Walt Disney World is the Most Magical Place on Earth, with attractions and immersive theming everywhere you turn. But all of that comes with a cost: your wallet.
Is Disney World becoming unaffordable? Let’s take a look.
Yes: Prices do keep going up.
Ticket pricing has steadily increased over the decades. Typically, this is to match demand and inflation, but sometimes the price increases are more egregious. For instance, Annual Passes are harder to afford than ever before — especially for non-Florida residents. Unless they’re DVC members, the only AP option for out-of-staters is the Incredi-Pass at $1299.
On top of that, you have extras getting more expensive, too. This year’s holiday After Hours events were shorter and more expensive than the Halloween and Christmas parties of years past.
No: Your ticket includes a LOT.
When those prices keep rising it can be hard to remember that Disney World tickets can be a value relative to other theme parks and amusement parks. Your ticket includes a lot — all of your rides, shows, parades, and more.
Many tourist attractions are pay-to-play. This is even true when comparing Disney World’s skip-the-line offering to Universal’s. Disney Genie+ is $15 per person, per day while Universal Express Pass can be upwards of $100 per person, per day.
Yes: There are fewer perks.
Disney World has always had a lot of extras for guests to enjoy, but in the last year and a half, those extras have been reduced.
Resort guests are getting fewer perks with the discontinuation of complimentary MagicBands and the Magical Express airport shuttle. All guests have also seen the swap from free Fastpass+ to paid Genie+. Little (and big) things that used to be free aren’t anymore.
No: There are a lot of discounts to look out for.
Sure, Disney can be astronomically expensive at base price, but there are discounts to keep an eye out for all the time. If you’re a Florida Resident or Annual Passholder, definitely check discounts, but there are even discounts for those not in special groups!
Plan around those discounts to make sure that your trip is as inexpensive as possible. Discounts also tend to apply to slower times of the year, so you might end up with a less crowded trip.
Yes: Many people can’t afford everything they want to do.
Even with the discounts, though, many Disney guests can’t afford everything they want to do. Sure, you might be able to save for a value Disney experience, but it might not be what you were hoping for.
The experience that many people envision is potentially out of reach. After paying for park tickets, a hotel room, and food for the whole family, you might not have the funds left over to pay for Genie+ or splurge on snacks and experiences. Even if Disney World at a value is affordable (or at least doable), the experience you want might not be.
No: You can plan your trip around your budget.
But you can plan for that value trip. Disney World has a lot of options when it comes to offerings, and you can find a relatively inexpensive night at the Disney World value hotels. Or go even cheaper by staying off-site.
Traveling at off-peak times can also mean cheaper rates in general, and you might catch those discounts we talked about above. Because Disney World offers so many options, you’re more likely be able to plan a trip that fits your budget needs.
Do you think Disney World is unaffordable? Tell us in the comments!
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It is not affordable for families any longer. Maybe that us part of the new agenda and the complete removal of Walt’s ideals. He created it for his daughter’s and families, but not for them anymore.
I went to Disney with my husband in 2004 for the first time and we fell in love! Since then we have taken numerous trips, and have taken our kids the last time being in 2018. We are a family of six so as we grew our trips got less and less. In 2018, we felt a different vibe and a few perks disappeared. The dining plan that we once received for free for staying at a value resort no longer included gratuities nor an appetizer, okay that’s fine. Then just a quick service dining plan and pay the difference, okay that’s fine. Parking fees when staying on site okay that’s fine too. Need to book everything well in advanced…okay I like to plan! I loved Disney and thought it was magical, expensive sure but you didn’t have to do everything! Now…magical express gone, no free dining plans no dining plans available at all, magic bands no longer included for resort guests, then I hear about no longer including fast passes!!! What!!!! No that’s not okay, Disney was supposed to include at least three (previously so many more) but at least three to every guest to help them have a magical experience no matter what they could afford once they got to the parks. Then I hear about no magic evening hours unless you stay at a deluxe hotel!! A deluxe!! Definitely can’t afford that…so sad! I used to speak so highly of Disney and encouraged everyone to go, no longer. I wanted to take the kids back one last time before my first graduated but that doesn’t look like it’s happening. Taking my family this year for a week to Tennessee among other day trips all well below the cost of a week at Disney. It all makes me so sad, and i read it in the comments the Disney of a few years ago even 2018 version is gone. The magic is fading for me…I hope something changes before it’s gone for good.
Our last trip was in June 2011 and we stayed at Port Orleans Riverside. There were 16 of us and we had park hopper tickets. It cost us $8000 and we had free dining. This year we are returning with a family of 8 and is costing $9000 staying at the Caribbean Beach with park hoppers and no dining plan, so cost have more than doubled in 10 years.
One after another regular American families are saying ENOUGH!!! Will Disney listen? Unlikely. I predict park closures within the decade.
Definitely has gone up considerably the last 6 years Ive been going. Coming from the midwest to Florida is a very pricey vacation. Sad to see the extras; magical express, fast passes and the dining plan are obsolete. Definitely were perks to spending years of savings for a magical vacation. Very disappointing that Disney is doing this just to make even more profit in the pocket. Now it will take a lot more years of savings and continue to be even more expensive to be able to come to the most magical place on earth!
I’m so thankful we were able to take our kids to WDW 12 years ago. I wanted them to experience the magic I did as a child at Disneyland. It was November, the parks were gorgeous as were the Osbourne Christmas Lights, the Park Hoppers were no-rules so we could run back and forth as we wished, we met many wonderful people who represented their home countries in World Showcase, enjoyed wonderful food on the meal plan, stayed on site at a mid-range resort, and easily rode the most popular rides in the morning MULTIPLE times then enjoyed everything else later in the day. We were some of the last people out of the parks every single night. It was expensive but worth it. We excitedly looked forward to future visits, but each year found it less affordable and we never returned. Great memories, sad it’s over. 🙁
We have been 18 times. Last time was 2016, with our Grandchildren. We love Disney. But can’t afford it anymore. Don’t know what happened to The Wonderful World of Disney? The average middle class family can’t afford it anymore. Everything is more for less. Disney has became money hunger. So sad.
Since they discontinued the ‘no expiration’ and ruined park hopper- it is extremely unaffordable.
My family used to go at least every other year- when you could buy 10 days (park hopper/no exp.) for less than $500. We used them as we wanted, and weren’t forced all at once. Crazy times, huh
We haven’t been since early 2000’s, and its looking like we won’t be going any time soon due to extreme cost.
Its sad because Disney used to be such a family friendly place.
As someone from the UK and a father of 3 the decision to book Disney was not a light one. And as our trip was originally booked for 2020 and cancelled twice it was an even bigger decision to rebook for next April. The original booking all in has cost me over £7,000. I don’t have that kind of money saved, like I said I’m a father of 3! So I have had to take out a bank loan to do it. Now that all of the tickets have changed and we have lost the ‘fastpasses’ we have to buy the extra Genie+ and the extra £2,000 price rise of the tickets them selves. None of this will include the price rises of the villa, flights and vehicle rental. I will now have to top up my loan to include these extra costs and save like mad just for spending money.
Is Disney Unaffordable? YES! Will I be taking my family there again? NO!
As long as their pockets are lined and the rich keep getting richer the rest of us will continue to burden our selves with these luxuries just to feed the cooperate machines.
This will be our last trip to Disney. My 14 year old asked to go this time and he is getting to the age where parents are uncool. We are going, but we will NOT be eating at any of the sit-down restaurants. There will be 4 of us and I am just not paying $120+ for one meal and the choices are very limited. We had the Meal Plan last time and that helped. We are staying at the Wilderness Campground in our RV. So hopefully we can plan to eat meals at our RV. I am very disappointed that the Fast Pass is not included in our vacation package, it was last time.
We went to Universal and stayed at the Hard Rock and went to Halloween Horror nights for cheaper than this Disney trip for the same length of time.
Seriously you are now charging for Magic Bands. Those could not take much to mass-produce.
I have read all the comments here and a few things stand out. First: the people commenting are almost all regular, repeat customers. Not a smart move to get your regulars angry. Oh Disney will still get people to go to the parks, but the ones who go alot will go less and less. Is that the way you would run a business? Also is it such a good idea to have lots of formerly very loyal customers bad mouthing your star resort? Word of mouth is great advertising, but negative word of mouth (“I find it way too expensive and less convenient”) is going to hurt. Finally yes Disney is a for profit company. They have to make profit for shareholders (and for the executives to get raises). But this company was VERY profitable before and still kept the customers happy. There is a difference between making profit and being greedy. Corporate profits since the start of the pandemic are up 37%. Disney was NOT going to take a financial hit like everyone else did. It was going to make back the money it lost and guess who is paying for that? The loyal customers. So the next time you see Chapek standing there smiling for the cameras, remember he is picking your pocket while he does that. And doesn’t care in the least how you feel about it.
You got it! If you want to read some of Walt’s thoughts in 1956 Type in your computer WALT DISNEY TALKS EARLY DISNEYLAND BY JIM KORKIS
Well said.
I hope the Disney “Magic”ment (the decision makers who make or take away the magic) are reading these comments and some of the comments coming into the Guest Services email…before no amount of “Pixie” dust changes the trend.
They need to get back to the basics, and maybe look at their decisions through the Guest eyes. Higher cost, no Magical Express, limited mousekeeping, and add-ons are stacking up. Read Lee Cockerell’s Creating Magic and walk through the parks and talk to the associates.
I think the fact that there are limited 50th anniversary products on the property but available at second hand sites should make them think of making products available through on-line methods using confirmation resort numbers may be a way to “increase revenue” while minimizing exposure.
Staff / associates have been great and receptive to Guests. But if things go worse, that may not be true, or worse there may be limited staff. Associates can not alone make up for the management decisions.
There are some great changes to the Parks that can bring people in. However, bringing Guests in only one time is too expensive if the Guests don’t want to return. That is the beginning of the breaking of the legacy “chain”.
I will be back one more time to bring my children…but after that?????
It’s a rip off, pay high price to get in then charge high price for everything, food and up grade to get into places ? Never go again !!
Unaffordable and disappointing.
ABSOLUTELY!!! FROM PARKING TO THE TICKETS TO THE FOOD AND DON’T FORGET THE SOUVENIRS!!! PROBLEM IS….PEOPLE KEEP BUYING INTO IT! UNTIL PEOPLE STOP GOING ( WHICH THAT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN) PRICES WILL JUST RISE AND RISE AND RISE!!!
Yes, I have been a season pass holder for years. Perks that I have had have suddenly disappeared like photos and fast pass. In order to get the equivalent of what I have now , I will suddenly be paying $600 more for a pass with no blackout dates but still will be losing my photo pass and expected to pay for genie + if I can’t stand on line . Since I can’t afford Genie + plus my pass , there are rides I can no longer go on because I can’t stand that long . As a senior, I am extremely disappointed with Disney right now
I will be taking one last trip to Disney World next October, and then no more. The prices are impossible for people on limited budgets. Disney does not care. And, despite your article, there are very few discounts available, and the ones that I have found have been minimal.
Disney world has changed in the last generation from an American upper middle class experience to a global market upper middle class experience. You can certainly with budget brinkmanship score a memorable vacation but every misstep will rattle your wallet.
Well when I was young we were about middle class family and their were 5 kids. Mom and Dad would buy us yearly passes and then when my kids were old enough I took them a few time. About 15 years ago myself and my sisters family went every year for a week and we had best time ever. Now that I have Grand Children I cannot afford I ticket much less anyone going with me. It’s just really sad because that is just greed. It doesn’t cost that much per person to go. But everyone I speak to in the last few years say they cannot afford to go and I am single so I know I can’t.
We both are school district employees making it impossible to go to Disney during slower seasons. We are DVC members but often have trouble getting reservations for the time we are able to be off from school. On one teachers salary and one teachers aid salary, affording a trip for 4 during peek times is impossible. The food is outrageously priced and not very good so we rent a car to save on meals and time waiting for busses that don’t come. As long as you are DVC, we still don’t pay for parking. I wonder when that will go away!
Not only is it unaffordable but they have killed My Disney Experience which is why I would spend to go to Disney on vacation. Just left December 9th after 10 DVC days. Not going back. Disney is over charging and under delivering. 50% of our meals were either wrong, cold or had lost the quality from the past. This forced us off property. Planning with Genie and Genie + made the trip a full time job and not a vacation. Christmas parade was a joke. Six wooden soldiers instead of the usual 20. The rest of the parade was truncated accordingly. Found this all over Disney. I agree with most of what I have read here. Won’t be doing parks or restaurants again for sometime if ever.
I couldn’t agree more, we are out of state passholders we came down in October for 2 weeks at the Grand and we’re completely disappointed with the cutbacks the lack of experiences and price increases it’s just not worth it anymore. We have been going twice a year since 2002 and Just canceled our 2 weeks in March at the Poly. We decided it’s not worth the cost and the magic that we had was slowly plucked away. We’re off to new adventures and spending our hard earned dollars elsewhere. Sad but Disney pushed us away. I have had several coworkers ask me about our October vacation as I was the Disney go to at the office I advised them that we paid full price for a watered down experience and it was definitely not worth it.
As a two teacher household, my 8-year-old hasn’t been able to go to Disney for years. My family has simply been priced out if “the most magical place on Earth.” Disappointing…
As a middle class working family I can’t justify spending $10,000 on a Disney vacation. Don’t get me wrong, I would absolutely love to take my kids…but in my opinion it’s breaking the bank.
I think price is relative for everyone. If it’s something you really want to do, you’ll figure out a way to fund it. Can I afford to go….yes. Am I willing to let Mickey and his pals bend me over for the privilege…. absolutely not. Given the state of the world right now, I personally don’t think it’s the smartest idea to be in a theme park around 20,000 other people. Much less paying for every thing that they’ve begun to nickel and dime their guests for. As well as the cleanliness and just general state of the parks. There’s far more places to go in the world than Disney World. Busch Gardens Williamsburg is by far a cleaner and more beautiful park than Magic Kingdom… just for example.
And let’s not forget about the Star Wars hotel. I could go to Tunisia and see all the original sets from the original films and have an actual Star Wars experience…and spend far less than what they’re charging for a less than 48 hour experience with a Star Wars name on it… with no actual Star Wars in it in sight. They’ve completely mismanaged the I.P..
the disney company is a for profit corporation.
it is not a non-profit.if you want spend your money on a non-profit
vacation it is a free country.
the disney company is in business to make a profit for their share holders.
But it needs to be within reason!
The thing about shareholders is, the shareholders want and need the demand and continuity of guests wanting to pay for this luxury trip. If people keep saying “it’s expensive AND it’s inconvenient” it will no longer have the draw or be a safe investment for them…which will in turn stunt growth. The price can increase so as long as the consumer is happy about paying it. It seems like Disney is hitting the threshold where the consumers value/experience doesn’t feel like it matches cost.
So it’s in everyone’s best interest for guest satisfaction to continue to be high.
Becoming?? This isn’t rocket science. Disney has decided to ditch the whole family friendly vibe and focus on the dollar signs. If you price out the plebs you end up with fewer people in the park which makes for a better experience for those who can still afford it. Since there seems to be no real shortage of people willing to pay it’s safe to assume that we should expect more of the same…
There is a physical limitation to the number of humans who can enjoy the parks. Disney uses an economic method to ration the park experience. The other method of rationing would be San Diego Comic-Con’s sort of lottery system, whereby if you’re lucky enough and fast enough to get into their ticket queue, you score a ticket. Would that be preferable?
As a FL AP holder, I watched my pass price rise 20% and received less for it. Now, I have to purchase the photopass for an additional fee! During the reopening, we did not use fastpass or Genie and the lines were short and quick as there was nothing else to slow it down. Now, long lines and bucks to be spent. They took tram service. Raised prices for after hours events and gave less in activity and quality! Walt never would have liked this at all and I am hoping for a quick change in management (fire Chapek) to put them back on track again. Walt was all about the guest…now…it is all about the cash!! Very sad!
When you stop and consider a family of 4 drops $540 just driving in for a day experience. And that’s for a Floridian! Does not include food, or any merchandise. That’s a tough bullet to take.
They’ve gotten too comfortable. Can I afford to go there? Yup. Am I willing to pay to go there? Absolutely not. I love Disney just like everyone else here but there is wayyyyy more cooler places to go for the same price. It just doesn’t make sense anymore.
The reality? It’s always been un-affordabe for the majority of people. And pretending that “Walt’s Vision” for the average family to enjoy WDWD just went away in the past 10-15 years just does not match reality. If you take the “assumed’ 100,000 a day attendance number that’s 36 million through the gate a year. Now factor the average visit of 4 days plus AP holders and international guests you’re looking at about 3% of the US population. So saying that it’s now for the 1% ignores that it’s always been about 3% that go there. And yes, the “one and done” crowd changes that number some but it’s never been as high as people think.
Yes, absolutely more expensive and a lot less affordable. I think it’s due to revenue needed to support Disney Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Shanghai. Too much expansion and yearly maintenance. It cost more for a week in DisneyWorld than two weeks in France. Perks are gone!
Disney has decided. The customer was left out of the decision making (No offer, for example, to keep luggage service or DME for an additional charge). I am a DVC member until 2042. I plan on using my points to go places, WDW included, from time to time. Part of the calculus here, I think, is they now have enough DVC members. You ‘have to’ go there. You already paid for it. So they decided they could pull back the perks> “What are the DVC members going to do? Sell their timeshares?”. But with all that being said, I can save money in so many ways: Stop buying park passes for all the days of my vacation. Go other places, but stay on Disney property. Use it more as a hotel vs a resort. Don’t buy a single thing there. Eat off property. Order groceries and eat in the room. Two can play this game. The thing that bothers me most about it is I always told people the Disney way was always to make it right with the customer. If something went wrong, fix it. If a customer wasn’t satisfied, make it right some way. But with this Disney is telling it’s loyal customers “We are not interested in what you have to say” and “We certainly won’t make it right with you.” Look at all the other articles on ALLEARS. None generate the negativity this subject does. And a lot of it. And Disney ignores it. How sad.
I totally agree with you, James. We spent Thanksgiving week with a total of 7 people. Our DVC discount seemed non-existant when we looked at Genie+ and saw what we’d have to pay extra just to skip the lines. In all, we spent around $5000 for passes, and I just couldn’t bring myself to spend an additional $105 a day just to get the ability to do Lightening Lane, which I’d also have to pay for again on some attractions. The outcome was, we stood in a lot of long lines, enjoyed far fewer attractions, and left vowing NOT to do WDW as often as we have in the past. I can see us using our points for Aulani a lot more frequently and going other places, but Disney’s shine has been tarnished for me. That’s saying a lot too, since we have been coming to WDW since 1978, and have owned DVC for 25 years.
Disney World has always been expensive, but what’s unforgiveable is that it’s no longer worth what they’re asking for.
Walt Disney himself would be so disappointed how the company that bares his name is costing families more and more to enjoy. He wanted a place for families to have a magical experience at a reasonable price. There are families that will save for years to give their kids a five day trip to Disney. You should not have to spend your life savings on one trip. Enough is enough. Only those in the upper middle class or higher can afford Disney anymore. It is a shame some kids will never get to experience the happiest place on Earth.
Went to world showcase last week. Had lunch at Via Napoli. All of WS is so lame now that the employees from the country of origin are no longer there. Still no maid service on a daily basis at the hotel (Boardwalk). Everything is expensive and you just can’t put a price on the magic but the magic is waning and once it’s gone it may never return. Food quality has also taken a downturn across the board. It’s a shame as I love WDW
NO amount of money can buy the Disney experience I bought 2-3 years ago. With the removal of basically all the perks, Disney has removed the ability to navigate around the ever growing crowd of customers by removing Fastpass system, along with adding preplanning to every aspect of the trip. I’m waiting for their new app where you will reserve your time to use the in park restroom facilities. I really can’t wait for the app where you select the time slot for your child to have a meltdown, it’s always best to get that out of the way as early as possible.
Definitely it’s becoming unaffordable! It’s sad. We’ve gone to Disney a lot, but are not planning another trip.
Absolutely, I’ve been to Disney for my last time. Too many other options at a better price point
We leave next week for our third time to WDW this year. And 2 times at Disneyland. We live in the intermountain West. We love the Disney experience, but honestly have really got a bad taste in our mouths this past year with all the changes and up charges. Not sure when we will be coming back.
Yes Disney is unaffordable for the average family with 2 or 3 children.
I am so glad my parents took me when I was a young child. We went at Christmas for many years. I could not afford to take my family now. Also Disney has changed so much and not for the better. Disney World is unrecognizable today.
Prices definitely changing plans.Even with APs we don’t go as often and when we do go we eat counter serve the majority of meals.Far fewer purchasing of Disney products.The more cost goes up the less we spend.Used to stay on site at least once a year and sometimes twice; now every couple years in future.If Disney gets much more expensive might only visit once or twice a year,even living 45 minutes away.
For me the last straw was when they added parking fees for resort guests. Even at the affordable Shades of Green there was a $7 per night parking fee. The only magic in Disney is the flow of dollars going into their wallets. I am done.
I have been going for 50 years. Annual pass, food plan on site hotels. Until 2022, I have never felt being screwed. Disney needs new leadership. I expect prices to increase. Its not the cast that is the problem. Just follow the state if Florida. Masks are not needed. Open the park fully. Its not the cost. Its Disney attitude. Restart by treating us like mouseateers
Well unfortunately we have seen a trend over the past few years, especially in the last two. We use to actually get nice perks and incentives. Now the perks and incentives are becoming less and less all while cost continues to rise.
If the price goes up and up at least leave us what few perks we did get like fastpass, complimentary magic bands, annual pass holders with complimentary photo pass, etc.
Disney is truly a magical place and we love it but as others have said, you can travel abroad for the cost of some trips. Greed is a nasty thing 😔
Yes it’s becoming outlandish. I wanted to take our daughter againsonce the last time we went she was 2 but for the price we could go overseas.
Definitely, it costs a fortune for us Brits and our families to go. Perks becoming less and less. Wdw company becoming more and more greedy.
Yes! The cost for our recent 5-day Disney vacation rivals the cost of our European vacations. Have been visiting for 35 years and can absolutely identify less quality and quantity for our money. The charm of Disney is also reducing day by day. So sad, really.
The people here complaining are the exact ones Disney don’t want at their parks. Why allow these complainers that value nickel and dimes into a place of that’s doing business in dollars?
Because many of these “complainers” are the loyal customers who helped build the parks in the first place. Instead of taking a portion of the profits and expanding the park areas or adding another park to handle the growing crowds, Disney poured it into various failed outside attempts along with lining the pockets of their Execs. These “complainers” are also many of the people who were told how the DVC would make their vacation dollars go farther and keep their WDW trips affordable. Those people are now victims of changed policies that decrease the value of their investment if/when they decide to sell. (I’m still waiting for the class action suit on the resale policy changes). All I can say to these “New monied customers” is ya’ll just don’t know how bad you are getting ripped off compared to what used to be the standard when the customer was truly a “Guest”.
There’s no basis for a class-action suit on resale changes. Each change, previous owners were grandfathered in with the policies that were in place at the time they purchased. Changes in resale rules are announced widely and with notice, so that anyone buying resale should know of the current policies. These policies are never applied retroactively to contract purchases.
This comment makes no sense. Disney are the ones nickel and diming people.
Look at the current attendance numbers and it appears obvious at first glance that the answer is “no” – Disneyworld isn’t becoming unaffordable. It’s very easy to argue that a destination can’t have the problems of being overcrowded and unaffordable at the same time.
Or can it? WDW is struggling with the balance between being a destination vacation site and a frequent day trip for locals. Annual passes have been tailored to locals at low prices, while out of state visitors who only come occasionally (once per year or less) are forced to pay much more for admission (as well as pay astronomical prices for everything else that goes with a WDW vacation). How does this make sense? Disney actually addressed some of this during 2021 by temporarily suspending annual pass sales, but then inexplicably caved and reopened low cost annual pass sales to only Florida residents, which made the have/have not situation even worse. While the annual passes being sold are heavily blacked out, the net effect is that there are no longer any “light” or even “medium” days any longer at WDW – just about all days are overcrowded. There’s no longer any way for an out of state visitor to pick a “magical” time of year and experience the joys that lightly attended parks bring.
Right now the end result is that the park is overpriced for out of state tourists AND it’s overcrowded for everyone just about every day of the year. Add in limits on park hopping (which naturally redistributes attendance to lighter parks) and reservations for parks (which is an enormous loss of flexibility) and you have an unsustainable situation that has resulted in the anti-Disney backlash that is all over the place right now. From there, add in nickel and dime price increases (Genie +, Lightning Lane, loss of the free Magical Express, etc.) that are bad enough for locals attending with much cheaper tickets, but are flat out insulting for those already overpaying for a degraded experience, and you have the recipe for the absolute destruction of brand loyalty to Disney that the company has enjoyed for decades.
Years ago they had a cap on each park when the cap was reached they closed that park until it was lower. What happened to that cap?
Yes it unfortunately is. We are diehard Disney fans. We have been there 7 times in the last 10 years. Every year the price goes up and you get less and less. It is a shame because I have always read how Walt wanted it to be a place for families. Somewhere along the line that changed to only families with a lot of money. I would say our family is right in the middle class zone and it would cost us about $1,500 more for the same length stay and tickets with no dining as it did 10 years ago with the full dining package. Plus no fast pass and you have to pay to park at the resort. I understand price increases and expect it to happen but they are going too far. It’s sad but I’m becoming Disney disenchanted.
My family is fortunate enough to be able to afford the price increases. I’m just angry at the fact NO amount of money will buy the same experience I could have 2-3 years ago. You can’t buy unlimited parkhopping, unrestricted park visiting, a fastpass system that actually worked pretty well for those who studied it, and an ever increasing park system like we had in the 90’s to handle the ever increasing crowds. Disney hasn’t expanded park sizes in well over a decade while customer numbers have kept increasing along with admission prices.
Disney is quickly becoming the Happiest Place on Earth for the 1%. This article talks about there is some value if you do this or that but even then Disney World has become a place where the high income class go to play. Having been an out of state annual passholder at one time I have told my family I can’t afford that one last trip together before my kids go on their way. It’s too bad that shareholder returns have trumped Walt’s vision as a place for the average family.
You know the families who just barely can afford it stopped coming & the ones who have money to burn & get bored going to Disney. Disney is going to be up a creek without a paddle. They need to wise up and fast and make leadership changes from the top down & put people in who believes in what Walt wanted with help from folks like Roy & to keep everything on track with folks like Lillian. If they don’t everything will be lost!
I want to add one more thing what they are doing now in changing the dream of Walt is in my opinion is CRIMINAL !!!
Unfortunately, yes. I was an AP every year after I moved to Florida but I can no longer afford it. Of course, I am now on Social Security as my income but have been a supporter of WDW since the beginning. Sad now that I am a Florida resident and senior citizen and still love going to Disney but can’t afford it.
WOW ! Within a few short hours. The response is pretty clear, and all in one day of asking.
A CEO of a corporation reading this would pause, for concern.
As one lady put it so eloquently, my loyalty has meant nothing, to paraphrase.
As American make less, costs for staples skyrocket, and the virus thing is vollied back and forth. “Does ANYONE ?” at Disney Parks see a disconnect to their base of customers ?
I bet by the end of 2022 THE FOG WILL LIFT !
And they will see alot more clearly !
Yes it is and on top of that they don’t want to give truly disable guest the DAS pass. We just got back from there and i had to fight to get my disable wife the DAS pass. The guest cast member made her feel bad and keep questioning why we needed it when clearly she could see what problems my wife had. I ask why was this a problem when we had it for for the last three years. There was no real answer given. The true answer is that Disney want you to buy the lighting lane. I do agree some took advantage of the handicap pass when they are not disable but this is not the way to handle this. Hey Disney, you are not allowed to ask about personal medical problems. I am thinking about calling my rep. at the ADA to file a complaint but I am sure it would be denied by Disney. Maybe they will take some of the lighting lane money and hire someone to keep cars that are not van accessible handicap out of those spaces. Our last day we have to take up 2 parking spaces so i could get my wife in and out of the van. The way we were treated and their prices for everything has me thinking we may not come back at all. I will say this, most cast members go out of the way to help in any way they can like Walt wanted. It is too bad the the excutives have forgot that. I guess they need higher bonuses.
Or all depends upon your income level. Yes, it’s expensive to some, but to others it’s not.
Yeah, there was a queen one time who made a similar remark. Something like “let them eat cake”. Disney will likely suffer the same fate she did eventually.
The issue is that NOBODY has enough money to buy what isn’t being offered anymore. Unlimited park access, unlimited parkhopping, and a fastpass system that actually worked.
We recently were planning on visiting in December of 2022, but when we did the math, we could get a nicer vacation at Universal for a fraction of the cost at Disney. Even if we went value resort, tickets with park hopper and no genie+ we were looking at just over $7000 for the first week of December. thats absurd when you consider what you actually get (or dont get anymore). We priced the same dates at Universal and we could stay at the Premier level for roughly 3500-4000, and that includes Express at that level we could go value for even less, but the Express makes it worth it.
Im sure we will return but for now a break is in order and we have yet to visit Universal. I feel like saving money and getting more for what I spend than lining Chapek’s pockets. They used the Pandemic as a shield to make the cuts they have been talking about for years, and now just have the excuse to do it. It’s truly a sad state but nobody at Disney will ever read this or care about what we the customers and fans have to say or think.
We found, when visiting UO, that quite a few employees there are x-WDW ‘cast members’.
They really mean it when they smile & talk ‘to’ you, not ‘at’ you. They are ‘above & beyond’ helpful and we found auto to be a lot of fun.
We’re in our 70’s & appreciate the differences.
Oh, we’ll go back to WDW, after the 50th hoopla is over. But we know it will be VERY different. We accept the challenge!!!
Value always rests in the eyes and opinion of the customer. What I see most often online (which mirrors my personal opinion) is that guests (day tickets and APs) are seriously questioning the value they receive for their investment. As an AP, I no longer see the same value as I did pre-pandemic or even as recently as January, 2021. Hopefully the situation is seen and addressed by WDW before all of the magic escapes.
Yes, it is, after decades of going to the parks, have no plan to return any time soon. Last summers trip, first time ever, felt like not a good value with money, and it had nothing to do with the covid. It was just not a good value, food was terrible and sometimes uneatable, I never had the experience before, and we 9nly got a 3 day ticket, but stayed there for 6 days, it 2as just way too much and the 15% summer room discount was a joke. Sorry Disney manement, bit you are not making Disney world magical anymore. What is turning in his grave at what they have made this place. Hopefully they clean house and bring in real Disney loving CEOs that know how it should be, and change how it currently is.
The point of price increases is to reach homeostasis with supply and demand. If 120 people want in a venue (beit a football stadium or a disney park) that holds 100, you raise prices to price 20 people out. I don’t understand people complaining about not being able to afford or don’t want to pay for something others can. Do you complain about people driving around luxury cars you don’t want to pay for or can’t afford? Do you complain that the grocery store sells 5dollar bread when you buy the 99cent loaf? If you had a business and had overdemand, OF COURSE you’d raise prices cause clearly demand outstrips the price you are charging. Is disney unaffordable?…no…not according to attendance figures, which is all that matters. People talk about “well, that’s it for my family and i” like that wasn’t the exact point of a price increase. Jeez.
And that works for only a short period of time because those with unlimited money grow tired of the same thing quickly. Disney’s problem is that they didn’t invest to make room for those other 20 people that got turned away by the football stadium, instead, they continued to let them in and overcrowd the place until it has gotten out of control. Have you ever seen a WalMart get so full they close the doors and turn away paying customers. NO, they go down the street and build another store or a bigger store. It doesn’t take a business genius to see that Disney has failed to increase park SIZE a single square foot in the last 2- decades. They’ve spent Billions adding additional attractions to lure more customers, while also stating they have a over crowding problem. It’s well past time that Disney’s right hand learns what it’s left hand is doing.
I’m done with Disney.
Yes. Three of us became Universal pass holders for the first time last December due to Disney price increases and limiting offerings. We have a split trip coming up in 2 weeks, 3 days at Disney and 3 at Universal. For the 4 non-passholders going, the Disney 3 day park hoppers came to over $2,000. The 3 day park to park Universal was a little less than $1,300. The top of the line Universal hotel at the passholder rate priced out at the same cost as Art of Animation and comes with their unlimited express pass. Other than reservations are a couple of Universal sit down restaurants, no further planning required. I had to spend 2 hours on the phone with Disney just to assign names to the tickets since MDE would not do it. Park reservations and afternoon park hopping limits the value of Disney park hoppers. Yes, the resorts are two different experiences, but if you talk strictly value and budget, Universal wins.
I am not sure that it is worth the money. $10,000 for a vacation is a lot of money for most Americans.
I’m out priced as 1200.00 is nearly my social security check.
Disney has always been a little pricey, but worth it. Now, it’s abundantly clear that the powers that be are solely interested in how much money they can get out of each person. The magic has been replaced with the almighty dollar. So to answer the question, yes.
IMO I don’t think you can compare Universal ‘s Express pass to Genie+. With Express pass you don’t have return times or getting up at 7 AM to book rides in advance, which allows you to really get your money’s worth. It also gives you more flexibility. I would be willing to pay for Express pass before I’d pay for Genie+.
Agreed. It’s like comparing apples to steak, not even in the same category.
Disney has 100% forgotten the middle class! The ones that allowed Disney parks to become a success! However, with the current leadership it will eventually collapse, he is only interested in $$$, and that’s so so obvious! Sad that my grandchildren will never experience the true Disney, the magic that was! Sorry Disney your shareholders may ne smiling now but sooner or later those whom were loyal the middle middle class will find the magic elsewhere and Disney will become a second rate amusement park.
Yes. We have made dozens of trips for decades now but after our trip this month, I never dreamed we’d say this, but-we do not plan another trip in the near future. We understand the improvements made in the past few years are great for carrying the parks into the future but the loyalty of the everyday Family is suffering to pay for it all and letting upper management and shareholders continue to gain unreasonable profits. I’m glad Disney is upgrading and I know the pandemic forced even more overnight technology adjustments but the multiple rides going down and mobile order and ticket systems going down daily is not really acceptable at the price point customers are now required to pay. Why would such a huge conglomerate risk their business on another’s cloud!?!?!!!! A nice apology is not really enough. Let CEO heads monies be thrown at these issues and let them live on their savings accounts awhile like the rest of us for the greater good and saving Walt’s legacy. Right now it’s heading downhill fast. A couple new rides and having to pay extra to even be able to get on it if it doesn’t shut down before you finally board is definitely not worth the high cost. I’m glad for the investment in the future but my loyalty all these years now amounts to nothing. Disney for the elite? Sad….the loyalty will not be the same.
I’m right there with you and I live here in Florida. The costs keep going up and up and up why the bennies keep going down and down and down.
Yes, absolutely it’s getting too expensive. We are WDW frequent (1-2 times per year) guests and our last trip will be in June. This is only because we promised three grandkids two years ago we would take them. We had to cancel twice due to Covid. We lost all perks staying onsite which greatly disappoints us. We can afford it, but will no longer get taken advantage of.
Disney has made it clear they’re pricing out the middle class, and that the focus isn’t on families anymore, but on the mega rich. The inflation regarding all the previous offerings is unrealistic based on what people are actually making and bringing home. And the price jumps are too frequent for families to save up for a future trip.
Yes
Yes is the simple answer
If it’s not unaffordable it’s not far from it.
Next big family trip will not be to Disney.
Yes it is. Walt wouldn’t want this to happen to all the families to spend their life savings to spend on the theme park. Disney is way overpriced. Never going again.
According to a very reliable site (AllEars.net) the price of a single day ticket went from $3.50 in 1971 to $159 in 2019… over a 3000% increase that far exceeds inflation. And since 2019 prices have continued to climb. All those increases provide more/better experiences but also more hoops and limitations. For example, in the late 90s we had a ticket that could be used any time in the future… now you buy for specific days. Countless examples of the limitations. I think it comes down to supply and demand and what the market is willing to pay. But it certainly is a shame and I don’t think it’s what Walt would have wanted.
The limit of tickets being valid for a set number of days is the same thing as park reservations. Disney needed something that gave them a better sense of expected crowds on a given day so they ensure they have the staffing, supplies, etc. to meet that demand. Average daily attendance at the parks is substantially higher than it was since late 1990s despite the four parks not really expanding THAT much in that time period (reimagined Fantasyland in MK, Toy Story Land/Galaxy Edge in HS, Pandora in AK, and EPCOT??). I think we take for granted HOW many more people are going to the parks now compared to then. Heck, back then there was no Magical Express, no FastPass system at all. Dining reservations likely had to be done all over the phone.
But to your point, the number of parks quadrupled at the time AND you had to buy coupon books to pay to ride attractions and shows separately. So, that $3.50 in 1971 didn’t get you any rides or attractions. Also guest expectations of what a new attraction should be are sky high sending costs for new attractions through the roof.