Former Disney CEO Speaks Out Against High Park Prices
Do you feel as though Disney vacations are too expensive? Check out the warning about the high prices from a former Disney CEO.
Return of Bob Iger
Bob Iger returned as Disney CEO back in November 2022. Many were hopeful that many issues would be addressed with the return of Bob Iger. Since Iger's return as Disney CEO, he has made a few big changes for the better.
Now guests can enjoy FREE parking at Walt Disney World Resorts, changes to the Disney Park Pass, and complimentary downloads for guests purchasing Disney Genie+. You can check out Bob Iger's big plans for the Disney Parks this year HERE.
Previously we shared that Bob Iger was shocked by the overall increase in park prices. According to Wall Street Journal, "Mr. Iger was alarmed by increases in prices at Disney theme parks that Mr. Chapek argued would boost revenue and limit overcrowding." Now a former Disney CEO weighs in on this discussion.
Eisner Speaks Out
Michael Eisner served as Disney's CEO from 1984 until 2005. In an interview with CNBC, Eisner applauds Disney's decision to bring back former CEO, Bob Iger. Eisner shares, "I think it was a great move for Disney." He does admit that "there are tradewinds that he will have to deal with." Disney fans expect a great turnaround by Iger and this is a bit of a daunting task, but one that Eisner feels Iger can handle.
Eisner even weighs in on the current state of Disney Parks. After his long tenure as Disney CEO, his perspective is invaluable. He states "you have to treat every Disney Park Guest as a VIP." Eisner feels that the current prices at the Disney Parks are too high and warns to protect the Disney Brand.
Many Disney guests were shocked by the pricing of Disney Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes. This replaced the once FREE Fast Pass system and offers a sub-par experience.
Eisner warns that the current trend to "charge for every back house item" such as Disney Genie+ will dilute both the Disney name and brand. This is what many Disney Park guests have been feeling over the past few years.
Eisner warns that the current trend to "charge for every back house item" such as Disney Genie+ will dilute both the Disney name and brand.
What do you think of the overcharging currently taking place at Disney Parks? Do you agree with Eisner that this dilutes Disney's name and brand? What changes do you hope Bob Iger makes to Disney Parks in the coming year? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section.
You are totally right it has become more of a jod than a vacation and prices are crazy .I wish they would go back to the way it was in the 90s
It seems to me that Chapek reign made Disney short sighted, no longer trying to play the long game by keeping loyal Disney lovers part of the family for life. No, let's get each new visitor for every penny we can and if they don't come back...oh well, we'll get the next one. This is great for this quarters stock returns but if you continue to run your business this way you will run the risk of a quick turn off as well, fickle customers create a bad social media buzz and just like that, parks and resorts are empty and during this time you have managed to alienate your loyal, long time customers. DVC members tend to need annual passes but "new" annual passes aren't being sold just so they can squeeze a few dollars more out of park visitors for that one visit, but if you can get passholders to visit 2-4 times in a year, won't they wind up spending more?
I'm not sure I see the logic when we know that the "old way" worked and built Disney into what it is/was...
I used to live in southern California and I had the pass when I was there. Partially during the Eisner years and the rest during Iger. Eisner was not a perfect CEO but he was better than Iger. A lot of the bad stuff we're dealing with started with Iger. Including Genie.
We just got back from a Disneyland trip. 2 weeks ago. I can't believe how much it cost to make the trip to a park that is a sad parody of what it used to be. The maintenance is not being kept up at all. Rides broken down more often than they were working. Small world's clock apparently hasn't worked for months. The ride was dirty and has not been kept up. Many of the rides were in a state of disrepair. Many of the cast members were rude and almost angry.
I used to love the cast members and my interaction with them, now I try to avoid it.
Iger decided years ago that the festivals were easier and cheaper than giving new rides and experiences.
Now the company is losing money on Disney+, Iger way overpayed for Fox, and Covid obviously didn't help. But then in the middle of Covid and the layoffs of your hourly cast members you give many executives massive bonuses. Including one to Christine McCarthy that was 11 million.
It's not Walt's park anymore.
Eisner needs to com back. Maybe he can brin Disney Stores back and Hollywood Studios the way it was before some what.
Having been a visitor to WDW since it opened in ‘71. I believe Mr Eisner is spot on.
In ‘84 we came w a family of 6 , stayed in the then treehouses - for 7 days , had so much fun we were able to extend our time for 3 more days and never had to move accommodations
We went in parks almost every day. We were NOT rich. .
In 90’s we became fl residents w annual passes and literally drove from Ft. Lauderdale to orlando EVERY other weekend. We were NOT RICh. And we’re a again a young family of 5.
In ‘04 we bought DVC and went T least monthly - - to visit our college kids.
We were NOT rich.
‘23. We haven’t been since covid , will not pay the exorbitant prices for passes or lightening lane , or use the reservation system that limits us.
We bank our points.
We may go to hawaii and use them there.
Sad. But as active seniors we wish we could go and enjoy the new park attractions but refuse to to join the maddening crowds and encourage disney execs to think what they are doing is ok !
Sadly for my family our Disney trip last year was likely a one & done deal. I can’t justify spending that kind of $ again. I was shocked how stressful it was planning the whole trip & w/ Genie + (like a job!) But the rides are truly amazing.
Disney is way out over their collective skies on pricing. When you start charging for virtually all items that were once free or included in packages you create animosity and I'll will in as my business relationship.
That is a recipe for disaster and NOT Walt's World.
Used to get annual passes every year to Disneyland for my southern CA. Family of four and used to take a trip to Orlando Disney world every 3 years. But so totally turned off by Disney's lack of interest in its annual pass holders experience and greed. They put the southern CA. Paasholders last and made ut obvious through statements that the local people were nowhere near as important as big spenders from out of town.
We've switched to Universal Studios. Not quite as nice but Harry Potter land is fun and I don't feel I'm just being taken for every last cent I have.
I won't bring my family back to Disney. They've ruined it for us.
We have been Walt Life people since right after Disney World opened. We have always enjoyed our time in the various parks; that being said we believe that fast pass was a fair and equitable way to get on the more popular rides. Lightning Lane and Genie+ are for the wealthy, not for the average park visitor. A family of four spending $80 just to stand in a line that is a little shorter than standby is not a deal, it is a rip-off. Bob Chapek was too eager to please the large shareholders of Disney by propping up the falling revenues of the movie and t.v. division by gouging park goers, many who are multiple return visitors. Michael Eisner did a tremendous job of shepherding Disney through many peaks and valleys and he is absolutely correct in saying the every visitor should be treated as a VIP, not just those who are willing to pay more. Mr. Eiger has his work cut out for him. Can he turn around the image of the "World" and bring back the dis-enchanted guests, or will the Disney experience continue to decline?
I agree that it has gotten to complicated and expensive but that has nothing to do with WOKE. Most people don't even know what that means. It has changed due to poor plans to expand the brand and have the public pay for it. This has nothing to do with WOKE.
Agree with Disney certainly not being magical anymore. Get rid of Genie+ and LL. Get rid of park reservations. None of these things have made the park experience better. It’s only become worse. So far the hotels are still wonderful, but that’s not enough. Bring the magic back and cut out the extras that cost way too much.
My last trip to Disney was Dec. 2022. I took my grandchildren. We had 2 rooms at POP, which we love. Clean rooms are comfortable and close to the skyliner. The rooms and tickets were over 5k for 8 nights. That didn’t include our flights or food. We didn’t purchase genie plus because I refuse to pay the additional price for something I already paid to use.
We also attended the Christmas party. Those tickets were $180 each. I do understand the cost involved and it was my choice to attend but it was a one and done for me.
Will I go back to Disney, at this point I would love to since I would like to see the Flower and Garden show in Epcot but like everyone else has commented the prices are getting out of reach.
Use main gate passes for employees to get in gate
Exactly what do you see happening that makes Disney "woke" that is a negative experience?
I was a passholder but can no longer pay these outrageous prices. I had passes for my grandkids too, but unfortunately we no longer go to the parks. I hated telling my grandkids we could no longer go to Disney parks. The pass that was costing around $350 pre-covid is now over $800 per person. Unfortunately, Disney is only for wealthy people anymore.
Prices have made it impossible for young families. As a dvc member I am already looking on how to get out. It is not worth the cost anymore. I believe genie plus has made it impossible to enjoy the rides and the entry cost is out of control. Been to all but one Disney in the world and sad they have prices me out!
My daughter and husband and their 4 children along with both sets of grandparents just spent an extremely expensive week at wdw. My daughter said to my wife and I, "how can people afford to come here every year?" We were pretty much forced to buy genie+ for each of us ($220 per day for an extra $880) for all of the parks except for animal kingdom. Additionally, we had 2 in our party that qualified for DAS which helped us get on rides, but you spend the majority of your time on the phone looking for rides. The only meal we purchased was dinner and let me tell you, it was very very expensive!! A couple of times, just the grandparents ate dinner together and the average price per PERSON was a over $100! I will say that the staff were very helpful and friendly.
We are a family of 5 and in 2022 we made our last trip to Disney . My wife and I have been going every 3 years for 23+ years. This past trip for us and our 3 kids cost over 15k and we didn't do many extras. The things that made you feel like a VIP were now only affordable by those with $$ as they added fees for everything. Sorry, the once "Happiest place on earth" is now know to me as the "greediest place on earth". Corporate greed has taken over..... I guess the one good thing is we will see many new places now that we will not be going back to Disney!!!
We've been to Disney World more than 20 times since 1983. Now that we are seniors on a fixed incomes, it has become unaffordable. It is also unmanageable unless you are constantly on your phone trying to find availability of rides. It is no longer simple and fun as Walt wanted it to be. I will also agree the Disney has gone so far left and woke that it is not enjoyable anymore. Iger is far better than Chapek, but I think the damage done is irreversible.
We have been going to Disney World every year or every other year for 30+years. Yes, pricing has gotten ridiculous. But, what bothers me more is the addition of Genie+. We are a small family and can absorb the extra charges but that isn't true for most families. Worst than that -- the way it works. I had FastPass down to an art. I LOVED being able to plans my days in advance by utilizing three passes, and work my other rides around those pre-planned rides. Being able to try for another FP after scanning into a ride was also a game changer. I didn't have to spend my ENTIRE day on my phone and pay for the privelege of using an inferior product. I admit I haven't used it as I really don't want to plan another Disney trip as the changes and the fees have turned me off. The Powers-That-Be seem to believe that people will come....maybe they will, until it just isn't fun anymore.
Iger has his work cut out for him (although some of the worst changes were instigated by Iger before he left)...whether it was covid or Chapek, it's amazing how fast everything unraveled in such a short time. Things need to be fixed quickly
...why would a company make guests' experiences so reliant on their technology which has NEVER been great. I'm willing to give them a chance to fix things, but for the first time EVER, I've thought seriously about selling my DVC (which I've had since 1999) and not renewing annual passes. With the economy continuing to get worse, it doesn't bode well for Disney if they don't shape up.
Totally agree with Barbara, Suzy and Douglas!
We used to come twice a year and now are just over a year to every other year and that is getting questionable. We are also DVC but had to let my annual pass go las year as was having major surgery and knew I could not visit WDW for at least a year and with the prices now could not afford to purchase it and not use it. Previously price was around $550 and the last one was over $800. The $500 I would have purchased it again so as not to lose it but for over $800 and not using it was just too much.
Then with prices for meals and don't get me started on Genie+! Something that we used to get for free (fast passes) worked much better than something I need to pay for per person each day doesn't work nearly as well and is expensive!
And Douglas, yes, Disney has gone way far too left! I hate the way they are changing everything and their morals. Cancelled Disney+ as some of the content is too much with young children acting and dancing with adult content.
I want Disney to go back to the Disney that we all knew and loved!
Eisner understands what Disney stood for!!!!!!!!!
Prices are alienating normal people!
We are DVc members from the U K and have visited WDW every year since 2002 (except covid) often twice if we could ! Now we are planning once every 3 years and possibly never again !! My daughter has already sold her DVC and unless prices change very sadly mine will follow ! It’s not just genie + costs instead of free fastpassez but the cost of park passes no free AirPort Express and the food costs !!!!!! Every nice perk has gone ! It’s just money grabbing and Disney don’t seem ashamed to show it
Why not do like Universal and if you stay in a deluxe hotel the equivalent of Genie + is free ! Or just bring back the free fastpass system for all !!!
We are using our annual passes we bought pre covid as we come for a month ! ( flights cost $800-1300each) so we make our trips longer . The cost of renewing the passes is abhorrent compared to what we paid 3 years ago! We can’t afford it . Interestingly I found a receipt from the first time we came to Florida and we purchased a two week pass for Wdw. Universal studios and seaworld for $106 total !!!!! How times have changed .
When we came last year we ate in 4 table service restaurants ( 2 breakfasts to meet Mickey for my grandkids) and two entrées only meals . We can’t afford how we used to eat most days ! We made sandwiches in our studio and cooked pasta and meals bought from Walmart ! This is not Disney where’s the fun in that ??? having to say no to ice creams for the kids or yes you can have one but you must share and the adults don’t have one !!! So really Disney lost money on us last year due to the over inflated prices ! Genie + cost is a joke when there’s 11 of us or even for 2 if we visit for a long time . It makes us and I am sure others feel normal families ( we are / were all teachers ) are no longer wanted at WDW !
If we feel the same way after our trip this July it will be our last visit to W D W ( heartbreaking
Disney has not only gotten too expensive, due to greed, but they have gone too far left.