The Impact of Increasing Prices of Entry to Walt Disney World and Disneyland

-

During the second week of February 2018, Walt Disney World and Disneyland increased their entry prices. The price of each entry option was heightened anywhere from a couple dollars to over ten dollars more. The price for a family of four to attend Magic Kingdom park in Orlando, FL for one day now amounts to $526.


Personally, I am not super surprised that Disney is raising its prices; I imagine that, from a business perspective, this is the ideal change. Disney is so enormously popular; people plan out entire trips just to visit the parks. For this reason, I doubt that the amount of people who attend the Disney parks will actually change all that much. Most people will probably be willing to pay the higher prices, increasing Disney’s revenue pretty extensively over time. However, I think that the socioeconomic class diversity at Disney (to the extent that it exists...) may end up decreasing. While people obviously have to have a certain amount of wealth in order to visit Disney prior to the changes, the newly adjusted prices may make the park more exclusive.

Comments

  1. Lisa AndresFebruary 21, 2018 at 7:56 AM

    What's fascinating -- and I don't think I'd ever get a solid answer about this -- is that I suspect Disney raises it's prices to keep it's demographics (primarily) solidly middle-class (and upper-middle-class). It's selling a vacation experience -- and one that is markedly different from a day trip to, say, Carowinds. (Which is a fun day-trip, but definitely not like Disney.)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Release of Black Panther: Implications for Disney and the Audience

-
Image
On Friday, February 16th, 2018, Black Panther was released in theaters. The movie was released by Marvel, which has the Walt Disney Corporation as its parent company. Disney had provided a $200 million budget for the film, which, for the first time, starred a black actor playing a superpower, and was directed by a black man. In just the first weekend, the movie has generated over $360 million across the world. The release of this movie was highly anticipated, especially because of its messages about race - both in stories and in Hollywood. Many believe that it will set a powerful example of black leadership - especially for younger audiences, who will finally be able to see themselves reflected in power positions in films of this genre. I believe this proves that movies are not simply a couple hours of our lives that, otherwise, have no impact on our lives or development. Rather, the messages depicted through the entertainment industry can both empower and destro...
Read more

A Potential Pay Raise for Disney CEO Bob Iger

-
Image
On Thursday, shareholders of the Walt Disney Company voted on a compensation plan for Disney’s CEO, Bob Iger. He would make “ up to $48.5 million a year over four years plus an equity grant worth about $100 million.” This plan was likely initiated by Disney’s recently closed deal that will give them tens of billions of dollars worth of Twenty-First Century Fox programs. This would be in comparison to his most recent salary in 2017 of about 36 million dollars. The shareholders rejected this plan, though the vote was close, with only 52% voting against, and 44% voting in favor (the other 4% of shareholders abstained from voting). This vote was non-binding, so it is possible that Iger will still get the raise. However, the chair of the board’s compensation committee noted that the board will take the shareholders’ votes “under advisement.”
Read more

Reflection: Moana

-
Image
I watched Moana for the first time with several of my young (female) cousins. I was pretty weary before the movie started; the trailer of the film looked promising, but my experience with prior Disney princess movies (watching as a teenager, rather than a child) was… disappointing, to say the least. By the timethat Moana was released, I had already begun to do research for a high school independent study about gender in Disney princess movies, and perceptions of body image. This research experience made me hyper-aware of the fact that I was sitting next to several young girls who meant the absolute world to me. For the next hour and a half, they would be absorbing the messages of the film, and I wanted them to be empowering. For once, I was pleasantly surprised while watching this Disney princess film. I will not pretend to be an expert of any kind on Polynesian culture, so I cannot speak to the legitimacy of the portrayal of Moana’s community and story. I fully recognize that t...
Read more