Walt Disney World is responding to growing customer dissatisfaction and a drop in park attendance by quietly lowering the prices for admission and hotel accommodations over the last few months.
In May, Disney introduced discounted three-day ticket packages allowing guests to visit Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom for $89 per day, although tickets for the Magic Kingdom must still be purchased separately. These reduced prices, available until September 24, significantly lower the previous all-time high of $254 for a daily Park Hopper pass.
Additionally, Disney is aiming to make trips to the Florida resort more affordable by cutting prices on its economy hotel options. A night at Disney’s All-Star Movies, Music, and Sports Resort could be as low as $100, depending on the booking date, representing a discount of up to 27% according to an analysis by Bloomberg.
This summer, the parks have also rolled out new dining packages that offer discounts of 20% to 30% on dining costs. The all-day meal passes are priced at $30 for children and $95 for adults, applicable for certain meals and snacks within the parks. Furthermore, Disney World is providing more quick meal options, lowering food prices for kids, and introducing flexible dining policies to enhance guest experiences.
Experts attribute part of the decline in customer satisfaction to the increasing cost of meals in the parks. Len Testa, president of TouringPlans.com, noted a significant drop in customer satisfaction ratings from 90% to 60% as Disney shifted from a la carte dining to fixed-price meals at popular restaurants. While Testa acknowledged the positive aspects of Disney’s cost-reducing measures, he cautioned that these changes may not indicate a genuine commitment to improving affordability or guest satisfaction.