)
Me too, man, me too.
For the 10 day trip I have planned to Orlando in the fall for my same family of 4 it will average out to $175 a day per person. That includes, Airfare, rental car, Disney Port Orleans resort for 9 nights, 10 day park hopper plus waterparks and more, 14 consecutive days at Universal, IOA, BGE, and Sea World, swimming with the Dolphins at Port Discovery, and spending money. We have $7000 budgeted, and the package itself is $3615.
Seems like a pretty good value to me. Only 3 times the amount as the CP & Kennywood trip for twice the time, and 8 parks to visit plus waterparks.
Lord Gonchar said:
dexter said:
Seems silly, but it's really not unlike buying in bulk at Sam's Club vs buying single units at Wal-Mart.
I glad we are understanding each other better lately.Or at least trying, right?
Me too, man, me too.
Ironically (or maybe not) people who buy at bulk-buying clubs are not really making out all that well unless they go in with other people. They had a show on 20/20 recently (it also aired earlier last year) that talked about buying stuff.
They found out that people buy more than they'd ever use at a Sam's Club, Costco etc. because the portion sizes are so huge. Then the people feel guilty that they bought the stuff so they tend to use more of it, or it goes stale. They are also tempted by all the people who have samples throughout the store to buy more.
The guy who bought the huge package of bacon was a great example. He said he felt guilty so he was putting bacon on everything! One of the food experts was pointing out that a container of hot sauce was really meant for the restaurant industry--and the serving sizes contained within--could never be consumed by the average consumer before expiring.
So maybe the analogy and moral of the story is that buying multi-day tickets may seem like a bargain, but if you were only planning one day at the Magic Kingdom, you're better off with the single-day admission instead.
Although, I will sometimes buy meat, and cut, repackage, and freeze it at home.
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