Disney theme parks in the United States will soon be rolling out a new “surge pricing” plan, sparking consumer backlash.
The new plan mirrors what was previously implemented in Disneyland Paris and follows similar pricing practices by airlines, hotels, and other transportation services. Expected to rollout in March, the plan will have ticket prices fluctuating in real-time based on demand, causing high variations in prices.
Under the expected plan—already rolled out at Disneyland Paris—ticket prices at the US parks will fluctuate in real-time based on demand.
The new scheme —which would cause huge variations in price —could be introduced by the the end of March, Richard Greenfield of closely-watched Wall Street researchers Lightshed Partners said on Friday.
At least one Disneyland aficionado, Jasmin Guevara, said that the plan will simply squeeze money out of her family.
“Does Disney have no shame?” she told Daily Mail. “It has jacked up prices time and time again in the past few years. This will just be another way to squeeze even more money out of me and my family.”
Yvonne Kindell also told the Wall Street Journal earlier this month that she paid $1,123 for her family of four to enjoy just one day of tickets to Walt Disney World.
Richard Greenfield of Lightshed Partners said the pricing plan worked for Disneyland Paris. “Given the early success of Disneyland Paris’ pricing strategy shift, we expect Disney to announce it is moving to a similar airline-style, dynamic pricing plan in the US later in Q1 2025,” he said.
Disney theme parks maintained a year-round flat-rate until 2016 when the company first introduced its three tier pricing system for different times of the year – peak, regular and value.
“Once the new dynamic pricing system is rolled out there will be no set price for a ticket on any given day and the only way to check prices will be to try and buy one in the moment,” noted the Mail. “This new system would also mean Disney would not have to publicly announce ticket price rises.”
Greenfield did, however, argue that early ticket buyers (those who purchase weeks or months in advanced) could come out ahead with bargain prices. The new system may also better encourage early ticket buyers who may not wish to see the prices rise over time.
“Disney not having to publicly announce ticket price increases could be a positive for its attendance trends, not to mention improving pricing yield (driving per caps) in a softer travel market,” Greenfield said.
He also said that Disney’s stock, which has fallen 45 percent of its 2021 highs, will likely rebound.
“Given that theme parks are the core reason any investor wants to own Disney stock,” added Greenfield. “We expect the shift to fully dynamic pricing in the weeks ahead will be a positive for the stock.”
As Breitbart News reported earlier this month, Disney executives have reportedly expressed worry behind closed doors that surging ticket prices could be alienating its core customer base – the middle-class.
“Executives at the Walt Disney Company are reportedly worried that soaring prices are alienating families from its theme parks, with internal surveys showing a decline in guests who are planning return visits to Walt Disney World and Disneyland,” the report said.
“The price of attending a Disney park has skyrocketed in recent years, with the typical price of a four-day stay inside the park rising by $1000 between 2019 and 2024, a new study conducted by The Wall Street Journal showed. The vast majority of that increase — nearly 80 percent — comes from new charges for services that were once free,” it added.
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