Disneyland is finalizing plans for its annual admission price hike in the first week of January. Expect to pay $72 a pop for a one-day, one-park ticket.* Despite overall attendance slowing, management is betting that single-day admissions will actually increase next year, since most everyone who gets in free for their birthday (as part of the “What Will You Celebrate?” promotion) will bring along friends or family members.
But while guests might not balk at paying more than $70 a ticket (particularly if one’s free), $80 might be another story. So you can imagine why Disney reacted so angrily last week to Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposal to, for the first time, institute a sales tax on theme park admissions. Orange County’s current sales tax rate is 7.75%, which Schwarzenegger also wants to increase to 9.25%.
So a one-day ticket to Disneyland, which in September 2007 cost $63, could jump to $78.66 on March 1, 2009—a whopping 25% price hike in less than a year-and-a-half!
And you think they have trouble getting anyone today to pay full price for Disney's California Adventure park...
[*One cast member theorized that management, sensitive to today’s economic environment, might raise admissions only $1 or $2 instead of $3. Remember, Disney didn’t raise prices when times got tough at the resort in 1991 and 2002. True, but history also shows that when Disney does raise prices, the increases never get smaller. When it started charging an extra $2 a ticket, the days of $1 increases were over. And, I suspect, now that the park is comfortable with $3 increases, they won’t bother with $1 or $2 increases.]
Say good-bye to Jack Sparrow. November 15 is to be the last day for the Jack Sparrow face character at Disneyland, due to cutbacks in the Entertainment Department.
Internally, management attributes the move to waning interest in the character. Reality, however, tells a different story: Captain Jack continues to attract a crowd wherever he goes.
More likely, the pixie did in the pirate. Multiple fairies now man Pixie Hollow, as opposed to the single princess that had appeared at Ariel’s Grotto. In addition, said one cast member, “A lot of money was spent on the location, and some feel that scuttling Jack could be a way to keep the department within or under budget.” A co-worker speculated that “it is because Disney does not want to continue paying Jerry Bruckheimer the rights to use the character.”
Whatever the reason, it all comes down to money.
Cast members are being required to attend a two-hour briefing on the upcoming “What Will You Celebrate?” promotion. Sample reaction from some who have attended the presentation: “Tedious.” “Too long.” “Propaganda.” “Nothing new.” “The 50th all over again.”
On the plus side, each attendee walks away with a free cookie and a 56-page color book. Magical Moments: A Guide to Making Dreams Come True contains stories on how selected cast members created magic for guests, plus a foreword by Jay Rasulo.
Contradicting rumors that have popped up elsewhere, Fantasyland managers continue to hold out hope that the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough will be completed in time for a November 21 unveiling—the same day "it’s a small world" is supposed to reopen. Let’s hope!
(Send an email to David Koenig)
David Koenig is the senior editor of the 80-year-old business journal, The Merchant Magazine.
After receiving his degree in journalism from California State University, Fullerton (aka Cal State Disneyland), he began years of research for his first book, Mouse Tales: A Behind-the-Ears Look at Disneyland (1994), which he followed with Mouse Under Glass: Secrets of Disney Animation & Theme Parks (1997, revised 2001) and More Mouse Tales: A Closer Peek Backstage at Disneyland (1999) (All titles published by Bonaventure Press).
He lives in Aliso Viejo, California, with his lovely wife, Laura, their wonderful son, Zachary, and their adorable daughter, Rebecca.
