There has been recent speculation that Disneyland’s recent
price increase to $96 has less to do with inflation of prices, and more to do
with crowd control.
The Disney parks are certainly not lacking in demand. Every
year the parks get a great amount of visitors. So many that there are already
people who choose other parks over them to try and escape the crowds. The increase
in the daily price plus the elimination of several seasonal pass options has
people asking if Disney is trying to reduce traffic to their parks.
This is particularly true of local residents, who are more
likely to visit the parks multiple times a year. Eliminating the SoCal Pass
will require residents to pay much more for a Premium Pass, or drop down to a
cheaper pass that gives them less access.
It may not be an orthodox type of crowd control, but a
company such as Disney can afford to do it. If attendance at the parks were to
drop too much, prices could be adjusted. However, it seems unlikely that
attendance would drop enough for that to happen. Instead it could be that
Disney simply wants less crowding, and the price hike and elimination of a popular
seasonal pass could be a way to get that.
Only time will tell if this method was effective. Regardless
of the price hike though, crowds are sure to still be strong at all Disney
parks this summer. It’s unlikely that a price increase would put a stop to
that.
