Disney vacations have always been expensive. The cost of staying at a Disney resort, park tickets, and food all make Disney a costly vacation, but to Disney’s credit, once you paid the upfront cost, virtually the only costs left were optional. This article is not to bash Disney for the price of park tickets increasing or increases in the Disney Dining Plan. I understand in a capitalist society that price increases happen, but as a loyal Disney fan I am worried about the foreseeable ways Disney is beginning to squeeze every penny out of you once you’re already on vacation.
Unfortunately, the era of Disney not nickel and diming might be coming to an end. There are a number of upcoming changes including recent rumors of Walt Disney World adding a preferred parking lot to the Magic Kingdom, official Disney surveys are asking if guests would pay an additional $15 dollars daily for resort fees, and even small changes like Be Our Guest Restaurant no longer including the choice of beverage for free at breakfast feels like Disney is going beyond increasing prices due to inflation. Again this is not about price increases, it is about Disney finding new ways to make you pay for things that were previously free, optional, or first-come, first-serve.
One huge reason I never felt a connection with Universal’s theme parks is that I always felt like I was being swindled for my money the minute I stepped inside the parks. Between paying for Universal’s Express Pass (their version of FastPass), paying for preferred parking, and even paying to spray people with water on the water rides rubbed me the wrong way. For all these reasons I never felt truly on vacation in a Universal park because the constant upselling reminded me that I was still in the “real world.” Disney’s old practice of making me pay big upfront, and then just letting me enjoy my time was much more enjoyable.
I’ve never felt like I was being swindled for my money on a Disney vacation, and I’ve never felt like Disney was upselling me on any of their products. Disney always toed the prefect line between making a lot of money for their business, and making me feel like even my expensive vacation was a good value. Unfortunately it looks like this is all about to change.
