Disney theme parks addicted to price hikes as visits become unaffordable for middle class: report

Officials at the Walt Disney Company who work in pricing for its theme parks admit that the experience has become unaffordable for many average Americans as executives at the Mouse House have grown “addicted to price hikes,” according to a report.Yvonne Kindell had dreamed of taking her family to Walt Disney World for years, but when she finally made it happen this past November, she felt less like a guest in a fairy tale and more like a character in a financial horror story.The price tag on a two-day adventure for herself, her husband and two kids topped $3,000 — not including airfare and lodging, which her parents covered, The Wall Street Journal reported.“The whole time, I was thinking about how much we were spending,” Kindell, a bank compliance officer from Bear, Del., told the Journal.Two days of park tickets totaled $1,123, line-skipping passes an additional $208, a meal with costumed characters another $219 and two Mickey Mouse bubble wands added $60.68 to the bill.For Kindell, this would be a one-time trip: “I won’t be going back,” she said.A one-day ticket to Disneyland broke the $200 mark for the first time in October, now peaking at $206.The once-free FastPass system has been replaced by Lightning Lane tiers, with the priciest version costing $449 per person per day.

Without it, visitors can expect to wait over an hour for popular rides — time that could have been spent enjoying the magic, instead of standing in line.In response, attendance at Disney parks has slowed, and internal surveys indicate fewer guests plan to return.Doug Damoth, a Disney enthusiast from Brooklyn, has been visiting Disney World since 1992 and once made it a regular family tradition.But now, he is rethinking future visits.“It used to feel like a special experience,” Damoth told the Journal.

“Now it just feels like they’re nickel-and-diming people at every turn.”Inside Disney, some worry that the company has become hooked on price increases, potentially...