Official TechtalkRadio Blog

Have you been to the Disneyland as of late? If you haven’t been, you may not have noticed a significant price hike as of May 20th. It seems with the renovation and overhaul of Disney’s California Adventure and Cars Land , as well as most of the shoppes on Main Street over at the Original park, it’s going to cost Disney patrons a lot more loot to see some Disney Magic come to life.

Disney announced on their blog, last week on May 18th that new pricing would be coming as of May 20th. WOW! It came as a shock to most of us who had just seen a slight increase as of January and now another? It seemed pretty “hush hush” too. I called the Annual Passholder hotline several times and got 3 different stories. Some of the CM’s on the phone said I could renew that day and save myself a $150 price increase for a premium passport. Another told me she knew nothing about the price changes so not to worry. A final CM told me that she could not change my pass until 40 days before the expiration but that I could still get the old premium AP rate of $479, not the new rate of $659. I inquired in person last night at the Fantasmic AP 20th anniversary event, and the ticket CM told me that I could not renew to the old rate. ODD indeed… curiouser and curiouser. It seems like Mickey has something up his sleeve.

So you’re probably wondering how much of an increase in other tickets as well. The average family of four , 2 adults, 2 children with a one day-one park ticket will cost you $336.00 just to get into one of the 2 theme parks. Here is a link to the price increases for all ticket types and annual passports http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/disneyland-resort-ticket-prices-2012/ . The most significant increase is the Premium Pass. It’s jumping up 30% so be prepared to pay upwards of $50.00 for a monthly payment plan.

There may be a solution for those of you who are planning a trip soon. There is a $99.00 two day one park per day special through early June for SoCal Residents. Also, there are still tickets sold via grocery stores which have gift vouchers in the amount of the old ticket and passport prices that are good through December 31, 2012. This may save some of you that extra cash you will need for the churro or turkey leg you desire.

All in all, prices going up for the average Disney fan such as myself doesn’t seem to phase me because I will always find someway to justify the prices. For example, if I were to go to a movie with my better half, split a popcorn and get 2 drinks, that alone for one trip would cost $40.00 or more. So, a $50.00 a month price is worth it and if you go 6 times your premium pass is paid for. I just hit my 100th trip yesterday in 2 years so I’d say I’ve saved well over $3,000 in trips alone, not to mention discounts on merchandise and food. Disney has also opened up more events for annual passholders this last year and has begun letting AP’s in for magical morning hours one hour before everyone else, at least once this summer.

The bottom line is, look for deals throughout the summer for tickets, and save your cash. No matter the price, it’s always worth the outcome to see your kids’ first trip to Disneyland and their eyes twinkle with delight. Have a “FANTASMIC” time this summer, and don’t forget your hydration packs & slather on the sunblock.
Feel free to let me know what you think of the pricing. Would it discourage you from taking your family? Have an enchanted day.