Nobody likes to pay more for something that used to cost less, but if you’ve visited Disneyland or Walt Disney World over the last few years, you’ve noticed that it’s always getting more expensive. Last month we saw one of the biggest price increases in recent memory, where the cost of nearly everything at Disney Parks went up all at once. And while certainly not everybody loves that, Disney says that guests are currently getting a lot more for their money.
Speaking with CNN, a Disney official pointed out that over “200 new lands, attractions, experiences and festivals” have been added to the parks since 2016. The argument being that the price increase is both necessary, and justified, because there’s a lot more in the parks than there once was.
This is certainly true on its face. Back in 2016 we didn’t have Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge on both coasts, Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure or Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Epcot. At the same time, it has to be said that while a lot of stuff is new, a lot of the new stuff simply replaced old stuff, so 200 things that are new does not necessarily mean there are 200 more things than there used to be.
At the same time, all that new stuff did cost money, and Disney is going to want to make that money back, and do it as quickly as possible, which is where the price increases come in. Disney World, of course, isn’t looking to focus too much on the price increases themselves, and instead wants to focus on what guests get for that money, as a Disney spokesperson said…
There are more ways than ever before to visit a Disney Park. Our focus is to provide a great guest experience, and we do that by putting choices in the hands of our guests to decide how and when to experience our resort.
There are ways to spend less money inside Disney parks. The cheapest available price for a single day, single park ticket, at Disneyland did not go up with the rest of the ticket prices last month. The issue is that there are simply fewer days when those cheaper tickets are available. And the prices for all the other tickets did go up. And with so many things at Disney World that used to be free now costing money, it's almost impossible to ever stop paying for things.
Of course, the real question is the “great guest experience.” If people really have that, if they feel like their trip to Disney was special, then most people will probably find any price point worthwhile. The price increase itself is largely designed to prevent some people from visiting Disney Parks, making the experience for those that are there better.
If that Disney experience is not magical, however, especially at the new prices, they may not return, and they may tell their friends not to bother going. If that happens then these price increases will have an impact, but it could be years before we really see it.
