Heading to the theme parks? Start saving your Benjamins.
At the four Disney parks, the price of a one-day, one-park ticket is now $71 for visitors 10 and older -- an increase of more than 54 percent since early 2000. Universal Studios has kept pace, with one-day adult tickets also priced at $71. SeaWorld charges $67.95 for the same age group, though only $57.95 if you purchase online. A day at Busch Gardens costs $64.95.
Lucky Floridians, we get a break. All parks offer Sunshine State-resident specials, ranging from a Disney adult ticket good any four days from $159 to yearlong passes good for the price of a single day at Busch Gardens and SeaWorld.
Higher prices haven't staunched the number of visitors, Disney spokesperson Kim Prunty said in an e-mail. Few visitors buy single-day tickets, she wrote, and Disney's current pricing structure means guests pay a lower rate-per-day the longer they stay. For instance, a five-day ticket with the park-hopper option costs $52 per day for out-of-staters over age 9 and $43.50 per day for Floridians.
Year over year, price increases typically have been only a few dollars, says Gerard Hoepner, spokesman for Busch Gardens Tampa and SeaWorld, ``and reflect continuing reinvestment in our parks to ensure that guests have fresh, compelling and repeatable entertainment choices.''
When it comes to Orlando hotels, visitors can breathe a little easier. Since 2000, the average price of a room has risen 18 percent, and as of late 2007 cost $105.72, according to Smith Travel Research.
A cheaper bet: Stay home and hit the movies. Since 2000, the price of an adult ticket at an evening showing is up just over 21 percent, to $9. But you might want to ride your bicycle to the theater. According to the American Automobile Association, gas prices are up more than 150 percent since the millennium began.
