Striking a balance

While thousands of employees in Orlando will benefit from this change in pay structure, a more widespread impact will be on the Orlando-area tourists. In October 2015, just six months after the announcement of the pay hike, Disney World raised its base annual pass price from $659 to $749, a $90 difference and the largest increase in Disney history. Then, only 4 months later, the price of a daily ticket jumped as well. 

And Disney isn't the only park affected by a need for additional revenue. Over at Universal Studios, guests typically expect an annual increase of about $5. However, in early 2016, a one-day, one-park ticket soared up by 20%, costing guests $90 as compared to the old price of $75. It has since been raised to a whopping $105.

Even SeaWorld and Busch Gardens have found themselves joining in on the admission increase, though much smaller than their counterparts. Shortly after the price hikes at Disney World and Universal Studios, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens announced that a one-day ticket will now run guests $99 at the gate, a $2 increase from the previous year.

These price increases certainly aren't entirely due to the increase in wages (indeed, there have been large increases in previous years while wages were held down), but it may have been a factor.

Can you put a price on memories?

Though the raise in wages may have contributed somewhat to the skyrocketing prices of admission tickets, the real question boils down to value. Will tourists continue going to theme parks? The answer is undeniably yes.

Despite the effect of increased wages, Orlando area parks continue to add more interesting and exciting attractions for guests. Universal is constructing a new water park called Volcano Bay. Walt Disney World is in the midst of the introducing both the worlds of Pandora and Star Wars. Even SeaWorld is listening to its guests by de-emphasizing orca shows and adding more roller coasters.

In the end, Universal Orlando’s wage increase has caused a chain reaction that has a payoff for those from the bottom of the chain all the way to the top. After all, a happy crew makes for a happy vacation.