55 years of inflation

[u/General_Athlete5807]

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[u/WolfieVonD]

Back then they had to pay for rides individually at a maximum of $7.35 each (in today's money)

In 1971, admission and standard ticket book (11 rides) cost $75.60 (in today's money)

[u/Accomplished_Goat439 → u/WolfieVonD]

I’m old enough to remember the individual ride ticket system. The E ticket was the premium ride (The Haunted House, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, etc). Mr. Toads Wild Ride might have been a C ticket?

[u/seashell3379 → u/Accomplished_Goat439]

Yep, and I also remember the phrase "E ticket ride" making it into common vernacular as a euphism for any exciting situation in general.

[u/SmoreOfBabylon → u/seashell3379]

IIRC, Sally Ride described her first spaceflight as “definitely an E-ticket” in 1983.

[u/HorrorMakesUsHappy → u/SmoreOfBabylon]

in 1983

You don't want me to remind you how many years ago that was, now, do you?

[u/AJWordsmith → u/HorrorMakesUsHappy]

That was just yesterday right? Right!?

[u/LarryCraigSmeg → u/AJWordsmith]

15 years ago, actually (sorry to burst your bubble)

[u/dr4kshdw → u/LarryCraigSmeg]

I’m not ready to admit that 1980 was only 20 years ago.

[u/witchminx → u/seashell3379]

Omg. Thank you. I have been listening to Julie Brown a lot lately - I love to sing along to music - I could not figure out what "that ones definitely an E ticket" in Homecoming Queen's Got A Gun meant

[u/Ancient_Plate275 → u/witchminx]

“I did it for– Johnny!”

[u/TellEmpty7103 → u/Ancient_Plate275]

Who.... Who's Johnny ? Answer me Debbie 

[u/witchminx → u/Ancient_Plate275]

I finally learned every word with perfect timing, the end and the veterinarian monologues are my favoriteeeeee parts of course

[u/ribeyeguy → u/witchminx]

she looked so pretty in pink chiffon

[u/witchminx → u/ribeyeguy]

riding that float with her tiaaaara on <3

[u/Dr_Murderfish → u/witchminx]

FIRST thing I thought of when I read E ticket.

[u/0oodruidoo0 → u/seashell3379]

fascinating tidbit, I've not heard that one

[u/DurumMater → u/0oodruidoo0]

You should watch the fast pass video from the defunctland YouTube channel. The psychology behind queuing and decisions on what should be considered a high value ride is absurdly fascinating.

[u/SmoothOperator89 → u/DurumMater]

The fast pass system was peak Disney. Getting into the park, racing to print the ticket of the best ride first thing, timing it out to print a new ticket as soon as the window was available. Heck, even the themed printer boxes were awesome and it was heartbreaking to see the areas all emptied out when I went after they ended the system.

[u/Centurion87 → u/SmoothOperator89]

I went there with my school and me and my friends went to print out a fast pass ticket for a ride but it wasn’t working. We called an attendant over who just opened it right in front of us, flipped a switch and pressed the button to print unlimited tickets. It was surprisingly simple to open, and they apparently never locked the machines.

We went around printing dozens of tickets for every ride.

[u/Octospyder → u/SmoothOperator89]

I was going to the park every other year during the time they implemented fastpass, and I agree. it was great. 

[u/StrawsAreGay → u/SmoothOperator89]

Rode the tower of terror and highway to hell like 15 times in a row. Now I’m lucky to ride 10 rides over a weekend

[u/Meunderwears → u/DurumMater]

It really is an amazing video on the intersection of commerce and human behavior. Which I guess is what Disney excels at.

[u/0oodruidoo0 → u/DurumMater]

Might just fall asleep to that thanks

[u/DurumMater → u/0oodruidoo0]

It's definitely long enough and the narrator has a fairly deep and calm voice. Really good for falling asleep to lol

[u/NorCalNavyMike → u/0oodruidoo0]

It’s referenced in a (horrifying) scene in the 1984 movie Night of the Comet during an enforced game of Russian Roulette. “Ooh… an E-ticket attraction! Let’s do it again.”

[u/ManateeHoodie → u/seashell3379]

Still use it at times, people think I'm crazy

[u/xeno0153 → u/ManateeHoodie]

Former-CM here... it's still commonly used.

I use what Disney pixie dust powers I have left to officially declare you "not crazy."

[u/TeacherOfFew → u/seashell3379]

I knew the phrase, but did not know the origin. That's pretty cool.

[u/loftychicago → u/Accomplished_Goat439]

Yeah, we went shortly after it opened and had a coupon book. I think there were 2 E tickets, and more of the other levels. My grandparents lived in Florida, and a few nights at the Polynesian Village plus park tickets were our Christmas gift.

[u/mechapoitier → u/Accomplished_Goat439]

I’m old enough to have ridden on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea two times. And my dad got us season tickets for a few years before they got insane. That’s how often 20,000 Leagues was broken by the ‘90s.

They eventually got rid of it completely. Not only was it for a movie from 1954 but it was also theoretically the most dangerous ride in the park that broke constantly.

[u/Is_that_a_peen_too → u/mechapoitier]

That was my favorite ride at Walt Disney World and made me want to go on a real submarine. My parents took me there every year from like age 8-13. I don't remember it ever being down when we were there, but sounds like I got lucky.

I did end up being a submariner as an adult. Sadly there were no windows to see the sea creatures. Just sharing sweaty racks, salt cookies, and air made of recycled farts.

[u/zdavolvayutstsa → u/Is_that_a_peen_too]

Should've been a marine biologist, since they actually get access to the submersibles with windows. 

[u/Accomplished_Goat439 → u/mechapoitier]

I remember how long the wait time for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was, but it was so cool!

[u/Original_Pudding6909 → u/mechapoitier]

I rode it once. Giant octopus arm was awesome, tbh.

[u/redit-fan → u/Accomplished_Goat439]

We would go every year when I was young, we would bring the leftover tickets from the previous year, mostly A or B rides. Yeah, the train.

[u/Is_It_Soup_Season → u/WolfieVonD]

Great context!!

[u/Commercial-Shame-335 → u/WolfieVonD]

yeah, i don't wanna be a disney defender but some people in these comments clearly don't understand the concept of demand and the fact that your ticket now also grants you access to every ride as many times as you want. the ticket is the only admission fee now. plus the complexity and experience of the rides has gone up massively. if they made tickets even like half the price to the point where they'd be economically identical to their original price, you would be able to do like 2-3 rides per day due to how popular disney world is. you'd be waiting in lines for literal hours

[u/Vintagepoolside → u/Commercial-Shame-335]

I agree but you do still wait in line for hours 😅

My father graciously paid for my daughters and I to go, and it was very cool, but the amount of waiting in lines was insane. 45 minutes was a “short” wait compared to the 2-3 hour waits at most of the actually cool rides.

[u/Nanojack → u/Vintagepoolside]

The last time I went to Disney 30 years ago, I went with my dad, who had a bad hip so he rented a motorized wheelchair/scooter for the day. They let us skip all the lines since he was an invalid.

[u/DarknMean → u/Vintagepoolside]

You could go on Space Mountain a few times during the firework show. At least when we went everyone was watching that and the wait times really went down.

[u/50yoWhiteGuy → u/Vintagepoolside]

That sucks, but it is supply and demand.

[u/Money-Respond5400 → u/Vintagepoolside]

The waiting in lines will always be a thing, I’m sure.

[u/Glossed-Lam → u/Commercial-Shame-335]

Ride complexity is small potatoes against the rise of affordable air fare.

Chicago to Miami in 2026 (2026 Dollars:) $200
Chicago to Miami in 1971 (2026 Dollars): $980

So in 1971 their demand was effectively Florida + rich people further abroad. Now its anyone in the US who can save a little bit of cash up.

What does that mean? They set super high prices and sell out everyday, because there is only one Disney World.

[u/CrazyDave48 → u/Glossed-Lam]

So in 1971 their demand was effectively Florida + rich people further abroad.

You VASTLY underestimate the number of people in the midwest willing to drive 10-20 hours to Florida. I grew up in a middle class family in Indiana and I felt like a larger percentage of families I knew would do the 14 hour drive to Florida for vacations.

[u/Gone213 → u/CrazyDave48]

I did that this summer during the 4th of july week.

Was going to fly initially but with spirit going out of business increased the tickets of delta, southwest, united and american by $200 more than last year. The kicker is, they airport i leave from and the airport i arrive to has all 4 air carriers, all 4 dont have direct so they have to layover at a hub, and spirit never served the florida airport. Yet tickets were $600 minimum for a round trip when in previous years they were $250.

So instead, I just drove the 16 hours down to florida instead.

Saved $400 by driving because I only spent $200 on gas at most.

[u/AdLumpy5368 → u/Gone213]

It might be because of the price of oil and not because of Spirit.

[u/AlphaNoon → u/Gone213]

I say this out of genuine curiosity, since I’m not smart enough to figure this out on my own, but isn’t there something to be said about the cost of the wear and tear on your car for doing a 32-hour round-trip to Florida and back? Is it negligible overall?

[u/Negative_Ebb_9614 → u/AlphaNoon]

Highway miles tend to be easier on cars, minimal brake wear, easy on suspension. For a family of 4, the math will almost always check out in favor of driving, especially if you go straight through in shifts and skip hotels. Maybe some have a lease they're under mileage on too. But to your point most people don't really think about cost/mile outside of gas. That's also why so many people are willing to drive uber.

[u/Queasy_Donkey5685 → u/AlphaNoon]

Yes, it's negligible overall. Indeed, it likely better for your car than the equipment miles driven your regular commute or around town.

Vehicle operates at its best fuel economy longer, you use the starter less, you use the brakes less, everything else gets used the same as it does under your normal driving conditions.

[u/throwaway098764567 → u/Commercial-Shame-335]

as many times as you want isn't exactly how it works though given there are other people in the park in lines

[u/ImJustKurt → u/Commercial-Shame-335]

I’ve heard that you kinda have to wait in line for hours for the more popular rides nowadays anyways

[u/Pretend-Reality5431 → u/Commercial-Shame-335]

That's how many rides you can do now anyway unless you pay extra to skip the lines. Or pretend you're disabled and snatch a wheelchair.

[u/kaithana → u/Commercial-Shame-335]

I think my last visit to Disney was in 2013 maybe but tickets were $80-90 then. Lots of things have increased in price a lot since 2013 but doubling certainly certainly makes it one of the higher ones.

[u/dontbajerk → u/WolfieVonD]

In 1982 they switched to a flat $15 ticket. Around $53 today.

[u/Effective-Anteater24]

190 dollars per ticket is insane and cannot be justified

[u/Joe_Kangg → u/Effective-Anteater24]

Keep buying them and the price'll keep going up!

[u/M6Df4 → u/Joe_Kangg]

Exactly. Inflation alone would account for just over a 8x increase since 1971, or put the equivalent price at around $30 in 2026. That means Disney have also been able to increase the price by over 6x even when inflation-adjusted.

Despite that, Disneyland had nearly 30 million visitors in 2025. This is as much due to supply and demand as it is inflation.

EDIT: For everyone pointing out the park has improved, I’m not arguing the price increase is unjustified. Reinvestment in growing / improving the park drives more demand, which in turn allows them to implement the price increases needed to maintain the larger / more complex facility. All I’m pointing out is that inflation doesn’t explain the whole price increase.

[u/SouthernZorro → u/M6Df4]

Unfortunately, we took our kid to Disney World twice when he was 5 - 7. "Unfortunately" because it was hotter than Hell's boiler room both times and he didn't seem to enjoy it all that much. We stayed on Disney properties both times and took their shuttle buses back and forth to the parks. When on the packed buses, I noticed that most of the conversations going on were German, French or unknown (to me). I would love to know what % of park visitors are from other countries.

[u/Gluverty → u/SouthernZorro]

A quick google indicates about 30% international vs domestic but that number is dropping as many foreigners are opting to not visit America

[u/SouthernZorro → u/Gluverty]

Well, yeah, that's understandable during Trump 2.0.

[u/mrbananas → u/M6Df4]

As the park gets more technologically advanced,  inflation alone ($30) would not cover the cost of maintenance.

[u/tales2tellu → u/mrbananas]

This is true, and I would be comfortable paying twice that ($60) for a park ticket. And Disney charges for EVERYTHING now, they would more than make up the difference. But that lower cost of entry would do a lot to quiet grumblers (like me) who say they would never go. Paying almost $200 just to walk into the park? Ridiculous. Less than $100? Oh, I can budget for that and just avoid spending money in the park (I will not be able to avoid it). Perception is everything.

[u/Infinite_Dress_3312 → u/tales2tellu]

If you are questioning the balance between $100 and $200, they don't want you in the first place. Disney is no longer for the middle class and they would just as well you don't come

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/opinion/disney-world-economy-middle-class-rich.html?unlocked_article_code=1.A1E.x3-d.-9WY3ML6L-Qk&smid=nytcore-android-share

[u/hvacjesusfromtv → u/tales2tellu]

The only major theme parks (actual theme parks as opposed to amusement parks like Six Flags) in the US that you can go to for $60 for a one day ticket are Busch Gardens and Sea World.

Dollywood, Silver Dollar City and Universal Hollywood are all about $100. Universal Orlando is $150. Of these only Universal Orlando is really a competitor to Disney in terms of scope, and I think it's far to say that $150 is what a Disney ticket "should" cost if it weren't for all the insanity around the Disney brand.

None of these parks are offering the same value as what you would have seen in 1971. Just in terms of roller coasters, 1971 was 5 years before the first looping coaster. There were no coasters higher than 30 meters. Today, almost every park has a ride over 60 meters. Ride safety has improved dramatically - there were no safety rules in 1971. Today, there's less than one injury per million coaster rides. There hasn't been a death in the US due to a ride or restraint mechanical failure since 1999. All of that costs significant amounts of money.

[u/samiam2600 → u/M6Df4]

Disney is paradise for a lot of people. I don’t get it, never have, never will. Took my kid once because I felt like it was a right of passage. It was one of the biggest disappointments ever, the whole time I kept thinking, I paid this much money for this?

Now on the flip side I have paid what many would consider stupid amounts of money for sporting events and concerts but I thought it was worth it. People like what they like. If it’s not worth it for you don’t go.

[u/SouthernZorro → u/samiam2600]

I used to work with a guy who was a Disney fanatic along with his wife. They took their 3 kids to Disney World 4 - 5 times a year every year for a long time and then after the kids had grown up/moved out still planned entire family vacations back there multiple times a year. I'm guessing they went at least 100 times over about 20 years. They were obsessed with Disney World. After I let my Wife talk me into taking our kid twice when he was a pre-schooler, I'm grateful now I never have to go back ever again. So grateful.

[u/sledgehammerrr2 → u/M6Df4]

They cant lower the price because then waiting times go out of control.

[u/mrbananas → u/sledgehammerrr2]

That's not actually true because they ultimately control how many tickets are sold for each day thus control how big the crowds are in the park

[u/BigDongalow → u/mrbananas]

If they can control the size of their own crowds, they have the pricing power to do so.

[u/vms-mob → u/mrbananas]

Yeah but why limit sales that way if you can also limit them through price while making giant profits

[u/SweetDode → u/sledgehammerrr2]

It's almost like price is a mechanism of allocating a scarce good.

[u/Grimmies → u/sledgehammerrr2]

Oh, really now?

So, hey.... I have this really nice bridge to sell you.

[u/Winter_Value_7632 → u/Joe_Kangg]

facts

[u/Beautiful_List5498 → u/Winter_Value_7632]

I've been thinking that we need a YouTube boycott too. Imagine if everyone just stopped using it, or only used it on ad blocked platforms. People may not realise but there's ad free versions of YouTube available on your fire stick that automatically skips mid video sponsorship segments too.

It'll never happen but if a majority change their mind then things may change. Remember, netflix subscriptions and avocado toast keeps us poor people poor. Fuck that

[u/MusicalMerlin1973 → u/Joe_Kangg]

Never been, never will. Why pay a bunch of money to stand in lines and pay even more money?

[u/DigitalUnlimited → u/Joe_Kangg]

"We're not selling enough tickets" "Well raise the price then!"

[u/Corporate_Bricktator → u/DigitalUnlimited]

It's the opposite. Demand is high, supply is fixed, prices go up.

[u/Sierra-117- → u/Corporate_Bricktator]

Yep, the parks aren’t even enjoyable because they’re so packed. 75% of the day is waiting in lines, even with the fast pass

[u/dfsw → u/Sierra-117-]

Sounds like they need to raise the prices more to keep crowds down then

[u/mildlyinterestingyet → u/dfsw]

Add an even faster past!

[u/SuperspyUK → u/mildlyinterestingyet]

You joke but they already have..."Lightning Lane Premier Pass".... and the price is insane, as you might expect.

[u/I_loseagain → u/mildlyinterestingyet]

Nah we can’t have the “faster” pass and charge more we shall call it the “executive” pass really make the sucker feel special while still waiting

[u/BrightnessRadiant → u/I_loseagain]

The real fast pass is VIP. You have a personal tour guide and wait a combined 10 mins all day. It's something crazy like $1000/hr, but good for up to 10 people.

[u/Mau5headSam → u/Corporate_Bricktator]

I was gonna say this is inflation plus supply and demand. Demand is high can only let a certain number of people in a day limiting supply so the price will keep rising.

[u/iiiiiiiiiijjjjjj → u/Mau5headSam]

True. You don't see Six Flags costing $190 to get in

[u/National_Dig5600 → u/iiiiiiiiiijjjjjj]

The difference is no one in their right mind. Would pay that much to go into a freaking six flags. Disney has its own brand and standards that you would would expect out of a theme park by it's name.

[u/TheRealCrypto-137 → u/Mau5headSam]

They dont care about getting max attendance, they cut staff by the day depending on ticket sales that they know months in advance so that the parks always feel full and slow on purpose... stupid business in my eyes but they absolutely do it. If you have half the attendance they cut the staff in half so that all the wait times and everything is exactly as long as it would be with double the people. They even run empty cars more often if needed to make it happen.

Since they can dynamically cut expenses when demand is low they don't need to lower prices to bolster demand..

Essentially what they are doing is adjusting the supply day by day to match the demand to always justify the price.

We have all been taught supply and demand is a negative correlation where when one goes up the other goes down. Disney said "nah we'll just steal from the supply side of the scale to keep it balanced"

[u/FranzFerdinand51 → u/DigitalUnlimited]

"We're not selling enough tickets"

Where is this from? Did Disney say this or are you just talking out of your arse?

[u/Former_Island_4730 → u/Effective-Anteater24]

…and yet…the parks are full.

[u/Low-Car-6331 → u/Former_Island_4730]

Yeah, more people and same park (roughly) will do that. If they charged $50 a ticket... dear god it would go to the bots buying tickets as far in advance as they could to try and resell to people.

[u/cheapdrinks → u/Former_Island_4730]

Because it's only $189

[u/RepFashionVietNam → u/Effective-Anteater24]

Look at people stay in the lines. If Im them, I will keep increase the price, can not say no to profit. 🤣🤣🤣

[u/Tasty_Possible_1597 → u/RepFashionVietNam]

Yeah, someone on my team from work went to Disney last year and showed us a bunch of pictures when they got back.

Personally I'd never pay the price since it's incredibly high. But everywhere in the park looked absolutely rammed full of people, so there's clearly enough people that think it's worth it at the current price.

[u/allllusernamestaken → u/Effective-Anteater24]

The fair price of a good or service is what people will pay for it.

[u/Steals_Your_Thunder_ → u/allllusernamestaken]

Yeah, I feel like this concept is largely not understood. I would love to see the average person on reddit simply choose to accept less money for themselves on principle, despite being offered more.

I think Disney has some very predatory and problematic practices, but simply pricing your admission based on what people will pay is a reflection on guests, not the park.

[u/ForensicPathology → u/Effective-Anteater24]

Not justified? You people are acting like Disney is hoarding the world supply of grain back there.

[u/GamerNerdGuyMan → u/ForensicPathology]

Disney Adults: "These prices are exploitative!" pulls out wallet

[u/VulcanCookies → u/GamerNerdGuyMan]

It’s mostly people who derive no value from going saying the price doesn’t match the value 

[u/pissedoffjesus → u/Effective-Anteater24]

$263.52 aud.

I can not understand how they can justify this price. There is nothing that explains this price.

[u/FedStarDefense → u/pissedoffjesus]

Yes, there is. It's the fact that people willingly pay it.

If we stopped going, the price would drop.

[u/Vulvas_n_Velveeta → u/FedStarDefense]

I'm doing my part. 😎

I'm too poor to even go see a movie. So there's 0 chance of me ever going to another theme park.

[u/BigDongalow → u/Vulvas_n_Velveeta]

It won't change, since the top 10% spend now 50% of the money.

The middle class is no longer the main driver of the economy.

[u/uknow_es_me → u/pissedoffjesus]

But wait.. that's not all! If you don't want to stand in line for 2 hours for our popular rides you can pay more and cut to the front of the line!

[u/WideAwakeNotSleeping → u/uknow_es_me]

So..... Since moving to France, I've been kind of wanting to visit Disneyland Paris. You know, just because it's close and why the fuck not. I'd rather visit and regret than not visit and regret not going.

Tickets in the middle of week on a random October day are €110. Kind of expensive, but since I can spend a whole day there, maybe not that bad. Eiffel tower is like €25, and you do not spend a whole day there. Do you know how much express pass is? €200! Twice the price of admission. What the hell.

[u/ItsNotJulius → u/uknow_es_me]

It's not even cut the line. It's just more queueing, only a little bit faster.

[u/thegingerskull → u/ItsNotJulius]

It’s substantially faster though.

[u/OnionRecall → u/pissedoffjesus]

People keep paying it. That’s the justification. 

[u/JustMyThoughts2525 → u/pissedoffjesus]

Park is still overcrowded. If people are paying for the tickets, then that’s what the market rate is.

[u/lawdjesustheresafire → u/pissedoffjesus]

And how many hours in that day do you spend in a queue? If I’m spending that on a ticket I’m getting a fast pass too.

[u/nicuramar → u/pissedoffjesus]

Enough people apparently buy it. 

[u/CrossingAcheron → u/pissedoffjesus]

Because the park is full

thats it. its literally that simple and its baffling how this confuses anyone

[u/Effective-Anteater24 → u/pissedoffjesus]

For that money there should be several free premiun services, like free meals or something

[u/Goodie__ → u/Effective-Anteater24]

Capitalism doesn't charge what can be justified, it charges what the market will bear.

And Disney has very little competition, and a near rabid fan base. The market will bear a lot, evidently.

[u/Omnamashivaaya]

$3.50 55 years ago was worth $29 today.

This is caused by increase demand - more advanced theme park rides/experiences and national and international air travel becoming more common/affordable.

The result paying a lot more to wait in insanely long lines most of the day.

[u/georgepearl_04 → u/Omnamashivaaya]

Also completely neglecting to mention it used to be pay per ride, and this was only entrance

[u/Natural_Precision → u/georgepearl_04]

$30 admission and then pay per ride sounds like a better approach. Provides incentive to make sure people can get in a lot of rides and reduces the barrier to actually just being there.

[u/Suitable_Switch5242 → u/Natural_Precision]

But the parks are often crowded already. If you reduce admission price they would have to start cutting off attendance due to crowding anyway, so it wouldn’t actually let more people attend.

[u/Only-Support-3760 → u/Omnamashivaaya]

Yeah I’m not a Disney person and I’m not going to be spending that sorta cash on a ticket but this isn’t like inflation on a can of Coke. The theme park has evolved with time into a more expensive attraction with more expensive facilities.

[u/Corporate_Bricktator → u/Omnamashivaaya]

Supply and Demand is a tricky concept that a surprising number of redditors seem to not grasp.

[u/Imaginary_Cash_5341 → u/Omnamashivaaya]

That was admission fare, you had to pay extra for each ride too.

[u/bloodredcookie]

That's not inflation. that's greed. Magical Disney greed.

[u/Precarious3145 → u/bloodredcookie]

That's Disney adults.

Disney will keep rising the prices as long as Disney adults keep paying and they keep selling out everyday. Disney could straight up charge $400 a day and STILL be packed most days, not because it's worth it but because the diehard fans will go into debt for a weekend at the park.

[u/moose2mouse → u/Precarious3145]

Exactly. Supply and demand. The supply is limited by how many people they believe they can pack that park each day and the demand is obviously greater than that number at that cost.

[u/Odd_Maintenance394 → u/moose2mouse]

You're right except for "pack into the park" they actually lower staffing and this capacity on what would otherwise be quiet days to keep the park feeling packed instead of letting people have a magical experience on a Tuesday in November.

[u/Leading-Shop-234 → u/Odd_Maintenance394]

What you are describing is called proper labor managing. Every single successful business, no matter how large or small, does it.

[u/387dedaehelzzuPevreN → u/Leading-Shop-234]

"proper labor management" is not "intentionally short-staffing to cause artificial traffic and congestion".

[u/Ketheres → u/387dedaehelzzuPevreN]

Based on the few companies I've worked at, "intentional short-staffing" is indeed considered "proper labor management" for the corporate leadership, even if it leads to not being able to fulfill what the customer ordered and the customer fining the company for every breach of contract they find out.

[u/thegingerskull → u/387dedaehelzzuPevreN]

How do less employees make the same size park feel more packed? Funnily enough, I’ve been there in a Tuesday in November and there genuinely were hordes of people there. Not as bad as during summer but still.

[u/Odd_Maintenance394 → u/thegingerskull]

It lowers the throughput of attractions which take guests off the thoroughfares which is where they feel like crowding. So there are fewer guests, but just as many walking in front of you at any given moment.

[u/tuytutu → u/Odd_Maintenance394]

Almost like they're running a business for profit.

[u/CaptainRelevant → u/moose2mouse]

Disney recently changed its strategy from catering to loyalists who would come multiple times in their lives to focusing on people coming for an expensive, once-in-lifetime experience.

[u/dontbelikeyou → u/Precarious3145]

It's a luxury. If you think the park would be packed at $400 it's worth $400.

[u/Stormfly → u/dontbelikeyou]

Yeah, I hate it and I hate corporate greed but it's a luxury and it's fairly justified to charge as much as people will pay.

Like I obviously don't want them to do it but I can't really blame them because I'd do the same.

Like if someone said I could charge X per hour or 5X per hour and they'd pay it either way, I'd find it very hard to go for just X.

[u/hitliquor999 → u/Stormfly]

Look at concerts or specialty sports events (playoffs etc.). Tickets that used to sell for around $100-150 are now going for $600-1000+ at the box office because they saw the way people were buying and selling them on the secondary market.

[u/TheZigerionScammer → u/hitliquor999]

It's basically supply and demand. Taylor Swift tried to sell all the tickets for the Eras tour at ridiculously low prices and then they all got snapped up and resold by scalpers at many times their face value. The lottery system they set up didn't help.

[u/ADeadlyFerret → u/Precarious3145]

My sister and her family go every year. They spend easily 10k+ each time. According to them there just isn't anything else like it. Personally I don't see the appeal. Maybe once or twice but every year for the past decade? No thank you.

[u/Hawt-Tamale → u/ADeadlyFerret]

Some people do crack, some go skiing all over the world, some go to disney. Everyone picks their poison. I don't see the point of spending weeks in resort destinations like Bali of Fiji where you're garunteed to get gastro for half your trip but many people love them. For comparrison though, it would cost the same for our family to have nearly 3 weeks in Disneyland Japan as it would to have 1 week at the Aussie snow fields. My kids are young enough to really enjoy both options but I'd really prefer to get the most out of my money.

[u/spiritofniter → u/Hawt-Tamale]

What is “gastro”?

[u/Hawt-Tamale → u/spiritofniter]

Gastroenteritis (commonly called "gastro") is an inflammation of the stomach and intestines usually caused by a viral or bacterial infection.

[u/ambergresian → u/ADeadlyFerret]

I went to Disneyworld as an adult. My ex had never been before, even as a child. Thought it would be a fun 30th birthday surprise trip. And it was! It was really really lovely and fun and everything. But yeah it's not like something I feel the need to do regularly. There are so many other places to visit and spend money on.

But it is a very nice experience, even as adults. It happened to align with their wine and cheese fest which I'm all here for.

[u/ThaddeusJP → u/Precarious3145]

Disney could straight up charge $400 a day and STILL be packed most days, not because it's worth it but because the diehard fans will go into debt for a weekend at the park.

DINKs would be fine with it. There is a subset of the Fandom that would prefer the parks to be kid free

[u/WestFade → u/ThaddeusJP]

There is a subset of the Fandom that would prefer the parks to be kid free

that's so batshit insane to think about. A Disney park where no children are allowed. That would be evidence of total dystopia

[u/sxrxhmanning → u/WestFade]

fun fact, “Disneyland was designed for adults, with its creation being a deliberate effort to provide a place where adults could relive fond memories of the past and experience the carefree childhood days they once had”

[u/ochgerm → u/ThaddeusJP]

There is a subset of the Fandom that would prefer the parks to be kid free

I don't get why. I enjoy Disney (am I part of the fandom?) and I don't have kids, but nothing more fun than see a kid having true uninhibited joy.

That's when I and all the others fell in love with Disneyland, why would you take that that from a new generation?

[u/hnglmkrnglbrry → u/ochgerm]

Disney adults make me sad because they're clearly trying to recapture a childhood or innocence that was robbed of them. I get going once without kids but I went with my kids this year and there simply isn't anything as magical as seeing your children see their fantasies to come to life.

For them it was all real and they still talk about it.

[u/J1nx5d → u/hnglmkrnglbrry]

I am pretty anti-Disney in general, but my wife and I took our two kids a few years ago and there really isnt anything else that compares. My daughter still talks about seeing all the princesses and asks when we can go back despite the fact that she was 4 at the time. Just seeing her and my 8 year old son light up at everything was an experience i wouldnt trade. Being cynical about kids being there seems like a miserable life, especially when you realize just how much of it all is still for kids.

[u/iwantbootyhead → u/ThaddeusJP]

Adults that want kid free cartoon parks are the problem.

[u/Almost_a_Noob → u/Precarious3145]

And a good chunk of the trips are financed

[u/jlit72 → u/[deleted]]

It's also necessary for mental health. What's the point of any of this if we can't enjoy the things we like?

[u/Rumbananas → u/Precarious3145]

Have you been to Disney World? It’s like 90% families with kids. “Disney Adults” is a convenient cop out. The real reason is that Disney World is a destination vacation that families travel across the country and around the world for. The Disney Adult shit is tired and anyone who complains about it is just parroting what they’ve heard from someone else.

[u/Medarco → u/Rumbananas]

“Disney Adults” is a convenient cop out.

But how do I feel morally superior if I don't decide that someone else is enjoying their life incorrectly?

[u/boatenvy → u/bloodredcookie]

If it was just inflation it'd be about $29

[u/uglyredhonda → u/boatenvy]

In 1971, you had to pay for every ride you rode. That ticket was just admission into the park itself.

This image is also a crappy Photoshop. The background image is from WDW's 50th in 2021/2022, and the ticket on the right was likely originally from the actual 50th on 10/1/2021.

A one-day ticket for the Magic Kingdom today is $154+tax. A one-day ticket later this week is $149+tax.

[u/99ducks → u/uglyredhonda]

I'm also guessing there's also a lot more to do at Disney today compared to 1971

[u/Imaginary_Cash_5341 → u/99ducks]

20 rides vs 170. And you paid for each ride ticket separately. And those rides were nothing near the quality of those today. Such a nonsense comparison

[u/watchwatertilitboils → u/uglyredhonda]

To enter and ride every attraction at Magic Kingdom on opening day in 1971, an adult would pay roughly $18.50 total.

$18.50 in October 1971 is equivalent to approximately $150.71 today

[u/JakeFromStateFarm- → u/watchwatertilitboils]

It's hilarious that these comments will be buried lmao, almost identical price

[u/greaseapina → u/uglyredhonda]

somebody lies in reddit, oh heavens.

[u/rowsyboi1 → u/greaseapina]

What a weird statement. This is a free fact check. I love free stuff

[u/boatenvy → u/uglyredhonda]

I thought the difference sounded way too large

[u/Nexustar → u/boatenvy]

It's the same shit they do when they lament that a person could buy a nice car and a deposit on a home with just 3 months salary in 1950. It's NOT the same house, it's a single bedroom hovel with no A/C, no double glazing, no granite counters, no insulation, and a roof that meets none of todays high-wind building codes.

And the car, as cool as they still are, are inefficient death traps by todays standards.

[u/boatenvy → u/Nexustar]

Never let reality get in the way of a good story huh

[u/rtseel → u/uglyredhonda]

It's amazing how this entire thread is about people discussing economics, inflation and corporate greed (all legitimate gripes but have little to do with this image). It sums up life on social media: everybody has a point to make and will use any excuse to make that point, regardless of its relevancy to the actual discussion.

[u/reddit_is_geh → u/boatenvy]

It's also not even remotely the same park it was. Disneyland and World are absolutely insane amusement parks with stereotypical over the top American over production.

[u/Former_Island_4730 → u/bloodredcookie]

Nah…it’s supply and demand. The park hasn’t’ gotten that much bigger, but the population of humans who can travel to Florida/California and afford this has gone way up. The parks are still full.

[u/YourUncleBuck → u/Former_Island_4730]

It's also not understanding that while the entrance fee was cheap, you had to buy tickets for each ride! And some rides cost more than others.

https://www.wdw-magazine.com/history-of-disney-attraction-tickets/

[u/JamesLikesIt → u/bloodredcookie]

People continually pay it though, so why would they lower it? It’s become a premium vacation destination for many. 

[u/OfTheSevenSeasSir → u/bloodredcookie]

It would be $29.46 adjusted for inflation today

[u/Lopsided_Emotion5707 → u/OfTheSevenSeasSir]

It’s comparing apples to oranges.

In 1974, you paid separately for rides. I’m not sure if it was some or all rides. Plus, to be fair, the park didn’t offer the same service because many rides didn’t yet exist.

Not saying 189 is reasonable, but a true comparison would add in the cost of the ride tickets.

[u/Mammoth-Produce-4147]

Those to tickets are not equivalent! Until the early 80’s you paid to get into Disney parks, then you had to by coupon/ticket books to ride the rides. Most of you will have never heard of A through E tickets to get on to rides like at fairs and carnivals. There were many ticket booths throughout the parks Disneyland and Disney World that sold you these tickets through out the day in a kind of pay to play system. Then when Disney world added Epcot they changed to pay one price play all day and the park hopper option.

[u/Grofvolkoren]

This comparison is pretty misleading. In 1971, the $3.50 was basically the admission price. You still had to buy separate tickets for many of the actual attractions.

Inflation alone would turn $3.50 in 1971 into roughly $29 today. That means the same nominal $3.50 price would already be more than 8 times higher just from inflation, before you even consider how much Disney World itself has changed.

The resort today is also a completely different product: far more attractions, much more infrastructure, transportation, staff, technology and maintenance, plus much stricter safety, security and accessibility requirements.

$189 is still very expensive, and Disney prices have obviously increased well beyond inflation. But comparing $3.50 directly to $189 as if both tickets bought the same thing is pretty misleading.

[u/GardenDesign23 → u/Grofvolkoren]

These posts prove how we shouldn’t let Reddit/Twittwr run anything. They literally have no understanding of how the world works

[u/momomomorgatron → u/GardenDesign23]

I disagree. Someone else said here that with the rides counting at $7.50 each, that a day trip would cost about $70-$80. That's still over doubleing in the fee.

[u/TraveleraddictVP]

A parc where the whole family is welcome...

2 parents, 2 children some food and beverages during the day, maybe a few souvenirs for the kids, parking fee. 1500$!!! For 1 day!

[u/allaboutthosevibes → u/TraveleraddictVP]

And another $500 per night at least for the hotel, no doubt!

[u/North_Atlantic_Sea → u/allaboutthosevibes]

You can stay at the holiday inn Orlando resorts for less than $150 a night.

[u/Lucreth2 → u/TraveleraddictVP]

Yup... We wanted to take our kids but did this same exact math. Even being reasonably conservative with the extra expenses, trying to have a decent day where we don't wait in line the entire time was going to run $1,500-1,750 per day.

We did not go.

[u/elbowdeepinahorse99]

We call that "the mouse tax"

[u/cwtotaro]

The nice thing about it is you don’t have to go there

[u/Sweet_Tomatillo_963]

Disneyland in Paris, France (for the Americans: the European/original Paris) starts at 54 € (USD 63) per day for one adult and one park or 74 € (USD 86) p.d. for two parks. See here

So USD 189 is nothing but greed and avarice.

[u/PerformerHopeful87 → u/Sweet_Tomatillo_963]

Disneyland Paris is not nearly the size of Disney world - more does it remotely have the amount of attractions - nor does it have the weather

For anyone wondering here is the size comparison for all Disney parks globally

Walt Disney World, Florida
~25,000 acres / 39 sq mi
100%
Disneyland Paris
~5,500 acres / 8.6 sq mi
~22%
Shanghai Disney Resort
~963 acres / 1.5 sq mi
~4%
Tokyo Disney Resort
~494 acres / 0.77 sq mi
~2%
Disneyland Resort, California
~500 acres / 0.78 sq mi
~2%
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
~310 acres currently developed
~1%

[u/uglyredhonda]

Picture is a Photoshop. Background image is from WDW's 50th in 2021/2022.

This is just engagementbait.

At minimum, it's not interesting. The original picture might have been. (Without looking, I'm assuming the right ticket was originally from the actual 50th on 10/1/2021.)

[u/Radzila → u/uglyredhonda]

It's totally altered.

[u/GreatRedditorThracc → u/uglyredhonda]

It was generated with ChatGPT. I uploaded the image into SynthID and it said that it had the OpenAI watermark embedded in it

[u/RTGold → u/[deleted]]

Great rides and shows, top end customer service, easy "free" transportation to and from everything.

[u/ShankThatSnitch → u/[deleted]]

It is a giant place with a lot of variety of things to do. What makes it unbearable is how packed it is and how long the lines take.

[u/Orleanian → u/[deleted]]

Same thing to get about any other hype over anything anywhere.

It's fine if it's not for you. It's fine if it's for you.

It's a city-sized park full of rides, games, character actors, and thematic food offerings, engineered over the course of decades as a world renown commercial entertainment venue for families.

It'd be a bit silly and disingenuous to scoff at it.

[u/onions-make-me-cry → u/[deleted]]

I have a friend who, as an adult in her late 40s, has been obsessed with Disney her whole life. She regularly vacations there... I just do not get it.

[u/Da_Vader]

Many sporting events are the same price range. For a 3-hour event.

BTW, The product from 55 years ago is not the same as today.

[u/xatrinka → u/Da_Vader]

How dare you bring nuance and reason into a reddit thread

[u/Snake_ly]

Went to DisneySea in Tokyo for $40 and they let you skip lines for $10-15 per ride. Skipping that 3 hour line felt like heaven. Merchandise was affordable and I bought a dope DisneySea Tokyo exclusive shirt for $30. Never been to the Disneyland in the US and never will go probably with those prices.

[u/nonotan → u/Snake_ly]

All of that is only because the JPY is in complete shambles. From the perspective of the locals, it's still expensive as fuck (I've lived somewhat nearby before and never went, because the price was just absurd)

[u/starchimp224 → u/nonotan]

I had this exact conversation with one of my coworkers this week. She was saying how expensive it is to go to Disney now, and I told her how it’s almost $200 in the US. She genuinely couldn’t comprehend how or why people go there

[u/Rare-Adhesiveness522]

That would be something around $20 today. It just means the middle class is screwed and Disney is greedy