Photo: Xinhua
The Disneyland Resorts Sunday raised tickets prices at Walt Disney World in Orlando and at Disneyland in California for most admissions, with annual pass hiking as much as 18 percent.
According to the new price list released by the company on its official website, daily tickets for California Adventure, a Disneyland theme park located in Anaheim, 40 kilometers east of Los Angeles, vary in price, depending on daily demand.
A one-day, one-park adult ticket remains 97 US dollars for low-demand days, such as weekdays in May, while a ticket for regular demand days is 117 US dollars, up from 110 US dollars. The price of a ticket on peak demand days is 135 US dollars, up from 124 US dollars.
As for annual passes, the least-expensive pass costs 729 US dollars, up from 619 US dollars. Former Signature pass costs 849 US dollars, which includes free parking, goes up to 999 US dollars while the most expensive Signature Plus pass, with free parking and an online app to board rides faster, is now 1,149 US dollars, up from 1,049 US dollars.
Southern California residents still have rights to buy a "select passport" for 369 US dollars but that pass blocks out all weekends and almost the entire summer and Christmas season.
In October 2015, the Disneyland introduced flexible pricing at US parks as an incentive for guests to visit during less busy times. Managers of the company have been struggling for years to balance their desire to keep the parks full against the reality that they are crowded on a daily basis.
The easiest way to resolve the problem is to hike ticket prices, but Disney officials don't want to alienate their customers, especially the estimated 1 million annual passholders, who visits the park 10 times per year on average
However, Sunday's move was widely expected as the park prepares for the 2019 opening of its much-anticipated "Star Wars" land.
The 1-billion dollars cost "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge" is the biggest expansion project at Disneyland The new land, featuring two rides and a landscape inspired by the popular Star Wars franchise, is not scheduled to open until 2019.
"We will be reshaping our Annual Pass program to better manage the guest experience throughout the year, which will help all Disneyland Resort guests have a great visit, particularly as we look forward to the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge in 2019," Disneyland Resorts spokesperson Suzi Brown said in a statement.