The Disney theme parks are adopting a new pricing policy beginning Sunday that would have admission prices increased on the busiest days of the year, and reduced on low-demand days, Disney announced on Saturday.
From now on, adult general admission one-day tickets for Disneyland or California Adventure in busy days will no longer cost $99; it will change to one of the three new rates: $95, $105 or $119.
The $95 rate applies to weekdays during school year. The $105 rate applies to regular days, which is almost half the year. And the $119 rate applies to the busiest days like holidays and certain weekends in July and December.
According to Disney, the main purpose on changing pricing is to help spread out crowds at Walt Disney World in Florida and at Disneyland Resort in California.
“The demand for our theme parks continues to grow, particularly during peak periods,” said Disneyland spokeswoman Suzi Brown, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. “In addition to expanding our parks, we are adopting seasonal pricing on our one-day ticket to help better spread visitation throughout the year.”
Why are these measures being taken?
The Disney theme parks receive more visitors during October to December, setting a record that rose 10 percent compared to last year.
Busy days bring frustrations and anger for visitors who have to make really long lines for the attractions and sometimes are not able to try others due to temporary gate closures when parks get too full.
Disney will publish eight- to 11-month calendars online that will list which days fall in each pricing period. New charges will not apply on multiday tickets.
Universal Studios Hollywood
Universal Studios Hollywood also adopted a similar ticket price policy earlier this year before the park opens the Harry Potter new attraction, the Wizarding World on April 7. It is expected that this attraction brings a high demand.
However, Universal Studios’ pricing policy did not increase ticket prices. The cost of a ticket on busy days will remain at $95. The difference is that in low-demand days, visitors can save up to $20 a ticket over the regular gate price.
Source: The LA Times