FareFinder news Extra: House of Mouse not immune to troubled economy

Normally FareFinder is a Tuesday/Thursday thang, but I saw this lil' nugget on the PTG news desk and shed a small, but ear-shaped, tear:

The hotel industry is following in the footsteps of the plummeting financial markets, with rates diving 3.5% the first week of November and occupancy and room revenue tumbling in double digits. ... What that means for travelers is
lots of great deals. ... Disney World is giving away three free nights with the purchase of four.

The Mouse is also offering free admission to guests on their birthdays in an attempt to draw guests to their plethora of hotels and theme parks. These are the types of things that happen when you're down 10% in bookings in the first half of '09 compared to the previous year.

But not all is doom-and-gloom for The Mouse. Theme park revenue at the hap...hap...happiest place on Earth was up last quarter and The Mouse is still a Wall Street darling in many eyes. As The Motley Fool says, "Disney is built to weather the storm."