Once upon a time, there was an annual advertising campaign that asked the winning recipient of a Super Bowl “What are you going to do next?” upon which they’d gleefully respond “I’m going to Disneyland!” After all, winning meant reaping the rewards of hard work. A trip to Disneyland promised an affordable family-oriented magical place to celebrate and indulge in one’s good fortune. Alas, the times have changed.
In 2019 Disneyland has opted to substantially raise prices across the board. Mere months before the debut of its $1-billion Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge expansion, the Disneyland Resort announced price increases of up to 25% for daily tickets, annual passes and parking.
In the past, Disneyland implemented price hikes for crowd control purposes. In reality, the increased costs did little to reduce attendance. It’s unlikely throngs of Star Wars fans will allow cost to deter them from experiencing a ride that allows them to pilot the Millennium Falcon.
Sadly, many families will be priced out of this new experience. It’s reminiscent of the price gouging at sporting events. Perhaps Disney will create a virtual vacation experience to accommodate millions of financially challenged consumers. It would be exactly like “Total Recall” (Ed.Note: the Arnold Schwarzenegger version, of course)but without the copious amounts of sex. violence, and destruction.
2019 Ticket Prices:
- One-day, one-park ticket for Disneyland or California Adventure park is $104 from $97 for low-demand days, such as weekdays in May.
- A ticket for regular-demand days will rise to $129 from $117.
- The price of a ticket on peak-demand days will rise to $149 from $135.
Annual Passes:
- Southern California Select Pass, which blocks out all weekends, most of the summer months as well as a big part of the fall and winter holidays, is $399.
- The Deluxe Pass, which includes admission to both parks on select days is $799.
- The Premier Pass, which includes parking, access to both parks and no block-out days, is $1,949.
- The MaxPass, a digital ride-reservation system is $15.
May the force be with you, always…at reasonable prices.
