Facing increasing customer dissatisfaction and dwindling park attendance, Walt Disney World has been quietly reducing admission and hotel costs over the past several months.
In May, Disney introduced discounted three-day ticket packages allowing visitors to access Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom for $89 per day, though tickets to Magic Kingdom still need to be bought separately.
These lower ticket prices, which are available until September 24, show a significant drop from the peak $254 price for a daily Park Hopper pass.
Additionally, Disney is making trips to its Florida resort more affordable by reducing prices on its least expensive hotel options. A night at Disney’s All-Star Movies, Music, and Sports Resort can cost as low as $100, depending on the booking time. According to a Bloomberg analysis, these discounts can be as much as 27% off normal rates.
The parks have also rolled out new dining packages this summer, decreasing meal costs by 20% to 30%, according to the same Bloomberg report. The dining plan allows families to purchase all-day meal passes for $30 per child and $95 per adult, which can be exchanged for meals and snacks throughout the parks. Disney World is also offering more quick meal options, cheaper food for kids, and more flexible restaurant policies.
Disney experts attribute the high cost of in-park dining as one reason for the decline in customer satisfaction.
Len Testa, president of TouringPlans.com, a site that annually surveys thousands of Disney customers, told Bloomberg that satisfaction ratings fell from 90% to 60% when Disney shifted from a la carte to fixed price meals at many popular restaurants.
Testa commended Disney’s cost-cutting measures but warned that these efforts might not fully reflect a genuine commitment to affordability or guest satisfaction.
“Disney has long been willing to sacrifice a certain number of positive ratings for a certain amount of revenue,” Testa told Bloomberg.