Disney Increases Theme Park Ticket and Pass Prices

Disney has increased a variety of ticket and annual pass prices for both Disneyland and Disney World. 

Disneyland raised one-day ticket prices by between 4% and 9% and also increased the prices of multi-day tickets, Magic Key annual pass renewals, Disney Genie+, and parking.

Entry-level access for a single-day visit on low-demand days at Disneyland and California Adventure will remain at $104, the same price since 2019. The daily ticket price for high-demand days, usually $179, has increased to $194, up 8%.

The Theme Park Insider outlined Disneyland prices for multi-day tickets, showing it rose between 9% and 16%.

Disneyland Multi-day ticket prices:

• Two-day tickets rose $25 to $310.
•  Three-day tickets rose $30 to $390.
•  Four-day tickets rose $50 to $445.
•  Five-day tickets rose $65 to $480.

Walt Disney World Resort also announced Wednesday it is bringing back all-day Park Hopper access beginning 9 January. The Park Hopper access was put on hold during the pandemic and then brought back in 2021 with restricted access from 2 p.m.

“Multi-day tickets allow you admission to one theme park per day. To add Park Hopping to a Disneyland Resort multi-day ticket is more expensive now,” said Theme Park Insider Founder Robert Niles. “While Park Hopping for a one-day ticket remains a $65 upcharge, Park Hopping for a five-day ticket is up $15 to $75.”

Disney World Daily Ticket Price Unchanged

Walt Disney World also raised the price of its annual passes by almost 10% but did not increase the price of daily tickets to its theme parks, added Niles. However, the price for parking at one of Disney World’s theme parks is up $5 today, to $30 per vehicle per day.

Walt Disney World Annual Pass Prices:

• Disney Pixie Dust Pass is up 10%, from $399 to $439 plus tax. Renewal is now $369 plus tax.
•  Disney Pirate Pass is up 6.7%, from $749 to $799 plus tax. Renewal is now $679 plus tax.
•  Disney Sorcerer Pass is up 3.1%, from $969 to $999 plus tax. Renewal is now $849 plus tax.
•  Disney Incredi-Pass is up 3.6%, from $1,399 to $1,449 plus tax. Renewal is now $1,229 plus tax.

Overall inflation in the U.S. is currently near 4%.

“Disney could be betting that a monthly increase of $3.50 to $4.25 in payments isn’t going to cause that many pass holders to cancel, and they’ll still earn more revenue than if they didn’t increase prices,” said Touring Plans’ Len Testa. “In the overall scheme of things, it’s minor compared to the expense of paying for Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane. And Disney’s not about to give up that revenue, no matter how much people complain.”

 Strategic Hikes

A spokesperson commenting on the increased Disney ticket prices said, “We are constantly adding new, innovative attractions and entertainment to our parks and, with our broad array of pricing options, the value of a theme park visit is reflected in the unique experiences that only Disney can offer.”

Disney CEO Bob Iger recently detailed plans to significantly increase investment in its park division to the tune of  $60 billion over 10 years.

However, Disney’s decisions suggest that things are going much better for them right now in California than in Florida, according to Niles.

“Disneyland got hefty price increases in daily tickets and annual passes, while Walt Disney World only saw minor annual pass increases,” said Niles. “And Disney also relaxed park-hopping and reservation restrictions in Florida, while they remain in place on the West Coast.”

Managing Attendance

Niles said the plan may be to ease crowds in California while boosting attendance in Florida.

 “I don’t see this prompting a huge response in the industry. Everyone in Florida has been discounting to drive attendance already. In California, Universal is breaking its attendance records with Super Nintendo World, so it has no need to try to undercut Disney on price any more than it already does. And no one else in California is in the same league as them,” said Niles.

Jonathan de Araujo, the founder of travel agency, The Vacationeer said typically annual ticket price increase from Disney are expected.

“It’s always a little disappointing because we know it will price some families out of visiting Disney World or Disneyland, but the fact that it also helps manage the sometimes overwhelmingly large crowds at the parks can be a bit of a silver lining. Bottom line, don’t ever wait until next year hoping prices will go down. They won’t,” said De Araujo.