Walt Disney World has been quietly lowering admission and hotel prices in response to rising customer dissatisfaction and a decrease in park attendance over recent months.
In May, Disney introduced discounted three-day ticket packages, allowing visitors to enjoy Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom for $89 per day. However, tickets for Magic Kingdom must still be purchased separately.
These new ticket prices, valid until September 24, represent a significant drop from the previous high of $254 for a daily Park Hopper pass.
Additionally, Disney has aimed to lower trip costs by offering discounts on its budget hotel options. A night at Disney’s All-Star Movies, Music, and Sports Resort can be as low as $100, depending on the booking date. These discounts can reach up to 27% off normal rates, according to Bloomberg.
The parks have also launched new dining packages this summer, which reportedly reduce meal costs by 20% to 30%. The dining plan allows families to buy all-day meal passes at $30 per child and $95 per adult, redeemable for various meals and snacks in the parks. Furthermore, Disney World has introduced more quick meal options, more affordable food choices for kids, and more flexible dining policies.
Experts attribute the rising costs of dining inside the parks as a major factor impacting customer satisfaction levels. Len Testa, president of TouringPlans.com, noted that satisfaction ratings fell from 90% to 60% as Disney shifted from a la carte dining to fixed-price meals in many popular restaurants.
While Testa commended Disney’s recent cost-cutting measures, he cautioned that these actions may not indicate a genuine commitment to affordability or customer satisfaction.
“Disney has long been willing to sacrifice a certain number of positive ratings for a certain amount of revenue,” he stated.