Disney World 2014 Price Increases

By Dave Shute

Walt Disney World has now released prices for the key components of 2014 visits–tickets, resort hotels, and the dining plan.

Prices have generally gone up–but not all of them, and less so than last year.

DISNEY WORLD 2014 PRICE INCREASES IN CONTEXT

Disney World ticket prices went up (effective immediately) in June.

The actual increase varied by which ticket type and number of ticket days you are targeting, but for the most commonly bought options, prices went up about 6%. Last year, these same prices went up about 9%.

In later June, Dining Plan prices went up–also, in a change from past practice (when plan increases went in effect the next January) effective immediately.

Prices again vary by plan, but the “regular” dining plan prices went up about 6.5% for those 10 and older, and 10% for those younger than 10.  Last year, the prices went up 14% and 8% respectively.

Wednesday, resort hotel prices for 2014 were announced. These are more complicated–but the story is the same–generally, less of an increase than last year.*

Last year value resort prices went up (as an average across all the seasonal prices) about 7.5%.  But at the same time, mini-fridges, which had been a $10 optional upcharge, became standard and built into the price, so that for those who would have paid to get the fridges, prices actually went down.

This year, with a couple of minor weekend exceptions in one or two price seasons, value prices are unchanged–that is, not increased–at the four older value resorts (Pop Century and the All-Stars).

Art of Animation is a different story–Little Mermaid room prices are up across the board, from 3-5%, and so are Family Suites, up 4.6-5.3%

At the moderates, prices are also largely unchanged compared to 2013, except for the fall season, up 2.5% on weekdays and 5.6% on weekends. (By the way, the combination of these last two points–moderates unchanged, and standard Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation going up, is bringing Little Mermaid prices awfully close to moderate prices–see the chart here.)

Last year, moderate prices went up on average 3.5%.  So this year’s no price increase–for most seasons–is a big deal.

Deluxe resort prices in 2014 are up across the board–but again less than last year, when prices went up ~3%.  For 2014, prices are up in every season, but only 1.4% to 1.9%.

So the net effect is that while a Disney World vacation is now more expensive–no surprise there–many components didn’t go up at all, and pretty much everything went up less than last year.

WHY THE MODERATION IN DISNEY WORLD PRICE INCREASES COMPARED TO 2013?

“Moderation” is kind of a funny word to use for Disney World’s grab at your wallets, but for comparisons with 2013 prices announced in the summer of 2012, it is fair.

My guess is that there’s a couple of thing behind Disney World’s relative restraint (another funny word to use…) in pricing, and both are related to changes in the competitive terrain.

When Disney set prices last year, it knew New Fantasyland was opening, and hoped Fastpass+ would be in place for much of 2013.  It both expected these to create value for guests and needed to recapture its return on investment in them.

So prices were bumped accordingly. Moreover, none of its major competitors was opening anything nearly as significant, creating no competitive reason to moderate price rises.

In 2014, the competitive terrain is very different.

Universal Orlando will be opening its first new hotel in years, and Harry Potter will see a major expansion sometime in the summer. While Disney World will be opening the last elements of the Fantasyland expansion and implementing Fastpass+, both of these are largely already priced in, given the increases for 2013.

So that’s my take–moderate price increases because of increased competitive pressures in 2014…

What do you think?

*Resort price conclusions are based on standard rooms at a sample of 8 resorts covering 8 or so major price seasons each.

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