The US Disney Park Prices...

[mb425]

^ I would never waste $63 on the animal kingdom when I can get into the columbus zoo for $12 ($9 admission and $3 parking). We always get park hopper tickets when we go anyway, so we at least visit AK for a few hours to ride Kilimanjaro safaris, Tough to be a bug, and Countdown...err Dinosaur! (and next time we go Expedition Everest). To me, it's really nothing too different from the zoo (with the exception of the 4 rides listed above). I can walk on paths and see animals, take a boat ride through "asia" and even watch a bird show all at my local zoo. AK gets it's courtesy visit for the 3 (soon to be 4) rides we find interesting, and then we go to MGM for the rest of the day.

[Lenaapple1974]

Well, I think the price is quite ridiculous, but they really are just matching the rest of Orlando. When SeaWorld is charging $60 for admission, there is no reason Disney can't bump their prices a little more. This is the main reason why, despite having been to Florida 20+ times, I've never been to anything outside of Disney. I just can't afford it!

 

Sea World/Universal prices may be higher - but they offer many discounts including a free day! (pay for 2 get three) or something like that... I do think that Disney shouldnt have raised the prices as much as they have within the last few years. It is truly sad. MK does need another attraction... Expedition Everest...hoOoooooOOOO!!!!! :mrgreen:

[momo1tx]

^ I would never waste $63 on the animal kingdom when I can get into the columbus zoo for $12 ($9 admission and $3 parking)

 

Exactly why zoo parks never seemed that great. While theme parks are good at giving what they have for cheap. when, like Animal Kingdom, they combine to only focus partially on the theme park, it makes it more worth it to visit a different park and just go to a zoo. People may say that the experience makes it worth it, and if your that dedicated thats fine, but I don't think all the extra money spent for a few rides is worth it. But tell that to the people who pay 13 bucks to ride Manhattan Express.

 

Besides, I've got the National Zoo, which has free admission.

[socalMAN123]

Ugh, I'm so glad I'm an AP holder! Wait a sec, I forgot that the Deluxe passport that I got gave me a hole $250 big in my wallet!

Brent "all Disney cares about is money" Shenton 8)

[shepp]

I remember ranting about this on another thread...Disney prices have, year in and year out, feast or 9/11 famine, risen much faster than the general rate of inflation. (And in Orlando, Disney generally sets the pace and others follow.) And while, yes, 10 bucks for a movie also seems pricey, you don't have to stand in line in the sun for an hour or two to see it, with the everpresent danger that the film will break just before you get to the climax, or will be delayed for an hour because somebody threw up, or cancelled altogether because of rain. And Robb, virtually all the entertainment options in Las Vegas are pricey...$36 for the Star Trek Experience, which is essentially two cool rides and a bunch of props? $12 for Manhattan Express? $10 minimums for blackjack...if you can find 'em???

 

Even taking into account overpiced parking and overpriced food, paying $60 for a day at a theme park can be worth it. But hey, I go weekdays offseason, get there early, all that good stuff. I've heard people complaining that at peak times, they barely got to ride anything all day...UNLESS they shelved out a bunch for whatever upcharge express option the park offered. Let's face it, if you subtract out the time spent walking from one ride to the next, the hours in queues, getting food, arguing with the family, etc., the average parkgoer at peak season probably doesn't get more than a few hours of actual entertainment for his money...I mean, if you figure that the average coaster ride lasts maybe 3 minutes, that means that you'd have to ride 40 times to match the two hours you've spent at a movie.

 

What I truly don't understand is why Floridians...whether close to Orlando or across the state, are the only ones to get good breaks? But then, I'm in San Francisco, and none of the resident deals offered by SoCal parks extend this far north, so it's no doubt sour grapes.

[Erik Johnson]

^^ Another perk to living in Florida. Leanne and I did once pay $100 a ticket to see Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic on Broadway (2003). While I am not really big into shows, it was worth every penny for us. Many of the parks in the US offer discounts if you are a AAA member or if you order them online. Whenever you are planning a trip just purchase your tickets ahead of time, it saves you money as well as time waiting in those slow moving ticket counters.

[shepp]

^ As we know, available discounts on day passes to WDW are pretty miniscule. I understand the rationale of giving locals discounts on season passes, especially ones restricted to off-season dates - it encourages repeat visits. (There are also suspicions that Disney, in particular, is extra-nice to Floridians as a bribe, so they can continue to run their property as a private fiefdom.) But, e.g., when I went to HHN, there were discounts for Floridians only, though the thing sells out just about every night, anyway. So I, already flying cross-country partly to do HHN, end up in effect paying a premiium price that subsidizes the park-going of locals. Why not just average it out and have everyone pay the same, no matter where they come from?

 

I live in San Francisco, a tourist trap, too - though with hills instead of hurricanes - and, except for the zoo and one less-visited museum, I'm unaware of any attractions that would charge Floridians more than they do me. (That includes the cable cars, which were once a usable means of transportation, but are now so swamped by tourists that they're just another theme park ride.)

 

I've traveled to a number of developing countries, like India, Ecuador, and Sri Lanka, that have two-tier local/tourist pricing, partly to shore up staggering economies, partly to give their own disadvantaged citizens a break. Does that put Orlando in the same classification as Calcutta?

[Robgraves]

Does that put Orlando in the same classification as Calcutta?

 

If you've ever lived in O-town, you would know you just answered your own question... j/k.

[robbalvey]

when I went to HHN, there were discounts for Floridians only, though the thing sells out just about every night, anyway. So I, already flying cross-country partly to do HHN, end up in effect paying a premiium price that subsidizes the park-going of locals.

 

Here were the ticket prices for HHN 2005:

 

How much are tickets to Halloween Horror Nights?

 

General Admission is $59.75 plus tax per night. Advance tickets can be purchased on-line or by calling 1-877-717-3318.

 

Are there any discounts available?

 

Florida Residents: $52.75 plus tax with advanced purchase. OR Use a specially marked Coca-Cola Classic Soda Can for additional savings of: Sunday-Thursday $20.00, Fridays $13.00 and Saturdays $3.00.

 

The Florida residents only got $7 off the full admission price. IMO, I dont' think that's unfair. The $20 off coke can discount was available to anyone. And this information was available right on their website.

 

All of us "park enthusaists" should be smart enough to know to contact whatever park we are visiting in advance and find out the local coupon/soda can deals if getting a discounted admission is important to you. I can't even tell you the last time I paid the full "gate" ticket price for a park.

 

When we are spending $300 for airline tickets, $100 per night in a hotel room, $200 for a rental car, the cost of admission is usually the CHEAPEST part of any theme park trip.

 

I don't see the current prices being a bad deal at all.

 

--Robb

[Ghost]

I fly all the way from Belgium to be at WDW and to visit HHN and IoA... add that on the total. Tickets are the cheapest part of the trip... (for us)...

 

They should give discount to people dedicated to come from far as locals already have the benefit living near it and save on the "non" trip they need to do... 8)

 

(No hatemails please, only Goofing around... but still....)

[disneyfan1313]

The reason why FL residents get a discount is they help keep the parks busy during the off season. It also helps to maintain good will among locals who vote on issues that are important to the parks and also helps to attract locals who might not normally attend parks (you would be surprised how many people in orlando have never been to one of the theme parks and have no interest in going..). IMHO it is no different than a six flags offering a discount when you bring in a Coke can - while anyone could bring in the can the promotion is designed to target those who purchase those marked cans on a daily basis and tempt them to come where they normally would not. The average theme park goer (and if you read message boards about theme parks you are not average!) would not know to get the can for the discount or even think about it.

[shepp]

The Florida residents only got $7 off the full admission price. IMO, I dont' think that's unfair. The $20 off coke can discount was available to anyone. And this information was available right on their website.

 

Yeah, I stand corrected. Forgot about the Coke can thingy. I'm not sure, though, that deal was around in '04, the last year went. (I think it was another discount - like residents with a Burger King coupon or some such.) In any case, I was getting to FL a day or so before going to Uni and was worried about the event selliing out, so I pretended I'd moved in with my Mom in Delray Beach. Worked like a charm.

[JT3000]

(There are also suspicions that Disney, in particular, is extra-nice to Floridians as a bribe, so they can continue to run their property as a private fiefdom.)

 

 

Hahahahahahaha... oh wait, you were serious?

 

Disney pisses on FL and it's residents every chance it gets. They have to offer us discounts to keep us from marching on their property with torches in hand.