On August 18th, Disney announced that they are raising the price for the CSL Portait Experience aboard the Galactic Starcruiser from $99 to $399 for bookings made for cruise dates starting October 17th.
Take a breath. Relax. Yes, you read that correctly. Disney raised the price more than 300%.
This is a puzzling move. Disney had advertised the $99 rate as an “introductory” rate since the experience debuted during the first six months but to raise prices so aggressively has surprised many observers. The experience does involve two dedicated photographers using premiere camera gear and lighting for a private 30 minute session with guests as well as processing time for the photos produced – – – but $399?
As former passengers who have enjoyed the experience AND have seen dozens of photos that other passengers have taken, we can attest that the quality of the end product is top notch. Certainly, some areas chosen by the photographers or guests are less photogenic than others. However thanks to the specialized lighting and top quality lenses the CSL photographers, the photos from the CSL Portrait Experience easily surpass the standard Disney PhotoPass/Memory Maker options.
But $399??? That might surpass many budgets as well. It will be interesting to see how demand for these experiences is affected in the coming months.
