Disney World announces ticket price hike, more changes
Annual pass sales are still paused, but renewal prices are increasing
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Walt Disney World is once again raising admission ticket prices at three of it's Florida theme parks — and depending on the day, customers may pay nearly $200 to get in for the day.
Depending on the date and which park visitors want to go to — Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios or Disney's Animal Kingdom — ticket prices will range from $109 to $189 for a single-day, one-park ticket.
Crowds line Main Street USA, with Cinderella's Castle on the horizon, at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images / Getty Images)
In 2018, "The Most Magical Place on Earth" introduced variable date pricing where the cost of the ticket depends on the day you want to visit and demand for tickets.
Now, Disney is going to have variable prices not only by date but also by the selected park.
Magic Kingdom will be the most expensive park, since it is the most-visited and popular of the theme parks.
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Epcot and Hollywood Studios, which have both undergone significant development in recent years, will be the middle-tier parks when it comes to pricing.
Animal Kingdom will be the most inexpensive park, maintaining its current price range of $109 to $159 per day for one-day, one-park tickets.
The new prices for each park are listed below:
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom: $109-$159
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: $124-$179
- EPCOT: $114-$179
- Magic Kingdom Park: $124-$189
Disney said the $189 price point is specifically for nine days around the week of Christmas to New Year’s at Magic Kingdom.
"We continue to focus on providing guests with the best, most memorable Disney experience, and we’re doing that by growing our theme parks with incredible new attractions and offerings," a Disney spokesperson said. "We are also making planning easier with new 1-day tickets that automatically include a guest’s theme park reservation and continue to provide a wide range of options to visit throughout the year, including our lowest priced ticket of $109, which has not changed in more than four years."
A monorail zips past flower displays during the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot at Walt Disney World in Orange County, Florida, on May 30, 2022. (Joseph Prezioso/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images / Fox News)
Morning sun rays shine on the Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World in Orange County, Florida, on May 30, 2022. (Joseph Prezioso/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The new park-specific pricing model will take effect for one-day, one-park tickets beginning Thursday.
Disney also announced updated prices for its Park Hopper and Park Hopper Plus options. Like ticketing, prices will vary by date and demand rather than a fixed cost.
Currently, the Park Hopper add-on is an additional $65 and Park Hopper Plus tickets are an additional $85. Disney has not released the updated price points for these add-ons.
Disney has also raised the prices for its annual passes, which will go up between $43 to $100.
Currently, Disney offers four passes to its Walt Disney World theme parks: Pixie, Pirate, Sorcerer and Incredi-Pass.
The Pixie Pass — which is only available to Florida residents and limited to weekday visits — remains on sale.
- Incredi-Pass: $1,399 ($100 increase)
- Sorcerer: $969 ($70 increase)
- Pirate: $749 ($50 increase)
- Pixie: $399 (no change)
Disney Dreamer Rose "Rosie" Warfield looks on during the Disney Dreamers Academy at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, on March 5, 2022. (Al Bello/Getty Images for Disney Dreamers Academy / Getty Images)
Many Disney-fanatics are upset because the company has hit pause on selling the Pirate, Sorcerer and Incredi-Pass annual passes. In a statement, Disney stated that the company is still focused on existing pass holders, as they are seeing some of the highest-ever renewal rates from that group.
This is the second price increase tourists hoping to take their families to Disney World have seen in 2022, with the first occurring in mid-February.
Along with ticket price increases, Disney is tweaking its dining reservations and park pass reservations systems.
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Back in 1971 when the park first opened, admission tickets were $3.50. According to an online study by Koala, a company that helps connect travelers to timeshare rentals, a ticket to Disney will cost a guest $253.20 in the year 2031.