Even Disney Is Worried About the High Cost of a Disney Vacation

[Aluminum Falcon]

just my two cents, i think the state of uncertainty around the world is going to have a lot of folks (especially foreign travelers) in a wait and see pattern. That said my guess is that 25 will be rough for Disney from a vacation standpoint. depending on how the rest of the year goes it could worsen for next year or bounce back in a big way.

 

[Brian rhymes with dyin]

Yes, when micro and macro economies are both uncertain you better believe luxury vacations will take a backseat for 99% of people.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

Yes, when micro and macro economies are both uncertain you better believe luxury vacations will take a backseat for 99% of people.

100%, and it won't be a spur of the moment trip. There is no light switch month over month. Year over year is a different story, especially for high expense vacations. I would wager a bet that a lot of local spots will be booming this summer, and fall, not so much Disney

 

[Cfabar1]

100%, and it won't be a spur of the moment trip. There is no light switch month over month. Year over year is a different story, especially for high expense vacations. I would wager a bet that a lot of local spots will be booming this summer, and fall, not so much Disney

I think DCL expansion is much more vulnerable than WDW personally. Disney clearly is hurting for hotel reservations, but I think the parks will do okay.

DCL is a premium product that requires significantly more advance planning, and has been pricing more and more aggressively... So, I think they're the ones likely to struggle more.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

I think DCL expansion is much more vulnerable than WDW personally. Disney clearly is hurting for hotel reservations, but I think the parks will do okay.

DCL is a premium product that requires significantly more advance planning, and has been pricing more and more aggressively... So, I think they're the ones likely to struggle more.

In the long term i agree with you. WDW ebbs and flows with the economy, the arrow is almost always pointing up but there are bumps in the road along the way. i believe last year and this year will be those "bumps" but with all the additions going on they will soon flip in the other direction

 

[mom2rtk]

Disney is only concerned about the high price of a Disney vacation because it might keep them from implementing the additional increases they want to implement.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

Disney is only concerned about the high price of a Disney vacation because it might keep them from implementing the additional increases they want to implement.

I mean that's how most companies operate; you charge as much as the market that you want will bear. If you need to adjust you do so either up or down.

I would just caution people from taking a line that Disney is doing things maliciously, it's all standard business practice.

 

[Cfabar1]

I mean that's how most companies operate; you charge as much as the market that you want will bear. If you need to adjust you do so either up or down.

I would just caution people from taking a line that Disney is doing things maliciously, it's all standard business practice.

Put another way, Disney is raising prices because they can and enough people still consider Disney to be a good vacation value to justify purchasing a Disney vacation.

Barring a brief blip in 2020, the economy has been on an upward trajectory more or less for about 15 years.

 

[LAS2AMS]

Put another way, Disney is raising prices because they can and enough people still consider Disney to be a good vacation value to justify purchasing a Disney vacation.

Barring a brief blip in 2020, the economy has been on an upward trajectory more or less for about 15 years.

I agree Disney is raising prices because they can - and largely to cool demand. If Disney were to cut prices, many members on this forum would make additional trips to Disney.

Disney is a poor vacation value. Many of the people going there grip about the prices, but continue to spend anyway because they’re addicted. I have a sibling who said they would skip going to WDW this year so they could save up for a pool… and didn’t make it 60 days into the year before booking a trip.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

I agree Disney is raising prices because they can - and largely to cool demand. If Disney were to cut prices, many members on this forum would make additional trips to Disney.

Disney is a poor vacation value. Many of the people going there grip about the prices, but continue to spend anyway because they’re addicted. I have a sibling who said they would skip going to WDW this year so they could save up for a pool… and didn’t make it 60 days into the year before booking a trip.

Value is purely subjective I would say it's poor vacation value for some, your sibling sounds like they're in the other camp.

what you've said about cooling demand could absolutely be Disneys play. I don't doubt that through all of their surveys they've collected that people would be willing to pay more if the parks were less crowded

 

[clarker99]

Worldwide Disney Experiences margins suffered in the fallout of ‘08 crisis. They climbed back up into Covid. Disney took a bit more as revenge travel took place and we can see we are ticking slightly downward for the last few quarters. Will be interesting to see how much margins are hit with the current uncertainty.

We can see margin is not flat and Disney had been asking more of guests as the 2010’s and Disney popularity progressed.

 

[LAS2AMS]

Value is purely subjective I would say it's poor vacation value for some, your sibling sounds like they're in the other camp.

what you've said about cooling demand could absolutely be Disneys play. I don't doubt that through all of their surveys they've collected that people would be willing to pay more if the parks were less crowded

Big business has stretched the definition of value to soften the blow of getting ripped off. It reminds me of participation trophies. For example, sporting events will rip you off on the cost of alcohol because they know they have a captive audience and people want that beverage so badly they’ll pay whatever. But people feel better about it because they’ve been told they’re getting value by paying for the convenience of enjoying tasty beverages at a major event. Or something like that.

The same is true of Disney - it has a large fan base that wants it so badly, they’ll pay whatever Disney wants. There’s a large faction of Disney fans who are literally obsessed. I read a thread on Reddit not long ago about somebody complaining about food quality at Disneyland Paris - and made it clear they had no interest in visiting or eating food in/ around Paris. And it never ceases to amaze me the amount of time and energy that Disney veterans (people who’ve been there many times and rode every ride many times) put in planning every minute of their trip (I can understand planning day by day.. but minute by minute? Youve seen and done everything multiple times before).

 

[BrianL]

Big business has stretched the definition of value to soften the blow of getting ripped off. It reminds me of participation trophies. For example, sporting events will rip you off on the cost of alcohol because they know they have a captive audience and people want that beverage so badly they’ll pay whatever. But people feel better about it because they’ve been told they’re getting value by paying for the convenience of enjoying tasty beverages at a major event. Or something like that.

The same is true of Disney - it has a large fan base that wants it so badly, they’ll pay whatever Disney wants. There’s a large faction of Disney fans who are literally obsessed. I read a thread on Reddit not long ago about somebody complaining about food quality at Disneyland Paris - and made it clear they had no interest in visiting or eating food in/ around Paris. And it never ceases to amaze me the amount of time and energy that Disney veterans (people who’ve been there many times and rode every ride many times) put in planning every minute of their trip (I can understand planning day by day.. but minute by minute? Youve seen and done everything multiple times before).

But value is in the eye of the beholder. Some people have a lot of fun at Disney - for them it is their preferred form of entertainment and they see value in spending the admittedly high prices to go. For me, I wouldn't pay the average ticket price to go to a major sporting event, nor would I spend however much a beer costs on beer because I don't care for it. I don't see the value in that, yet people pay it. The fact is that there is a market out there for both things - and that's all that is needed to create value. Now, that does not mean that I haven't been somewhat disappointed by cutbacks and increases, but, for me, I still get a commensurate amount of entertianment out of my visits.

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

But value is in the eye of the beholder. Some people have a lot of fun at Disney - for them it is their preferred form of entertainment and they see value in spending the admittedly high prices to go. For me, I wouldn't pay the average ticket price to go to a major sporting event, nor would I spend however much a beer costs on beer because I don't care for it. I don't see the value in that, yet people pay it. The fact is that there is a market out there for both things - and that's all that is needed to create value. Now, that does not mean that I have been somewhat disappointed by cutbacks and increases, but, for me, I still get a commensurate amount of entertianment out of my visits.

There are also people who pay thousands to sit on a beach (not my cup of tea, but it is for so many more), you cannot define value outside of revenues for a company, it is very subjective to an individual. I guarantee there are more than not that do not see value in a Disney vacation, that’s not a bad thing. For the Disney corporation it’s more of a question of if their target audience finds value, and to this point the answer is still yes

 

[Cfabar1]

There are also people who pay thousands to sit on a beach (not my cup of tea, but it is for so many more), you cannot define value outside of revenues for a company, it is very subjective to an individual. I guarantee there are more than not that do not see value in a Disney vacation, that’s not a bad thing. For the Disney corporation it’s more of a question of if their target audience finds value, and to this point the answer is still yes

and for those who want to do that - Disney has at least 3 resorts that have an actual beach as well as several others with scenic views of rope/mesh along the water.... Mickey is happy to take your vacation dollars no matter how you'd like!

 

[LAS2AMS]

But value is in the eye of the beholder. Some people have a lot of fun at Disney - for them it is their preferred form of entertainment and they see value in spending the admittedly high prices to go. For me, I wouldn't pay the average ticket price to go to a major sporting event, nor would I spend however much a beer costs on beer because I don't care for it. I don't see the value in that, yet people pay it. The fact is that there is a market out there for both things - and that's all that is needed to create value. Now, that does not mean that I haven't been somewhat disappointed by cutbacks and increases, but, for me, I still get a commensurate amount of entertianment out of my visits.

There are oodles of people who are completely obsessed and addicted to Disney. It’s easy to identify them on this and other forums. My point is that they’re not interested in value as much as getting their Disney fix. I’d handily bet that the lion’s share of these folks have funded their Disney vacations by making sacrifices (poor decisions) elsewhere - whether it’s about their or their children’s health, major repairs (or replacement) to their home/ car, not saving for college or retirement, etc.

I have another sibling who lives in a subpar area that he regularly whines about, because most of his household discretionary income has went to Disney (specially buying new DVC contracts) for nearly 20 years. His family is definitely Disney obsessed and play into the illusion that Disney is their “real” home. Ya know, not the run down crime infested place you live 330 days a year…

 

[Brian rhymes with dyin]

There are oodles of people who are completely obsessed and addicted to Disney. It’s easy to identify them on this and other forums. My point is that they’re not interested in value as much as getting their Disney fix. I’d handily bet that the lion’s share of these folks have funded their Disney vacations by making sacrifices (poor decisions) elsewhere - whether it’s about their or their children’s health, major repairs (or replacement) to their home/ car, not saving for college or retirement, etc.

I have another sibling who lives in a subpar area that he regularly whines about, because most of his household discretionary income has went to Disney (specially buying new DVC contracts) for nearly 20 years. His family is definitely Disney obsessed and play into the illusion that Disney is their “real” home. Ya know, not the run down crime infested place you live 330 days a year…

Most Americans have less than $500 in savings so you can likely replace "funded their Disney vacations" with "funded their life". Seems a bit of a stretch to act as if _just_ Disney vacationers spend and save illogically.

 

[DaviVascaino]

Disney just released the 2026 tickets and it is even HIGHER pricing LOL, which suggests they don't care about cost of vacation. Few days in july/august are few bucks cheaper, but overall, most days are more expensive than before, way higher than any inflation. I went to WDW in Feb 2025, and will go again in Feb 2026. I will pay an extra $400ish for similar tickets for a family of 4 only 1 year later (9-10% increase) Crazy

 

[Aluminum Falcon]

Disney just released the 2026 tickets and it is even HIGHER pricing LOL, which suggests they don't care about cost of vacation. Few days in july/august are few bucks cheaper, but overall, most days are more expensive than before, way higher than any inflation. I went to WDW in Feb 2025, and will go again in Feb 2026. I will pay an extra $400ish for similar package for family of 4 only 1 year later. Crazy

If you don't mind me asking, what percentage hike is that across your whole cost

 

[lowlight]

Disney just released the 2026 tickets and it is even HIGHER pricing LOL, which suggests they don't care about cost of vacation. Few days in july/august are few bucks cheaper, but overall, most days are more expensive than before, way higher than any inflation. I went to WDW in Feb 2025, and will go again in Feb 2026. I will pay an extra $400ish for similar package for family of 4 only 1 year later. Crazy

Oh wow. What percentage raise is that? The major issue is Disney doesn’t have trouble selling theme park tickets, at least for now. They are clearly having trouble selling hotel rooms so all the discounts are on those, or packages with rooms.