Kinda angry and sad

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Yes I agree with you that the prices are getting over the top but I do like that Disney does include the FP option in their ticket price UNLIKE Universal which charges you an additional charge and let me tell you for that extra money they need to work it out more (I say this based on my 2 last visits to Universal).
I just don't know what we could do to stop the increases short of not going to Disney. (
So for right now I will still continue to go to my favorite place but it is getting harder and harder.

Let me say, Disney has always been a luxury. It has been and always will be too expensive for some people to got there. When I was young, my mom could never afford to take us to Disney. It was one of those places the rich families went to. Over the years Disney has made it easier for famies with lesser incomes to visit with the building of the moderate and value resorts and also with the discounts on multi day ticket prices and the addition of Disney transportation.

I am truly sorry this upsets you so much, but for a majority of the people that go to Disney regularly, this will not effect them one bit. They will still go. The only answer I can think of for your " why are they doing this?" is, because they can. For the number of people that will stop going because of this increase, there are still millions upon millions that will still keep going.

Price increases are unfortunately expected and not just at Disney. Even when I was child, Disney was not something that everyone got to do. It was then and still is a luxury. However, I do agree with you that with every price increase it does move away a little bit more from what Walt wanted in these parks, and it is not attainable for a lot of people even with the value resorts because the resorts are not the issue, it is the cost of the park tickets as we all know. I do, however, believe that as long as people continue to pack the parks, which they will, price increases are inevitable.

Well, nobody likes it when prices go up for things that we need or enjoy. But, unfortunately, they do. Like MrHub said, there will always be those that cannot afford to go to Disney.

I don't think that the price increases will deter the majority that do go from going in the future. If someone can't afford $105, they probably can't afford $99. And what amount is considered acceptable and by whom?

On the opposite extreme, I can't even imagine the chaos that would ensue if park admission was free.

I think it's important to remember that Disney is a for-profit corporation. As such, they will increase prices of everything over time just like any other company. From Mickey ice cream bars to resort rates to park admission. It all goes up. And like most companies, they are most likely dealing with increasing costs to run the place.

The cost of park admission is just one part of a WDW vacation, at least for those that must travel distances to get there and then stay somewhere. Yes, it is expensive to go to Disney World and I don't think that will ever change.

On a side note, I think it's crazy what it costs to go to an NHL hockey game these days. Definitely more than a day at the Magic Kingdom. And the arenas still fill up. Point being that as long as there is demand for the supply, companies will charge what they can.

Disney is a for-profit corporation and the overriding goal for them is maximizing shareholder wealth. Everything else is secondary. Since they already have a captive market, they are now in harvest mode. Get as much money as they can out of their customers.

They know exactly how much to raise the price and what affect it will have on attendance and customer satisfaction. We're pretty much trained to expect an increase every year now. They are about as sophisticated as corporations get.

Walt's been doing cartwheels in his grave for a while now.

I don't think anyone enjoys ticket price increases. Being a sports fan, I haven't been able to attend matches of my favorite sports teams without at least a discount but even with a discount no matter how big it is, it just isn't enough to warrant me to spend money on it because I have to take into account other aspects like parking or public transportation fees with merchandise and food if applicable.

It's true that Disney is becoming more expensive by the year and I think it may be only a matter of time when admission hits $150 or $200 for a one-day ticket. But most people typically don't buy one-day tickets, they'll buy multi-day tickets with their package. And Disney's tactic to win over consumers is with the whole, "The more you stay, the less you'll pay" with multi-day tickets as opposed to buying one-day tickets each and every single visit to a park. And despite the criticism of FP+, it's complimentary with no extra surcharge for it.

But Universal Orlando isn't cheap either: $96 for a one-day ticket to either Islands of Adventure or the Studios, it's $136 for one-day ticket to visit both parks in the same day. But...that doesn't take into account the Universal Express, their Fastpass equivalent. That is $35 for a one-day visit. Or pay $40 to use the Express Pass if you're visiting both parks in the same day.

It's so easy to complain and vent about the prices and then, throw up your hands and boycotting the parks. But the thousands of dollars you won't spend won't hurt Disney's bottom line because there's are plenty of families or groups in Canada, UK, Brazil or other parts of the world willing to spend on a Disney vacation 3, 4 or even 5 times more than your family would normally spend.

I've been told by many that there has to be less demand for lower prices all around but with attendance increasing every year, it's not gonna happen.

As others have stated Disney is a for-profit multi-national corporation that lives off the hard earned money of those who love them most. Families attending their movies and their parks - saving for years just to spend a few days in the sun, living in the world they watched on the TV screen growing up...

I think that's likely why people get such a visceral response to these price increases. You've grown up with Disney, they've been here with you for every big step in your life. You've welcomed them into your life, and it can feel almost like a betrayal when something happens that you don't want, or approve of. Sort of like a member of the family telling you that to come to summer break this year you're gunna need to chip in some extra cash or you're not welcome any more.

It seems silly to feel that way - but I'm quite sure that many people here feel the same sense of magic and wonder surrounding the parks that we've happily let them into our hearts. Once they're in there, it's easier for us to get hurt.

It's the same feeling that ruined my day when I heard they were closing down Maelstrom... The same thing that made me take photos and video on my last trip through the ride and tear up as we got off. It's become a part of my life, and I'll miss it.

It's not so strange to be upset, it's not so silly to feel hurt or even betrayed... But keeping in mind that it's people just like you or I, trying to make a living, that own and run the parks, can help to keep those feelings in check.

The price increases don't bother me nearly as much as the Off Kilter decision. And the Adventurers Club...please.

They could have paid for Off Kilter by Bob Iger passing on one or two days of his salary $46MM in compensation.

My first reaction was to groan and the thought of "That's SO expensive!!".

What really put it into perspective for me was comparing it to sporting events or concert prices. You could easily spend $60-$150 on either of those tickets and they certainly do not give you the experience or entertainment that one day at Magic Kingdom gives you. That means that for a 12 hour day (8:00 - 8:00 is very realistic) it's only $8.75 an hour. A $100 concert/sporting event ticket breaks down to $25 at best.

I would take a full day at MK over 4 hours at a concert or sporting event anytime.

Unfortunately price increases everywhere are common. I was doing some research to see if other parks raise their prices annually. From what I have found, when Disney raises their prices so does Universal (or vice versa).

The same also holds true when people start complaining about food costs also. Go to a sports event, your going to pay $4 for a bottle of water compared to the $2.50 Disney charges. How much is a hot dog or an order of fries? $6, $8 ? Heck I walk at a local mall during the cold weather and a bottle of water is anywhere from $1.50 to $2.00.

Food prices too. The signature restaurants prices are right around the same as it would cost us to go to a really nice restaurant around home here, and no I'm not talking V & A. But go to one of the country club restaurants around here or a Red Stones, we can drop $150 - $200 easy for two at dinner, which is not something we do very often.

Heck I used to bust on Comics Rays food all the time, could never understand why people liked it some much until we stopped there last fall on our one trip and compared it to the food we got at Dutch Wonderland that summer. Cosmic Rays food was way better and much cheaper in price.

Now I'm not knockng anyone here, so please don't anyone take offense, but if you're a discount diva, coupon clipper, get 2 for the price of one type of person, you are never going to be happy with the prices at Disney.

For us we get the best bang for our buck going to Disney. With DVC, TIW, AP and the bounce back offers, it's always Disney for us.

Mmmmm... Foooood.

It's one of *the* main reasons we go to Disney World.

I also find the restaurants at WDW (and food in general for that matter) to be pretty much in line with what it would cost to eat out at home. Add to that the ToW discount and it can actually be cheaper. Plus the variety of food available at WDW is quite impressive. Most "regular" theme parks we've been to over the years charge outrageous prices for food and take full advantage of having a captive audience. Anyone that has been to Canada's Wonderland will know what I mean.

Personally, we have no intention of changing any of our travel plans to Disney World based on the increases. There is literally no other place on earth like it.

Traveling for vacation is expensive. Period. You can't really go anywhere on vacation for less than $2,000 per week nowadays. (Besides visiting family or owning another property) Disney isn't the only place with high prices. It's everywhere.

yep- you can spend just as much on the Jersey Shore. No airfare of course.

Yes, it's getting more expensive each year to get in to WDW, it was less than $4 when it first opened. But, you had to buy tickets to get into each ride.

http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/on-the-town/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2014/2/27/disney_ticket_price_history.html

I've been a Disney fan since I first saw Walt Disney on TV, so for now, I'll continue to buy annual passes and remember the good old days

My first trip to WDW was on opening weekend in 1971. I have since made over 65 trips to the World. Since the early 90s my late wife and I went at least twice a year and after I retired 4 times a year. The prices for resorts stayed within a reasonable range until about 2012. Since then they have almost doubled. The prices aren't the only things that has changed. Many of the things that we enjoyed have gone away, to my dismay. For example, how many of you remember buying a mug that could be refilled at that resort for free any time you stayed there? If you show up with that same mug today you won't get a drink.
Any way it's still a magical place. Maybe Disney Corp. will find a way to charge you for the magic if you feel it.
later folks'
Joe

PS: Hey Vetlover! You out there?

Nice to see you subvertss, hope you are well.

I am in the UK so a trip is not cheap because of the air fares. It is actually cheaper for us to go to Florida than DLP. Most people will not buy one day, Disney are trying to get people to buy the longer tickets. There will always be an outcry over ticket price increase like any increase wherever people will always want to go to Disney because it is Disney. I wish the flights would get cheaper but it still doesn't stop us coming.

I think the "Magic" is exactly why so many of us are willing to return trip after trip even with price increases.

Hey Subvet nice to hear from you! Hope you are doing well. Vettelover is in WDW enjoying some of that Magic right now.

It's likely the surrounding parks will raise their prices to avoid being 'cheap' in comparison. However, to get into both sections of Harry Potter World, you need to have a ticket that covers both sides of the park - $136! Ok, this might seem to be value for money when you consider 3 parks for the price of 1 and a bit Disney, but if your only goal is to see Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, then $136 is pretty expensive in itself.

For us Brits, $105 = about PS68. A theme park ticket in the UK is very close to that kind of price if not over and doesn't begin to offer the same experience, the amount of space, the weather or the rides to rival the Disney or Universal parks.

I consider it pretty good value for the moment, especially if it's only a multi-day ticket - you just learn to use it more and more throughout the stay!

I believe Universal has announced today that it is raising it's one day price to $102.

You're right about that. It's also $147 for a one-day park to park admission.

Hey Joe good to hear from you. Wife and I just got back from your neck of the woods (WDW) and had a great time. Hope to see you on here again. Hey! by the way did you lose my phone number?