A big change may be coming to pricing at Disneyland and Walt Disney World in the not-too-distant future. Disney CFO Hugh Johnston has said the company is currently testing using dynamic pricing for tickets and other add-ons at Disneyland Paris. Those tests have gone well according to Johnston, and he believes a similar strategy may be brought to both Disneyland and Disney World in the future.
Johnston said the change isn’t ready for Disneyland or Disney World next year, but it could in subsequent years. Dynamic pricing would allow Disney to constantly update prices based on demand. Prices could rise or fall based on tickets sold and expected crowds. The same pricing model could be used for tours, food, and more.
Summarized, Disney’s ticket pricing would somewhat resemble airline ticket pricing, though Johnston tried to distance Disney from that comparison. Just like flight tickets rise based on how many seats are sold on the plane, Disney’s strategy would be similar as tickets are purchased for a specific date.
What Would Dynamic Pricing Mean for Guests at Disney’s Resorts?
Unfortunately, this pricing model might make things more expensive and more complicated. Prices could fluctuate in real-time, meaning pricing out a future trip with any kind of certainty might be difficult. Slower days could result in lower prices, but we doubt Disney will drop prices below the baseline they’ve already set.
Guests waiting to buy tickets right before their trip might find big swings in prices as Disney assesses demand. Disney could roll out dynamic pricing across other areas in its theme parks, but they’ll probably do so cautiously to avoid too much negative feedback.
Previous Ticket Pricing Changes
Disney’s ticket pricing strategies have changed a couple times over the past seven years. In 2018, Disney rolled out date-based pricing that varied based on the expected crowds on a given day. In 2022, Disney rolled out park-specific pricing that allowed different parks to have different prices on any given day.
Our Thoughts
Dynamic pricing (just like the pricing changes in previous years) would allow Disney to increase its revenue from guests without having to increase capacity. While Disney has said boosting capacity is its current goal (as seen in its current construction projects), the financials have shown Disney’s attendance has been flat. Its profitability has been through increasing revenue without increasing attendance.
Disney needs to be very careful with how they incorporate dynamic pricing across their domestic theme parks. Dynamic pricing works the best when consumers aren’t carefully watching prices, or aren’t aware of what’s happening. That’s not going to be the case with Disneyland and Disney World where prices are watched extremely closely by blogs other than this one.
Ultimately, decisions like these are just a drive for more revenue. We can’t fault Disney for trying to make more money. But, we will fault Disney is the perceived value continues to degrade at the theme parks and resorts. Guests spending more because Day A is busier than Day B only works if the perceived value is high for those experiences.
