Disneyland Comes Under Fire After Ticket Price Increases Bring Some One-Day Passes To Over $200
Disneyland is facing a backlash from parkgoers after announcing a hike in ticket prices, bringing some single-day passes to above the $200-mark for the first time ever.
The Anaheim, California, theme park announced this week that it would be unveiling a new five-tier ticket pricing program, one that charges anywhere from $104 on lower-demand days to $209 for entry to Disneyland and nearby California Adventure on the days with the highest demand. As the Los Angeles Times reported, the upper range jumped close to 30 percent, up from $154.
A spokesperson for the park said that the pricing system is meant to keep options open for families to find a price range that works.
“A visit to our parks is the best value in entertainment bar none, and we offer flexible choices to enable families to choose what’s best for them,” Disneyland spokeswoman Liz Jaeger said in a statement that announced the price increases.
As the report noted, this is the first time that Disneyland had raised ticket prices since just before opening the new Star Wars Land: Galaxy’s Edge portion of the park in January 2019. Prior to then, the highest price for the high-demand days was $135.
As the Los Angeles Times reported, the tiered ticket pricing program was unveiled in 2016 as a way to address large crowd on the days with highest demand, but an analysis conducted by the newspaper showed that the higher ticket prices did not shorten wait times for attractions in the park.
The latest ticket price increase led to something of a backlash online, with many parkgoers saying they were not sure if they would be able to afford going anymore at the higher prices.
“I personally think this is INSANE,” one person wrote on Twitter.
does elizabeth warren have a plan for rising annual pass costs and overcrowding at disneyland
— katie (@joolswhore) February 11, 2020
As the New York Post noted, the price increases came after Disneyland faced a lawsuit from park workers claiming they did not receive a living wage. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 400 hospitality employees who were seeking back wages and restitution, with many saying they could not afford to live on what they were making.
“A lot of [workers] have to live in their cars, or on people’s couches, because they can’t afford the rent on that wage in the City of Anaheim,” plaintiff Kathleen Grace told The Daily Beast, via the New York Post. “It’s really sad to see. A lot of times, they’re choosing to feed their families or put gas in their car to come to work.”
