Fresh off the news that guests will have to pay to park their vehicles at Disney World resorts, it’s worth noting that more resort fees and increased rates are likely on the way.
Resorts with access to the Disney Skyliner (Disney’s Caribbean Beach resort, Art of Animation resort and Pop Century resort) are expected to increase their nightly rate due to the transportation method that will provide easy access to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. The Disney Skyliner could change or eliminate how Disney resorts categorize themselves as Values, Moderates or Deluxes due to the added premium.
Meanwhile, Disney has also reportedly talked about adding a resort fee that goes beyond their new parking fee. Granted, that speculation came before the announcement and immense backlash of the parking fees, but it showed Disney was ready to pile on the fees in a more traditional resort model.
However, the difference between Disney and other resorts that charge a resort fee is that Disney already has an enormous premium baked into their nightly rates. Can you imagine tacking on even more fees to the current Deluxe prices? Or seeing current Moderates swell to over $300+ per night? All seem likely given Disney’s current model of trying to squeeze as much as they can out of every guest on property.
Something is eventually going to give. The backlash over the parking fees surely got Disney’s attention, but they’ll keep creating new revenue streams until guests complain with their wallets.
