Disney is defying the theme-park industry's summer slump by rolling out more promotions and package deals.
Thanks to special pricing at a Disney-owned hotel and discounts for using a Disney-branded Visa credit card, Doug Heyden Jr.'s family went to Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom for the first time this summer. A highlight: watching Tinkerbell sprinkle pixie dust on his infant twins during an evening parade.
"Out of all these people, this one character just happens to pick them out in the dark," said the 35-year-old father from Rochester, N.Y. "My wife was in tears."
The Heydens were part of a rising number of visitors to Disney's U.S. theme parks this summer-a trend expected to roll through the end of the year. In the most recent quarter, attendance was up 3% compared with the prior year, the largest boost to its traffic since 2023, when the parks' initial post-Covid boom subsided.
Disney's attendance surge stands in contrast to its competitors, including Universal Orlando Resort and SeaWorld, which have reported weaker foot traffic compared with last year.
Travel agents and visitors say a flurry of discounts, special events and new attractions convinced families to make their way to The House of Mouse in Florida and California.
By contrast, Universal parent company Comcast is projecting softer demand for the rest of the year, as is SeaWorld owner United Parks & Resorts. SeaWorld was affected by bad weather during July and the parks continue to see a decline in international visitors to the U.S., the company said.
High gas prices and airfares have cooled demand for Universal theme park visitors, Comcast Chief Financial Officer Jason Armstrong told investors earlier this month. He also noted that last year's opening of the company's new Epic Universe park in Florida may have prompted some people to make their trips in 2025 instead of this year.
By contrast, Disney Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston said the company pivoted to focus on drawing more U.S. visitors to American theme parks by lowering prices and creating more deals. Even with price discounts, Disney's per capita guest spending rose 4% in the second quarter when compared with last year.
Based on the number of forward bookings Disney already has, the company is projecting the higher traffic trend to continue, setting it up for a bumper year in 2027 when it starts to roll out a series of new attractions as part of a multibillion-dollar investment in its Experiences division, including new rides based on the "Monsters, Inc.," "Indiana Jones" and "Cars" films, among others.
Lower prices, bigger crowds
The first signs that Disney was looking at a stronger summer emerged at the start of 2026 when bookings began pouring in, according to travel agents.
"I thought, 'Maybe it's a fluke, who knows what's going on,' but it's really kept up month after month after month, even going into this fall and into next year," said Jonathan de Araujo, owner of The Vacationeer Travel Agency, which handles between $70 million and $80 million in bookings for Disney vacations annually.
Even though kids are out of school for summer, the season can be a challenge for theme parks in warmer destinations like Florida that often deal with extreme heat.
The rising numbers of home- or hybrid-schooled children-plus other parents who are willing to pull their kids out of school for a trip-has extended the travel window well beyond summer, said Greg Antonelle, co-owner of Florida-based travel agency MickeyTravels. Special events, including Halloween parties and seasonal food-and-wine festivals, have also spurred people to schedule travel differently.
Walt Disney World expanded its Cool Kids' Summer program to include indoor activities like kids dance parties and character meet-and-greets at certain hotels, running from late May through early September, said Chelsea Filley, the resort's senior vice president for commercial strategy.
In California, Disneyland Resort introduced deals including free "park hopping" between its two theme parks for kids between the ages of three and nine.
Disney launched new year-round promotions at the start of the year, including one at Disney World where younger children can get a free dining plan if others in their party booked a room at a Disney-owned hotel and purchased dining plans.
Josh Zickafoose's son turns 10 next year, making him an adult in the eyes of Walt Disney World, at least where ticketing is concerned. So the clock was ticking for the Ohio family to go on their dream vacation. When he and his wife learned about the discounts on hotel rooms and free meals for their kids they booked a June trip.
"It was kind of perfect timing, what with the offers that they had and the age of our kids," the 36-year-old transportation engineer said. "It really made it a lot more affordable than when we had looked at going there in other years."
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