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MARK ALBRIGHTDisney World raises full-day admission to $54.75, but discounts can ease some of the sting.
Walt Disney World has imposed its biggest daily admission increase in 15 years.
The 5 percent price increase, which went into effect over the weekend, may be another sign that Florida's tourist industry is closing in on full recovery this year from a weak economy and the terrorist attacks of 2001.
The state's other major theme parks, run by Busch Entertainment Corp. and Universal Orlando, had raised their full-day admission in January as usual. Now they cost 80 cents less than Disney.
Excluding sales tax, one day at any of Disney World's four parks in Lake Buena Vista is now $54.75 for people age 10 and up, an increase of $2.75. For children ages 3 through 9, the new admission is $43.75, an increase of $1.75.
Disney, which had been raising its daily rate $2 annually in recent years, said it needs to keep up with inflation and the cost of adding new attractions.
"This represents our continued investment in unmatched entertainment," said Disney World spokesman Rick Sylvain, noting that Disney's customer satisfaction ratings lead the theme park industry. "Our guests continue to rate us a great value."
Theme parks typically raise their prices in lockstep every winter. But that full-fare pricing is less meaningful than the undisclosed averages the parks actually charge once special offers are taken into account.
Since 2001, all of the parks have turned to rampant discounting to keep the turnstiles clicking.
Advance purchase tickets, soda can discounts and multiday passes have become the strategy for taking the sting out of higher prices.
In fact, a majority of Disney theme park patrons buy multiday passes. More than two-thirds of all visitors to Florida's big theme parks get some sort of discount.
Busch Gardens and Sea World offer a Fun Card pass that's priced slightly above the price of a single day admission but is good for unlimited return trips through Dec.31.
Disney is heavily promoting its Play 4 Days tickets that offer a Florida resident four days of unlimited transfers between all four parks for $109. That's $27.25 a day. Except for 13 blackout dates in April, the tickets are good through June 4.
People who purchase Disney tickets before arriving in Florida, either online or at a Disney store, also can get discounts.
This year all the parks are trying to rein in the discounts. Busch increased the price of its Fun Card by $6 on top of a $2 daily admission price increase this year.
Disney raised the price of its five-day Park Hopper ticket by $13 to $282.
- Mark Albright can be reached at albright@sptimes.com or 727893-8252.