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Credit: DisneyLate last year, after an incredibly slow summer at the Walt Disney World Resort, Disney had the opportunity to rectify the situation by lowering prices for their 2025 vacations. Instead, Disney doubled down by increasing prices across the board on everything from vacation packages to food.
Shortly after Disney announced its price increases, it debuted its most expensive skip-the-line pass ever, the Lightning Lane Premier Pass. The new pass allowed certain guests to skip the line on every ride at one of the Disney World Parks, with the cost ranging from $174 to $449 a day.
While Disney World is drastically increasing its prices in 2025, it offers significantly less to guests. In preparation for new lands and rides coming in 2026 and beyond, Disney World has closed dozens of rides and attractions to start the year, making some lands virtual ghost towns.
This trend from Walt Disney World has not gone unnoticed by writers covering the parks, but now it’s getting picked up by mainstream news sources. Fortune wrote an article questioning if a Disney World trip was affordable for the average American family and accusing Disney of creating a “caste system” in its parks that separates the wealthy from everyone else.
The article points out that for a family of four to have a long weekend at the parks now costs more than $5,000. Sarah Marmolejo, an expert family traveler and loyalty engagement manager at Point.me, said:
It feels like I have to spend $5,000 for it to be not only enjoyable but really just to ensure we actually get access to the rides we want to ride. My kids still enjoy Disney World, but I am looking for new places to enjoy spending that kind of money.
Despite the complaining about the price increases, Fortune failed to realize that Disney parks are still bringing in record revenues. Charging fewer guests more money appears to be a part of the company’s larger strategy.
Even though Disney World expects lower crowds in 2025, don’t expect 2026 prices to drop. It’s all a part of Disney making money.