subject: Disneyworld Ups its Prices [print this page] This comes along with the announcement that all Disney theme parks are raising their prices, which has become effective as of last week. Day tickets at Disneyworld in Orlando Florida are set to rise up from $79 to $82, while season tickets are set to rise by $10 to $18.
Since the child's concession at Disney's Magic Kingdom ends at 10, this increase makes a marked difference to families with pre-teen children and young teens.
Child ticket prices have also jumped by $6, now at $74 per child.
Disney are due to report their earnings this week and many believe this rise in ticket prices is reflective of a good year.
"[The price increase] indicates that park revenues are holding up, despite building economic pressure and no discounting," said Analyst Tony Wible of Janney Montgomery Scott in a report.
Robert Niles, the editor of Theme Park Insider magazine noted that these price ranges were not really surprising, and modest in comparison to the substantial price hikes of five years ago.
These have fallen under some criticism, seemingly coming at an inopportune moment, especially in America's current financial climate. Some have been describing the hike as a 'cheap shot', to parents and children hoping to enjoy the theme park.
Yet the prices are clearly indicative of the conglomerate's growth. Disney's recent acquisition of Marvel Comics and their characters has proven an especially successful endeavour, with the Iron Man film sequel gathering $334 million on the week of its release. To follow there will be a whole string of movies featuring the Marvel characters.
While much of Florida has been severely effected by the gulf oil spill, the theme park area of Orlando has been reporting full holiday bookings, with some hotels even considering upping their prices. This makes Orlando a pricey destination.
Enjoying even more success than Disney this summer season is Universal Studios, whose latest park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, has proven this year's biggest attraction, bringing in Potter fans by the million. This has helped Orlando during an absence of tourism in the rest of Florida due to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
As yet Universal have not spoken of rising their ticket prices which currently stand at $79 for an adult day pass, and a $69 child pass.
Though rumours circulate of a potential rise for Universal, at the moment it is uncertain whether Universal are to latch on to the recent success of the Harry Potter theme park, or whether they are happy to remain the cheaper alternative to Disneyworld.
As a cheaper alternative many Orlando visitors have been opting to stay in one of the many Orlando vacation rentals, allowing them cheaper accommodation than the theme park hotels, and also offsetting the inflated prices of dining in the Disneyworld resorts.
