Home > News
Disney raising ticket prices for second time in less than a year |
|
Orlando Sentinel
Original Article »
June 10, 2011
Walt Disney World announced Friday that it is raising ticket prices — by more than 10 percent in at least one case — in the resort's second round of price increases in less than a year.
Effective Sunday, the base price of a one-day ticket will rise from $82 to $85 before tax, an increase of 3.7 percent.
Prices will rise more steeply on longer-term passes. The price of a five-day ticket — one of Disney World's best-selling ticket options — will jump 5.9 percent, from $237 to $251.
The price of a seven-day pass will jump 8.1 percent to $267. A 10-day pass will soar 11.1 percent to $291. In addition, the price of adding a "park hopper" feature to a pass — allowing visits to multiple Disney theme parks in a single day — will inch up from $54 to $55 for all multi-day ticket options. The feature will cost an extra $35 for a single-day ticket.
Annual-pass prices will rise between 2 percent and 4 percent, depending on the type of pass.
The increases come three weeks after Disney World opened a revamped version of its popular Star Tours ride in Disney'sHollywood Studios. It is the only major attraction the resort is adding in 2011.
Prices will also rise at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif.
A Disney spokesman defended the price increases, which come as the resort continues trying to wean travelers off the steep discounts it used to keep its parks full during the recession. Disney last raised ticket prices in August 2010, when for the first time it boosted the price of a base ticket above $80.
"Our research tells us that nearly all of our guests agree that a Disney theme-park experience is a strong value," spokesman Bryan Malenius said.
Other theme-park operators are also trying to reduce their use of discounts, despite a still-soft economy.SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment recently stopped selling popular "Fun Cards" — which allowed visitors to SeaWorld Orlando or Busch Gardens Tampa Bay to buy a one-day ticket and keep coming back for the rest of the year — in hopes of steering customers into pricier annual passes.
Disney's move could trigger a round of price increases at SeaWorld and Universal Orlando, as the parks have historically raised prices in concert. A spokesman for SeaWorld Orlando said Friday the park had no plans to raise prices at this time. A spokeswoman for Universal Orlando said the resort doesn't discuss pricing strategy.
A full list of Disney ticket-price increases:
•1-day: $82 to $85 (+3.7 percent)
•2-day: $162 to $168 (+3.7 percent)
•3-day: $224 to 232 (+3.6 percent)
•4-day: $232 to $243 (+4.7 percent)
•5-day: $237 to $251 (+5.9 percent)
•6-day: $242 to 259 (+7 percent)
•7-day: $247 to 267 (+8.1 percent)
•10-day: $262 to $291 (+11.1 percent)
•"Park hopper" or water-park admission added to a multi-day pass: $54 to $55 (+1.9 percent)
Annual-pass price increases:
•Premium (incl. water parks, etc.), non-resident: $629 to $649 (+3.2%)
•Regular, non-resident: $499 to $519 (+4%)
•Premium, Florida resident: $499 to $509 (+2%)
•Regular, Florida resident: $379 to $389 (+2.6%)
•Seasonal, Florida resident: $259 to $269 (+3.9%)
|