Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Disney prices on the rise
Cost of Florida residents’ pass to theme parks increases.
With its annual and seasonal pass overhaul that started this weekend, Walt Disney World is leaning more on using prices to shift some visitors away from the busiest times of the year.
Florida residents who want access to the theme parks every day of the year will pay $649 —a $120 hike. Disney also introduced a new option: the $549 mid-tier pass allowing visits during summer, but not spring break or Christmastime.
A traditional seasonal pass is still available that blacks out summer, Christmas and spring break. It costs $389, up from $329.
“We continue to evolve the way we think about managing demand — particularly during our busiest seasons — in order to deliver a world-class experience for our guests,” Disney said in an emailed statement. “In addition to continuing to expand, we are also exploring pricing options that could help spread out visitation throughout the year.”
Executives were not made available for an interview.
The strategy appears to be “to get those annual passholders out of Christmas week,” said Scott Sanders, a former Disney vice president of pricing. It also “positions them then to really take [increase] pricing on where they may see demand,” he said.
Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Bob Chapek acknowledged to the Wall Street Journal on Sunday that the company is seriously considering tiered pricing for daily theme-park tickets. Disney in May sent out surveys about the topic, asking visitors about a hypothetical tiered structure including $125 Magic Kingdom tickets during Christmas and July.
One-day Magic Kingdom tickets currently cost $105.
The parks get jammed with visitors around Christmas. Last year, fourth-quarter attendance at Disney World and Disneyland rose 7 percent.
Disney’s water parks recently began tiered pricing to charge more during their busiest times. Summertime prices are $58 then, as opposed to $53 the rest of the year.
The new theme-park-pass system — which charges out-of-state tourists even more for annual passes — already has Joanne Gerb of New Jersey considering visits during slower periods.
Gerb, a Disney Vacation Club member, said she may downgrade her annual pass rather than paying so much more for it. Gerb said she can visit other times besides Christmas or spring break, even if it means taking her 6-year-old son out of school for a few days.
“I assume that’s what they’re trying to do — not let those times be as crazy,” said Gerb, 38. “But to charge more and have blackout dates … I don’t know. I just think that’s wrong.”
Heather Brignoni of Valrico said she is considering not renewing her annual pass at all.
“I’m just frustrated,” said Brignoni, 29. “It feels like we’re paying more to get less.”
Other changes went into effect Sunday, too. Parking prices went from $17 to $20. The theme-park-pass retooling came on top of price jumps earlier this year. In February, annual-pass prices increased 9 percent to $529. At the time, Disney also broke the $100 barrier with one-day Magic Kingdom tickets.
Disney World is such a strong destination that it can continue to charge more, said Tushar Parashar,
an engagement manager with business consulting firm Vivaldi Partners Group.
“The brand going more toward the premium side or luxury side is not necessarily a bad move,” he said.
Disney has pointed to new passholder benefits, including free parking with seasonal passes and free downloads of pictures shot in the theme parks for certain passes. For larger families, the parking benefit might not outweigh the additional costs, Sanders said.
Similar changes have gone into effect at Disneyland, which also introduced a pass costing more than $1,000 for unlimited visits to two theme parks, along with parking and unlimited downloads of PhotoPass pictures.
Other theme parks have taken varying approaches to passes. SeaWorld, which has struggled with attendance declines, has not changed its pass prices.
Earlier this year, Universal Orlando raised them, including a 13 percent jump for a basic Florida resident pass that now costs $214.99. That has blackout dates during Christmas and spring break for both parks, and during summer for one — currently Universal Studios Florida.
“They’re probably going to step back and say strategically, ‘When is the best time for us to do something?’ It may be when the third gate opens up,” Sanders said, referring to a water park Universal plans to open in 2017.