Disney’s Positive New Changes Aimed at Attracting More Middle Class Families
One of the hottest and most controversial topics over the last year-plus has been the claim that Walt Disney World and Disneyland are turning their backs on middle class families with young children. The company has heard these complaints, and is actively working on changes to address the criticism. This is hugely positive news, and we want to share details and why this is such a big deal to us…perhaps a bit selfishly given that we’re parents to a toddler!
Let’s start with the claim itself, which is really nothing new and actually isn’t even a singular complaint. For as long as I can remember, fans have argued that “Disney World is pricing out the middle class,” criticized the company for “catering only to the wealthy.” Disney being too expensive and moving upmarket is more or less one concern, which is #2 on our Top 10 Guest Complaints About Walt Disney World.
Along similar lines, there’s criticism that nickel & diming and increased monetization efforts that have created different classes of guests. We’ve discussed how this clear hierarchy is at odds with the old “every guest is a VIP” mantra from previous decades, a point that former CEO Michael Eisner has hammered on repeatedly recently.
Running almost parallel to this is that “Disney has abandoned young families in favor of adults.” Examples cited in support of this are the proliferation of bars & lounges, more intense roller coasters with height restrictions, an increased focus on adult toys and merchandise (e.g. popcorn buckets and Spirit Jerseys), removal of playgrounds, and (again) more upcharges aimed at adults.
This isn’t a huge surprise. Childless Disney Adults are a huge growth opportunity for Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Otherwise known as DINKs in the real world, this demographic has disposable income to blow on food & beverage, merchandise, and more.
Arguably, this growing demographic has been historically underserved by Disney, and is going to be critically important in the decades to come as America has an aging population. That’s just a practical reality–an ‘it is what it is‘ kind of thing. Given that alone, it makes complete sense to cater more to this expanding audience. Still, it’s not exactly great optics for the Walt Disney Company to be aggressively courting the Childless Disney Adult demo, and ostensibly at the expense of young families.
All of these complaints are technically distinct. You could be a wealthy young family and lament the booming bar business, or childless middle class retirees and be discouraged about Disney’s aggressiveness with upcharges. The complaints are also inextricably intertwined from a practical perspective.
The end result is the sense among many Disney fans that the current company is no longer living up to its ‘responsibility’ of fulfilling Walt’s dream as a place where ordinary American parents and children can have fun together. At least, that’s the sentiment in some fan circles.
I don’t disagree with the spirit of these complaints, as there are undeniably legitimate concerns about both affordability and Disney needing to do more to cater to young middle class families. We’ve repeatedly called this the company’s bread & butter, and asserted that there will be long term ramifications for not doing more to foster its family fanbase.
Fortunately, this started to happen last year right around the time these complaints reached a fever pitch, with Walt Disney World in particular doing more to target young families. Look no further than last year’s whole Cool Kids’ Summer campaign, character initiatives, 50% off kids tickets, and the 2026 Kids Eat Free promo.
All of this is a massive step in the right direction, and it’s a shift we’ve felt ourselves. More could be done, and there have been a couple of steps backwards (RIP Boneyard), but we’ve been pleased by the progress. We’ve recently learned about more that Disneyland is doing or intends to do along similar lines.
This news comes courtesy of the Disneyland Resort Business Update. We were invited to attend an intimate media gathering with Disneyland President Thomas Mazloum and other leadership from the resort, who shared plans for the future, along with changes they’ve made over the last year to measurably improve the guest experience.
Here’s a rundown of the changes already underway, or on the horizon at Disneyland…
Bluey’s Best Day Ever
Beginning March 22, 2026, and continuing through the year, “Bluey’s Best Day Ever!” will invite Disneyland Park guests to an immersive celebration of the Disney+ animated series, Bluey, inside the Fantasyland Theatre at Disneyland.
Fantasyland Theatre will transform into the grounds of Bluey’s school, where guests can join the fun of Bluey’s best day ever. Throughout the day, Bluey and her sister Bingo will appear live on stage, joining a troupe of comedic actors and musicians. Together, they will bring to life the popular music and games that are emblematic of beloved Bluey episodes, inspiring young families and guests of all ages to participate.
From live music that’ll segue into iconic games like Keepy Uppy, to interactive adventures in a life-sized Gnome Village and Fairy Garden, it’s a special time when play is welcomed and memories are created by all. Guests can step into the fair at Bluey’s school with the Grannies, Chattermax, Unicorse and delight in select themed fave foods at Troubadour Tavern, inspired by the animated series.
None of the above is new news; “Bluey’s Best Day Ever!” was announced last December. What is new is the enthusiasm expressed by Creative Director Susana Tubert and other members of the Disney Live Entertainment team that have worked to bring “Bluey’s Best Day Ever!” to life. They suggested that this would be bigger and better than other recent interactive productions at the Fantasyland Theatre.
Here’s hoping that’s accurate. Bluey’s arrival to Disneyland is long overdue. The popular show once again led all streaming programs last year with 45.2 billion minutes viewed per Nielsen, making it the most-watched show in the United States for the second consecutive year.
Not only that, but Disney first announced the Bluey partnership over a year ago, and originally teased the arrival of Bluey and Bingo at Walt Disney World and Disneyland last year. So if this arrives a year late and is lackluster, that will be massively disappointing. Given that and the lack of other new offerings, Disney needs “Bluey’s Best Day Ever!” to be a big hit.
Bluey Meal Deal
As noted above, there will be Bluey-themed foods at Troubadour Tavern, inspired by the animated series. One of the menu items that Mazloum announced for Troubadour Tavern is a new kids meal for just $5.99. This is cheaper than the Kids’ Power Pack ($6.99) or Kids’ Chicken & Mac Meal ($8.49) currently on the menu at the location.
The new meal for “Bluey’s Best Day Ever” will include a mini all-beef hot dog, Cuties mandarin orange, and milk or water for only $5.99 (different hot dog spread pictured above). While that’s the only announced location for this particular kids’ meal deal, it may be offered at other locations across Disneyland Resort, including DCA. Mazloum noted that food is a major expense, and this is aimed at offering budgetary relief.
While we’re on the topic of Disney kids’ meals, my biggest complaint is not cost, but quality. What happened to the whole Kid’s Disney Check Meals initiative for healthy living? It’s almost an afterthought now, with very few locations that do offer this serving proper meals.
We would love to have grilled chicken or grilled salmon as an option at more restaurants, and would happily pay $8.99 for it. Honestly, I’d rather pay the extra $3 for food that’s actually nutritious–but I recognize that this is an unpopular opinion based on what actually sells and what doesn’t.
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue Staying Open
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue will not close in early 2026, as previously announced. Instead, Mazloum shared that Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue will remain open into sometime in 2027.
Mazloum explained that the decision to delay the permanent closing of the ride was made when evaluating DCA’s needs, and balancing the interests of current guests with future ones. Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue is one of the few family-friendly dark rides at DCA. This is already reflected in wait times, with the Monsters, Inc. dark ride being shockingly popular for what it is.
Point being, Mazloum and his team recognized the practical reality that DCA needs Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue during the upcoming Kids’ Ticket Deal (see below), and found a way to keep the attraction open for longer without impacting construction timelines. It’s a guest-friendly move, but one that isn’t surprising for reasons beyond the scope of this post.
Improved Kids’ Summer Ticket Deal
The Kids’ Summer 2026 Ticket Deal is better this year than last, now offering same price for Park Hoppers or base tickets. Meaning you can upgrade to the Park Hopper option for free, which was previously a surcharge the last two years. It’s actually a clever move on Disney’s part, since parents will have to pay extra if they want Park Hopping privileges.
This is a really good deal, amounting to a discount of as much as $150 to $369 off multi-day tickets (depending upon duration and the extras you purchase, or don’t). That latter number is not a typo–you can save as much as $369 off a 3-day ticket.
The end result is going to be an influx of families into Disneyland Resort this summer, and the free Park Hopping means they’re going to visit both parks, instead of staying in the more kid-friendly Disneyland.
Added $104 Ticket Dates
Also not new news, but Disney did emphasize that when Disneyland raised prices for 2026, the Tier 0 tickets did not go up again. This $104 base ticket price has not increased at all since 2018. It’s pretty remarkable that, after all of the price increases and inflation, the base price to get into Disneyland has not gone up in over 7 years.
Walt Disney World does something similar, but it’s more for the sake of marketing. There are very few of the cheapest dates, and they’re largely weekdays at Animal Kingdom during a 3-week stretch of the year in late summer and early fall. Want to go to Magic Kingdom or any other park? Prices are much higher.
Not so at Disneyland, where both parks offer the $104 entry point. Perhaps more noteworthy, Disneyland has actually dramatically increased the number of cheapest days available at the $104 price point as part of its push to improve guest satisfaction in the last couple years. There were 46 of these dates on the calendar for the first quarter (through April 2026), versus only 26 days during the same timeframe last year.
More Aggressive Ticket Deals
Disneyland has had some spectacular ticket deals in the last year, many of which are targeted at Californians. Through May 21, 2026, Disneyland is offering the best in-state ticket deal (and not just for SoCal residents) that we’ve seen in at least a decade.
Also mentioned during the presentation was more aggressive ticket deals aimed at Anaheim families after Disney leadership learned during a local school event of how many residents had never visited the parks. There have also been a couple of deals through Costco that have offered tremendous savings, albeit with ‘fully-loaded’ tickets that had a higher base price.
While those have been objectively great deals versus their sticker prices, there’s something to be said for the simplicity of the $104 single-day ticket. For some families who struggle just to afford one day, that lower barrier to entry (versus deeper multi-day discounts) is welcome relief.
In my view, these $104 tickets don’t get enough attention. Frankly, Walt Disney World should be doing this with Magic Kingdom on party-shortened MNSSHP and MVMCP days. It’d be a great goodwill gesture and there is a ton of excess bandwidth on those days.
Family-Focused Cast Member Training
During the media event, one of the presentations was by Brenai De Haro, Director of Operations & Integration at the Disneyland Resort. She shared several changes her team has made over the last year-plus to improve Cast Member training, which should in turn improve the guest experience. We’ll be discussing her lengthy and illuminating presentation in a separate (positive!) post, but wanted to touch upon the family-focused training here.
De Haro explained how Cast Members are receiving more training that revolves around young families. She shared this in the larger context of the $50 kid ticket deal for kids and other initiatives Disneyland is undertaking to attract parents with children. Essentially, with the upcoming demographics shift, Disney is anticipating an influx of families and Cast Members are being trained to offer superior service aimed specifically at them.
As for how this training will manifest itself, one example De Haro gave was at restaurants. If Cast Members see a family struggling to juggle trays or find a table, they should step in and offer assistance. Help parents carry trays, find a table, etc.
She said that the small hospitality touches are really what makes Disneyland a special place, and keeps guests coming back. She reiterated what other leaders have said previously, that connections with Cast Members are one of the most positively impactful aspects of the guest experience.
In our view, this family-focused training is a positive. While I don’t believe there’s a difference in Cast Member quality between the two coasts, I do think that Cast Members at Walt Disney World have more experience with children. And that can be helpful.
Reaching New Audiences
One throughline of the entire event was a desire to put the parks within reach of more people, expanding the the potential pool of guests. That was precisely the point of expanding the 2026 ticket deal to all Californians, adding more $104 days, offering kids’ discounts, Costco deals, etc. Disney wants to cast a wider net, so to speak, and reach new audiences. People who were previously priced-out or hadn’t considered doing a day at Disneyland for whatever reason.
One of my ‘unpopular opinions’ for years has been that Disney should reduce the barrier to entry for just getting in the gate once, even if that comes at the expense of Annual Passholders. Even though I selfishly want easier and inexpensive APs (since I am one), I recognize that visiting Disneyland on a weekly basis is a luxury and one that comes with premium pricing, etc. Obviously, theme parks are not a “necessity” for anyone, period, but there’s something to be said for making them accessible to as wide of an audience as possible.
Given that, I was pleased to hear that this is exactly what Disneyland is doing. Honestly, I never expected it to happen. Even though I knew about the expansion of the $104 ticket days and improved ticket deals (since we’ve previously covered these at length), I figured this was more about market forces than a concerted effort to reach new audiences. And honestly, it’s probably a bit of both. It sounds better for Disneyland to emphasize expanding the guest pool as opposed to hitting a price ceiling.
It’s nevertheless heartening to hear that Disney itself wants to attract audiences that previously didn’t visit. Whether that’s young middle class families or Anaheim residents who were priced out. That the company is aware of the long-term importance of nurturing and growing its fanbase. That, basically, what was reported last year in Walt Disney World Being Worried About Its High Prices is accurate.
One point we’ve repeatedly belabored is that Disney’s bread and butter is the middle class families. Parents take their kids to Disney, those kids form emotional bonds, and take their own kids to Disney. Rinse and repeat. Countless multi-generational ‘Disney Families’ exist due to this dynamic, including both of us–and probably many of you!
Pricing out families with small children is the surest way to break the cycle, resulting in future generations that have no emotional connection to Walt Disney World or Disneyland. There are hugely negative ramifications to this ‘pipeline’ of lifelong fans drying up, but their ones that appear over time as opposed to in the coming quarter, so there’s less of a sense of urgency for executives–who will likely move on long before issues are evident–to address these problems.
Thankfully, it appears from the presentations that this is not the case. Disney leadership is cognizant of this, and is actively working to nurture the emotional attachment kids and middle class Americans have to Disneyland by making a visit to the parks more attainable for people of all ages.
Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and tons of other places!
Your Thoughts
What do you think of Disneyland’s efforts to expand its audience, attracting more middle class families? Would you like to see even more done to cater to kids? What about ways Disney can addressing pricing and other concerns about alienating the middle class? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
The obvious difference between the new kid-friendly attractions and the older ones is that the old ones were not all character-themed – today it’s all about pushing the merch. I feel like it’s fair to say that the days of WDW/Disneyland offering new attractions that are not tied to an existing show or movie are well and truly over and that makes me sad, because while many of the new character-themed rides are great I do believe that part of the Disney park “magic” is the stuff that is (or was) unique to the parks. Oh well.
Things definetly change over the decades. My husband and I went on our honeymoon at the poly 41 yrs ago. The all inclusive package covered three sit down meals per day, a free ride from the airport, and cardboard type vouchers for tips that the cast members handed in to receive their tip. We didn’t have to spend a penny extra.
A bottle of water cost $3.75 at Disney World. This is insulting and offensive. Lower that price and stop disrespecting guests’ intelligence.
I think Disney Florida should have a child ticket price for Seniors over 75.
My mother who is 99 comes on vacation with us to be part of the family with her grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren. However, the cost of the tickets is so expensive so she stays in the room because she does not want me to buy her ticket every time and she is on a very tight fixed income.
She still buys food and drink but cannot really experience many attractions.
What are your thoughts????
If they want to attract more customers, lower the prices. I haven’t been to Anaheim since the 80s and at the current costs, I won’t be returning within this lifetime. I do not miss it.
A little regulation of fools and children would help as well. I do not deal with entitlement.
All our kids are adults now…..and I question the wisdom of the proliferation of lounges and bars. We don’t drink alcohol and frankly the non-alcoholic options at these lounges don’t appeal to us at all. When you take into account that the younger generation of adults are consuming far less alcohol than older generations adds more skepticism from me. It doesn’t appear that this strategy was well thought out.
@Tom ~ Sorry but I think you are wrong about Universal pricing being cheaper! Four days at Disney World with Lightening Lane passes is about $838 which brings them in at $209 a day. One day at Universal with an Expresspass is $318. Adult ticket is $139 but their Express pass is $179! These are June 2026 prices.
For an apples to apples comparison, you need to compare the same duration of trips at Universal and Disney. You’d also (arguably) need to compare Express Pass to Lightning Lane Premier Pass, not Multi Pass.
It’s probably fair to say that longer vacation packages at both will work out to be cheaper at Universal. This is especially true if you’d do a high-tier resort, as those include Unlimited Express Pass at Universal.
It really can go either way, though–especially for shorter duration visits with how an average guest tends to do each.
Express gets you into everything, no scheduling needed. No app needed. No having to book 3-7 days in advance, no 1hr use it or lose it. You are free to go on your own schedule, not Disneys.
Ray, it was very well thought out. Older adults with no children are being targeted by Disney because they are less price sensitive and drink lots of high profit alcohol. Remember, it’s all about revenue.
just aside note, I love when people compare a few days at Disney to another vacation they went on for a week, like “oh well we went to Oregon for a week with our family for less”.. Like, oh that’s cool, did they enjoy “Its a small Days Inn pool”? Which characters did they meet at the Super 8 continental breakfast? How many souvenir ticks did you bring home from your hiking trail trek?
ha! I do get irked when people dis theme park culture by acting like so-called “real world” vacations are more valid. I wonder what they’re even doing on this site, thinking they must be trolls just here to insult Disney Parks fans.
Lmao- I am glad you beat me to this Randy. I am so glad he shared this valuable information of traveling to the middle of nowhere is cheaper
but how bout when you can literally go to real Europe for less than fake Europe? Disney had but only raised prices but stated charging massive amounts for what were free perks for 50 years. that needs to dial back. former devotee who is disgusted by their $$ grabbing here.
I think what’s typically left out of those glowing trip reports is that you generally need to be a group consisting of a specific type of traveler to pull that off. Either not traveling with young kids or traveling with your unicorn child/ren who love eating whatever’s available, don’t need child specific entertainment, don’t need stroller accessible walking paths, etc. Not to mention I’ve heard that if traveling abroad, some cultures are not particularly enamored with children behaving childishly in public. (To be fair some are *more* kid friendly than the US, but potentially one more thing to worry about. I’ve heard France can have a bit of a “seen and not heard” mentality with kids, for example.) In addition, if you have elderly, disabled or neurodivergent travelers in your group you may need specific accommodations for them or they may have different travel requirements.
To my mind Disney is still leaps and bounds ahead of most travel destinations in terms of these types of accommodations. Honestly I have few complaints there, other than the loss of Magic Express and a lack of sensory friendly spaces (I suppose that’s difficult as an air conditioned space with comfortable seating would fill up quickly, but still, Disney has used their ingenuity to solve problems like that in the past.) I’m not on the bandwagon that says a lounge with bougie cocktails suddenly means Disney isn’t “family friendly.” Being family friendly means so much more than that. To my mind the only real issue in terms of not being middle class family friendly is price. There is no denying a Disney trip is expensive as heck.
When I was young, both of my parents worked at Walt Disney World, so we were easily able to visit Magic Kingdom (the only park in the 1970’s) with employee benefits. General admission was cheaper, too, because of the system of using A-E tickets. In my junior high & high school years, we didn’t go very often at all, & when we did, we relied on an employee friend to get us in for free (I don’t think they allow that anymore). Then just as I was grown up, we started getting annual passes & that’s been my life story since then. Annual passes are something that’s affordable to me as someone on Social Security disability payments, so I’ve found a way to frequent Disney without even being at a middle class level financially. I realize I can’t speak for those who come from out of town for “once in a lifetime” (or repeat) multi-day vacations with hotel costs added in besides park tickets & meals.
I’m surprised by how many locals don’t even bother with the theme parks. You could say they need the incentive like how Disneyland is trying to reach out to Anaheim residents, but a lot of times the case is more that they don’t see the appeal of theme parks. My parents quit going years ago, so I go alone, & I like it that way. I’m tired of the stigma attached both to Disney Adults & passholders (I will not repeat the insult term for passholders since it riffs on a profane word I never use). I don’t talk along with the Haunted Mansion or any other spiel. I’d basically be talking to myself so that’d look doubly weird. I have mixed feelings about the bars as I’m a teetotaler but don’t condemn others who drink if they do so in moderation. I’ve always been an individualist, so the stigma isn’t going to stop me from doing what I love, but unlike some other nonconformists & individualists, it does bother me what people think, especially if they have wrong impressions of me as an individual.
It is great that Monsters, Inc. will live to see another year at California Adventure. It would be great for Disneyland and California Adventure to bring back activities that open up the parks and get patrons out of the streets. The Hyperion Theater sits while crowds bunch up, when it could entertain hundreds each day and expose them to LIVE theater. The whole Hollywood section is a bunch of empty boxes that could be better used to provide fun for families of all sizes and ages, rather than adding to the hour+ lines to promote movies from 10-20 years ago.
“The Hyperion Theater sits while crowds bunch up, when it could entertain hundreds each day and expose them to LIVE theater.”
Absolutely. The Hyperion is still empty, there’s a ton of atmospheric entertainment missing, and more–all that could be used to help absorb crowds. We discussed that recently in: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/disney-parks-have-supply-demand-imbalance/
This is satire right? Expanding the pool of guests by offering a $104 ticket during the absolute dog days of summer during a wartime economy with gas prices soaring. Lol. What really made me raise an eyebrow was when you wrote, “this spoke to me”. Really? I’m so glad this spoke to you at this exclusive intimate event you were invited to by Disney. This article is written either really nieve or just a straight up fluff piece. No disrespect, and I mean this in good fun.
I would argue this is not aimed at families but rather a preparation for a storm and not some pre Covid pro family eureka.
If you view this as a fluff piece, that’s your prerogative. But basing that on the $104 ticket days section is odd, given that this is not a new development “during the absolute dog days of summer during a wartime economy with gas prices soaring.”
As noted in the article, those days have existed since 2018. The prevalence of $104 dates was expanded two years ago, then again last fall. It’s not something that just happened in the last week or month.
Agreed. Especially with so much construction and broken rides right now, it raises the question of whether Disney is actually trying to help middle-class families or just entice people to visit a half-finished park experience. My money is on the latter. It’s also hard to take that argument seriously when ticket prices have now broken the $200 barrier on some days. This article reads more like a promotional piece than real analysis.
I bet a lot of the childless adults they are catering to, grew up going with their parents to Disney because it was a good value for a family vacation, and they are missing out on growing the next group of Disney fans. When my wife was a kid, most summers her family would go to Disneyland as their family vacation, and she has tons of nostalgia for the park that she wants to share with our kids. I grew up poor only spent one day there and don’t really remember much about it. I never developed that nostalgia, so guess which one of us is the driving force behind our family trips to Disneyland…
Last Summer, we did the math after taking our 5 kids to Maui for a week (from Las Vegas), and it was actually a slightly cheaper than if we had gone to Disneyland for 4 days. I will say that she found some great deals for our Hawaiian vacation, but she also is a dealhound for Disneyland too. All of these things that Disney is doing is great to improve the value of a Disneyland/world trip, either by cutting prices or improving the experience, but it’s still hard to see it as a worthwhile relative to other family vacations. Their current approach doesn’t seem like enough, and may haunt them in the future.
Mr. Bricker:
I’m the target market for this, and it really makes a huge difference.
We took our three children, aged 6-9, to WDW in October 2023 and Disneyland in August 2024. WDW was wonderful, but it felt like a cash grab. Tickets felt brutally expensive, at ~$500+ per person before airfare, hotel, etc. The parks were great, and we had a decent hotel room experience, but it turned us off of Disney a bit. We spent $6,000 for 12 nights of family vacation in the Pacific Northwest the same year we burned $5,000 for four nights and 3 days at WDW. It wasn’t good value for spend.
For California, we benefitted from the Disneyland ticket special where they sold California resident priced 3 day tickets nationwide. Tickets were under half the cost we paid in WDW, and we were able to go over summer break when the weather is more tolerable in CA than in FL. It was a night day and difference in terms of perception for my wife. We can afford the difference, but it’s difficult to justify feeling gouged.
I’m glad to see Disney making choices that makes it easy to share the magic with your children. Disney wasn’t in our 2025-2026 vacation plans, but it’s working its way back on to the list for 2026 with these choices.
Random aside for readers – Disneyland is the better place for your littles! It’s easier to get to and from the close chain hotels with free breakfasts, and there are more characters wandering about who aren’t overwhelmed by families experiencing their “once in a lifetime” family trip. You can take your 9 year old and they’ll get to hug Spiderman and be in awe of Mary Poppins’s fashion and beauty. The time zone also works in your favor. Get in the park at 8 am PDT!
“We took our three children, aged 6-9, to WDW in October 2023 and Disneyland in August 2024.”
Part of the difference, in fairness, is timing. Both the year and the month. August is, on average, the cheapest month of the year. By contrast, October is the most expensive at Disneyland. I know it’s odd given that only two months separate them, but October has gotten absurdly expensive. Discounts have also increased since 2023, which was the high water mark for pricing.
Your other points still stand, especially the walking distance hotels. That alone is a huge difference maker. But I do wonder how your perspective might’ve been different if you did Disneyland in October 2023 and WDW in July 2025, when it offered the best deals since 2019. Of course, last July also would’ve meant Orlando summer weather, so there’s that! 😉
Thanks for the thoughtful comment!
Ummm… notwithstanding all that – (gestures wildly), who told Megatron she could get so big?! Man that escalated quickly!
Now if we could just do more for the 10-15 year olds. My little guy just turned 10 and loves a spin on Tron but still loves getting to give Mickey a hug. Seems a little crazy that in the eyes of Disney there isn’t a difference between him, me and his 79 year old Grandpa!
I had the same thought reading this. Dining plan and character meals make no sense for families with a 10 year old who would need to pay adult prices, despite drinking no alcohol and eating from the kids meal anyway. I don’t know of anywhere else where you cease to be a “kid” at 10.
Considering 10-year-olds as “adults” makes sense for rides. Most kids at that age are going to be tall enough so that 99 percent of the parks open up for them, so they will be occupying a seat on most rides.
But yeah, when it comes to food, they aren’t going to eat as much as me, so they should be charged less.
I agree with Spokker, 10 makes sense for the parks and don’t see a problem with kids being charged full entry price once they are tall enough to ride everything. I imagine 10 being the switchover for food is probably to keep things consistent; I’m sure there’d be just as much confusion/anger if a 10 year old was considered a kid at character breakfasts and an adult when entering the parks.
The nickel and diming definitely feels bad, especially when most of the internet makes the various uncharges seem like non-negotiables. I have trouble fully accepting the “this isn’t what Walt would have wanted” argument though. When he was alive you literally had to pay per ride on top of your entry fee; whether that is paying only for what you use or constant uncharges is in the eye of the beholder.
I agree. I have even older teens and I would love to bring them to Disney again, but since they are over the age of 10, the cost for a family of 4 is just too expensive. Never mind if they want to bring their boyfriend/girlfriends!
I couldn’t agree more about Disney Adults! Don’t get me wrong. They absolutely deserve to enjoy the parks as well. That being said, when they are keeping children (the originally intended audience) from enjoying the parks/characters/etc it’s not good! We went three years ago and had the unfortunate luck to sit behind four Disney Adults at the Frozen show. The two women in the group were standing and yelling “Anna! Elsa! We’re here!” and such. Waving their arms, singing at the top of their lungs and blocking our view of the stage. Their husbands were very clearly mortified at their behavior and when I asked them if they could please enjoy the show seated so my granddaughter (8 years old) could see the stage they told me to go to hell!
I think we should be known as DANKS – Disney Adults No Kids.
Especially since we are awesome and extremely cool!
Ha ha. I’m with you on that. I very much enjoy the parks. Per this article what I don’t enjoy is the ‘teetotaler’ mindset at Disney. Very priggish and so 1950s. It is nice to stop in for an adult beverage in a cantina or pub.
Frank, drinking was more common in the 1950s than today. I am going to make a controversial statement but I’d rather have folks like you enjoy your drinks elsewhere — Disneyland was created specifically as a place that was unlike every other place out there, and it’s still one of the last bastions of childlike innocence. For every place like Disneyland there are 1,000 other cantinas and pubs within 50 miles. Why does alcohol have to be EVERYWHERE, and what is it about your existence and mindset that can’t allow you to enjoy an incredible place like Disneyland without resorting to alcohol? Honestly, I think you (and others with your attitude, I don’t mean to single you out personally) should look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself why you’ve gotten to the point where you aren’t able to survive a day in the Happiest Place on Earth?
When Walt himself said that alcohol “brings people that we don’t want and I feel they don’t need it. I feel when I go down to the park I don’t need a drink. I work around that place all day and I don’t have one,” he wasn’t being “priggish” as he was definitely a regular drinker. It was about the nature of the place he was creating, a childlike world where kids would feel safe and adults could feel like kids.
I don’t
You’re being too kind. This isn’t tinkering at the edges it’s “…ing on us and not having the decency of calling it rain”. What people mean is that they need to drop their prices and stop the up-charging – LLSP for example. Paid nights instead of extra hours etc. etc. Sure a few extra “kids rides” help and who wants to pay $100s a day for a so/so adventure playground? And while we pay – they will continue to charge. I appreciate you have called it positive and Disney hasn’t labelled it so. They really do not care and will keep charging what they feel they can get away with. If you and Disney think this any kind of answer you are being woefully naive. First time I’ve ever disagreed with you, Tom. Keep up the great work – you are an island of common sense in a sea of idiots!
I might argue that some things always meant more for children are also being used more often by Disney adults.
As an example, I would say character meet and greets were always intended for children, not adults. The fact that some adults clog up those lines isn’t necessarily what Disney intended nor can really do much about.
I could not agree more! We visited WDW a few weeks ago and were very surprised with lines at character meets and KidCot stations. Seems to me that kids should get priority over adults for these types of activities and should get to skip the line.
My son is a 31-year-old autistic man who loves the characters. We get plenty of evil-eyed people with little kids giving us bad looks while we stand in line to meet characters. We have paid the price of admission and have just as much right to “clog the lines”.
For clarity, I use the term ”clog the lines” with affection (attempted flavor and slight humor) we all “clog” the lines.
What I meant to convey was just in response to the idea that Disney has been adding value for adults while neglecting children and families. Things that are added for adults such as bars and lounges, remain only for adults. Where as when Disney creates things for children and families, they are usually so well done that they are eventually enjoyed by everyone including Disney adults. So their “kid” offerings don’t stay exclusively kid offerings which may contribute to the idea that they have recently added more adult offerings and less kid offerings.
Side note, I personally (selfishly) love when meet and greets are full with long lines because I have zero interest in them, so that means less people in other lines. Also no one should be giving out evil eyes to other people in lines with them for stuff like that.
UKStu is right, I believe. The hard truth is that adults are more profitable than kids, and as much as we love Disney, it should be obvious that they are now focused on revenue growth. And adults without kids are likely where the most potential lies. Hard to blame them, since the stock market wants immediate returns and more of them. The recent changes oriented towards kids are pretty minor in the overall scheme of things, compared to the all the additional upcharges and monetizing of previously free benefits (e.g. The Disney Bubble, may it rest in peace). We still go to Disney World, but not as often (we live in Seattle) and not for as long. Our fall trip this year will be to Universal instead of Disney. Still expensive, but you don’t get as strong a feeling that they are gouging you at every opportunity.
I’m a childless Disney adult & occasionally I do meet & greets, like for a character I haven’t met in previous years. But one time last year I wasn’t sure if the family with a little boy behind me in line at the Chase Disney Visa Epcot Mickey & Goofy meet & greet would have time to see the characters before the characters went on break, so I let them ahead of me. Does this redeem me? Most of the times I don’t notice if it would make a difference or not to little kids if I sat a meet & greet out. I do feel Disney is also for the young-at-heart & not just the literally young.
In a world of psychological pricing where nine-tenths of a cent is added to all gasoline prices, it’s interesting to me from a PR/Marketing perspective that the lowest priced days are $104 vs $98 or $99. Obviously there’s lots of research and analysis involved with pricing but by reducing the cost by 5 bucks a ticket on maybe the slowest 5-7 days a year, Disney could say that they still allow folks to come visit for under $100.
Sure, anyone logging on and looking at actual pricing on the busy holiday weekend they want to visit is over twice that amount, but that’s just as true with a $104 ticket.
Dana Jones you are not the people we are talking about. 🙂
The $104 ticket is a delicate balance between making those days more affordable while not using that psychological trick to convince way too many people to show up (or fail to secure a reservation).
Tier 0 days can be surprisingly busy in and of themselves. $104 is a good deal, in my opinion, but once the guest gets in, they may be turned off by the long lines and the pitch to grab a Lightning Lane for an additional cost.
Convincing middle class families to show up with price cuts doesn’t only convince middle class families to show up. The childless millennials will take advantage of those lower prices too. Like I said, it’s a delicate dance.