Ticket prices to be based on time of year?

[Future_WorldPhonencian]

In terms of the financial end of wdw prices i feel like as a kid in the 90’s who lived in GA, wdw was a big treat (once every 2-3 yrs) and a 2-3 day proposition max as a part of a vacation. We always stayed off site, picked one neat epcot sit down restaurant and toured dawn to dusk after we all read the latest unofficial guide cover to cover. The 7 seas lagoon hotels were out of reach and my dad’s philosophy was always: if the hotel doesnt have a free hot breakfast its a ripoff.

We have a similar standard of living today as my parents did, and we usually visit every other year but now when we go its very different. A handful of ADRs at wdw sit downs are a must, a ticket seems like its a “bad value” if its less than 4-5 days, picking a hotel is all abt looking for onsite sales/ renting dvc due to emh and free parking (RIP) There are now 4parks, 2 waterparks, and the hotels are an attraction on their own.

Maybe this is a product of disneys really savvy marketing and the fact that they now offer tiered pricing, bouncebacks, festivals and different hard tickets...

Maybe prices will force us into more conservative visits (not necessarily a bad thing we are very thankful toneven go to wdw)


I may be way off base with this comment so if someone has a better sense or a different experience plz comment!

 

[hertamaniac]

In terms of the financial end of wdw prices i feel like as a kid in the 90’s who lived in GA, wdw was a big treat (once every 2-3 yrs) and a 2-3 day proposition max as a part of a vacation. We always stayed off site, picked one neat epcot sit down restaurant and toured dawn to dusk after we all read the latest unofficial guide cover to cover. The 7 seas lagoon hotels were out of reach and my dad’s philosophy was always: if the hotel doesnt have a free hot breakfast its a ripoff.

We have a similar standard of living today as my parents did, and we usually visit every other year but now when we go its very different. A handful of ADRs at wdw sit downs are a must, a ticket seems like its a “bad value” if its less than 4-5 days, picking a hotel is all abt looking for onsite sales/ renting dvc due to emh and free parking (RIP) There are now 4parks, 2 waterparks, and the hotels are an attraction on their own.

Maybe this is a product of disneys really savvy marketing and the fact that they now offer tiered pricing, bouncebacks, festivals and different hard tickets...

Maybe prices will force us into more conservative visits (not necessarily a bad thing we are very thankful toneven go to wdw)


I may be way off base with this comment so if someone has a better sense or a different experience plz comment!

Not necessarily a different experience, but I think you hit the nail on the head.

Growing up, we never stayed onsite and would stay in the general Orlando region (my father came down every year for spring). So, squeezed between his job was a short trip to WDW or Universal, never both on the same trip. It was an absolute treat just for 1 or 2 days (MK/EPCOT). We also had relatives in Apopka so we traveled with them to the parks since they were local and knew what was new.

The onsite pricing is having us (now local) lean heavily towards offsite hotels/resorts for a staycation. Don't get me wrong, we do enjoy staying onsite but the pricing is making the frequency much, much less (and the parking fees really torques me). In our case, when you compare a 10-12 night stay for a WDW vacation, an equivalent cruise length becomes much more alluring.

 

[manning]

Now that they discovered the huge revenue gotten with hotel parking they are playing with pay toilets -----in each room. Exceed more than 2flushes per person you will be charged extra

 

[Nancyg56]

I just spent $1700 for six days of non-hopper tickets for a family of 4 for our trip this summer. That's pretty outlandish to me!

I know the cost seems exorbitant however I always look at it as how much per day, and go from there. We just bought 5 tickets to Lion King and it was over $800. This is not Broadway. We will go to dinner and figure another 200 for that, and once we get to the show we will buy the kids a drink and snack. I will get a glass of wine. You know that will run another 50 easily.

People say that we should not compare these kinds of events because it is not apples to apples, and I guess they are right, but when you make a determination regarding how to spend a sum of money, and see that one four to five hour block of tiem is going to be over $1000, it is hard to avoid comparisons.

I think when you compare the average price of a WDW ticket over 5 days or so to the average cost of any other entertainment, on a dollar per hour basis it is relatively inexpensive. The difference is, even when you go to NYC to see a show, you go and see a show, have dinner, and generally leave. You don't see 5 days of shows, or at least most people don't. The reason WDW is so expensive is because you go for multiple days. And most people need to eat out those days at least one or two times a day. WDW at an average cost of $75 per person per day to get through the gate is a bargain for one day's entertainment. Even adding $75-$100 per person per day to eat, for one day, a family of 4 would spend $700. That's a lot of money, but it's a full day. That's about what you would get for 3 or 4 hours with a Broadway show and dinner or an NFL game and a good meal with a family of 4. And honestly, you got at least twice as much time in the park as you get at either of those, maybe 3x if you are a RD to EMH type person.

However, when you kick that up to $3500 for 5 days, now it's real money. And of course that doesn't add in 5 days of accomodations, which you don't need for a one night event, or possibly travel costs, which you might or might not need for either option. And, of course, you can't get a 1 day ticket for $75, but we'll ignore that.

Anyway, WDW is pretty good value for money if you are trying to be constantly entertained for 60 hours over 5 days. Not too many other places can even do that, let alone would charge less than $10 per hour per person to try plus food. Maybe a cruise is the closest thing?

Regardless though, value for money, and cheap, aren't the same things. Not by a long shot...

I agree, value for dollars is not cheap. I also know that if I start looking at a WDW trip as I would approach an algebra problem, I will flunk. I will continue to do what I have always done: price the trip out, and look at the bottom line. If I see it as affordable I will book. If the cost is not justifiable to me, I will pass and look elsewhere. How Disney monkeys around with pricing, whether it is resort prices, bell curves on tickets, restaurant and dining plan costs, it all will still come down to total cost. I am not going to play games, jumping through multiple hoops to try to make it work. It will or it will not. I believe most people are like me. I know I can break out the componants of the trip, I do that now, but I do this so I can see if a discount will work for us, but in the end, if the trip is too much money, I dont care why, I wont go. I hear a lot of "Disney is just too expensive" and it is pricy. It has always been a costly vacation for people who had to travel to get there. I never was able to visit until I was 25.


I look at every vacation destination as special in one way or another. There is always some sort of cost that is unique to the destination, and I regard Disney that was as well. Three days in NYC with my DGD cost more than if the two of us spent a week in WDW at a moderate. I booked shows, and tours, and got discounts whenever possible, however NYC is expensive. People say not to compare becuase a show is a specific event rather than a vacation, but for many of us, the shows and the tours and the restaurants are part of the vacation, so how do you take those costs as "different?" They are not. We see at least two shows and book a few tours on a three day NYC vacation. Add in lodging, taxis ( I hate the subway) and food and the cost per day skyrockets.

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

I thought they basically already did this? Plus they do it with the hotel pricing like crazy - one day a hotel is $500, a few months later it's $250.

 

[tlmadden73]

In terms of the financial end of wdw prices i feel like as a kid in the 90’s who lived in GA, wdw was a big treat (once every 2-3 yrs) and a 2-3 day proposition max as a part of a vacation. We always stayed off site, picked one neat epcot sit down restaurant and toured dawn to dusk after we all read the latest unofficial guide cover to cover. The 7 seas lagoon hotels were out of reach and my dad’s philosophy was always: if the hotel doesnt have a free hot breakfast its a ripoff.

We have a similar standard of living today as my parents did, and we usually visit every other year but now when we go its very different. A handful of ADRs at wdw sit downs are a must, a ticket seems like its a “bad value” if its less than 4-5 days, picking a hotel is all abt looking for onsite sales/ renting dvc due to emh and free parking (RIP) There are now 4parks, 2 waterparks, and the hotels are an attraction on their own.

Maybe this is a product of disneys really savvy marketing and the fact that they now offer tiered pricing, bouncebacks, festivals and different hard tickets...

Maybe prices will force us into more conservative visits (not necessarily a bad thing we are very thankful toneven go to wdw)


I may be way off base with this comment so if someone has a better sense or a different experience plz comment!

It's definitely the marketing and the fact there is more to do there and just going there (and reading news sites like this) builds excitement.

For me, I was blessed to go to WDW three times as a child (under 18) with my parents, but those trips were conservative compared to today's standards.
1) Just MK (the other parks didn't exist) .. so we just went a day.
2) MK and Epcot (Epcot was brand new -- so we went for a few days (can't recall if it was more than 2)
3) MK, Epcot, and MGM - (MGM was new) -- so our next trip was 3 days.
When I was an adult (after AK) .. I went on a 4-day trip.


Now, as an adult with kids, I want to go more and "experience" more things that didn't exist (or my parents didn't pay for) for my children - character meals, on-site hotels, etc. etc. etc.
Disney has worked hard to have a lot there to experience that a short vacation can't cut it. You feel you are "missing out".

Because I live relatively close (9 hour drive) I've gone, on average, every 18 months with my young son (when he was 2, 3, 4 and now coming up when he is 6), but I kept the trips short (2 park days, staying offsite) knowing he was young. It also kept it affordable. I was doing short trips so we could go more often rather than a one giant trip that my friends/family up north (Wisconsin, Michigan) tend to take because they have to fly. BUT, only hitting 2 different parks, there were things we were missing. We (mainly I) wanted to go back.

Now that my son is older, and my own excitement of wanting to see new lands is there .. .boom . .I'm in for a 6 night, 4-5 park day on-site vacation with my parents .. and even tempted to get an AP so we can go on another big trip in a year before his sister turns 3 in October 2019 (while she is still free). The AP is appealing BECAUSE of the increasing costs. Though I feel I am crazy thinking of going 2 (maybe 3) times in a YEAR.

So .. the escalation happens from great marketing, from wanting to please our kids and moreso from our own passion.... DESPITE the increasing costs .

 

[dreiwhit]

Now that they discovered the huge revenue gotten with hotel parking they are playing with pay toilets -----in each room. Exceed more than 2flushes per person you will be charged extra

Shhhhhh. Don't say this. Disney is watching and we don't want to give them any ideas!

 

[manning]

Shhhhhh. Don't say this. Disney is watching and we don't want to give them any ideas!

Someone told me this rumor was full of crap

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Someone told me this rumor was full of crap

Yeah, at best it is number 2 on the list

 

[mshanson3121]

I spoke to a well known ticket vendor, and they said that WDW is thinking of changing all ticket prices to be based on dates. So, if you will be going at a popular time of year, you will be paying more to stand in longer lines with more people. You would be locked into a certain range of dates. This would be even worse than their making tickets expire by a certain date. Who is driving the WDW bus and why are they diving it over their customers?

Yes. The head cheese himself said it will be in place by later this year and that more tiered pricing will be following.

 

[mshanson3121]

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

And while not broadway some of the shows at WDW are pretty great and you also get rides, and fireworks, and characters, and streetmosphere, etc

In no way am I saying it is cheap or anything but I think you can get pretty good value out a park ticket vs other relatively high end entertainment options

This is my issue with the "full day" argument. During a 3 hour concert, show, football game etc... You spend the entire time (perhaps a 15 minute intermission) being entertained. The vast majority of a person's time at Disney is spent walking from attraction to attraction or waiting in line. In an 8 hour day, assuming a person does 10 rides, take out a minimum of 3 hours for waiting in line. Take out another hour for walking, another hour for eating, bathroom breaks etc... And there you have 3 hours left for your entertainment. So pretty much same cost for same actual entertainment. Now I realize some find entertainment in just walking around etc... But just to try and compare apples to apples (when really we're comparing apples and oranges)

 

[jknezek]

This is my issue with the "full day" argument. During a 3 hour concert, show, football game etc... You spend the entire time (perhaps a 15 minute intermission) being entertained. The vast majority of a person's time at Disney is spent walking from attraction to attraction or waiting in line. In an 8 hour day, assuming a person does 10 rides, take out a minimum of 3 hours for waiting in line. Take out another hour for walking, another hour for eating, bathroom breaks etc... And there you have 3 hours left for your entertainment. So pretty much same cost for same actual entertainment. Now I realize some find entertainment in just walking around etc... But just to try and compare apples to apples (when really we're comparing apples and oranges)

Except this doesn't work either. In a 4 hour football game, there is about 45 minutes of action. Concerts obviously are better, but even there, you get significant dead time between the opening act and the main performance and whatever intermission they take. You can't ding Disney for that and ignore it for other entertainment options.

Personally I'm the guy that loves the themes. Walking around Disney is entertaining, as are many of the more modern lines. So I guess it's just a matter of opinion.

 

[JaxDad]

Yes. The head cheese himself said it will be in place by later this year and that more tiered pricing will be following.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

This is my issue with the "full day" argument. During a 3 hour concert, show, football game etc... You spend the entire time (perhaps a 15 minute intermission) being entertained. The vast majority of a person's time at Disney is spent walking from attraction to attraction or waiting in line. In an 8 hour day, assuming a person does 10 rides, take out a minimum of 3 hours for waiting in line. Take out another hour for walking, another hour for eating, bathroom breaks etc... And there you have 3 hours left for your entertainment. So pretty much same cost for same actual entertainment. Now I realize some find entertainment in just walking around etc... But just to try and compare apples to apples (when really we're comparing apples and oranges)

Except this doesn't work either. In a 4 hour football game, there is about 45 minutes of action. Concerts obviously are better, but even there, you get significant dead time between the opening act and the main performance and whatever intermission they take. You can't ding Disney for that and ignore it for other entertainment options.

Personally I'm the guy that loves the themes. Walking around Disney is entertaining, as are many of the more modern lines. So I guess it's just a matter of opinion.

It's definitely apples to oranges - and, as @jknezek says, it's a matter of opinion as I am sure there are people that would have no problem spending $400 or more for their family to see a Broadway show but would scoff at the price of a Disney Park ticket and others that see tons of value in the Disney ticket vs the Broadway ticket. I just think when you add in the fun of the attractions, the shows the parades (er, parade) the fireworks, the streetmosphere, the detail to take in just wandering around, the character meets, etc. - there is a lot of "value" in my eyes to a entrance ticket to a Disney park.

And my original point was compared to the cost of the Disney hotels, I think there is way more room for the park ticket prices to go up and people still pay it (as they still see value) vs the hotel costs - when you can stay off site in better accommodations for much cheaper

 

[mshanson3121]

View attachment 333425

I can see the resemblance 3

 

[tlmadden73]

I spoke to a well known ticket vendor, and they said that WDW is thinking of changing all ticket prices to be based on dates. So, if you will be going at a popular time of year, you will be paying more to stand in longer lines with more people. You would be locked into a certain range of dates. This would be even worse than their making tickets expire by a certain date. Who is driving the WDW bus and why are they diving it over their customers?

I just don't see it working for a theme park UNLESS they start capping entrance to the parks to help guarantee lower wait times.

Why would people pay MORE for essentially LESS.

Paying more for the last seat in an airplane or the last room of the hotel makes sense because of supply/demand .. but even though you are paying more for your seat/room than someone who booked months ago, you are getting the same service.

If you pay more to go on Christmas Day as opposed to February 3rd, you are paying more for longer lines, more congestion and less "entertainment" than the person who goes in February and has walk ons for a lot of the less popular rides, easier to get reservations and fast passes, etc. etc.

 

[tlmadden73]

And my original point was compared to the cost of the Disney hotels, I think there is way more room for the park ticket prices to go up and people still pay it (as they still see value) vs the hotel costs - when you can stay off site in better accommodations for much cheaper

Until Disney raises the price of parking at the parks so high that staying at a Disney Resort and paying for overnight parking there seems like a deal!

I would easily bet parking will be $25-30 by the time SWGE opens and the 50th anniversary rolls around.

 

[Liljo22]

I am very confused about this whole thread. Disney already does this with single day tickets so why is it hard to believe that its coming with multi-day. They probably have see a lot of success with the single day model so far both in spreading out attendance and getting more per guest.

 

[rteetz]

I am very confused about this whole thread. Disney already does this with single day tickets so why is it hard to believe that its coming with multi-day. They probably have see a lot of success with the single day model so far both in spreading out attendance and getting more per guest.

Its already been announced it will be coming to multi-day tickets later this year.

 

[derekleigh]

I would love to be able to purchase tickets cheaper if we bought them more in advance. However, I would hope AAA would also be doing this as that is one of a select few I'd buy WDW tickets from. Normally, my family and my in-laws know at least a solid year or longer when we'll be going which is generally during Marathon or Princess Half Weekend. But we probably won't go again until 2021 or 2022.