Walt Disney World has been quietly implementing discounts on admission and hotel stays as it faces growing customer dissatisfaction and a drop in park attendance.
Starting in May, Disney offered discounted three-day ticket packages for visits to Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom priced at $89 per day. However, tickets to the Magic Kingdom need to be purchased separately. These reduced rates are available until September 24 and represent a significant decline from the peak price of $254 for a daily Park Hopper pass.
In conjunction with lower ticket prices, Disney is working to make trips to its Florida resort more affordable by slashing the cost of its basic hotel accommodations. Booking a night at Disney’s All-Star Movies, Music, and Sports Resort can cost as little as $100, reflecting a reduction of up to 27% off regular rates, as reported by Bloomberg.
Additionally, the parks have introduced new dining packages this summer that cut food costs by 20% to 30%. Families can purchase all-day meal passes for $30 per child and $95 per adult, usable for various meals and snacks throughout the parks. Disney is also providing more quick meal options, child-friendly lower-priced food, and increased flexibility in dining policies.
Experts attribute the rising costs of dining within the parks as a key reason for the drop in customer satisfaction. Len Testa, president of TouringPlans.com, shared that customer satisfaction ratings plummeted from 90% to 60% as Disney shifted from a la carte dining options to fixed-price meals in popular restaurants.
While Testa acknowledged the benefits of Disney’s cost-cutting measures, he cautioned that these trends may not necessarily indicate a genuine commitment to affordability or improved guest satisfaction, noting that Disney has historically been willing to trade off customer ratings for increased revenue.