Prices Continue to Climb for Disney Fans
In 1972, Walt Disney World opened its doors to the public. With the marching band parade navigating its way down Main Street and penny arcades, adults could expect to pay approximately $3.50 for general admission. Since that time, Disney has raised their gate prices over 40 times and this year is no exception.
Where to Vacation?
Vacation adventures such as cruises, dude ranches and theme parks are typical summer events for travelers with children. However, if you’re counting pennies, you may have to budget additional funds if you’re part of the middle class. For the first time, ticket admissions to Disney have exceeded the $100 mark. Ballooning expenses have yet to slow the masses from flooding the many Disney theme parks, with a record 19 million visitors passing through the mouse-eared gates just this past year. This number is almost as large as New York State’s population.
Vacation Packages
When you’re looking for wholesome fun, there’s nothing quite like a Disney theme park. However, sky rocketing prices have made it difficult for families to afford such a place. Vacation packages such as the ones being offered at Westgate Resorts provides affordable options to major parks such as Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Walt Disney World. In addition to special pricing and discounts, you can also afford to be in the center of all the action.
Changes to the Park
It’s hard to say how Walt Disney would feel about the many changes. The character of this family-friendly community that he built has now gone glitzy. Diners can partake in restaurants that serve steaks for $115, dessert parties at $53 each plate and lodging overlooking the Seven Seas Lagoon beginning at $2,100. For middle class families, a club that has been long promoted as being made for you and me is now made solely for the elite. Prices are expected to rise even more with values reaching $125.
Setting a Pattern for Other Attractions
Disney is one of the biggest theme park attractions. While they’ve chosen to continuously raise their prices, other parks such as Six Flags and Universal have selected to do the same. They’re likely worried that they’ll be thought of as second rate adventure unless they do.
In Defense of the Park Leaders
While Walt Disney may have been embarrassed over the cost of a ticket in today’s theme park, current leaders are defending their actions by announcing that the park is committed to their guests having a magical experience. They also seem to think that the new attractions, multi-day tickets and passes help their customers and warrant them to raise prices. Because there’s no other park similar to that of Disney, the leaders know that many people will break the bank just to give their children a once in a lifetime experience.
The Past
The business and cartoon mogul opened Disneyland during the mid-50s. The cost to get in was $1 per ticket. At that time, many expected Disney to fail, as most parks offered free admission. As the years went by, the movie and toy deals caused Disney to explode into the billions. The theme parks continue to be huge moneymakers with profits reaching the $2.6 billion mark just last year.
Setting Records
Even though the prices have continued to rise, Disney Theme Parks are still setting new records when it comes to visitors. The Orlando Park hosted close to 250,000 visitors during the winter holidays. Because of such blockbuster bonanzas such as Harry Potter, non-Disney parks also saw a substantial increase in the amount of traffic. Until the parks see a decrease in the demand, you can probably expect prices to soar even higher over the years. Since Disney leaders aren’t willing to reduce their prices, people will be in search of other avenues when it comes to discounts such as special resorts and vacation packages.
Guest Author: Paul Smith
Disney resort RFID bracelet photo Judy Aron
