The Crazy Price Hikes That Are Shutting Out Disney’s Loyal Guests

It’s no surprise that the big talking point lately surrounding Disney vacation planning is price.

Costs are ever-increasing at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, with Disney only this week announcing further price hikes on food, Resort stays, merchandise, Park tickets, and Disney Genie.

And with these continued price rises becoming more prominent, it seems that loyal Disney Guests are being shut out – questioning Disney’s focus on revenue versus satisfaction. Are quarterly earnings becoming more important to Disney bosses than the KPIs of Guest happiness and service?

Credit: Disney Tips

On October 11, Disney announced price hikes across the Parks that had Guests questioning the future affordability of a Disney Park trip.

Disney Genie+ (formerly the complimentary FastPass+ system) will now have pricing that will “vary by date,” adding to the confusion felt by Guests around this upcharge service. Disney Genie+ at Disneyland Resort in California also increased dramatically from $20 to $25 overnight. Disney Genie+ now has a $15 – $22 threshold in October at the Walt Disney World Resort, meaning Guests could see Disney Genie+ go even higher than $22 as the winter and holiday events unfold. Prices have also increased for Individual Lightning Lane purchases across the board at Walt Disney World, with the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Individual Lightning Lane purchase priced at $20 on October 12.

Furthermore, theme park tickets to both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure have increased by nearly 10% depending on the date a Guest chooses to visit. The single largest increase in Disneyland ticket prices affects the two-day tickets, which have now increased to $285 from $255, making this an 11.76% increase.

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Food and beverage at the Walt Disney World were also a casualty of Disney’s price rises. Drink prices rose from as little as 25 cents to as much as 6 dollars. DASANI water bottles, for example, went up from $3.50 to $3.75, while fountain drinks have gone up from $3.99 to $4.29 at several food and beverage vendors. Quick service meal prices at Woody’s Lunchbox in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Sunshine Seasons at EPCOT, and Satu’li Canteen at Disney’s Animal Kingdom all saw similar price increases of $1 to $2. 

And for fans of Star Wars, custom handbuilt lightsabers at Savi’s Workshop on Batuu are now $249.99 plus tax, up from $219.99 previously. Elsewhere in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, custom droids at Droid Depot have gone up to $119.99 plus tax from $99.99.

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But what does this really mean for our pockets compared to previous years? Of course, our wallets are going to be emptier on our next Disney World vacation without even buying anything extra, but let’s take a look at recreating a Walt Disney World trip based on what used to be included (or cheaper).

We’re looking at a Disney vacation based on a family of four on a 4-day trip to the Lake Buena Vista Resort, with tickets to the four theme parks – Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. We are basing these costs on a trip taken at the end of 2022 compared to a trip taken only in 2018.

Before the major changes introduced by Disney, Disney Resort stays got Guests free FastPass, free parking, free MagicBands, and free airport transportation in the form of Disney’s Magical Express. If we just take these previously-included package items initially, a Walt Disney World trip now would require the following expenditures to match what used to be included:

• Genie+ (at least $15 x 4 days x 4 Guests) = $240
• ILLs ($16 x 4 x 4) = $256
• Parking (at least $15 x 5 nights) = $75
• Mears Shuttle (2 adult, 2 children) = $118
• MagicBands (at least $20 x 4) = $80

So, that’s almost $800 to recreate what used to be included in a Disney Resort package. And this doesn’t even take into account yet theme park ticket increases, Resort hotel stay costs, and the increases in food and beverage.

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For a family of four for 4 days back in 2018, a 4-day “Magic Your Way” Park ticket without Park Hopper was $380 for an adult and $360 for a child. With Park Hopper this came to $455 per adult and $435 per child.

In 2022, this same family of four is looking at between $447.70 and $596.74 per adult and $428.94 to $577.98 per child. Park Hopper theme park tickets range from $538.23 to $687.27 for an adult and $519.46 to $668.50 for a child.

So for this comparison (without Park Hopper, peak time), that is $1480 in 2018, $2349.44 now – that’s a price increase of $869.44!

If we were to factor in the extra upcharges on merchandise (like the extra $50 for lightsabers), raised hotel prices, and increases in food and beverage on-site – as well as increased costs outside of Disney’s control like gas, airfare, insurance etc –  a family of four could be looking at paying well over $2,000 for the SAME TRIP they took in 2018. Wild.

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And this seems to be the concern of many loyal Guests who have visited Walt Disney World for years but who now can’t afford or justify the extra costs. Disney loyal Guest Chris (@C48Chris) shared their opinion on Twitter, revealing that they will not be renewing their Annual Pass this year due to the “greed” of the Disney Company:

“That is why after being a loyal Disney guest for 40+ years, I have decided not to renew my pass. They have offered too little for too much money now. They let greed get the better of them.”

Another Disney fan, @post_calvinist, said that Disney had “lost” them:

Not this loyal guest. For the first time ever I’m going to Disney without my next trip already booked. I’ve also downgraded to three days and moved off property for my lodging. They’ve lost me. If the three day tickets were refundable….

Twitter user @PanicAtTheTato cemented what many Disney fans believe right now – that Guests are not getting their “money’s worth” any longer:

For a very long time we felt like we got our monies worth, especially when staying on-site. All of the things we used to list as reasons to take a Disney vacation have slowly been phased out. Between crowds, costs, and cuts… the magic is dwindling.

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But as many Guests have commented: if people are still turning up to Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, then Disney will continue to hike up its prices knowing people will still pay.

It is yet to be seen what impact Walt Disney World and Disneyland’s price increases will have on attendance, revenue, or earnings reports, but it is clear that as costs are getting less and less affordable for many loyal Disney families, satisfaction and Guest happiness is dwindling. Disney Tips will of course keep you updated on any future changes to pricing as and when it is announced.