It’s a Movement: Disney Is Too Expensive

by | Feb 27, 2024 | Consumer Issues

Family in mountains, Val d'Aosta, Italy

Disney has been getting a lot of bad press for their out-of-control pricing. There’s no question anymore that Disney only enjoys shaking you down for money…all the livelong day. Let’s take a look at their flagship park, Disney World.

I don’t know if companies realize how much of a turnoff it is when they take away something free and replace it with a paid option. Disney sure doesn’t, as every transportation option to and from airports is now paid — after decades of providing free shuttles.

Across the hospitality division the story is the same. Disney has people paying for the continental breakfasts they offer for free at Holiday Inn Express. Even people who spend thousands on luxury rooms and experiences have been complaining about the taking away of free alcohol in their lounges.

 By far the most annoying part of the trip — in the majority of reviews — was the app that governs your experience at Disney World. Called Genie+, you didn’t think it was going to be free, did you? What’s even more infuriating is  that the price of Genie+ varies. The website offers instead a range of prices from $23 to $39 per person for the app.

There is literally a Star Wars themed hotel that costs $1,209 a night to stay there. 

We’ve all heard about $17 bottles of water for years, but now there appears to be a werewolf that has awakened in the Disney corporate culture. They have confidence because consumers have gone along with the exorbitant prices of Disney World for so long, but this new movement seems foundational.

Besides, who needs Disney World when there is Washington DC. The Capitol and White House tours and viewing the monuments are not only educational, they’re free! That’s what we did recently and I was surprised to learn my grandson really — really — likes the Secret Service. They couldn’t have been nicer to him answering all of his seven-year-old questions. The weather is milder and cherry blossom time is right around the corner. Instead of reserving a 60-second roller coaster ride a day in advance, go to the Smithsonian, it’s free! 

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