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Disney’s pricing has been one of the most commonly debated aspects of the Disney Park experience. During former Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s tenure, fans saw a marked increase in ticket prices at the Disney Parks—both Walt Disney World Resort in Central Florida and the Disneyland Resort in Southern California. These price rises continued after Bob Chapek left though current Disney CEO Bob Iger has seemingly tried to ameliorate the situation.
Mickey Mouse and Friends at Magic Kingdom Park, Walt Disney World Resort / Credit: Disney
Disney Pricing Out Families
For months now, the Walt Disney Company has been criticized for pricing out families who once considered a Disney vacation a tradition. With Walt Disney World vacations and Disneyland vacations edging closer and closer to $10,000 a trip, it’s become more difficult for an average American family to enjoy the Parks. Disney has recently announced more discounts to allow more people access to the Parks, however, they are standing firm on their price increases as necessary.
Tusker House, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park / Credit: Disney
Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro Comments on Pricing
In a recent interview with The Points Guy, Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro shared his views on the criticism being levied at the Walt Disney Company. Mr. D’Amaro shared, “I’ll repeat the same thing I said before: We don’t always get it right,” when talking about the pricing of different Disney experiences.
As fans know, there is a vast range of possibilities when it comes to how much one has to pay to enjoy a Disney experience. There is the recent luxury experience open only to 75 Guests where Disney takes passengers to all 12 parks around the world, plus the Taj Mahal, the pyramids of Giza, and the Eiffel Tower, on a $115,000 private jet tour, and there’s the standard Disney Theme Park experience at the Parks. As the Disney Parks chairman pointed out during the interview, there are now more days available for Guests to purchase a Park ticket at the lowest price, which runs at about $100 per person per day.
Sorcerer Mickey meet ‘n’ greet at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Theme Park / Credit: DVC Shop
It seems to boil down to choice. Whether in this interview or during any previous instances where Mr. D’Amaro has talked about the pricing strategy, he’s always driven home it’s about the flexibility of a pricing structure and about giving Guests a choice.
Irrespective of whether one agrees or not, it seems Disney’s prices are here to stay.
