General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: 'The magic's too expensive': Disney is 'pricing out loyal customers' by targeting more affluent fami [View all]Zeitghost
(3,858 posts)We just got back a two weeks ago. The last trip was a splurge and we booked two rooms at the Grand Californian to celebrate our return. But a normal 2-4 day trip for our family of four runs about $1,000/Day for tickets, offsite walkable hotel, food, transportation (we're a 4 hour drive) and souvenirs. You can do it cheaper if you get a budget hotel, plan your meals and keep the extra spending to a minimum. You can also easily double that cost or more with an onsite hotel and higher end dining.
To be honest, I'd pay double for half the capacity. Disney is underpriced right now, they could jack prices up higher and still fill the parks. It sucks for those who can't afford it, but demand is through the roof and lowering prices would mean turning people away at the gates due to capacity issues. That's one of the big reasons they killed the Annual Pass program during COVID. With locals only rates and monthly payment options they had more AP holders than they could manage and the crowds were getting insane year round. COVID gave them the ability to shut it all down and when it returns, the pricing and financing options are going to be much different. They would raise prices considerably on daily tickets if they could, but the public reaction would hurt the brand image and impact their non-theme park business.