Disney raising ticket prices once again
Tue, 03 Aug 2010
Because of incorrect information provided to the Sentinel, an earlier version of this story said rental prices for lockers, wheelchairs and scooters would also rise. Disney says those prices will remain unchanged.
Walt Disney World is raising ticket prices once again, despite a still-weak economy that has the resort continuing to use discounts to lure travelers.
Disney announced Tuesday that it will raise the price of a one-day, one-park adult ticket to $82 — the first time any of Orlando’s theme-park resorts has charged more than $80 for a base ticket. It amounts to a 3.8 percent increase from the current $79 charge.
The resort will also hike prices for multiday-ticket packages, which it sells in far greater volume than single-day tickets. It will tack another $2 — from $52 to $54 — to price of adding a “park hopper” feature to base tickets allowing visits to multiple Disney theme parks in one day. And it will increase annual pass prices, too.
The new prices go into effect Thursday.
“We continuously monitor the marketplace to ensure pricing that reflects a strong entertainment value,” Disney World spokesman Bryan Malenius said. “Our guests continue to agree that a day at a Disney theme park is a great entertainment value.”
Malenius said Disney’s guest surveys have continued to show that nearly 90 percent of resort guests rate the value of Disney parks as “good, very good or excellent.”
Disney typically raises ticket price each year near the beginning of August. And while this year’s round of increases are smaller than last year’s for some shorter ticket packages, they are steeper than a year ago for the more-frequently sold packages of four days or longer.
For instance, the price of a five-day park hopper — one of Disney’s most popular ticket options — will rise from $280 to $291, an increase of 3.9 percent. The same ticket rose just 2.9 percent last year.
Disney’s move could trigger a round of similar increases at Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando. The theme-park rivals have traditionally raised prices in lockstep together, though neither announced increases Tuesday.
“We’re not going to talk about our pricing strategies,” Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said.
“At this time, we have no plans to increase prices at SeaWorld,” added SeaWorld spokesman Nick Gollattscheck. “We run our business plan independently from the other theme parks.”
Jason Garcia can be reached at jrgarcia@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5414.
Below are the increases Disney is making to base ticket prices:
1-day: $79 to $82 (+3.8%)
2-day: $156 to $162 (+3.8%)
3-day: $219 to $224 (+2.3%)
4-day: $225 to $232 (+3.1%)
5-day: $228 to $237 (+3.9%)
6-day: $231 to $242 (+4.8%)
7-day: $234 to $247 (+5.6%)
To add “park hopper” or water-park admission to base ticket: $52 to $54 (+3.8%)
Annual pass increases:
Premium (incl. water parks, etc.), non-resident: $619 to $629 (+1.6%)
Regular, non-resident: $489 to $499 (+2%)
Premium, Florida resident: $489 to $499 (+2%)
Regular, Florida resident: $369 to $379 (+2.7%)
Seasonal, Florida resident: $249 to $259 (+4%)
Discount Tickets Disney - You will pay less per day if your purchase more days. The Disney Company is quite motivated to get you on their property and to keep you there for your entire stay. They know that this tactic keep you and your wallet focused on Disney. Disney designed their ticket packages to persuade you to stay more than just a few days visiting The Vacation Kingdom of the World.
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