Disney & Universal Announce Rate Hikes
Disney & Universal Orlando have both announced their theme park ticket prices are rising a few dollars. Disney announced their price increase first and two days later Universal followed suit. A one day, one park ticket has now gone from $79 to $82, a 3.8 percent raise.
Annual ticket price increases have been a normal occurrence for all the theme parks in Central Florida during the last several years. Traditionally Disney is usually the first to announce increases and they are then followed by Universal and SeaWorld, although both claim their ticket increases aren’t tied to what Disney does. Yeah right!
When asked the reason for increased gate prices, Disney gives the same answer each time, “We continuously monitor the marketplace to ensure pricing that reflects a strong entertainment value.” They also say that nearly 9 out of 10 guests rate the value of the Disney parks as good, very good, or excellent.
Theme parks generally also raise their rates this time of year to ensure next year’s guidebooks and travel companies have the correct information.
Here’s a breakdown of the Disney price increases:
One day: $79 to $82
Two day: $156 to $162
Three day: $219 to $224
Four day: $225 to $232
Five day: $228 to $237
Six day: $231 to $242
Seven day: $234 to $247
Park hopper option: $52 to $54
Premium Annual Pass: $619 to $629
Regular Annual Pass: $489 to $499
Premium Annual Pass, Florida resident: $489 to $499
Regular Annual Pass, Florida resident: $369 to $379
Seasonal Annual Pass, Florida resident: $249 to $259
Universal Orlando announced most of their ticket prices are also going up today, Aug. 7, 2010. A one day, one park ticket is going from $79 to $82, the same as at Disney.
Similar to what a Disney spokesperson said, Universal spokesman Tom Schroder was quoted in the Orlando Sentinel saying 94 percent of their guests tell them they deliver good to excellent value for their dollar.
Here’s a breakdown of Universal’s price increases:
One Park Tickets
One day: $79 to $82
Two day: $119.99 to $124.99
Three day: $134.99 to $139.99
Four day: $144.99 to $149.99
Park to Park Tickets
1-day: $109 to $112
2-day: $149.99 (unchanged)
3-day: $149.99 to $154.99
4-day: $154.99 to $159.99
Annual Pass ticket prices stayed the same. These are at the gate ticket prices. Universal offers special deals for most tickets if you order online. All of the major theme parks in Central Florida also offer special deals to Florida residents.
The question is, how long can the annual increases continue before attendance significantly drops? At this rate it won’t be too much longer before guests are asked to pay more than $100 per day for a day of fun.
