News Disney CFO Hugh Johnston Says Dynamic Pricing Is Coming to the Parks

[MrPromey]

Stop talking about the misplaced concept of luxury and it becomes so much more understandable.

People are okay with paying a higher price for what Disney provides.

What Disney does best is allow people to have some nicer hotels and restaurants combined with the casualness and hectic pace of a theme park atmosphere and without having to leave the premises.

They get extra money for that because a whole lot of people want it.

The luxury part comes in more with the cruise ships where people are saying Disney doesn't differentiate in any positive way when it comes to nicer accommodations, service, restaurants or proximity to theme parks.

The whole debate between us came over an example regarding a Star Wars themed bar on a Disney cruise ship I mentioned where people had been saying it was sub-par other than the Star Wars part.

I brought up the resort thing because it was another conversation happening at the same time where people were talking about how Disney could do better but chooses not to even with what they present as their top-of-the-line. I may have muddied the conversation by adding that.

An argument could be made they could put a Motel 6 - zero theme, right on the side of the Magic Kingdom (two stories so no sight-line issues from within the park) with direct access through an entrance in Fantasy Land - maybe 100 foot walk from pool area to security check at that side gate, charge more for it than any other place on property and people would find value in that easy trip to and from their room.

No consideration for the accommodations other than ease of access to just that one park, at all.

I suppose I could understand that.

The primary discussion was about the cruise line though and if being Disney was enough to make their prices justified when their ships don't dock in Seven Seas Lagoon and there is no Haunted Mansion or Cosmic Rewind on any of them.

Most of the people who've done them and other lines on here seem to be in agreement it's not and that they are way overpriced for what they offer. It's also worth noting that the person arguing against me that the cruse lines are worth the price hasn't actually been on one so

I found @BranLo's post to be pretty insightful on the actual detals as someone who's been on where they compare to others in that industry, though:

News Post in thread 'Disney CFO Hugh Johnston Says Dynamic Pricing Is Coming to the Parks'

Nov 27, 2025

What you're saying in the last couple of posts is you like Disney's marketing and branding more - not, objectively, their cruises. You might like their cruises more, too but that's not what you're talking about.

I thought you were going to delve into what each had to offer that actually made the experiences so different either in service or amenities, crew attitudes, various accommodations, etc., not try to lead me down the path of their various approaches to marketing hokum.

There’s definitely a very large subgroup who are simply in it for the IP marketing slathering over the...

• BrianLo

• 

Personally, my beef is that it seems as though the company as a whole has shifted to this attitude that they no-longer have to compete with anyone in many areas just because they own half the worlds popular IP now. That's why the cruse ship discussion grabbed me to begin with.

 

[DisneyHead123]

Stop talking about the misplaced concept of luxury and it becomes so much more understandable.

People are okay with paying a higher price for what Disney provides.

What Disney does best is allow people to have some nicer hotels and restaurants combined with the casualness and hectic pace of a theme park atmosphere and without having to leave the premises.

They get extra money for that because a whole lot of people want it.

I would also say that Disney provides a particular narrative, one that is reinforced subconsciously with art, architecture, language, and other small cues throughout. Clearly not everyone is impacted by this or even notices it, but I would say the proof is in the pudding when it comes to the popularity of Disney experiences. If it was easily replicated, we would see many many other businesses replicating it and charging the same premium.

 

[Chi84]

The luxury part comes in more with the cruise ships where people are saying Disney doesn't differentiate in any positive way when it comes to nicer accommodations, service, restaurants or proximity to theme parks.

The whole debate between us came over an example regarding a Star Wars themed bar on a Disney cruise ship I mentioned where people had been saying it was sub-par other than the Star Wars part.

I brought up the resort thing because it was another conversation happening at the same time where people were talking about how Disney could do better but chooses not to even with what they present as their top-of-the-line. I may have muddied the conversation by adding that.

An argument could be made they could put a Motel 6 - zero theme, right on the side of the Magic Kingdom (two stories so no sight-line issues from within the park) with direct access through an entrance in Fantasy Land - maybe 100 foot walk from pool area to security check at that side gate, charge more for it than any other place on property and people would find value in that easy trip to and from their room.

No consideration for the accommodations other than ease of access to just that one park, at all.

I suppose I could understand that.

The primary discussion was about the cruise line though and if being Disney was enough to make their prices justified when their ships don't dock in Seven Seas Lagoon and there is no Haunted Mansion or Cosmic Rewind on any of them.

Most of the people who've done them and other lines on here seem to be in agreement it's not and that they are way overpriced for what they offer. It's also worth noting that the person arguing against me that the cruse lines are worth the price hasn't actually been on one so

I found @BranLo's post to be pretty insightful on the actual detals as someone who's been on where they compare to others in that industry, though:

News Post in thread 'Disney CFO Hugh Johnston Says Dynamic Pricing Is Coming to the Parks'

Nov 27, 2025

What you're saying in the last couple of posts is you like Disney's marketing and branding more - not, objectively, their cruises. You might like their cruises more, too but that's not what you're talking about.

I thought you were going to delve into what each had to offer that actually made the experiences so different either in service or amenities, crew attitudes, various accommodations, etc., not try to lead me down the path of their various approaches to marketing hokum.

There’s definitely a very large subgroup who are simply in it for the IP marketing slathering over the...

• BrianLo

• 

I’ve been on two DCL cruises and we have another two booked.

DH and I chose Disney to see if it would be good for a family vacation and we decided to take our daughter and her family with us on the Treasure.

The ships aren’t over the top with theming and there are tons of things for adults to do if they’re sailing without kids. Even when it’s just the two of us we prefer a family atmosphere and a more casual dress code.

I guess I’m just not into “luxury” in excess of what we experienced. We loved our dining experiences at Enchante and Palo but equally enjoyed the fun of Pirate’s Night and the dinner show at Plaza de Coco.

I suppose we can try a cruise geared more toward adults but I think I would be unhappy if I didn’t get to see Jack Jack’s Diaper Dash.

Disney is Disney. Comparisons are hard.

The lack of “luxury” at Disney is often a straw man argument made by posters who can’t cope with the fact that Disney is not failing.

 

[MrPromey]

Disney is Disney. Comparisons are hard.

The lack of “luxury” at Disney is often a straw man argument made by posters who can’t cope with the fact that Disney is not failing.

For me it's love/hate - kind of like my relationship with Nintendo for very similar reasons.

Both of them got me hooked on their supply very young.


_

 

[Chi84]

For me it's love/hate - kind of like my relationship with Nintendo for very similar reasons.

Both of them got me hooked on their supply very young.

_

I enjoy Disney but don’t feel as strongly about it as others here.

Maybe it’s because I visited WDW for the first time as an adult. We couldn’t afford it when I was younger.

 

[MrPromey]

I enjoy Disney but don’t feel as strongly about it as others here.

Maybe it’s because I visited WDW for the first time as an adult. We couldn’t afford it when I was younger.

It definitely is.

One of the very last memories I have of my grandfather is our family driving an hour and a half up to Disney one early evening to see the Main Street Electrical parade (back when day tickets were such that doing so wasn't a ridiculously expensive idea). He was dying of lung cancer and was already at the point where he could no-longer push his own wheelchair. The decline was quick. I remember going with him to get fire wood from logs* you had to cut yourself just a few months prior as a really young kid - I think I was about four? The parks weren't quite as accessible/accommodating at that point and that was one of the only things he could do. I believe that may have been the last time he ever left his bed.

I think there are a lot of people that have complicated multi-generational emotions tied up with that place (and the company) that sometimes makes us seem a little crazy.

They have long capitalized on that sort of thing. I recall a marketing campaign from not that long ago with a slogan along the lines of "magic, for a limited time only" featuring happy families with emphasis on the faces of the young kids - the message was obvious.

That's why you see uproar when they decide to do things like tear out Rivers of America for a cars ride in Frontier Land even though it seems like a silly first world problem.

*Yeah, it does sometimes actually get cold in FL and fireplaces used to be not that uncommon in home builds in the top two thirds of the state. Probably more for the cozy experience around holidays than pure necessity and probably to attract buyers who were northern transplants, which my grandparents were.

 

[BrianLo]

I found @BranLo's post to be pretty insightful on the actual detals as someone who's been on where they compare to others in that industry, though:

Personally, my beef is that it seems as though the company as a whole has shifted to this attitude that they no-longer have to compete with anyone in many areas just because they own half the worlds popular IP now. That's why the cruse ship discussion grabbed me to begin with.

Beetlejuice, beetlejuice, beetlejuice.

I have long held this complaint that DCL has exceedingly failed to become a proper main player in the industry. Which is one of the ways they derive pricing power, by remaining nimble and niche. Royal plops out a ship that’s as large as a third of DCL’s total fleet.

I will say that their credit they seem to have suddenly gotten the memo. The fleet expansion finally gets the assignment.

I will reiterate that unlike hotels, I still do not think DCL commits the sin of misclassification. In my purview they are a low premium line with high end premium pricing. Nor the power of their kitsch. It’s generally well represented and well done. Notwithstanding the Star Wars bar. Inclusivity is better than on land. Entertainment is much better than their median theme park offerings. Service is leaps and bounds above their hotels (but that’s pretty much true of cruising in general). There’s a lot of lessons the cruise brand could teach the land one.

One of the ways I can say they seem to get it, is there is a craving for slightly more boutique offerings, which is in part where service and crew ratios further come into play in the premium classification. While mass markets like Carnival, NCL and RCL go bigger and bigger, DCL’s next class is 30% smaller (ignore Adventure, a one-off strategic acquisition) than their already relatively low-medium sized ships. RCL purportedly wants to build smaller, but as details come out the ships RCL are thinking is small is still going to be bigger than Disneys current class, let alone their next one.

One of the reasons the Disney faithful are so into DCL is because there is still an industry wide price discrepancy between land and sea. Your same dollars will take you a lot more premium on sea with Disney than on land. So I’d certainly never say the product is not a very good product, nor completely unworthy. I’m paying the soul crushing amount to do Alaska, but it is for my nieces who are exceedingly into Disney kitsch, so we’ll derive some of the value back there. Though unlike land, it’s really very hard to say Disney is a major innovator. I do think their approach to dining entertainment and rotation is novel though.

They were beat to the punch of bringing their guests to ostensibly their own water parks. That’s where the mass market industry is heading next, I’m not sure if they will follow entirely. Nor if they should.

 

[flynnibus]

While people may complain about DCL's pricing.. at least it's not 4x as high as it's peers.. which is exactly what Bay Lake properties are...

 

[MrPromey]

Beetlejuice, beetlejuice, beetlejuice.

Not gonna lie, the entire post was interesting but this was my favorite part.

I debated on the or the for my reaction but didn't want to look like I was laughing at the whole post.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The luxury part comes in more with the cruise ships where people are saying Disney doesn't differentiate in any positive way when it comes to nicer accommodations, service, restaurants or proximity to theme parks.

The whole debate between us came over an example regarding a Star Wars themed bar on a Disney cruise ship I mentioned where people had been saying it was sub-par other than the Star Wars part.

I brought up the resort thing because it was another conversation happening at the same time where people were talking about how Disney could do better but chooses not to even with what they present as their top-of-the-line. I may have muddied the conversation by adding that.

An argument could be made they could put a Motel 6 - zero theme, right on the side of the Magic Kingdom (two stories so no sight-line issues from within the park) with direct access through an entrance in Fantasy Land - maybe 100 foot walk from pool area to security check at that side gate, charge more for it than any other place on property and people would find value in that easy trip to and from their room.

No consideration for the accommodations other than ease of access to just that one park, at all.

I suppose I could understand that.

The primary discussion was about the cruise line though and if being Disney was enough to make their prices justified when their ships don't dock in Seven Seas Lagoon and there is no Haunted Mansion or Cosmic Rewind on any of them.

Most of the people who've done them and other lines on here seem to be in agreement it's not and that they are way overpriced for what they offer. It's also worth noting that the person arguing against me that the cruse lines are worth the price hasn't actually been on one so

I found @BranLo's post to be pretty insightful on the actual detals as someone who's been on where they compare to others in that industry, though:

News Post in thread 'Disney CFO Hugh Johnston Says Dynamic Pricing Is Coming to the Parks'

Nov 27, 2025

What you're saying in the last couple of posts is you like Disney's marketing and branding more - not, objectively, their cruises. You might like their cruises more, too but that's not what you're talking about.

I thought you were going to delve into what each had to offer that actually made the experiences so different either in service or amenities, crew attitudes, various accommodations, etc., not try to lead me down the path of their various approaches to marketing hokum.

There’s definitely a very large subgroup who are simply in it for the IP marketing slathering over the...

• BrianLo

• 

Personally, my beef is that it seems as though the company as a whole has shifted to this attitude that they no-longer have to compete with anyone in many areas just because they own half the worlds popular IP now. That's why the cruse ship discussion grabbed me to begin with.

They believe they have no competition…

It’s this nonsense:

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

While people may complain about DCL's pricing.. at least it's not 4x as high as it's peers.. which is exactly what Bay Lake properties are...

No it’s double…and trips to Cozumel and the Bahamas aren’t as fun as Epcot…if we’re honest

 

[Tha Realest]

Speaking of Disney increasing “yield” and DCL…

There’s a scuttlebutt on social media how on the Destiny the churro waffles are only available on concierge.

To be clear: they have them on the boat, but only if you’ve already paid a premium.

 

[Chi84]

Speaking of Disney increasing “yield” and DCL…

There’s a scuttlebutt on social media how on the Destiny the churro waffles are only available on concierge.

To be clear: they have them on the boat, but only if you’ve already paid a premium.

We were on the Treasure 6 months ago and they were in concierge only on the same day they were available on the rest of the ship. What was the source?

Cruise critic is reporting they'll be at Marceline Market one day each cruise on the Destiny.

 

[jah4955]

I'm posting this on 2 forums because it's relevant in 2 forums in two different ways.

From Bob Thomas' biography on Walt Disney

"Walt insisted on fine furnishings for the restaurants, even though they would be serving reasonably priced meals. He believed that if a family sat under a $50,000 [$608,239 in 2025 dollars] chandelier and ate good food at a fair price, the experience would add to their enjoyment of the park."

 

[JoeCamel]

I'm posting this on 2 forums because it's relevant in 2 forums in two different ways.

From Bob Thomas' biography on Walt Disney

"Walt insisted on fine furnishings for the restaurants, even though they would be serving reasonably priced meals. He believed that if a family sat under a $50,000 [$608,239 in 2025 dollars] chandelier and ate good food at a fair price, the experience would add to their enjoyment of the park."

Walt never had to make a choice between fine furnishings and $25 cheeseburgers that no one would buy, in his day it was possible to do both but today it really isn't practical. Cake Bake comes to mind

 

[Miss Bella]

Oddly, I'd say the Wish-class is more focused on adults, given the number of bars now, to the detriment of the actual adults-only area. That feels like it was an afterthought in the design process, whereas there seem to more bars than you can shake a stick at.

True story - When we watched the "Making of The Wish" show during our sailing, they said one of the biggest complaints was that adults "couldn't find the bars" on the older four ships.

You can't be serious. There's bars everywhere on all Disney ships. Just walk 100 feet in any direction you'll find one.
Even the coffee bars and popcorn stands serve up alcohol.

 

[Miss Bella]

I wouldn’t ever rely on AI.

I’ve seen several instances recently where AI had said “you don’t need a visa”. And the would-be traveller didn’t bother to check with a government website. Result = no entry permitted.

And no insurance is going to cover that.

Not as frequently as I've seen wrong info given out by a poster.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

You can't be serious. There's bars everywhere on all Disney ships. Just walk 100 feet in any direction you'll find one.

There are 8 on the newest Disney ship

There are 22 on icon of the seas…not including the “boozey” upgrades at some of the dessert type places

Not that either is adequate/inadequate

But what Dcl (and the disease has spread to Orlando) has always kinda done is say “it doesn’t matter what you want…this is what we are willing to give you”. It’s worked until now

 

[Miss Bella]

There are 8 on the newest Disney ship

There are 22 on icon of the seas…not including the “boozey” upgrades at some of the dessert type places

Not that either is adequate/inadequate

But what Dcl (and the disease has spread to Orlando) has always kinda done is say “it doesn’t matter what you want…this is what we are willing to give you”. It’s worked until now

There are 12 on the the Dream and Fantasy and 8 on the older ships. The older ships have the adult only zones after 9pm. The newer ships don't have that.
I've sailed on all them multiple times. I would say the new ships are more geared toward kids... from the design, to the amazing kids clubs, obnoxious and loud restaurants, and the overall entertainment. I will take the oldest DCL ship over the newest any day that ends in Y.

 

[nickys]

Not as frequently as I've seen wrong info given out by a poster.

Right, but at least others can correct posts. So you can Of course Disney CMs give out incorrect info too. As do tik tok videos, podcasts, you-tube videos, “influencers” and everyone else!

The point is, don’t rely on one source. And for important stuff (passport, visa, flight info) check the proper websites.