Star Wars is coming . . . tickets prices are going up . . . the sun rises and sets . . . these are things we all know are coming. Disney World has just announced that pricing changes are coming on October 16th. Unpacking the announcement reveals one very specific thing – the parks are busy and will be getting busier once Star Wars land and other upcoming attractions open. Pricing is one strategy to address the crowd issue . . . not by convincing you not to come at all, but rather to get you to think about attending on a less crowded date.
We can be pretty sure that these guys are a big reason why pricing changes are coming next month:
Disney is also being surprisingly open about why they are adjusting the pricing model:
“Introducing date-based tickets and pricing will allow us to better distribute attendance throughout the year so that we can continue to improve and deliver a great experience.”
For a few years, the Disney Parks have offered seasonal pricing, which charges more for busy days and less for traditionally less crowded days. There were three tiers. The result was a leveling-out of crowds. The former busy season would seem less busy than we would normally expect and former uncrowded days could be packed. Disney’s new “Date-Based Pricing” will take flexible pricing another step. Now, instead of just three pricing tiers, it’s more of a range. Every day will likely be a different price. While we fully expect that the net result will be a price increase, there will be days which are less expensive and days which are much more expensive.
Disney is getting ahead of the Star Wars effect and implementing a highly targeted pricing strategy now. But there’s more to it. As pricing gets more complex, so must the tools. So Disney will also be launching a modern portal for ticket pricing which will take a social media approach to helping you select tickets and options. You’ll find prices by day, travel suggestions, as well as tips from Disney Mom’s Panel members (social media influencers).
If you are flexible in your travel dates, this could all work out to help you save money. But if you are locked into school vacation schedules, be aware that traveling on the busiest dates will mean higher prices. Once you’ve purchased your tickets, you’ll still use “My Disney Experience” to plan your vacation (meals, ride times, shows, etc.) as you did before.
In recent years Disney World and Disneyland have synchronized their pricing changes and have embraced similar models. While Disneyland hasn’t made an announcement yet, we wouldn’t be surprised to see a more granular approach to pricing launch on October 16th there as well.
Ultimately, none of this is particularly shocking or surprising, we are awaiting actual pricing examples to see how high the new highs are and how low the lows can be.
Here’s a video Disney released about the new system:
What are your thoughts folks?