In response to growing customer dissatisfaction and a decline in park attendance, Walt Disney World has been secretly lowering the prices of admission and hotel stays in recent months.
Beginning in May, Disney introduced discounted three-day ticket packages, allowing visitors to experience Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom for $89 per day, while tickets to Magic Kingdom are sold separately. This reduced rate, valid until September 24, marks a significant drop from the previous high price of $254 for a daily Park Hopper pass.
Additionally, Disney is aiming to make trips to its Florida resort more affordable by slashing prices on its lowest-tier hotel accommodations. Rates at Disney’s All-Star Movies, Music, and Sports Resort can fall to as low as $100 a night, depending on the timing of bookings, reflecting discounts of up to 27% from standard rates, as analyzed by Bloomberg.
This summer, Disney has also rolled out new dining packages that offer discounts of 20% to 30% on meals at the parks. Families can purchase all-day meal passes for $30 for children and $95 for adults, redeemable for a selection of meals and snacks throughout the parks. Furthermore, Disney is reportedly providing more quick meal options, cheaper kid-friendly food, and more flexible restaurant policies.
Experts attribute the growing dissatisfaction to rising food costs within the parks. Len Testa, president of TouringPlans.com, noted that customer satisfaction ratings dropped from 90% to 60% as Disney transitioned from a la carte dining to fixed-price meals at many popular restaurants. While he acknowledges the positive aspects of Disney’s cost-cutting measures, Testa warns that this shift may not signify a genuine commitment to guest satisfaction or affordability. “Disney has long been willing to sacrifice a certain number of positive ratings for a certain amount of revenue,” he stated.