Walt Disney World has been implementing discounts on admission fees and hotel stays in response to increasing customer dissatisfaction and decreasing attendance at its parks over recent months.
In May, the company started offering three-day ticket packages that let guests visit Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom for only $89 per day, although tickets for Magic Kingdom remain an additional cost. These lower ticket prices, available until September 24, signify a significant drop from the previous peak price of $254 for a daily Park Hopper pass.
Additionally, Disney is working to make trips to the Florida resort more affordable by lowering the prices of its basic hotel accommodations. A night at Disney’s All-Star Movies, Music, and Sports Resort is now as low as $100, depending on booking dates, reflecting discounts of up to 27% based on typical rates, as noted in a Bloomberg analysis.
This summer, the parks have also launched new dining packages designed to lower food costs by 20% to 30%. Families can purchase all-day meal passes for $30 per child and $95 per adult, redeemable for various meals and snacks throughout the parks. Disney World is reportedly expanding its quick meal options, offering more affordable children’s meals, and introducing more flexible policies regarding restaurant bookings.
Experts in the Disney field point to the rising cost of dining within the parks as a significant reason for the decrease in customer satisfaction. Len Testa, the president of TouringPlans.com, which conducts annual customer surveys, reported a drop in satisfaction rates from 90% to 60% as Disney transitioned from a la carte meal options to fixed-price dining at many popular restaurants.
Although Testa acknowledged the value of Disney’s cost-cutting measures, he expressed concerns that these changes may not genuinely reflect a commitment to affordability or enhancing guest satisfaction. He noted that Disney has historically been willing to accept lower satisfaction ratings in exchange for increased revenue.