How Disney is screwing families
SO much for calling it the Happiest Place on Earth.
If you’re planning a trip to popular Walt Disney World or Disneyland with the kids anytime soon, you might have to shell out some big bucks.
In a move to level out demand during peak attendance periods, Disney has introduced seasonal surge pricing for its US theme parks. The changes, which most notably affect rates for one-day tickets, will alter admission fees depending on the time of year when patrons visit. And it could deter them from making the trek in the first place.
One-day park tickets now come in three price tiers: value, regular and peak. And each park has different rates. At Florida’s sprawling Walt Disney World, one-day, one-park tickets for the Magic Kingdom now cost $US124 US ($AUD174) for peak days — a pretty big hike from its previous $146 charge. Meanwhile, peak pricing for the same ticket into Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios will now run you $159 — a $24 climb from its former price.
Peak days include the year’s most popular travel holidays, such as July Fourth, Thanksgiving and Christmas. But it also encompasses spring break and summer weekends, when many families also choose Disney as a fun vacation destination.
Regular-tier prices — say for a trip sometime in April — for a one-day ticket are $154 for Magic Kingdom access and $142 at the three other Florida parks. Value prices, on off-days, will grant you $147 entry into Magic Kingdom and $135 for the others.
Sure, the value category will help you spend less, but there are only 83 value days remaining this year, and they’re all weekdays during school months. And that’s not ideal for parents, teachers or kids.
California’s Disneyland and Disney California Adventure have also promised similarly styled price hikes. One-day, one-park tickets at these theme parks will run $166 for peak, $147 for regular and $133 for value. The former charge was $138 for all days of the year.