Long-time rumors of Disneyland implementing seasonal pricing – a practice used by Universal Studios, hotels, and airlines to name a few – are finally coming true.
Effective Sunday, February 28, 2016, Disneyland will offer seasonal pricing (aka tiered pricing) on their one-day park tickets. (Walt Disney World will also move to seasonal pricing for one-day tickets but this article will only focus on Disneyland in Anaheim, CA.) Days will be divided into three tiers – Value, Regular, and Peak. Guests will be able to view a rolling calendar for up to eight months which should help you decide which ticket package to purchase or even when to take your vacation, as busy days will be clearly identified based on historical information. Hopefully implementing seasonal pricing will reduce some of the massive crowds we have been seeing recently. Reports show Disneyland visitors have increased 10% over this time last year, despite recent ticket and AP price increases and several attractions being temporarily closed.
Currently the price of a one-day, one-park ticket is $99. The new pricing structure will go as follows:
Value one-day Tickets – $95 (83 days, mostly Mondays through Thursdays when traditional school is in session)
Regular one-day Tickets – $105 (142 days, mostly weekends and summer week days)
Peak one-day Tickets – $119 (83 days, summer weekends, spring break, holidays, most of December)
The ticket prices apply to both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. One-day Park-Hopper tickets will cost $155, $160, and $169 for their respective tiers.
Multi-day one-park adult passes will increase as well.
2-Day – $195 (up from $185)
3-Day – $255 (up from $235)
4-Day – $280 (up from $260)
5-Day – $295 (up from $275)
This price change does not affect the Southern California Resident tickets being offered through May 19, 2016. If you are interested in Southern California Resident tickets, click here for more information. The current price changes also do not affect parking or annual passes at this time.
Tickets purchased before the new pricing goes into effect on Sunday, February 28 (that’s tomorrow) will expire on December 31, 2016. Multi-day tickets expire 13 days after the first day of use. Click here to purchase Disneyland tickets.
What do I think about the new Disneyland seasonal pricing? I think that Disneyland has a problem accommodating its massive crowds and other than restricting entry, I’m not sure what else could be done other than raise pricing. The demand is there and people will still pay it. There is always an argument that Disneyland is “pricing out” many people; however, I’ve always viewed it a little differently. There are many who will say they simply cannot afford to come to Disneyland due to the recent price increases, but I see it as a matter of priority. If people want to come to Disneyland, they will find a way to pay for it. Perhaps they will visit less frequently, or with the new tiered pricing they will rearrange their schedule to visit on a Value day. The bottom line is: The people who believe Disneyland is worth the price will still come, and those who don’t believe it’s worth the price will not come. It will be interesting to see if the new seasonal pricing has any affect on crowds, or if people will still be willing to pay more to visit on their preferred dates.
Sources: Disney Parks Blog, OC Register, Babes in Disneyland
