Disney raises theme park prices more modestly than last year

I don't think an increase of $9 on peak days curtails attendance. Is that the advertised intent? Or is it just padding Mickey's pockets?

I would assume that a lot of the thing that they're doing are intended to better distribute attendance, but I don't think any of it is working.

From Disney's perspective its a great "problem" to have.

I'm disappointed with the removal of the Water Park Fun & More option as a stand alone add on and now having to purchase a park hopper in order to add it to the tickets.

My wife and I were talking about it and it seems like Disney is really starting to gouge us consumers even more. One of my coworkers and I were talking about it too. He's a vacation club member with 300 points a year. He goes twice a year, and even he agreed that what they've been doing hasn't been received well by vacation club members.

People complain but people still pay the price. It won't affect Disney until there is an attendance decline. Will they push it to that point? That's the real question.

We are planning to go back in 2019 after the Star Wars land opens. We are going to do all the Orlando parks and Busch Gardens for 10 days 5 days at Disney and the first time we are going to stay on site at Universal Studios.

Coasterfantom2 said:Will they push it to that point? That's the real question.

No, they won't. Price increases at Disney -- at any even mildly competently run business -- don't happen in a vacuum. They're based on extensive analysis. Does that mean that Disney is practically perfect in every way? No, but they've demonstrably been on the right side of price increases for many years.

Coasterfantom2 said:

My wife and I were talking about it and it seems like Disney is really starting to gouge us consumers even more.

Here we go again...how??? Give me some real examples of this "gouging"?

I just disagree (and no, Walt isn't rolling in his grave...). All that Disney has done in this particular case is modestly adjust their pricing and tweak some of their admission entitlements as they (and just about every business) do each year.

Try skiing at Vail/Beaver Creek and paying $19 for a cheeseburger. Or going to an NFL game and having to pay $40 to park. Now that's gouging. I have yet to see any true gouging efforts by WDW other than adjusting their pricing and admissions structures over the years to maximize revenue and create new potential revenue growth streams to serve the demands of their market. That's not gouging, that's just smart business.

I have to agree here. Aside from admission to the parks, Disney isn't steadily raising prices on everything else they offer across property. I still don't feel like I am getting ripped off for in-park purchases when I visit. The food and drink is priced right for a major theme park and the food is actually of good quality. Compare that to a Six Flags or a major ballpark and thats when I feel like there is gouging going on. And it's still not that expensive if you plan on visiting for more than one day at a Disney park.

Hanging n' Banging said:
Here we go again...how??? Give me some real examples of this "gouging"

Yeah. I'm always dubious about claims of 'gouging,' or similar, when it comes to Walt Disney World. They're not raising prices in the hopes that they're guessing right, they're raising prices because they've got the numbers to back up the increase*. And a visit to WDW ... it's a luxury. Anyone who visits WDW has sufficient disposable income to afford the trip, whether they're staying at the Grand Floridian or a Motel 6.

* Will they always be right? No. But they have an awfully good track record of being on the right side of price increases.

Hanging n' Banging said:
Try skiing at Vail/Beaver Creek and paying $19 for a cheeseburger. Or going to an NFL game and having to pay $40 to park. Now that's gouging. I have yet to see any true gouging efforts by WDW other than adjusting their pricing and admissions structures over the years to maximize revenue and create new potential revenue growth streams to serve the demands of their market. That's not gouging, that's just smart business.

How can you see that Disney is not price gouging and then accuse the NFL teams and ski resorts of doing that? If patrons are paying that much for parking or cheeseburgers, they are doing the same thing as Disney: meeting their market. I think there's a fundamental misunderstanding of the term "gouging". Price gouging is Home Depot quadrupling the price of plywood before a hurricane or doubling the price of tarps in the days after.

Exactly. Disney isn't gouging and neither are the ski resorts or NFL teams. Different people find value at different price points. If you find value at a given price point, buy. If not, don't. But that you don't find value at a given price point doesn't mean others feel the same or that the given price point isn't appropriate.

Tickets aren't cheap, that's for sure. Part of me is considering skipping out on park hopper on my upcoming trip, due to the $225 jump over 3 tickets, and the fact that all the parks close at 9:00 anyway - I like having the hopper when Epcot and/or MK are open until 10 or 11 and you can close more than one park in a day (or if there are late night EMH). I'm not convinced I need it this time - as I'll just head back to Riverside and chill if it gets too busy during the day, and come back to the park I started at in the morning for the last few hours.

I think Disney's price increases over the last few years may actually have a positive impact on me and allow me to relax a lot more than I would have in years past.