Difference in ticket prices vs. age??

[SAVINGUP]

We are heading to our WDW vacation this weekend and I was checking out ticket prices.
As far as I can tell my DH and I are adults(sometimes anyway!)--my DS, who is 11 looks to also be considered an adult, my DD is 9 so she would make the child rate and I have a ds who turned 3 in May so he looks to also be the child rate. I am very surprised that they charge nothing for a 2 yo and $162 for a 3 yo (4-day hopper).
Can anyone tell me the difference between a 2 and 3 year old and the rides they can go on? Also, between the child and adult tickets?? I haven't been to WDW in over 10 years but I remember most rides being of height restriction not age. Can someone shed some light for me??
Thanks!

 

[pat fan]

There are height restrictions for certain rides (Splash Mt.,Space Mt.,ToT,RnRC etc..) but if I was to guess on how Disney decides what to charge for ticket prices I would say it goes by ability to "do" & "enjoy" stuff.

Most 10 yr.olds are able to ride every ride and see every show,hence a full price ticket.The 3-9 yr.old may not be able to do some things so she/he gets a price break.As for the cut-off between 2 & 3,I guess they had to make the cut somewhere and that's the spot they picked .

We are looking (only looking) at a trip next year and I will have to pay adult prices for ALL of my family (our DS's will be 14 & 11) .More than the ticket prices,I think having to pay full price for a buffet for a child is completely silly!

 

[crisi]

We had my daugher and son down in February. She was 2, he was 3.

She did everything he did - and, because he had "character anxiety" she did a few things he didn't.

So it probably wasn't "fair" that we paid for him, but didn't have to pay for her. Then again, nearly everything we did could have been done (and probably enjoyed) by an eleven month old or even an alert six month old. Lots of slow boat rides, rides where a little one can sit next to your or even in your arms. So the distiction appears to be pretty arbitrary (although 3 is when children are considered to cross from toddlerhood to preschooler-hood).

(Assuming your eleven year old is up for it, he should be able to do anything he is interested in, your nine year old may be in the same boat - but it kind of depends on the kids - some kids can't get enough of Alien Encounter or Tower of Terror - others will be joining me on Pooh.)

 

[Kermit]

I've always assumed that Disney chooses to have only child and adult tickets, instead of lots of different ticket prices as kids get older, to make it simple. Buying tickets is already confusing enough. First you have to decide what kind you want, then there are a bunch of different discounts for AAA, DC, etc. If they went to a system where kids were charged based on their exact age or height range, no one would be able to keep it all straight.

 

[eeyore0062]

Actually, WDW is very liberal with their child's ticket pricing. A child between the ages of 7 and 9 can ride and do most things there, but still is only charged a child's rate. If you look at the Anheiser Busch or Paramount parks, they start charging adult rates at age 7, and they have less to offer a child of that age than Disney does!

As for the cut between no charge and kids charge, that is no different than most theme parks with the "one price includes all rides" admission. At age 3 the child is beginning to be more independent and wants to do and see more, plus will likely be spending more time at the park and less time riding in a stroller, or sleeping. Of course, if a 2 year old and a 3 year old can do pretty much the same things, maybe they should start charging at age 2?

 

[SAVINGUP]

Thanks everyone! I know I'll understand more once I've
"been there, done that"
I know my 3 yo ds will want to keep up with his older siblings!
Thanks again!

 

[KJMAX1]

Sometimes I have often thought that Disney should charge a ticket according to height. That way for the really short toddlers like my daughter, for when she is three will not be able to ride anything that other babies cant ride, shouldnt have to "pay" for a ticket.

Then again I have a gigantic 2 yr old friend of my daughter's who is so tall wears a size 5t, and could ride a lot of things should be charged!

If you bought a ticket someplace else, without being measured, I think Disney could recheck them at the gate, and if they didnt fit than you would need to take the ticket to exchange it at the ticket booth. Long process, but oh well....

 

[crisi]

KJMAX,

That might make sense, but I (for one) would never stick even the tallest two year old on a big roller coaster (too much risk of neurological damage to a small brain), or expose them to Alien Encounter (too scary, although too scary for a three or four year old as well). So if I had tall kids I'd be paying for rides I wouldn't let them on, because "tall" is just one consideration in letting a child do something. The "fairest" way would be to bring back the tickets - you pay for what you ride and everyone - even infants - pays for what they ride - but what a nightmare! We do that here with the Mall of America - and I'd rather be paying for a three year old that doesn't ride much than get nickel and dimed (more like dollared and dollared) throughout the day. And even then you end up with fairness issues. I can ride the merry go round with my kids to chaperone, but to ride the log ride with my kids (which I have no interest in riding, but which they can't ride alone) will cost me.

The system as is may not be 100% fair, but I don't think a system exists that would be. And this one isn't too bad.

 

[KJMAX1]

Crisi,

I am not a dumb parent and would never put a large two year old on Alien Encounter let alone any child under age 12. My point was......and is......That a tall 2 year old can go on Splash Mountain and a few others like in Animal Kingdom, whereas a short two year old is stuck pretty much to Fantasyland, and thats it.

I still think ticket by height would be the best, and thats my opinion.

 

[crisi]

I didn't mean to imply you were a dumb parent....only that height is only one measure of ride appropriateness - age would be another - plus there is more than height and age to consider - and neither is completely fair but there is probably no completely fair solution. Sorry if I came across as insulting.

 

[akasleepingbeauty]

Thanks Crisi for your good explanation. I too think that Disney is doing the best they can (and better than many other parks) at instituting a fair infant/child/adult pricing policy. I thought your examples were perfect at illustrating why charging by height would not always be an equitable solution. You were not rude at all.

KJMAX, as I said in another thread, I think you would benefit from assuming the best in someone's thread rather than the worst. I really think Crisi was trying to help - no need to get upset. The VAST majority of posters here are trying to help and I am pretty sure that is all Crisi was trying to do.

I think one of the main reasons Disney is sticking with the pricing policy they currently have is that changing it further would only cause further confusion. As Kermit said, with all of the different hoppers along with APs and then all of the different discounts, I think adding in an additional factor (say a pass for 3-7 and one for 8-13 just as an example) would really make it so much more complicated for both the buyer and seller.

Charging by height would also further complicate the situation. What if you bought a hopper for your child this year (according to their current height) and tried to use the remaining unused days on another trip when your child was much taller? What if you bought your child's ticket in advance and they had a growing spurt by the time you went on your trip? Height is not any better of a "measuring stick" than age and much more likely to change over a short period of time. It would also create a practically unlimited number of passes which could be a huge nightmare to manage. This type of system would tend to work better at a smaller park where few people buy long-term tickets and very few buy tickets in advance. For Disney, it would be a logistical nightmare, IMO.

Fortunately, most of us on the boards here are well-informed on the ticket ages and plan our trips accordingly to get the best value out of them. For me, that means 2 WDW trips and a DCL cruise before our dd turns 3 so that we can fully enjoy the "free" years. We'll make sure to get our most out of the time before she turns 10 also. For me, it is just second nature to factor in this information and work around it.

Have a Disney Day everyone!

 

[WDW2002]

I think by not charging for under 3's Disney is encouraging family with under 3's to come for a visit. I am sure many family would post pone a trip if they had to pay admission for a 1 yo or 2 yo. I remember, way back when, Disney had 3 levels of tickets, Child, Junior, and adult.

 

[KJMAX1]

Wdw2002,

I would have to agree with that completely. I know my husband and I love Disney, but if we had to pay for our two year old we wouldnt be going. Not to mention airfare from Seattle is not cheap, and that would just add to the whole mess.

Overall I think Disney does a better job than other theme parks. Hopefully my daughter will find something to enjoy there, which I am sure she will.

 

[Karel]

KJMAX1 - I think you'll find that your daughter will be able to do a lot at Disney. We started going as a family when my youngest was 2 and there was almost nothing that we looked at that she couldn't do too. The things that she isn't tall enough for, she won't be ready to do anyway - ie Test Track, the Mountains, River rapids. There's nothing a tall two year old could do as opposed to a short two year old.

 

[KJMAX1]

Thanks Karel for that comment. I know my daughter is tall enough to go on the Matterhorn. We just went to DL in June and she LOVED it. Looks like she will love the rides as she gets bigger.

 

[tlens]

I agree totally with WDW2002. If we had to pay for our 2 3/4 YO this year we probably wouldn't be going either (we're Canadian so $164.00 USD is $262.40 Canadian!) Add on the airfare etc and we're into big bucks! We would have waited until she was 4 and could do most things. We had park hoppers from previous visits so the parks are essentially costing us nothing extra this year. plus, if you have more than one child, the dollars really begin adding up! height isn't a good indicator. I think they chose the age of 3 for maturity levels. It's easier to explain to a 3 YO what's going on than a 18 month old.