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Credit: DisneyWhile Walt Disney World is known as “The Most Magical Place on Earth”, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its issues, especially right now as the world continues to deal with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. From supply chain issues, mask mandates, and increased costs, Guests have started to notice several issues piling up at the Parks and Resorts right now.
And speaking of costs, some feel that Walt Disney World is getting too expensive and pricing them out.
One thread on Reddit gained traction after one Guest shared their experience of the prices at the Parks. See the full post below from u/ CloudDancingTN:
Our usual WDW family vacation has went from $2000 to $3000 this year.
Same week. Same hotel(AS Movies). Daughter’s spring break. Last year, hotel, tickets, memory maker = $2000. This year, hotel, tickets, memory maker, and Genie+ = $3000. Similar room discounts for each week. I understand supply and demand, its just shocking when it hits you in the face. We will continue to go because we love the parks. It’s getting too complicated though. I just want to ride some rides.
Our usual WDW family vacation has went from $2000 to $3000 this year. from WaltDisneyWorld
As you can see, the Guest claimed that the cost of their annual trip to Disney increased by a full $1,000. They claim that the trip was exactly the same, including hotels, tickets, and memory maker. Those in the comments share their opinion and thoughts on the state of the Parks. User u/TheDerekCarr said:
All inclusives are now our main vacations at this point for both those situations. You can get a ridiculous room for half the price for a family of four in Mexico. Like dual balconies right off the beach at Hilton PVR. We all love Disney but I get the same joy on my kids faces.
User u/MileHighBree said the Parks just arent worth it anymore:
This exactly. I can afford the occasional Disney trip still, but now I just don’t want to go. There’s so many better experiences and the magic has been very tainted by money-grubbing
User u/ commented on the attractions at the Parks:
The crowds are INSANE. If you look at the wait times for the rides at Hollywood Studios it’s clear that they don’t have enough rides to support the number of guests.
User u/sayyyyywhat had harsh words for the Company:
They seem to think their guests are morons. And if people keep filing in they’ll be right.
Related: Guests Worried Disney May Be Selling Old, Leftover Cookies
We recently covered how prices for multi-day tickets have gone up at Walt Disney World. We used a 4-day trip as the basis for our comparisons. Park Hopper Plus 4-day tickets used to range from $546.65 — $708.57 and are now $559.53 — $708.57. It appears that on average, multi-day tickets increased by around $20 or so. You can visit the official website for the Walt Disney World Resort for more information on planning and ticket prices. This is far from the first or last price increase that has happened at the Walt Disney World Resort or in Disneyland in Southern California.
Disney has also been decreasing portion sizes recently. As we had reported:
Walt Disney Company CFO Christine McCarthy addressed the situation, noting that Disney has no plans to outright raise prices within Josh D’Amaro’s Parks, Experiences and Products division. She did, however, indicate that Disney is looking at a number of ways to cut costs behind the scenes, including “reducing portions” at Disney Parks restaurants.
McCarthy noted that this would be “good for some people’s waistlines” when they visit Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort.
We noticed that the beloved Mickey Bars had gone up nearly $1 at the Parks. And those are not the only price increases we have noticed. At Trader Sam’s Tiki Terrace, we have seen price jumps for the following items:
- Nautilus: increased from $32.00 to $35.00
- Uh-Oa: increased from $23.00 to $25.00
- Rosita’s Margarita: increased from $15.00 to $17.00
- HippopotoMai-Tai: increased from $15.00 to $17.00
- Krakatoa Punch: increased from $15.00 to $17.00
- Zombie: increased from $15.00 to $17.00
Related: Baby Spider-Man Stuns Disney Guests, Massive Crowds Hoard to Watch
We also noticed that the cost of the Capture Your Moment photo sessions went up. Previously, the Capture Your Moment photo sessions were priced at $50 per 20 minutes; however, now Disney has raised the price for these private sessions and Guests will now have to pay $79 for a 20-minute session. More on that below:
Reserve a personalized 20-minute photo session that captures the fun and excitement of your special day—and your own unique style! We’ll get everyone in the picture and give you lots of different shots to choose from. Then just purchase your favorites to download and share!
While photos are not included in the price of your personalized photo session, Guests who have Memory Maker, Memory Maker One Day, a qualifying Walt Disney World Annual Pass with a Disney PhotoPass benefit, or a Walt Disney World Annual Pass with the Disney PhotoPass Downloads add-on can download these Capture Your Moment photos at no extra cost!
Have you noticed your annual trips to Walt Disney World getting any more expensive? Let us know in the comments below.
Let the expert team at Academy Travel help you plan your next magical vacation to Disney World’s water parks, four theme parks — Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios — and the Disney Springs shopping and dining district!