Beginning yesterday, June 2nd, 2013, The Walt Disney Company implemented what seems to be an annual event which most of us do not like to hear about. This event is the dreaded price increase, and covers things related to parking, tickets and annual passes.
Parking during the last twelve months has gone from $14 to $16 for autos and motorcycles, which is about a 12.5% increase. That's not too bad when you look at it, but there goes my two dollars.
General ticket prices for a three day park hopper ticket are now upward of $260 for those over 10, and $244 for 9 and under. That makes opting for the 5 day hopper ticket a better value at $300 and $279, respectively. You still have two weeks to use the 3 or 5 day tickets, but remember that 'sharing' or 'renting' your ticket is also a thing of the past as they do match names to the tickets now.
That policy recently began due to ticket retailers buying a 5 or 7 day park hopper ticket at a low price, then 'renting' the ticket's days which were not yet used for a set amount, usually a bit lower than a single day ticket. It seemed like a bargain, except to those at the resorts and that practice has now been curtailed by the aforementioned ID check.
For annual passes, the increases are marginal this year. The cost of the premium pass is now $669, up only $20. The increase for the same pass last year went up from $479 to $649 had many people, especially those with children, wondering how they would be able to afford their passes with an increase of $170. For other annual passes, the prices now range from $499 to $279, and all of those carry blackout dates and do not include parking. The premium pass still includes parking, and the option to add parking is still an available for a modest fee.
The ticket and annual pass price increases are always going to be there. I recall paying $125 for my first annual pass in 1984. And $669 for the ability to go say twice a month still seems like a bargain to me. That's less than $30 to park and go play with Mickey and his friends, and eat some really good duck wings at Cathay Circle. But to others, it may seem like typical corporate greed.
But who would open a business to operate it at a loss?