October 2025 Price Increases

[Sirwalterraleigh]

We can discuss about it, but, it makes no difference.

If I had to guess, my personal opinion is Disney will continue to raise prices on everything and remove perks wherever they can as they did for decades and decades no matter what is happening in the world as there are plenty of first time visitors with MONEY to give to the mouse.

Can we discuss the actual history?…or are we content just to toss out oversimplified throw away lines as we - the loyal - declare our intent to go along with anything they do/charge?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

They're just stupid.

Tickets, Hotels, and parking need to be a loss leader to get guests into the parks and hotels. Then make the money by raising the food/beverage/merchandise/upcharges/etc.

The ill will created by across the board price increase is so incredibly damaging. Discounts and promotions while helpful, don't get back customers lost and don't undo the PR damage caused by across the board price hikes.

It’s not even the need for “loss leaders”…that was the cds at the front of Best Buy…

It’s more “revenue neutral”…like just cover your ops cost with some things while you fill the money bags with others.

You know where they used to do that?…because they controlled almost literally every dollar spent and allocated? Too easy…

What they’ve done…through bad theory or stupidity - probably a hybrid of both - is create more barriers to entry with price than they can sustain.

A daily reminder: they never had an attendance fall in a non-recession.
Ever. And not to the massive scale that they don’t talk about. 5,000,000 gate clicks just dried up. Maybe in 2022 you could blame the rats and fleas…but in 2025 we have plenty of ivermectin to go around. They’re being rejected…the ball is rolling downward.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Can we discuss the actual history?…or are we content just to toss out oversimplified throw away lines as we - the loyal - declare our intent to go along with anything they do/charge?

We can discuss. This is the place to do it. But no matter what is said here, Disney will do what Disney will do, right or wrong.

I do feel bad for the "normees" showing up to WDW for the first time.

But then again, they have no reference so they do not know what they have lost and how much more its costing.

 

[lentesta]

They are doing this because they need to show YOY growth despite having fewer people attend.

I think the vast majority of Americans don't realize how much having to "beat the market" or, you know, "beat the average index fund" plays into these price increases.

If you have to outperform the average stock over the long term, I think you only have a few options:

• Gain significant share in an existing market
• Create important new product lines (e.g., iPhone, or in Disney's case, D+)
• Increase profits by some combination of:
  • Cutting costs
  • Raising prices
• ... more than the average company

The first two options are costly, time-consuming, and have a decent chance of failure. They're not attractive to a lot of executives. So Disney's main option is cost cutting/price raising significantly beyond inflation and beyond the average of other companies also following this strategy.

 

[Trauma]

I think the vast majority of Americans don't realize how much having to "beat the market" or, you know, "beat the average index fund" plays into these price increases.

If you have to outperform the average stock over the long term, I think you only have a few options:

• Gain significant share in an existing market
• Create important new product lines (e.g., iPhone, or in Disney's case, D+)
• Increase profits by some combination of:
  • Cutting costs
  • Raising prices
• ... more than the average company

The first two options are costly, time-consuming, and have a decent chance of failure. They're not attractive to a lot of executives. So Disney's main option is cost cutting/price raising significantly beyond inflation and beyond the average of other companies also following this strategy.

The problem with this is $DIS isn’t outperforming anything. The stock is basically where it was 10 years ago.


But the company doesn’t need new leadership. Everything is better than ever.

 

[monothingie]

The problem with this is $DIS isn’t outperforming anything. The stock is basically where it was 10 years ago.


But the company doesn’t need new leadership. Everything is better than ever.

Everyone bought into the lie that DTC Streaming would usher in the golden age of unlimited profitability.

The direct and indirect consequences of the at best mediocre performance of D+ have been much more damaging to the company than the billions lost in developing the platform.

 

[monothingie]

I think the vast majority of Americans don't realize how much having to "beat the market" or, you know, "beat the average index fund" plays into these price increases.

If you have to outperform the average stock over the long term, I think you only have a few options:

• Gain significant share in an existing market
• Create important new product lines (e.g., iPhone, or in Disney's case, D+)
• Increase profits by some combination of:
  • Cutting costs
  • Raising prices
• ... more than the average company

The first two options are costly, time-consuming, and have a decent chance of failure. They're not attractive to a lot of executives. So Disney's main option is cost cutting/price raising significantly beyond inflation and beyond the average of other companies also following this strategy.

Ditch your CEO and go with someone capable...who doesn't wear pants 2 sizes to small...and is not internal to the rot present within the company.

Split the company up.

 

[wannabeBelle]

A while ago, right as Covid hit for the first time, I was talking to a CM who was singing Josh's praises. I asked why as I couldnt understand it as Disney was getting ready to lay off most of their workforce. The CM thought it was great that Josh went to Disney Springs and was listening to the people who were going to be laid off. I said "So??" He thought this was just the best thing ever. I tried to explain to him, that not only was Josh NOT being fired, his executive pay along with a bonus was being reinstated. This didnt make him exactly a hero in my book. Maybe I am just looking at this from a very different perspective. We agreed to disagree on that point.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Ditch your CEO and go with someone capable...who doesn't wear pants 2 sizes to small...and is not internal to the rot present within the company.

Split the company up.

Could you imagine if the theme park business was a stand alone business and was allowed to keep and reinvest its profits in to its self instead of financing the other money losing businesses within the company?

 

[HauntedPirate]

I'm still waiting for the explanation around how tariffs are forcing across-the-board price increases on things not touched by tariffs (unless asphalt laid down years ago is impacted by recent tariffs). Because once they increase prices on the things affected by tariffs (the cheap Chinese-made merchandise) to cover the increase (I'm sure t-shirts aren't the only piece of merch with a recent price increase), the rest just look like... a money grab.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I think the vast majority of Americans don't realize how much having to "beat the market" or, you know, "beat the average index fund" plays into these price increases.

If you have to outperform the average stock over the long term, I think you only have a few options:

• Gain significant share in an existing market
• Create important new product lines (e.g., iPhone, or in Disney's case, D+)
• Increase profits by some combination of:
  • Cutting costs
  • Raising prices
• ... more than the average company

The first two options are costly, time-consuming, and have a decent chance of failure. They're not attractive to a lot of executives. So Disney's main option is cost cutting/price raising significantly beyond inflation and beyond the average of other companies also following this strategy.

…so then…that tariff excuse is garbage then?

 

[Smiley/OCD]

Ditch your CEO and go with someone capable...who doesn't wear pants 2 sizes to small...and is not internal to the rot present within the company.

Split the company up.

They’ll never do that (as much as we fans would love them for doing it) because the parks division is the cash cow for the company and spinning it or selling it off would only reveal to Wall St. & the rest of the world just how poorly run TWDC is…profitability hides ALL the other missteps. Bob would have a LOT of splainin’ to do…

 

[monothingie]

They’ll never do that (as much as we fans would love them for doing it) because the parks division is the cash cow for the company and spinning it or selling it off would only reveal to Wall St. & the rest of the world just how poorly run TWDC is…profitability hides ALL the other missteps. Bob would have a LOT of splainin’ to do…

It all depends on how well the individual parts work.

Parks and Experiences would be a tremendous entity.

Disney Core (Studios) could be massive on it's own leveraging out the owned IP to parks and streaming

Disney Streaming would be ideal for integration with say Apple TV or Amazon or Google

Disney Linear - ?

Disney Sports - ?

 

[networkpro]

Ditch your CEO and go with someone capable...who doesn't wear pants 2 sizes to small...and is not internal to the rot present within the company.

Split the company up.

Its not like we haven't seen this model being implemented and subsequently dismantled multiple times (and even Disney has done it before with iInfoseek and Starwave) Companies trying to "corner the market" by assembling content creation and distribution into a single corporate entity. ATT, Comcast, Verizon, Disney, etc. All have tried this path through acquisitions and rebranding but in each case have retreated and spun off those very same assets.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

It all depends on how well the individual parts work.

Parks and Experiences would be a tremendous entity.

Disney Core (Studios) could be massive on it's own leveraging out the owned IP to parks and streaming

Disney Streaming would be ideal for integration with say Apple TV or Amazon or Google

Disney Linear - ?

Disney Sports - ?

But see, that’s just my point… with the parks & experience division so solidly in the black, there’s no incentive to streamline or improve the profits of the other divisions…there’s no pressing incentive. The streaming services are getting as expensive as cable services once you add the different options. I’m still convinced the streaming “industry” will hit a wall sooner rather than later…could/will I be wrong? Sure I could, but when u add up D+/ESPN, Apple TV, Netflix, etc., it all adds up.

 

[Disstevefan1]

I'm still waiting for the explanation around how tariffs are forcing across-the-board price increases on things not touched by tariffs (unless asphalt laid down years ago is impacted by recent tariffs). Because once they increase prices on the things affected by tariffs (the cheap Chinese-made merchandise) to cover the increase (I'm sure t-shirts aren't the only piece of merch with a recent price increase), the rest just look like... a money grab.

Tariffs are NOT forcing across-the-board price increases. Disney has done price increases at least once a year for decades and decades no matter what going on in the world. Everyone knows this.

Some folks want to blame "the tariffs" for everything happening in the world.

 

[lentesta]

…so then…that tariff excuse is garbage then?

I'm sure it's factoring into their pricing for domestic projects.

Did they say something on the record about tariffs? I would be moderately surprised!

 

[AidenRodriguez731]

I'm still waiting for the explanation around how tariffs are forcing across-the-board price increases on things not touched by tariffs (unless asphalt laid down years ago is impacted by recent tariffs). Because once they increase prices on the things affected by tariffs (the cheap Chinese-made merchandise) to cover the increase (I'm sure t-shirts aren't the only piece of merch with a recent price increase), the rest just look like... a money grab.

Probably because the pricing of the parking lot doesn’t go just to the parking lot. It goes through all facets of the company. Not to say that the price increases are good at all but it’s not just a transactional 1-1 you’re paying into.

 

[Dranth]

Tariffs can’t be blamed for parking fees, park tickets, annual passes, tours, lightning lanes…

You think companies don't spread increased costs?

Every single one I have ever worked with, worked for, or run myself has.

A nice recent example, the cost of circuit boards went through the roof, so we sat down and figured out the impact on our costs and then spread that out over all products weighted by the typical qty sold for each product and how much we thought the price increases would impact sales on each. That kept the individual increases small because we could recover those costs across all product lines instead of just jacking up the price of our electronics by 30% or more.

What's more likely the cause is that less people coming on property and they need to make up for that lost revenue through all means available to them.

Oh, this 100% plays into it and if attendance is down/flat year over year (which it likely is flat at best) and the lower it drops the more important it becomes. That still isn't the entirety of the conversation and does not address the sticker shock on costs that is currently going on in many areas.

My push back is from people seemingly acting like these legit increased costs are irrelevant and don't impact decisions within the company.

 

[lentesta]

The problem with this is $DIS isn’t outperforming anything. The stock is basically where it was 10 years ago.


But the company doesn’t need new leadership. Everything is better than ever.

The S&P is up 214% in the past 10 years. Disney's up ... 16%.

That includes $28 billion in stock buybacks, basically lighting that money on fire.

It's a legitimate question to ask whether giving $4K annual bonuses to all 233,000 cast members worldwide for a decade, at a total cost of $9.5B - 33% of the buyback costs - would've done more for the company, the employees, and the communities in which the company operates. It's hard to believe that wouldn't match a 16% ROI.