Anyone else staggered by ticket prices?

[DizMe]

Here's another take on the cost. My dh doesn't like to go to DL (he only liked it when our girls were little). He pays for my AP/MK though because, in his words, "it's cheaper than therapy." I'm guessing the more likely explanation is some personal guilt about the amount of time/money he devotes to golf-- something I don't share.

 

[Kuilima]

I will yes

If you can't pay people to live then your business is literally just a set up for the rich to increase their wealth

But This is Disney, they can easily double CM's pay and it would not sink the parks. They literally sell alcoholic drinks for almosr 20 bucks an hour and sell them at all parks now.....if they can't make money on all the food, drinks like soda which are basically free profits and genie plus which is also basically free profits then they are doing something very wrong

Why would anyone pay teens a living wage?

 

[starlite_]

Why would anyone pay teens a living wage?

What teens?

 

[twodogs]

Also, we are paying more in taxes to subsidize these employees (healthcare, etc) that don't make enough to live, so would we rather pay for them with our taxes, or maybe the CEO could help them out a little.. i mean they do make them their salary.

The issue is that the comp for the CEO (and other executives) of almost any publicly traded company is tied to share price. So the reason they aren’t paying the CMs more is that they want that money to increase money to share holders, which increases share price, which increases the CEOs income. If the company wants its executives to make different decision about the business, then the compensation incentives for the executives need to be changed.

 

[SpaceMan5]

@GatorChris - Have to say it again, you hit a hot button with a lot of ppl. You innocently started off by voicing your opinion on the rising costs of going to DL. Your post has evolved into what is a livable wage, what CM's and CEO's should be making and everything in between. Even had a Moderator chime in.

You have hit on a very real problem that transcends DL. What are the answers, dunno? I see both sides in my own house. I am firmly entrenched in my industry, 30+ yrs, and do well for myself. Then I see my two DD, 24 and 21, who are both still living at home because the cost of living in WA is so high.

(100% transparency, I secretly really enjoy having them around the house, talking with them daily, watching some of their reality shows together (I draw the line at the Bachelor/Bachelorette shows!!))

 

[DodgerGirl]

I simply have no desire to visit Disneyland after hearing and reading stories about Disneyland ticket prices going up and raised but I used to go to Disneyland since my first visit in 1991 when I was six and my recent trip was back in 2004. And it seems "as I have mentioned many times before" every year we see and hear complaints from people about why Disneyland keeps raising ticket prices is a question that we'll never know the answer to. Because it used to be that in the 80's and 90's Disneyland ticket prices were lower because ever since Disneyland did away with the entrance fees and ride charges in 1982 with the introduction of making the rides free in 1983 Disneyland thought it would help lower ticket prices and get more visitors in the park easily. But if you look at a Disneyland ticket price in 1991 and compare to the ticket price for Disneyland you can see why Disneyland prices were lower in 1991. But I think once Disneyland recieved it's first ticket price jump in Spring 2004 you could tell that this was the start of Disneyland's expensive ticket prices that has continued through today and when people heard this shocking news people simply cancelled their Disney vacations and focused on less expensive trips. Like if you want to take a family to Texas you can easily find family oriented attractions such as The Alamo and The Riverwalk in San Antonio and if you have a family that loves to ski you could go to Lake Tahoe get a cabin and that's a great winter vacation that doesn't cost so much as Disneyland. But what I think has ruined Disneyland and has kept people from going are things like Genie+ Lightning Lanes park reservations and Magic and Enchantment Keys because I think why Disneyland added park reservations was mainly to attract more visitors and I think park reservations are unappealing because you are there to visit a theme park not going to shop at Sam's Club or eating at a fancy restaurant and Disneyland should stop with this park reservation system and make the park free to walk into with no reservations like it was before. And if the reservation system does disappear in time this will likely make Disneyland lower it's ticket prices and people will return to Disneyland again. I think Disneyland needs "as Jeremy Renner says" a little Rennervation on it's ticket prices

 

[MillauFr]

@GatorChris - Have to say it again, you hit a hot button with a lot of ppl. You innocently started off by voicing your opinion on the rising costs of going to DL. Your post has evolved into what is a livable wage, what CM's and CEO's should be making and everything in between. Even had a Moderator chime in.

You have hit on a very real problem that transcends DL. What are the answers, dunno? I see both sides in my own house. I am firmly entrenched in my industry, 30+ yrs, and do well for myself. Then I see my two DD, 24 and 21, who are both still living at home because the cost of living in WA is so high.

(100% transparency, I secretly really enjoy having them around the house, talking with them daily, watching some of their reality shows together (I draw the line at the Bachelor/Bachelorette shows!!))

Agreed. There was no way my daughter who recently graduated from college could afford to stay in Seattle. She moved to Florida. We enjoy our trips to Disney. The lower costs for hotels and food in Anaheim and Orlando is a refreshing change from Seattle. I was shocked that we spent less dining out in NYC on our trip there in 2021.

 

[Chili327]

And if the reservation system does disappear in time this will likely make Disneyland lower it's ticket prices and people will return to Disneyland again.

Did you mean that YOU would return again, because Disneyland is packed, “the people” have already returned. lol

 

[MillauFr]

Did you mean that YOU would return again, because Disneyland is packed, “the people” have already returned. lol

Nope. No one goes there anymore. It is too crowded.

 

[Pluto468]

.

 

[starlite_]

Did you mean that YOU would return again, because Disneyland is packed, “the people” have already returned. lol

They stopped going in 2004 but say Genie+ and Reservations are why....

 

[MillauFr]

And if the reservation system does disappear in time this will likely make Disneyland lower it's ticket prices and people will return to Disneyland again. I think Disneyland needs "as Jeremy Renner says" a little Rennervation on it's ticket prices

How will getting rid of the reservation system make Disneyland lower ticket prices? That makes no sense. The problem is they are selling annual passes way too cheap. That is the problem. Massive numbers of annual pass holders are clogging up the parks. They need to massively increase prices not the other way around.

 

[Foxhound3857]

I agree about the reservation system. It makes it so much harder to plan a spontaneous trip. I'm naturally a planner, but even I miss the days of just deciding to go 2 weeks or 2 days before a trip, or deciding which park to start with the morning of a visit when I had a multi day pass.

Tickets are crazy expensive, but I still go and still will as long as I can afford it. The first time I ever went it was $35 for the day. I remember people would talk about how Disneyland would never make tickets more that $100 a day, but here we are.

I think part of the cost is because the rides are free. But honestly even though ticket books etc can be a pain, I'd rather have lower entry prices and then buy ride tickets in the park. For someone like me who has medical issues that make many rides impossible to ride, I'm paying alot for perks I can't enjoy. It would be cool to have a less expensive option to enter the parks but not do rides. This would, of course, be impossible to implement and I know they'll never change the ticketing system at this point, but that would be my daydream scenario lol.

No matter how expensive it gets, it's still worth it to me. I love just being there even if I can't do many rides anymore. I'd rather spend my money at Disneyland than any other vacation. It's my happy place and feels like home.

I like going now because it feels safe, safer than my own house even. I feel absolutely no danger while I'm walking the parks.

 

[Jason2015]

People complaining about ticket price always kill me for several reasons.

1. Disney's price is in line with any other major entertainment venue. A good ticket to a professional sports event will easily be $90-125. A ticket to Broadway with a decent view will set you back $150-225. A big name concert easy $500. Heck even the state fair is going to cost north of $100. If you break any of these down to value hourly Disney is far cheaper. You can spend 14 hours at Disney. A ballgame might be 3.

2. The people that complain about price are also the same ones that complain about crowd size. Cut the price and watch the crowd size soar.

3. Nobody is forcing you to go to Disney. It is your discretionary money. Spend it how you want.

 

[Jason2015]

It's also all supply and demand. If half of ya'll would stop going they would lower the price for the rest of us lol.

On the flipside if the prices lowered then the crowds would grow.

 

[Smugpugmug]

It's also all supply and demand. If half of ya'll would stop going they would lower the price for the rest of us lol.

Not Disneyland but still another Disney park - Tokyo Disneyland has ticket prices around $60-70 for an adult and those crowds make Disneyland look dead. The crowds were so heavy they permanently got rid of annual passes. Waited an hour to order food at a quick service place when I went.

Planning on going again though. Amazing resort besides the bonkers crowds.

 

[StormyCA]

I'll keep going as long as I don't have to go into debt to do so AND my experience is enjoyable. But my DLR trips are looking to be further apart. I used to go (pre-covid) every year for 5 days and stay onsite. Lately my trips have been day trips whilst staying with relatives. Granted, these days I go solo, but I think even if my 'Disney Sister' were in a position to travel, I don't know if we'd do DLR in the same 'style' or for the same length of time.

I think WDW is the better 'bargain' at this point. 4 Parks, 2 Waterparks, and a HUGE shopping district. A range of onsites from around $120/nite at a Budget to 'you've GOT to be kidding me!!!' at a Deluxe. And then there's Fort Wilderness, the BEST RV park I've ever stayed at and where we'll be for 11 days next Spring. At DLR the onsites start at almost $500/nite for PPH up to 'now you're really kidding me!!' at the Grand. A WDW vacation can be much 'cheaper' than DLR if you want to stay onsite (we do).

Will ticket or hotel prices ever come down? Nope. Not at either place. Because we (the public, including myself) have proved to Disney over and over that 'if they charge it, we'll still come'.

 

[Chili327]

I like going now because it feels safe, safer than my own house even. I feel absolutely no danger while I'm walking the parks.

Agree, I don't drink, so that is one factor that i love about the parks unlike other entertainment that are full of drunks. lol

People complaining about ticket price always kill me for several reasons.

1. Disney's price is in line with any other major entertainment venue. A good ticket to a professional sports event will easily be $90-125. A ticket to Broadway with a decent view will set you back $150-225. A big name concert easy $500. Heck even the state fair is going to cost north of $100. If you break any of these down to value hourly Disney is far cheaper. You can spend 14 hours at Disney. A ballgame might be 3.

I couldn't find a decent seat (Niners) for under $400 !!

 

[DontSpamMe]

I think value is relative. Unless you're a local, it isn't as simple as how much it costs per day at the park. Most day ticket purchasers are from out of town. There are other expenses that comes with that. A family of 4 from out of state is looking at a price tag upwards of $6,000 for 4 days in the parks after you factor in travel ($1200 airfare) lodging ($900) food ($600), memorabilia ($500) and park entry ($2200 with genie plus).

 

[Aspencreek]

The thing that always staggers me is hotel prices in comparison to Disney ticket prices. So for around $150 I can spend the entire day from 8am to midnight in the parks with constant entertainment, rides, music, shows, parades, characters, fireworks, etc, etc.

Then to go back for 8 hours of sleep in a tiny rectangle room with ancient beds it can cost easily $250+ a night!