Anyone else staggered by ticket prices?

[SpaceMan5]

Conversely, some of us have recently realized we're definitely more Disney Parks people than "all kinds of theme parks" people. Like, I enjoy Universal occasionally, and if I lived locally would probably have their annual pass. But most other theme parks? I'm one and done. I know other parks are cheaper, but that's not the parks I want.

I agree 100%

For me its like gong to the State Fair. I can go once and then I'm good for about 5-6 years before I want to go back.

DL is just different. I have that childhood connection which has continued into adulthood. So of course, I want to go whenever we can

 

[Foxhound3857]

Conversely, some of us have recently realized we're definitely more Disney Parks people than "all kinds of theme parks" people. Like, I enjoy Universal occasionally, and if I lived locally would probably have their annual pass. But most other theme parks? I'm one and done. I know other parks are cheaper, but that's not the parks I want.

I have had so many miserable times at Magic Mountain that they could not PAY me to return, much less willingly buy a ticket. But great for those that love it!

I do love the immersion of Disneyland, the atmosphere, but I also love Six Flags equally for the thrills. I don't get that kind of an adrenaline rush from anything at Disneyland, as amazing as some of the rides are. Incredicoaster just can't compare to Viper, for instance, when it comes to a pure fight-or-flight experience.

The last three years I've been going to SFMM have been great, nothing to really complain about. The only long wait times are for X2 and Tatsu, and I've never had a ride break down on me mid-wait. Honestly their coasters are in better condition then some of the attractions at Disneyland; Indy, Pirates and Haunted Mansion are in desperate need of refurbishment so they don't malfunction all the time.

 

[starkweatherink]

I agree 100%

For me its like gong to the State Fair. I can go once and then I'm good for about 5-6 years before I want to go back.

DL is just different. I have that childhood connection which has continued into adulthood. So of course, I want to go whenever we can

I think a lot of people have special connections to Disney and the parks and it goes back to childhood. My teenage best friend had every single Disney VHS, if she didn't I found it for her. My daughter was named after her, and I took her the year after she almost died from MRSA and she loved it; took her to Disney World for her sweet 16. The trip that happened when my world tipped over was the first solo trip that had an emotional connection. My wife was getting ready to leave me after 20 years, and she did when I got back. I went 2 more times with my AP that year and now Disney is my comfort place for those reasons. Everyone has their own connection and their own way of doing things. We never know what's in someone's mind or what they're going through.

 

[SpaceMan5]

I think a lot of people have special connections to Disney and the parks and it goes back to childhood. My teenage best friend had every single Disney VHS, if she didn't I found it for her. My daughter was named after her, and I took her the year after she almost died from MRSA and she loved it; took her to Disney World for her sweet 16. The trip that happened when my world tipped over was the first solo trip that had an emotional connection. My wife was getting ready to leave me after 20 years, and she did when I got back. I went 2 more times with my AP that year and now Disney is my comfort place for those reasons. Everyone has their own connection and their own way of doing things. We never know what's in someone's mind or what they're going through.

A bittersweet post. Glad you found your comfort place in DL. Many ppl are not so lucky and are always fighting that internal battle

 

[pindecisive]

And I'm the sucker that will keep paying it until I can't pay it anymore.

Same. It costs what it costs. If I don't want to pay the price of the ticket we do something else.

 

[pindecisive]

That used to be me. I'd complain about it a little, but there always seemed to be value. Then... Diaper Genie+ hit. I didn't have to just get tickets - I had to get the fastness system. After living for 20 years with FP, I can't go without. What I saw on my last trip, tons of people in standby line looking drained and defeated, tells me I have to get it in order to have a good trip. Which means for a family of five, an extra $125/day. That used to be food money. Now it's just to maintain what a DL used to be (on top of the recent ticket price increase).

But that was before. I finally had to pull the plug this year. I'm usually at DL this week. I said forget it, it's too busy in OCT at that price. The wife talked me into going in December for just 3 days instead of 5. But once I told her what it would cost for a family of 5 for 3 days with G+, we both said no. Hard to believe, but Disney finally pushed me to the point of "no". And I hate it.

I will never get to that point. Here are several reasons why:

1. We never go for more than 2 days
2. We usually fly in at 9am go to DL and fly out at 5pm
3. We use miles for our flights, and at WDW we use points for our onsite Marriott hotel

Disneyland could charge me $500/day and I would pay it. Because beyond Uber and my flight security fees I'm not paying for anything else.

I've literally driven 6 hours down to Anaheim on a Friday, stayed at a $40/night hotel and done DL for a day, and then driven back home on Sunday. And I had an amazing time.

I recently attended a tech conference (free to me) in Kansas City, the hotel was free with points, the flight was just security fees with miles, and I ended up with a free sky box view of a Tyler Hubbard/Adam Doleac concert. Last year I visited Salem Massachusetts on Halloween - again, free flight, free hotel. Highly recommend everyone do it at least once.

My expectation is always, 'I'm going to do this as cheap as possible and have an amazing time'.

 

[Foxhound3857]

My expectation is always, 'I'm going to do this as cheap as possible and have an amazing time'.

I can relate to this. My brother got mad at me because on our last trip I had a bunch of snacks in my fannypack. He threw it back in the car and said "You don't bring your own food in, you pay for everything at a 400% markup and worry about the cost after."

I mean, he kinda has a point, but I'm still a cheapskate and I'm gonna do that sort of thing.

I make no apologies for it.

 

[GatorChris]

I will never get to that point. Here are several reasons why:

1. We never go for more than 2 days
2. We usually fly in at 9am go to DL and fly out at 5pm
3. We use miles for our flights, and at WDW we use points for our onsite Marriott hotel

Disneyland could charge me $500/day and I would pay it. Because beyond Uber and my flight security fees I'm not paying for anything else.

I've literally driven 6 hours down to Anaheim on a Friday, stayed at a $40/night hotel and done DL for a day, and then driven back home on Sunday. And I had an amazing time.

I recently attended a tech conference (free to me) in Kansas City, the hotel was free with points, the flight was just security fees with miles, and I ended up with a free sky box view of a Tyler Hubbard/Adam Doleac concert. Last year I visited Salem Massachusetts on Halloween - again, free flight, free hotel. Highly recommend everyone do it at least once.

My expectation is always, 'I'm going to do this as cheap as possible and have an amazing time'.

I do use points. But man, I guess I don't have the point that you do. To be able to fly your family on points and just stay for two days, and then pay for hotels with points left over? That's really nice. I've got point envy!

My points I got this year covered a VRBO stay at Pismo and then there'll be enough for 5 nights at hotel a 20 minute walk from DL gates (if we were going - now I'm saving them for next year). I wish I had enough fly miles - I'd be going to Florida yearly!

 

[tlovesdis]

HI folks,

Just another friendly reminder to stay on the topic of Disney ticket prices!

Thanks!

 

[DizMe]

I do use points. But man, I guess I don't have the point that you do. To be able to fly your family on points and just stay for two days, and then pay for hotels with points left over? That's really nice. I've got point envy!

My points I got this year covered a VRBO stay at Pismo and then there'll be enough for 5 nights at hotel a 20 minute walk from DL gates (if we were going - now I'm saving them for next year). I wish I had enough fly miles - I'd be going to Florida yearly!

GatorChris, it really depends on the size of your family. It's much easier for me at this point in life because my kids are 20 and up and not living at home. My dh doesn't want to go, so I'm only paying for myself. I usually go with a friend or my sister which means I split the cost of hotel. My dh gets me a MK every year so I don't have to pay for tickets, and it comes with some nice perks like discounts and Photopass. But when I was a single mom with 2 kids, it wasn't something we could do every year and we always stayed in a motel.

I know it's pricey for a family so I get how people can be priced out in terms of doing it on a regular basis. But I also remember when I was growing up that going to DL wasn't an extended stay for most people, it was a one-day visit and I'd say the majority of those who went lived somewhat close by. It was also not something most people did often.

I really don't know if DLR is much more expensive now than it was then for the average family when you take into account the cost of living differences, but it was also a lot smaller and you could do most, if not all, in a day. That was in the 1960's-'70s. I remember picking veggies with my brother and sister and selling them from a wagon in my neighborhood. We went door to door and earned our DL ticket money. That was a LONG time ago, ha ha.

 

[BuzzlightHead]

GatorChris, it really depends on the size of your family. It's much easier for me at this point in life because my kids are 20 and up and not living at home. My dh doesn't want to go, so I'm only paying for myself. I usually go with a friend or my sister which means I split the cost of hotel. My dh gets me a MK every year so I don't have to pay for tickets, and it comes with some nice perks like discounts and Photopass. But when I was a single mom with 2 kids, it wasn't something we could do every year and we always stayed in a motel.

I know it's pricey for a family so I get how people can be priced out in terms of doing it on a regular basis. But I also remember when I was growing up that going to DL wasn't an extended stay for most people, it was a one-day visit and I'd say the majority of those who went lived somewhat close by. It was also not something most people did often.

I really don't know if DLR is much more expensive now than it was then for the average family when you take into account the cost of living differences, but it was also a lot smaller and you could do most, if not all, in a day. That was in the 1960's-'70s. I remember picking veggies with my brother and sister and selling them from a wagon in my neighborhood. We went door to door and earned our DL ticket money. That was a LONG time ago, ha ha.

Just using a quick inflation calculator from when I was growing up, (90s), park tickets have more than doubled in price... that doesn't take into cost of living though, which has also increased quite a bit above inflation.

That being said, I feel like so many of the folks complaining about Disney pricing them out don't realize that regular trips to Disneyland have always been seen as fairly unattainable for lower-to-middle class families. People in these forums are getting priced out of a yearly trip. For many families, Disneyland is either once in a lifetime or once every decade. It sucks that prices are going up, but Disney obviously isn't hurting for customers that are willing to pay. It sucks it won't be a yearly trip anymore, but that's OK in the end, just need to adjust expectations.

Is it expensive? Yes, unless you live near the parks and don't have to plan hotels, flights, or don't have a family, or anything else.

I also think it'd be unreasonable to expect the prices to stay down or only have small increases when the parks are as popular as they are. I'd love for DL to be at a price that anybody could afford, but it's really not realistic unless they had unlimited real estate and operated for purely altruistic reasons.

I guess my point is - as prices go up, my family will adjust our expectations on what we can afford and how often we go. I'd only be truly.upset about the price increases if DL only catered to the upper crust of society, and they clearly do not.

Sorry for the long winded reply @DizMe - I agree with your comment and don't know how to respond with something short and sweet

 

[DizMe]

Just using a quick inflation calculator from when I was growing up, (90s), park tickets have more than doubled in price... that doesn't take into cost of living though, which has also increased quite a bit above inflation.

That being said, I feel like so many of the folks complaining about Disney pricing them out don't realize that regular trips to Disneyland have always been seen as fairly unattainable for lower-to-middle class families. People in these forums are getting priced out of a yearly trip. For many families, Disneyland is either once in a lifetime or once every decade. It sucks that prices are going up, but Disney obviously isn't hurting for customers that are willing to pay. It sucks it won't be a yearly trip anymore, but that's OK in the end, just need to adjust expectations.

Is it expensive? Yes, unless you live near the parks and don't have to plan hotels, flights, or don't have a family, or anything else.

I also think it'd be unreasonable to expect the prices to stay down or only have small increases when the parks are as popular as they are. I'd love for DL to be at a price that anybody could afford, but it's really not realistic unless they had unlimited real estate and operated for purely altruistic reasons.

I guess my point is - as prices go up, my family will adjust our expectations on what we can afford and how often we go. I'd only be truly.upset about the price increases if DL only catered to the upper crust of society, and they clearly do not.

Sorry for the long winded reply @DizMe - I agree with your comment and don't know how to respond with something short and sweet

BuzzlightHead, don't apologize! I'm the queen of long-winded comments . I appreciate what you had to say and agree with you. I think it boils down to realistic expectations for your own family's situation.

 

[pindecisive]

But I also remember when I was growing up that going to DL wasn't an extended stay for most people, it was a one-day visit and I'd say the majority of those who went lived somewhat close by. It was also not something most people did often.

I remember going in 1998 for the first time and expecting to probably never come back. No one I knew had gone to Disneyland where I grew up. Even visiting San Francisco was a big deal.

That being said, I feel like so many of the folks complaining about Disney pricing them out don't realize that regular trips to Disneyland have always been seen as fairly unattainable for lower-to-middle class families. People in these forums are getting priced out of a yearly trip. For many families, Disneyland is either once in a lifetime or once every decade.

I also think it'd be unreasonable to expect the prices to stay down or only have small increases when the parks are as popular as they are.

This. This times a thousand.

 

[gelatoni fan]

GatorChris, it really depends on the size of your family. It's much easier for me at this point in life because my kids are 20 and up and not living at home. My dh doesn't want to go, so I'm only paying for myself. I usually go with a friend or my sister which means I split the cost of hotel. My dh gets me a MK every year so I don't have to pay for tickets, and it comes with some nice perks like discounts and Photopass. But when I was a single mom with 2 kids, it wasn't something we could do every year and we always stayed in a motel.

I know it's pricey for a family so I get how people can be priced out in terms of doing it on a regular basis. But I also remember when I was growing up that going to DL wasn't an extended stay for most people, it was a one-day visit and I'd say the majority of those who went lived somewhat close by. It was also not something most people did often.

I really don't know if DLR is much more expensive now than it was then for the average family when you take into account the cost of living differences, but it was also a lot smaller and you could do most, if not all, in a day. That was in the 1960's-'70s. I remember picking veggies with my brother and sister and selling them from a wagon in my neighborhood. We went door to door and earned our DL ticket money. That was a LONG time ago, ha ha.

A 2012 Disneyland ticket adjusted for inflation is about what a 2022 off peak ticket was. If accounting for peak priced tickets, then Disneyland ticket price increases outpace inflation. On the other hand, Universal ticket prices have actually risen less than inflation over the same time period. Go back further than the 2010s and you'll find that Disneyland ticket prices have outpaced inflation by about 4x.

Up through the end of the pandemic, plane ticket and hotel prices have actually fallen in price relative to inflation. Once upon a time before airline websites, you had to call a travel agent to book a plane ticket. You'd also had to rent a car and acquire maps to go anywhere rather than just land in the airport and call an Uber.

So actually, the Disneyland ticket portion of the vacation is significantly more expensive but the cost of the entire vacation hasn't risen quite as dramatically as that ticket portion. Since there's more to do at Disneyland now, those extra days also increase the cost of a vacation but are a separate effect from the ticket price increase.

Due to the lower relative prices of travel and how much easier it is to travel due to new technology, Americans in 2019 were traveling 4x as much as Americans in 1960. So if Disneyland prices adjusted on pace with the rest of the travel industry, a child who could go to Disneyland once every 4 years in the 1960s should now be able to take their kids and or/grandkids to Disneyland every year.

 

[DizMe]

A 2012 Disneyland ticket adjusted for inflation is about what a 2022 off peak ticket was. If accounting for peak priced tickets, then Disneyland ticket price increases outpace inflation. On the other hand, Universal ticket prices have actually risen less than inflation over the same time period. Go back further than the 2010s and you'll find that Disneyland ticket prices have outpaced inflation by about 4x.

Up through the end of the pandemic, plane ticket and hotel prices have actually fallen in price relative to inflation. Once upon a time before airline websites, you had to call a travel agent to book a plane ticket. You'd also had to rent a car and acquire maps to go anywhere rather than just land in the airport and call an Uber.

So actually, the Disneyland ticket portion of the vacation is significantly more expensive but the cost of the entire vacation hasn't risen quite as dramatically as that ticket portion. Since there's more to do at Disneyland now, those extra days also increase the cost of a vacation but are a separate effect from the ticket price increase.

Due to the lower relative prices of travel and how much easier it is to travel due to new technology, Americans in 2019 were traveling 4x as much as Americans in 1960. So if Disneyland prices adjusted on pace with the rest of the travel industry, a child who could go to Disneyland once every 4 years in the 1960s should now be able to take their kids and or/grandkids to Disneyland every year.

Thank you for that thorough explanation! One thought I have on the ticket price is that the increase may be partially mitigated by expansion/construction of another park and additional rides within DL. As you laid out so well, the overall balance doesn't seem to indicate it being less affordable for families now than it was in the past, but our expectations and travel patterns have changed dramatically.

 

[Chili327]

Just got back & Sat was busy & we should have bought Genie+, but didn't and because we wanted to try it the next day we did, but it definitely wasn't worth it. So it has its worthiness, but some days just don't pay off.