In response to increasing customer dissatisfaction and a drop in park attendance, Walt Disney World has been covertly reducing admission and hotel prices over recent months.
As part of these efforts, Disney introduced discounted three-day ticket packages in May, allowing visitors to experience Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom for $89 per day, although tickets to Magic Kingdom must still be purchased separately.
These lower ticket prices, which are available until September 24, represent a significant decrease from the previous high of $254 for a daily Park Hopper pass.
In addition to ticket discounts, Disney is working to lower the overall cost of vacations at the Florida resort by reducing rates for its more affordable hotels. A night at Disney’s All-Star Movies, Music, and Sports Resort can drop to as little as $100, depending on booking dates, reflecting discounts of up to 27%, as shown in a Bloomberg analysis.
This summer, the parks also rolled out new dining packages, which decrease dining costs by 20% to 30%. Families can now purchase all-day meal passes for $30 per child and $95 per adult, which can be used for various meals and snacks. Furthermore, Disney World is reportedly offering more quick meal options, lower-priced food for children, and more flexible restaurant policies.
Experts in Disney operations attribute the rising dining costs inside the parks to declining customer satisfaction. Len Testa, president of TouringPlans.com, noted that customer satisfaction ratings have dropped from 90% to 60% as Disney transitioned from a la carte dining to fixed pricing at many popular restaurants.
While Testa commended Disney’s cost-cutting initiatives, he warned that these measures might not indicate a genuine dedication to affordability or guest contentment, stating, “Disney has long been willing to sacrifice a certain number of positive ratings for a certain amount of revenue.”