Iger on how to keep Disney parks affordable for the middle class

A goal for many parents is to be able to save enough more for a family trip to Disney World or Disneyland.

But recent ticket prices hikes and the push to charge extra for special events has many people wondering if they can afford it. During the Walt Disney Co.’s annual shareholder meeting, one person asked Disney CEO Bob Iger what steps Disney is taking to ensure that Disney World/Disneyland continues to be affordable for the middle class.

This is what Iger had to say:

“You are correct that we have recently announced price increases at our parks. But along with that announcement we also announced a significantly more flexible pricing strategy that provides greater access and much more flexibility to people who are guests who want to come to Disney World or Disneyland. Essentially giving them the ability to avoid peak periods when our prices are typically higher and to take advantage of the new pricing structure and go at times when basically there aren’t as many people that want to attend and the price is obviously lower, accordingly.”

Iger went on to say that Disney is trying to manage demand and is pricing accordingly. “It’s all designed so we can preserve the guest experience, which is extremely important to us,” he said.

“We believe, particularly in Orlando, we’ve built in far more flexibility for people to pick and choose dates that they may want to come under circumstances that are more affordable than the peak periods of time when obviously the demand on those parks are substantially greater,” he said.

That being said, Disney has been raising prices consistently the past few years, and yes, it has also been expanding its parks. And while the flexible pricing is a concept to spread the visits throughout the year, there is the reality that parents do have limited time when kids are not in school to take them on vacation.