Let’s Discuss That Wild Disney Rumor

Sometimes, a rumor doesn’t pass the laugh test. Oh, who am I kidding? That happens 99 percent of the time.

Then, we have instances where a report gets discredited quickly, yet I cannot shake the feeling the possibility exists.

We’re about to talk about one such rumor that Blooloop posted in early March. It’s probably nonsense, but what if it isn’t?

Let’s discuss that wild rumor and evaluate whether it could happen. Spoiler: In a way, it already is.

What’s This Wild Rumor?

Photo:impulsecreative.com

You should know by now that I’m not one for clickbait. I find it lazy and innately dishonest.

So, I’m not trying to fool you here. There’s a real Disney ticket price rumor that could affect you down the line.

Image: The Healthy Mouse

An author at Blooloop posted the rumor, which you can read in its entirety here.

The first thing we should discuss is the correction Blooloop added quickly after the article went live. It’s this one:

“This article was edited on 5 March 2025 to reflect the fact that The Walt Disney Company has made no official announcement regarding plans to bring in dynamic pricing.”

Basically, if someone you know has told you this rumor is happening, they’re almost certainly basing it off this article.

And Blooloop updated the article to show that the story isn’t true…yet…in the United States.

So, the other possibility here is that the person who told you it’s happening has visited Disneyland Paris lately.

Photo: Pexel.com

You know how I always say that Disney tests its most daring ideas internationally before bringing them to the United States?

Yeah, here we go…

Blooloop

The author, Lance Hart, isn’t someone I know by name, but his bio indicates he’s the founder of Screamscape.

That’s a site I’ve visited several times over the years and found to be quite reliable as a whole.

Screamscape

Mr. Hart, whose bio also indicates he worked at SeaWorld for roughly 20 years, has written a companion piece at Screamscape.

You can read that update here, and it’s telling. The gist is that Disney has done them in Paris but not in North America.

Photo: Getty

But the magic words here are “surge pricing.” That’s the wild rumor. It’s that Disney will introduce a new kind of surge pricing at the parks.

Wait, What?

Photo: Playbuzz.com

I know what you’re thinking. You’re acutely aware of the fact that Disney parks already employ a form of surge pricing.

In 2016, Disney switched from static admission ticket pricing to an entirely new system.

To keep park traffic fairly evenly distributed, Disney utilizes a tiered ticket strategy.

You’ll pay more for tickets on, say, a national holiday than on a random Tuesday in September.

Crowds starting to form

Disney does this to incentivize guests to visit more during what we historically described as the off-season.

Don’t get me wrong. Everyone still shows up during Christmas Week and Spring Break anyway, as we’ll see later this month.

But Disney makes guests pay for the privilege. The idea is to get some of them to double-clutch and consider their options more.

If even a few people decide to save money on tickets by visiting in September, that’s a few less people in the parks at Christmas.

These savings sound fractional, but they add up over time. Disney plans on the macro and micro levels for just this reason.

With tiered admission tickets, Disneyland Resort fans know that they’ll pay $104 for Tier 0 tickets.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Disneyland has held that price since 2019, even as the high-end tickets, those in Tier 6, have broken the $200 barrier.

So, budget-conscious consumers can save more than 50 percent by visiting on a Tier 0 day.

Hollywood Studios

For all the complaining people do online, this system self-polices by offering dedicated fans a way to save money on tickets.

The Blooloop rumor isn’t about this type of surge pricing, though. It’s about something else.

Day of the Event Pricing

We’re talking about something theoretical, at least here in the United States. So, it doesn’t even have a name.

I’ll call it “day of the event pricing” for clarity, as that’s the crux of this sort of surge pricing.

The idea is that Disney won’t guarantee a set ticket price on your arrival date if you haven’t purchased admission yet.

Let’s say that you’re visiting Magic Kingdom on July 4^th. Disney currently lists a one-day ticket at a price of $189.

Photo: D23

Should the company implement surge pricing, it would no longer guarantee that the price will be $189 on the day of the visit.

As long as you buy in advance, you’ll pay the $189. Should you show up on July 4^th without a ticket, well, that’d be different.

Photo: vecteezy.com

Please remember that this is a hypothetical based on a rumor. So, all of this is theoretical and probably won’t happen anytime soon.

But the gist is that if Magic Kingdom has sold well on July 4^th, Disney could raise that price higher than $189 on the day of the event.

Photo:Disneycoupon.jpg

I realize there’s some complexity to this. So, I’ll show it with bullet points. Here’s what you’d pay for that July 4^th ticket:

• Buying today for July 4^th — $189
• Buying any time through July 3^rd for July 4^th — $189
• Trying to Buy a Ticket on July 4^th itself — $189+

That plus symbol reflects the fact that you MAY pay $189, or Disney may raise the price higher on the day of the event.

Why Disney May Like the Idea

Walt Disney Company

You can understand why this idea may appeal to Disney officials.

Whenever a proposal like this comes along, I always try to consider the matter if I were sitting in the business meeting.

Photo: Disney

If someone pitched this, I would think, “That’s a good idea.” Here’s why.

Disney wants to know its headcounts far ahead of time. As the company learned during the pandemic, it helps with staffing.

Photo: Disney

When Disney has an accurate attendance estimate, it can staff the parks precisely, saving tons of money on payroll.

Similarly, Disney can stock shelves and acquire food supplies more accurately, reducing waste.

Photo: skillastics.com

So, really, all Disney would want to do here is get guests to signal that they’re coming ahead of time.

Most people do that anyway. But Disney would add a de facto surcharge to those who show up on the day of the events.

Photo: DLP Report on X

That’s the core of this rumor, and it’s something Disneyland Paris has quietly tested since November.

THAT is the primary reason why you shouldn’t dismiss this rumor, even though there is nothing to it yet.

Why Disney Wouldn’t Make This Change Now

Here’s a Parisian article on the topic from last November. At Disneyland Paris, there’s a variant version of this premise.

With their surge pricing, the system is more complicated. When you pull up a ticket price on the system, it’s only guaranteed for an hour.

Photo: Wikimedia

Blooloop thankfully isn’t reporting the same thing for the American parks.

So, we won’t worry about the extreme variant just yet. I know it’s probably a false alarm from tracking FastPass changes several years ago.

Photo: Disney

Nobody will ever remember it that way, but Disney was in the process of charging for FastPass before the pandemic.

Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris were both doing it, with American park planners combing over the data.

Photo: Universal

That’s how Disney works on this stuff. Even now, despite the fact that the idea makes sense, there’s a good chance it won’t happen.

With Universal Epic Universe opening in late May, does right now seem like a good time for Disney to stir the pot?

Photo: Universal

You can imagine how this story would get reported, even though the idea makes perfect sense from Disney’s perspective.

Still, this is the type of idea that should percolate at Disney HQ until it eventually happens.

As with Lightning Lane Premier Pass, the integration of this idea would likely boost theme park revenue by nine figures annually.

But I’m guessing most of you hate the idea. Let MickeyBlog know in the comments what you think of this kind of surge pricing.

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