Disney has shared a response to the criticism about rising theme park costs, outlining the many offerings the company provides to help accommodate guests’ budgets.
Disney Responds to Pricing Criticism
We recently reported on an article published by The Wall Street Journal which discussed the fear that Disney vacations have become too costly for many families. Disney has since responded to the criticism with an article providing information on promotional offerings that help accommodate guests’ expenses.
In the article shared by The Walt Disney Company, Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Experiences, claims,
The number-one thing we hear from the millions of guests who visit our parks each year is how much a Disney vacation means to them, and we intentionally offer a wide variety of ticket, hotel, and dining options to welcome as many families as possible, whatever their budget.
We also know that, in inflationary times, it’s especially important to give families ways to save on their visits. We haven’t increased the lowest-priced ticket to Disneyland since 2019, and we recently introduced a kids’ ticket for as little as $50, just to name a couple of examples.
The article goes on to share that the company understands that families face different financial situations and that they use guest feedback to implement offers and promotions to help provide savings.
Hugh Johnston, Chief Financial Officer also commented on the issue, saying that,
We know our parks create life-long memories for families and we’ve worked hard to make a Disney vacation accessible to guests of all income levels. With strong guest satisfaction scores and intent-to-visit ratings, our parks remain the most popular offering in the industry.
The article outlines several promotions the company currently offers to help make vacations more affordable. Some of those promotions at the Walt Disney World Resort include:
- The Discover Disney Ticket for Florida residents – a four-day park ticket for $60 per day plus tax
- Complimentary water park admission on the day of check-in at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel
- A free dining plan, available for a limited time, to guests who purchase a Walt Disney Company Travel package
- Resort hotel savings of up to $200 a night or 25% of select rooms
The article released by Disney also cited deals and promotions available in early 2025 at the Disneyland Resort including:
- Kids’ specialty ticket offer, where kids ages 3-9 can visit the park for as low as $50 per day
- Southern California resident ticket offer, a three-day ticket for $199 for eligible SoCal residents
- Early 2025 hotel offers up to 25% off bookings of four nights or longer at any of the three on-site hotels
Other costs guests have to take into consideration even with the special offers from Disney, include food costs when free dining is unable, skip-the-line services, and transportation to name a few.
Disney claims that a recent survey of 3,532 U.S. adults revealed that a strong majority of families with children under five said “nothing compares to a Disney vacation” and those who had visited Disneyland or Walt Disney World felt “the vacation was worth the expense.”
What do you think of the recent promotional offers provided by Disney? Do you have thoughts about Disney’s response following the report from the Wall Street Journal? Let us know in the comments!
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If you’re not a Florida resident, the ticket discount is not applicable. Free dining is a bait and switch. Free meals (with reduced offerings), while paying premium price for hotel rooms and tickets (no discounts can by applied here). Water Park admission, get there early it closes at 5pm.
They can do better to save folks money.
They don’t offer any discounts to Northern California residents which I have felt is not a good business model. The prices have risen since 2019 in fact in 2021 they increased the annual pass and eliminated some of the features associated with it. Their hotels are subpar for the prices they charge. I prefer to stay at a hotel closer to the park for a lesser fee and better service.
The customer service inside the park at their restaurants is also to be desired. I purchased a character breakfast buffet inside the park and was seated outside with no heater. My food was cold before I could finish it.
Not a good enough deal at all for Canadian residents. Still way too expensive . Need to have option of 1 park ticket any day there or hopper for any day. Not you either buy all hopper or all single park. Where’s 25 or 30 % off for Canadians.
Way too much $ for any family not making 100k + a year or not willing to go into at least $5,000.00 debt. I’ve taken my family at least 15x over the last 40 years and I just can’t justify the cost any more. Removing the fast pass and replacing with an overpriced Genie pass just makes me mad. So, bye bye Mickey.
Weren’t they literally the ones ‘concerned’ about the rising costs last week? Even Disney thinks Disney is too expensive! Maybe Disney should listen to Disney!
With the money exchange for canadians disney is getting out of reach.Never mind just giving deals for young children how about all kids.There is no incentive for parents or grandparents to take them.Should be at least 25 percent off for all kids or better Remember we want all kids to have the disney experience not just some.
How about a senior citizen pass that allows seniors to enter the park and not go in the rides, but some attractions. Also, a “tween” category with the dining plan. Not all kids between 9 and 12 eat as much as an adult. You can do better Disney. Put on your thinking caps!
I live in Florida and they promote the discover Disney ticket at 60.00 per day but they’re not telling you that you have to buy multiple days to get that price which brings the price up, for a family of 4 even with the discount could cost almost 1000 just for the tickets! Ridiculous. Also I have a reservation at ft wilderness campground for 3 days for a rv spot which cost almost 500 with their resort discount and that’s just for a concrete pad I have to bring my own room! They try to say these discounts are good and they might help a little but overall the prices for Disney have gotten out of control!