The cost of visiting Walt Disney World has increased significantly in recent years. In particular, two line items in many visitors’ budgets have been the source of much discussion and controversy surrounding the value of a Walt Disney World trip.
Disney is not unaware of this feedback. As it evaluates its products and services compared to competitors and even compared to previous versions of itself, Disney might be considering lowering prices of two expensive components of a Walt Disney World visit. At Mickey Visit, we cover the latest Disney news, like the permanent closure of a favorite ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and what Disney’s recent business performance means for its future.
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New Disney World Survey Hints at Discounts for Annual Passes and Lightning Lanes
Significantly lower prices for Walt Disney World Annual Passes and Lightning Lane Multi Pass could be on the way.
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In a survey recently sent to guests prior to their Walt Disney World hotel arrival, Disney asks, “…would you purchase a Walt Disney World Annual Pass if it were offered at an additional discount of $400?” As examples, the survey cites the Disney Incredi-Pass, the highest tier of Walt Disney World Annual Pass, which currently costs $1,629. The survey also references the Disney Sorcerer Pass, an upper-tier Florida-resident option, which currently costs $1,099. A discount of $400 would place these options at $1,229 and $699, respectively.
Disney also inquires in the survey if the guest would purchase a Lightning Lane Multi Pass at a price point of $30, $27, $25, or $15. Lightning Lane Multi Pass is one of Walt Disney World’s services for skipping the standby line at major attractions. The cost of Lightning Lane Multi Pass varies by day and by park, but it’s around $25-$30 per person, per day. Some guests may balk that price, but perhaps could be persuaded to purchase it if Disney offered it for just a few dollars less.
To be clear, the mention of lower prices in a survey doesn’t mean Disney will implement those price changes. Disney hasn’t announced anything themselves. Rather, Disney and other theme park companies sometimes gauge interest for potential policy changes or even for future attractions by means of a survey before committing to any given choice. By putting out feelers for guests’ willingness to budge on Annual Pass or Lightning Lane Multi Pass purchases, Disney may be assessing whether or not such a financial risk it would make sense.
Disney World Doubled its Prices in 10 Years
10 years ago, the equivalent of the Disney Incredi-Pass cost $649 while the equivalent of the Disney Sorcerer Pass cost $549, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Again, today the Disney Incredi-Pass costs $1,629 and the Disney Sorcerer Pass costs $1,099. In both cases, the product’s price more than doubled in a decade.
It’s not hard to imagine many guests who previously renewed their Annual Passes every year stopped doing so simply because the price was no longer affordable for them. We also looked at ticket price increases over the past decade at Disney here.
As for Lightning Lane, even when on its least-expensive days, its costs add up. A family utilizing this system for the length of their vacation could easily spend several hundred dollars. That’s on top of spending money on the completely separate Lightning Lane Single Pass selections. One of the primary complaints against Lightning Lanes is it monetized a service that was, for over two decades, completely free. FastPass, Disney’s previous line-skipping system, cost $0 to the guest. No matter what price Lightning Lane access costs, it’s always going to be a frustration for longtime Walt Disney World guests who remember when they didn’t have to pay a dime for the same advantage. This frustration is compounded exponentially when the difference becomes hundreds of dollars.
The mention in a survey of a huge discount for Walt Disney World Annual Passes and lower prices for Lightning Lane Multi Pass isn’t necessarily a guarantee Disney will act on either of those decisions. However, it does indicate guests’ concerns about the prices of these products is on Disney’s radar.
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User @monothingie on the WDW Magic forums first reported the survey.
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