Disney Raises Ticket Prices to Disneyland
A day at the Magic Kingdom will soon cost a family of four a C-note.
Disneyland officials said Monday that the theme park will raise daily ticket prices $2. It is no Mickey Mouse amount for a family of four, who beginning Thursday will shell out $100--adults $27.50 and children $22.50--to enter the popular theme park.
The latest price hike at the 35-year-old theme park is the 11th since 1982. And it comes at a time when the Southern California tourism industry is facing growing pressures because of a deteriorating national economy.
Disney spokesman Bob Roth confirmed the price increase, which will take effect Nov. 1. He declined to comment further.
Disneyland and its sister parks--Disney World in Florida and Tokyo Disneyland in Japan--have been the economic engine for Burbank-based Walt Disney Co., accounting for nearly two-thirds of its $703.3 million in net income last year.
Despite such profits, Disney has shown no reluctance to increase prices regularly. Since 1982, the price of a one-day ticket to Disneyland--including the latest increase--has gone up 129% for an adult and 150% for a child. Just eight years ago, a family of four could get in the park for $42.
Still, those families have shown a willingness to pay higher and higher admission to have their children see and touch Mickey, Goofy and their pals. While attendance figures are closely guarded, analysts say more than 13 million people visit Disneyland each year.
Besides the increases in daily passes, the price of a three-day pass also will go up. Adults will pay $72.50, up from the present $66.50; children between 3 to 11 years of age will pay $59.50, up from the current $53.25. Children under 3 are free.
Annual pass prices also will rise by $15. Adults will pay $185, up from $160, for an annual pass and children will pay $145, up from $130.
The ticket prices cover the entry fee for the use of all rides and attractions, except the shooting galleries. The admission does not include parking, which will remain at $4, or food and souvenirs.
Disneyland last raised prices in December, going up $2 for children and adults just before the holiday tourism rush. Officials said then that the boosts were needed to cover the costs of improvements, including the Splash Mountain ride in Frontierland.
Disneyland officials would not say whether any new major rides or attractions will be announced with the new price increases. The park, however, is undergoing a $1-billion, decade-long expansion, which will include refurbishment of Tomorrowland and construction of a new Hollywood-theme attraction.
Disneyland is winding up the celebration of its 35th birthday with new car giveaways and daily parades down Main Street.
That has helped keep the park busy this summer with attendance expected to match last year’s, experts say. Disneyland is consistently ranked second behind Walt Disney World in Florida as the most popular theme park in the nation.
Still, Disneyland could soon face tough times with oil prices pushed up by the Persian Gulf crisis and growing fears of recession. Disneyland and Disney World registered attendance losses during the 1974 and 1979 oil shortages.
Several tourist attractions in the Southland have reported declines in attendance this past summer.
A spokesman for Knott’s Berry Farm declined to comment on the price hikes at Disneyland. Knott’s last raised prices before summer by $1 for adults and children. Prices at the folksy Buena Park attraction stand at $21 for adults, $17 for children and $15 for seniors, the handicapped and pregnant women.
DISNEY PASSPORTS
Since 1982, the price of a one-day ticket at Disneyland has gone up 129% for adults and 150% for children.
Adult Child June ’82 $12 $9 Oct. ’83 $13 $9 May ’84 $14 $9 Jan. ’85 $15 $10 May ’85 $16.50 $10.50 March ’86 $17.95 $10.95 Oct. ’86 $19 $12.95 Jan. ’87 $20 $15 Sept. ’87 $21.50 $16.50 Dec. ’89 $25.50 $20.50 Nov. ’90 $27.50 $22.50
