1. Walt Disney World
Image: DisneyA one day Peak ticket at Magic Kingdom costs $129, but we’re not stopping there. Instead, we’re assuming that an ambitious theme park tourist will spend the day Park Hopping and hanging out at a water park. Hey, I said you’re ambitious.
The cost of a Peak ticket with Park Hopper and Water Park access is (warning: You’re going to feel a slight sting) $209. To put that in perspective, it’s roughly the same amount that a person earning $54,000 annually will make in a day. The median household income is $59,039. I won’t sugarcoat it. Disney’s asking a LOT of its customers at that rate.
Image: DisneyFor that money, you receive the best deal in the theme park industry, though. The four gates at Walt Disney World provide many of the experiential aspects of SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. They also offer about 50 attractions, all of which are of the highest quality (now that the Stitch ride is closed). A trip to Disney is inimitable, which is why people vividly recall details of their visits decades after the fact.
Like Universal with Harry Potter, Disney could charge whatever they wanted for tickets. Millions of guests would still pay each other. This is the problem the company faces. They’re now on the median of charging the average person a day’s pay to visit. They have higher end customers willing to pay more, but Disney has done a remarkably good job of maintaining fair prices over the years.
Image: DisneyIn looking at this list, you can see that lesser theme parks charge shocking amounts while offering much less. Yes, Disney has the most expensive ticket price, but they also deliver the most value. Isn’t that the most important aspect of theme park tourism?
Comments
This is a good price per park comparison. But I see a problem with the price per ride. You are not including the wait times. For example if the park has 10 rides and no lines I should be able to ride all of the ride with one day admission paid. If the same park has a 2 hour wait and the park is open 10 hours I can ride only 5 ride for the same admission paid. Much less value for my money.
I think a more interesting article would have been the most expensive parks not named Universal or Disney. Would have liked to see comparisons of more regional parks.