Disney Gets Greedy

The “Happiest Place on Earth” has just upset hundreds of loyal Disney fanatics all across the globe. Disneyland has raised prices again, for the second time this year.

Last February, Disneyland raised their day ticket prices to $99 a day, and increased the rates of their current annual passes.

Last Sunday, Disney raised their annual passholder prices once more. The highest  annual pass (that includes no blackout dates year round) increased 35 percent, from rose from $779 to $1,049, upsetting many diehard Disney fans.

The mid-priced Deluxe annual pass rose 9% to $599 with 50 blackout dates. Not only did these passes increase, but Disneyland also announced that they are no longer selling new Southern California passes ($459 with 150 blackout dates), leaving a low-end pass with 195 blackout dates that rose 10% in price, to now $329 for the year membership.

People have been wondering the reasoning behind the rise in ticket and annual pass prices, and Disney spokeswoman Suzi Brown has the answer. Brown announced the following on Sunday, “In addition to our continued investment in the guest experience and the expansion of our parks, our new selection of annual passes will help us manage strong demand and continue to deliver a world-class experience, while providing more choices for guests to select the pass that best meets their needs.”

Disneyland is one of the many hot-spots that Vanguard University students love to go, being as though the parks are only 20 minutes down the 5 freeway. VU’s admissions office even uses the fact that so many students own annual passes as an advertisement when recruiting prospective students!

With the continued price spikes, Disney passes may not be a good deal anymore.

Senior, Amanda Fort, says that she is very upset about the price increase. “I have been a passholder for the past three years with the premium pass. I got it (premium) because it included free parking and had no blackout dates.”

Fort said, “The day that Disney rose their prices and removed the premium pass, my pass expired, and they told me that I could not renew it. Disneyland is supposed to be an environment for everyone, and now people like me who love it cannot go any longer, or have to put out hundreds of more dollars.”

On the other hand, Freshmen Braymer Shuey, who just moved to Southern California from Washington state, says he does not mind.

Braymer says that he does not mind the price difference, since he never knew anything different. He said, “It’s worth it anyways because going to Disney is a part of being in California, so you just have to do it.”

Although many Californians, especially Vanguard students, are upset about the price increases, the general vibe around campus is that loyal Disney fans will continue to renew or purchase passes, understanding that the increase in attendance needs to be moderated somehow, even though Disney may be getting greedy.