Disneyland Resort (DL, DLR, DCA) Discussion Thread

[DirkFunk]

It would seem to me the basis of the complaints are due to not being able to afford the *most expensive* pass, but perhaps the lesson here is to make better or different life choices so you can afford stuff you want? No one is forcing anyone to get the most expensive pass and I refuse to believe that people cannot work around the block out dates for the least expensive pass.

 

Let's take it a step further and you can't afford it period. Does that suck? I bet it does. If you're a regular Disney guest now, I seriously, seriously doubt that the change in pricing is such that it will radically alter your life and make you unable to go to the park any more. At the very least, you could buy season passes to Magic Mountain, Knotts, AND Sea World San Diego and just have to make deal with more and better theme park options than almost everyone else in the world has afforded to them. If you can't afford any of that, you're probably poor, and you have much bigger problems in your life than your ability to regularly attend a theme park.

[KBrylczyk]

But this is exactly why Disneyland offers different tiers. I get that not everyone can afford every pass, but the lowest tier is still less than $50 per month and a one-day, one-park ticket is $99. And it's not like the blackout dates are THAT insane. I'm sure someone could figure out time to visit the park once a month if they were that big of a fan and make it work.

 

Totally agree. Hell, living in Vegas I'm still tempted to get an annual pass. Why? Because if I did I'd be making the trip at least once a month for an overnight at Disney. For 2015 we had annual passes for Magic Mountain and Knott's. The Magic Mountain pass certainly got its money's worth with our trip to Fiesta Texas and Over Texas, as well as my trip to Discovery Kingdom, as well as the two or three times we visited Magic Mountain. Knott's also got its money's worth and we'll still be heading there approximately 3 more times before the year is out.

 

If I lived in SoCal or in Orlando, you can bet your butt I'd buy an annual pass to Disney and Universal every year and use it tons of times! Hey, I finished work for the day. I'll go ride Space Mountain! I'm bored, guess I'll take a spin on Spiderman. It'd certainly keep my butt off of the couch!

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Let's take it a step further and you can't afford it period. Does that suck? I bet it does. If you're a regular Disney guest now, I seriously, seriously doubt that the change in pricing is such that it will radically alter your life and make you unable to go to the park any more.

 

That's the question I had, and the answer is it's not. The fact is a few bucks more a month isn't going to make a difference to anyone unless they were already pretty much done with paying year to year for an AP anyway.

 

Most everybody ranting and raving about how awful the price hikes are and right now claiming they aren't going to go anymore are going to realize how little the hike is, renew, and still go as though nothing happened until the next hike comes down. Then the cycle starts over again just like it's going around again now. It's hollow, shallow feigned outrage which makes it all the more sad. The park's still going to be packed next month for Star Wars, and then for the holidays, and on and on.

[Superbatboy]

People are really in an uproar about the increases. The funny part is DL's attendance will probably still climb as it's done almost every season for the past decade. Disney always wins

[BelizeIt]

Well the last time I had an annual pass, was about 3 years ago and it ran me $499.00 for the year. I had zero issue with the price because I was attending the parks at least one day a week, and I felt I received ((Great)) value for the cost.(I so miss paddling canoes around the island!!!) Disneyland isn't some second rate park, it's DISNEYLAND and their isn't a better experience available for your dollar close bye.....

Now with the uproar over the 'new' pass prices I do understand a bit.....The two lower passes don't include parking, and at (($18)) a visit....forget about it, its not worth it at all. Disney also eliminated 'free' parking at Downtown Disney by cutting it from 4 hours to 2 hours. Now doing a (quick) Disneyland visit is out as well.

So either you choose to pay the full rate of either Signature passes, or pay for the INSANE parking cost. That's not a difficult choice........The Disney Signature pass runs about $62 a month, so if your a frequent visitor than you get a lot for that pass. If not than head to knotts.

[dippindotsguy8]

After parking went away, I just started riding the bus to and from Disneyland. Now a trip costs me 3.50 rather than 18 + Gas, and I can more comfortably spend money on food/drinks and merch inside the park.

[robbalvey]

Well the last time I had an annual pass, I was attending the parks at least one day a week.

Now with the uproar over the 'new' pass prices I do understand a bit.....The two lower passes don't include parking, and at (($18)) a visit....forget about it, its not worth it at all.

So let's breakdown what you said for a moment, because this is actually a great example...

 

You used to go once a week, or about 48 times per year. Parking is $18. If you paid for parking each time that would have cost you $864. The price of the lower tier pass that includes parking is $849. You would have made up the cost of the pass in parking alone, and admission to the park would have been totally free.

 

Even if you went half that amount, the cost of each visit would be $35 including parking, and considering that parking is $18, you're now looking at each visit costing you $17 if you only went twice per month.

 

The only way these passes aren't a good deal is if you buy them and only use it a couple of times. And I have to believe that anyone that's going to spend $849 or $1049 is going frequent enough for the pass to pay for itself many times over. Aren't I right?

[DJeXeL]

^Definitely right. It boils down to "You get what you pay for." Cliche but true. Knott's is an exceptional value but it's no secret that Disney has a sh*tload more to offer. Just like my MacBook I just purchased. Yea I could've bought a $299 PC from Best Buy but I bit the bullet and purchased my MacBook for $1999. Don't regret it one bit.

[robbalvey]

Just like my MacBook I just purchased. Yea I could've bought a $299 PC from Best Buy but I bit the bullet and purchased my MacBook for $1999. Don't regret it one bit.

Exactly. We all make "choices" on how we spend our money and what value we place on those things. And that value goes beyond the actual ticket price. I feel as though I get way more personal value out of my Disney pass that goes above and beyond the ticket price. I can say the same for my MacBook also!

[SFOG1991]

I think Disney clearly knows what they are doing and knows what the proper price point is for these passes, so anyone in shock over the pricing simply isn't someone Disney is targeting as a buyer and isn't someone who is going to buy one.

 

Personally, I am more of a coaster type (although I do love great atmosphere and great service) so I am personally glad that I don't live near Disneyland or even more so Disneyworld/Orlando particularly, and that I can spend $60 for unlimited entry into every Six Flags park and Six Flags White Water for free now through January 2017, gain free parking at all of those properties, and enjoy numerous pass holder perks. Additionally, I paid $89.99 for unlimited lunch, dinner and a snack every visit to any of those properties through January 2017. I know Six Flags is a far cry from Disney, but I love that for what my tastes are, the pricing is so cheap that I actually wish they would raise it so the parks wouldn't be so busy.

 

If I lived near a Disney property, I would still want one of these top tier passes, and I would probably be broke.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Exactly. We all make "choices" on how we spend our money and what value we place on those things. And that value goes beyond the actual ticket price. I feel as though I get way more personal value out of my Disney pass that goes above and beyond the ticket price. I can say the same for my MacBook also!

 

I go once or twice a month and I feel the same way about the value. That's what drew me into becoming an AP holder in the first place, despite the stupid traffic that Robb knows so well. It doesn't make me feel any better about how the top tier WDW AP for locals is now about $100 less than I'll be renewing my DLR-only AP for.

[chadster]

If I lived in Florida, I would absolutely buy the Signature Passport because as has been mentioned, why would I want to visit during their 2 peak times of the year? That says a lot coming from someone who isn't the biggest Disney fanboy in the world, but at the monthly price, if I went twice per month, I would completely feel that I had value for my pass.

 

If I lived in California, I probably wouldn't buy the top tier pass there either for the exact same reasons. I don't need nor have the desire to visit during peak times as I don't enjoy being crammed around tens of thousands of other people. Some may enjoy it, I don't. In my case only one of us would grab the Signature and the other the Deluxe, the blackout dates are practically, if not the same (I didn't do a big analysis on it) and I could care less about visiting on a super busy Saturday. Not everyone in your party needs the parking option!

 

I also like that DL is finally limiting the number of passes sold, obviously the price increases over the last 3 years haven't detoured people from coming out so this new structure should certainly help the crowding situation they are trying to curtail.

[gisco]

This lengthy discussion on the price of the Annual Passes is not happening in the Florida threads.

[Hilltopper39]

^Oh it's happening, just not in this forum, I've seen plenty of ridiculous comments on Facebook and comments sections.

[Nrthwnd]

Plan and save in advance if you really REALLY want it. It helps, and I learned by way of the

TPR Tours, to save up this way. Month to month. Separate savings account. Works for me.

And me and David are both on limited income. But we figure it out, in advance. Easy.

[the_man]

People with no conceptual understanding of elasticity of demand should not be allowed to be in this discussion because they are wasting everyone's time (including themself). Instead of babbling about something you know nothing about try to learn something about basic supply and demand.

Do you really think Disney gives a **** if they price you out? It's their job to make money, not to make it affordable for everyone. It has nothing to do with your feelings, it has nothing to do with "Walt wanted it to be affordable for everyone," it has nothing to do with "i'm never going to see another Disney movie because their parks are so expensive" (which is BS). If their executives knowingly leave lots of money on the table guess what, they get fired. That's how it works.

[Hilltopper39]

^I would slightly disagree with you on that, I do think Disney cares if they price you out but they're not, they raised annual pass prices a bit and have made that option unreasonable for some people but a 1 or 2 day ticket is still something the average family can afford even if it's only a one time thing or a special vacation every four or five years. Disney isn't exceeding attendance numbers of 140 plus million people world wide by pricing out a considerable portion of the population. They know what they are doing, Disney isn't going to give away admission for free but they're also not going to price it such that the average American can't afford it.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

It's always entertaining to read how the company who owns the most attended theme parks in the world by far are constantly engaged in efforts to price families out & keep them away.

[gisco]

In the end, Disney is a business trying to satisfy their shareholders. They are looking for that sweet spot of supply and demand on the tickets to maximize revenue. They are very aware of customer satisfaction because that is their business, it's just one variable in many of determining price.

[n1ch0las]

I know it's likely been talked about to death, but this is just the start of a larger demand based pricing system that will eventually be better for everyone. Annual Passholders at Disneyland have been overrunning the park for years now, which obviously detracts from guest experience of regular day ticket holders. The park has raised prices before which obviously hasn't achieved their goal, and they will continue doing this until they reach the number of passholders they want at the right price.

 

By raising ticket prices (and annual pass prices) on peak days such as Christmas, Spring Break and Summer Disney is able to reduce volume while increasing revenue and guest experiences during the day. I think the big question will be whether or not they lower ticket prices on off-peak days as much as they jack them up during the holidays, my guess is they will offer a slight discount on slower days, but tickets will be significantly more expensive on busy days.

 

And to add to the talk about madness of price increases, when I lived in SoCal in 2012 I bought my premium pass for $500. That's an increase of 103% over 3 years.

[BelizeIt]

Disney is run by executives who know the demands on the parks. (attendance, merchandise sales, food etc...)

The cost of the previous annual pass was determined to be to low, so they adjusted it to what they feel the market will stand.

Oh and a year from now, guess what, the cost will likely bump from $1049.00 to $1200.00 or whatever.....with interest free payments for the frequent visitor its money well spent for many. (If that's not you, then there's many other ways to choose to spend your entertainment dollar)

Like anything, if you want to play at Disneyland then you'll have to put up some serious resources. Disneyland is considered by many to be the upper end of the entertainment market, so if that's what your into, then you should be prepared to pay a premium.

Edited October 11, 2015 by BelizeIt

[Gnome]

People with no conceptual understanding of elasticity of demand should not be allowed to be in this discussion because they are wasting everyone's time (including themself). Instead of babbling about something you know nothing about try to learn something about basic supply and demand.

Do you really think Disney gives a **** if they price you out? It's their job to make money, not to make it affordable for everyone. It has nothing to do with your feelings, it has nothing to do with "Walt wanted it to be affordable for everyone," it has nothing to do with "i'm never going to see another Disney movie because their parks are so expensive" (which is BS). If their executives knowingly leave lots of money on the table guess what, they get fired. That's how it works.

 

The park can remain profitable without raising ticket prices. With that said, the park is so crowded so often these days people NEED to be priced out. Especially pass holders.

 

 

Honestly, this resort needs a third gate sooner rather than later to help dump visitors else where.

[Top Thrill Dragster]

The first FastPass+ tests have begun!

 

[DJeXeL]

Glad to see it actually being tested here finally.

[cfc]

Interesting--I had no idea they were planning to test Fast Pass + at DL this year.