Walt Disney World has been quietly lowering admission and hotel prices in response to growing customer dissatisfaction and decreasing park attendance in recent months.
Since May, Disney has introduced discounted three-day ticket packages, allowing visitors to access Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom for $89 per day, while tickets for Magic Kingdom must be purchased separately. These lower prices are available until September 24 and represent a significant drop from the previous high of $254 for a daily Park Hopper pass.
In addition to ticket discounts, Disney is making efforts to lessen the overall cost of trips to the Florida resort. The price for a night at Disney’s All-Star Movies, Music and Sports Resort can go as low as $100, depending on booking dates, reflecting discounts of up to 27% on typical rates, as noted by a Bloomberg analysis.
This summer, the parks have also rolled out new dining packages that can lower meal costs by 20% to 30%. Families can now purchase all-day meal passes for $30 per child and $95 per adult, usable at various locations within the parks. Additionally, Disney World is reportedly adding more quick meal options, affordable food for kids, and implementing more flexible dining policies.
Experts indicate that rising food prices within the parks have contributed to the decline in customer satisfaction. Len Testa, president of TouringPlans.com, shared that satisfaction ratings plummeted from 90% to 60% during the transition from a la carte dining to fixed-price meals at many favored restaurants.
While Testa acknowledged the benefits of Disney’s cost-cutting measures, he warned that this trend might not indicate a genuine commitment to affordability or customer satisfaction, stating that Disney has historically been willing to sacrifice some positive feedback for revenue.