Disneyland Rant – Ticket Prices are Only Part of the Solution

In the least surprising news of the week, Disney raised ticket prices for their US parks.

Yawn.

Let me get a few things out of the way…

People who enjoy going to the parks do not want to pay more.

Yes, it is expensive.

Yes, in 1955 Walt originally charged $1 for admission (although if you wanted to actually ride anything you needed to buy a ride ticket separately).

Yes, today’s prices way outpace inflation when compared to that.

This news happens every year – sometimes twice a year. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone by now. You could set your Futurosity Shop watch by it.

Disney offers the same explanation each year also: they do this to help control the crowds.

I can go along with that to a point. They will eliminate some people from visiting. Those folks can go visit Knotts Berry Farm instead.

But if Disney were serious about crowding at the parks, here is what they really need to do: Eliminate the option for Southern California residents to pay for their pass in monthly installments.

Disney won’t do that, for the same reason that the government takes taxes out of your paycheck. People are lousy savers. If they see a little bit of money come out of their paycheck each time, they don’t notice the large total at the end of the year.

Another thing Disney really needs to do is eliminate the Fast Pass system.

Fast Pass allows you to obtain a return time for major rides and attractions. Instead of standing in line, you can be somewhere else doing something else. You come back in your window of time, and walk through the shorter line on the side.

This creates several problems.

If you are not in the line, you are somewhere else in the park, taking up space.

When you return to the attraction, they slow down or stop the standby line to let the fast pass line go ahead.

If everyone just waited in one line, it would move continuously. The lines would eat people from the walkways, reducing crowding. It would be a win-win!

But now that Disney makes money selling “Max Pass”es (a paid Fast Pass system done within the Disneyland app), I’m afraid that they are never going to go back!

 

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