Disney announced yesterday afternoon its annual ticket price increase will go into effect Thursday, August 5. An adult one day, one park ticket at Walt Disney World has increased 3.8% from $79.00 to $82.00. However, one year doesn’t say a whole lot by itself. Thanks to the wonderful ticket price history AllEars.net has compiled, I’m going to take a look at the Walt Disney World ticket increases since 2000.
Dictionary.com defines inflation as “the rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services is rising, and, subsequently, purchasing power is falling.” We all recognize this inflation in products over time; the cost of a 20 ounce Coca-Cola bottle in a vending machine recently rose to $1.25 from $1.00 at my office. Usually the cost increase is small; the current inflation rate in the United States is 1.1%. Using a formula and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for a given year, the inflation rate and the cost of a good in a given year can be calculated. According to AllEars.net, a one day, one park adult ticket to Walt Disney World cost $46.00 in 2000. Using the inflation formula (I used a calculator that has the CPI values built in), in 2010 a one day, one park ticket should cost $58.23, a 26.6% increase from inflation only. The actual new price ($82.00) is a 78.2% increase over the 2000 price, a 51.6% increase over inflation. Through its ticket prices, Disney claims it is providing over 50% additional value in its parks since 2000.
Animal Kingdom opened in 1998; therefore its impact is already included in the one day price. Attractions added to the parks from 2000-2010 include Mickey’s Philharmagic, Mission: SPACE, Expedition Everest, and Toy Story Mania. Notable refurbishments include the third edition of the Imagination Pavilion (Journey Into Your Imagination with Figment), Spaceship Earth, adding Jack Sparrow to Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, the Hall of Presidents, and the transformation from the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter to Stitch’s Great Escape. Wishes replaced Fantasy in the Sky as the nightly Magic Kingdom fireworks show. Attractions also closed, however, including the entire Wonders of Life pavilion. One of my personal favorite performing groups, Future Corps, was discontinued in May 2000 along with other entertainment options. We should also include wage differences in this analysis; however, inflation would account for the average increase in purchasing materials such as merchandise, costumes, parts for attractions, and other items Disney uses in running its theme parks. Looking at what’s listed here, can Disney insist they are providing 50% more value in its theme parks today than in 2000? (Note: I am specifically excluding the resorts, dining, and merchandise because these are paid for separately from park admission.)
I personally believe Disney should be giving its guests more for their money. If 3-4% increases in ticket prices are customary (as they seem to be), we should see a 2-3% increase in value for that money (inflation will always be a factor). Otherwise, Disney should cut down its price increases as they will eventually price themselves out of reach. I believe the increases for the last two years were especially unnecessary given the economic uncertainty we’ve all experienced. Disney could have used the opportunity to generate goodwill and possibly increase attendance by keeping prices the same.
One final note: I do realize I am excluding all other ticket options in my analysis. However, all tickets have increased annually and the one day, one park ticket is the easiest to make direct comparisons to since ticket options have changed over the years.
What’s your take on the annual Disney Parks ticket price increase? Tell me how you feel in the comments below or on Twitter!
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