Disney World Adjusts Prices and Adds Perks in Response to Epic Universe
Disney is breaking years of precedent and trying to win back customers – at least at its premier theme parks. In a stunning move, Disney World guests are being offered some tantalizing deals in the coming months, including free dining plans (which cover meals and snacks) with certain packages, 50% off three-day or longer kids’ tickets, and free admission to water parks Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach on your first day of your stay at a Disney hotel. Then, in 2026, some theme park admission ticket prices will actually go down; according to That Park Place, the lowest ticket price for The Magic Kingdom will go down $5 to $139 from $144, and the highest tier price for Epcot will go down $10 to $184 from $194. Moreover, next year will bring a free dining plan specifically for kids, and they’re going to keep the 30-minute early access to the parks for Disney hotel guests. That Park Place points out that these deals seem specifically geared towards families, which is a break from Disney’s recent push towards single adults who go to the parks without children, offering things like alcohol, lounges, and expensive merchandise for collectors.
It’s easy to see why Disney is making all these changes to entice parkgoers back to the Happiest Place on Earth: Epic Universe. Universal Orlando’s big expansion, offering a series of “worlds” based on Harry Potter, Nintendo, How to Train Your Dragon, and the Universal Monsters, has gotten theme park enthusiasts excited, particularly now that Universal has given the public a glimpse of what to expect from Epic Universe when it officially opens in a month. Park Hoppin’ has been exploring Epic Universe over the last couple of weeks, and it looks like Universal did a spectacular job with their new rides and attractions, right down to having the legendary Danny Elfman(!) do the music for Dark Universe, the domain of the Universal Monsters. This is in contrast to Disney, which has made a series of nonsensical decisions over the past few years, like getting rid of the most popular theme park ride in the world, Splash Mountain, and replacing it with something that never seems to run properly, or removing the beloved Rivers of America section. Universal is utilizing its most popular and enduring properties while Disney is jettisoning theirs to make way for a bunch of things nobody wants, and they’re rightfully spooked, hence the price adjustments and perks.
The focus on families is likely a direct result of Epic Universe’s design as well. The Isle of Berk, the land based on How to Train Your Dragon, is full of children’s activities and fun stuff for the whole family, possibly including the spectacle of actual flying dragons. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic brings the books and movies to life with painstakingly constructed recreations of some of the locations from J.K. Rowling’s fantasy novels. Super Nintendo World lets children jump into their favorite video games with their parents, who likely grew up on classic Nintendo and are just as thrilled as their kids. And Dark Universe is something for grown-ups and their older kids who want a few scares with their theme park experience. (Or they could be for little kids with cool parents who raised them on the Universal Monsters, like mine did.) All this stuff is designed to give families a good time, not to appeal to people with no kids, and the hype has to be real because Disney is adjusting in response to Epic Universe. The success of this park could be beneficial to everyone, even those who choose Universal’s competitor.
Let us know what you think of Disney World’s new perks in the comments!
For more on Epic Universe, Disney World, and more, check out Park Hoppin’!
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