Amid rising customer displeasure and a drop in park attendance, Walt Disney World has been reducing admission and hotel prices over recent months.
Starting in May, Disney introduced discounted three-day ticket packages, allowing access to Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom for $89 per day. However, tickets to Magic Kingdom must be purchased separately. This reduction is a significant fall from the peak price of $254 for a daily Park Hopper pass and will remain in effect until September 24.
In addition to ticket discounts, Disney is aiming to lower the total cost of visits to its Florida resort by offering reduced rates on its most affordable hotels. Guests can find rooms at the All-Star Movies, Music, and Sports Resort for as little as $100, depending on booking dates, representing discounts of up to 27%, as reported by Bloomberg.
This summer, Disney parks also launched new dining packages that offer 20% to 30% savings on food costs. Families can purchase all-day meal passes for $30 per child and $95 per adult, available for various meals and snacks throughout the parks. Moreover, Disney World is providing more quick meal choices, affordable kids’ meals, and flexible dining policies.
Experts attribute the declining customer satisfaction partially to the increasing costs of dining in the parks. Len Testa, president of TouringPlans.com, shared with Bloomberg that customer satisfaction ratings dropped from 90% to 60% as Disney switched from a la carte dining to fixed-price meals at many popular restaurants.
While Testa commended Disney’s cost-reduction strategies, he warned that this trend may not truly indicate a commitment to affordability or guest satisfaction. He noted, “Disney has long been willing to sacrifice a certain number of positive ratings for a certain amount of revenue.”