BREAKING NEWS: Major Changes Coming to Disney Tickets and Prices
Disney just confirmed significant changes are coming to both the prices and structure of Disney park tickets.
Rumors have swirled for some time that Disney was considering implementing a tiered pricing structure for park tickets with different pricing for peak, regular and slow crowd periods. In fact, Disney has been surveying guests regarding the concept. Well, it appears that Disney will be moving forward the new pricing structure. Changes will go into effect today, February 28, 2016.
Tiered pricing will affect daily tickets, and the multi-day tickets got a price hike as well. Guests visiting during the busiest time of the the year will pay premium prices while guest visiting during the slowest times of the year will pay less. Expect ticket seasons to closely match resorts seasons where tiered pricing has been in effect for years.
Disney crowd levels are higher than ever and attendance records continue to be broken as guests flock to Disney parks. By rewarding guests that travel at slower times (or penalizing those that travel around peak times such as holidays depending how you look at it), Disney can attempt to manage the worst of the crowding.
Here is an example of the new pricing using a 1 Day Magic Kingdom ticket. While we knew the price would be going up during the peak season, the biggest surprise is the fact that the price has dropped in the value and the regular season.
- Old single day Magic Kingdom ticket price – $111
- New Value Season Price – $105 (a drop of 5.5%)
- New Regular Season Price – $110 (a drop of 1%)
- New Peak Season Price – $124 (in increase of 11.7%)
Multi-day tickets also got a price hike. For example, a 7 day ticket without park hopper went up $35 from $335 to $370. The price to add the Park Hopper feature went up by $5 as well.
As details are released we will continue to update this article. For updates, be sure to sign up for the DisneyLists Newsletter below this article.
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Choosing the Right Admission Ticket – 7 Things You Need to Know
by Jenn S
Walt Disney World consists of many attractions requiring an admission ticket; 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, 2 miniature golf courses, the ESPN Wide World of Sports and Disney Quest. How do you decide what type of ticket you need? What are the different options available? How can you pick the right ticket for you without purchasing too much? Here are the 7 things you need to know to help you choose the right admission ticket.
7 – Think about your needs
Walt Disney World tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. They also expire 14 days from the day of first use. Therefore, it is important that you purchase the least amount of days that you know you will use. If you know you will visit the parks 4 days, but are not sure about maybe needing at 5th day ticket, purchase the 4 day ticket instead. You can upgrade your tickets once they have been used as long as there is still a day left on the ticket. So, you would have until the end of that 4th day to decide to upgrade to get that 5th day. Don’t worry, you will only pay the difference between the tickets. You can also upgrade to add on the various options discussed below or to an Annual Pass. If you are unsure what options you need or what will work best for your visit, feel free to talk to any CM who works at Ticketing, Concierge or Guest Relations. They will be able to guide you to what ticket combination will save you money because they do not earn commission on any tickets they sell. Additional ticket types are available to Florida residents.
6 – Base Ticket
The base ticket is sold for 1 through 10 days and allows guest to visit one theme park per day. Guests can visit any one of the four theme parks for each day of their ticket. So, on a 4 day ticket you can visit each park once, or spend all 4 days at the Magic Kingdom. The price varies based on the number of days, but the more days you purchase the cheaper it becomes per day. For example, as of 2015, if you have a 4 day ticket each additional day you add costs around $10. These tickets expire 14 days from first use and do not need to be used consecutively. So if you use the first day on Monday you can skip Tuesday and use the second day on Wednesday. As long as you use all the days during that 14 day window you will be fine. These tickets then can be built upon by adding additional options.
5 – Park Hopper Option
If you want to visit more than one theme park each day you will need to purchase the Park Hopper option. This option is one flat price for the length of the ticket. So, by purchasing this option you will have the Park Hopper option on every day of your ticket. You cannot use another park day in replacement of the Park Hopper Option. Many guests will attempt this, purchasing a 5 day ticket and then attempt to use that 5th day to enter a second park. The turnstiles will not allow this. If you want to visit a second park during the day you will need the Park Hopper Option. As of 2015, the approximate cost to add this option is around $65 plus tax regardless of the number of days on the ticket.
4 – Water Park Fun and More Option
This option allows you to pay one price and gives you the same number of “Fun” entitlements as number of days you have on your tickets. So, a 4 day ticket with this option added will include 4 Fun visits. The fun visits can be used at either water park, Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach, Miniature Golf before 4 pm, 9 holes at Oak Trail Golf Course, Admission to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex or Disney Quest. Fun options can be used on the same day as your theme park days, so if you spent the morning at Magic Kingdom and then head to Disney Quest in the afternoon, that would require 1 theme park day and 1 fun visit. It is also possible to use more than 1 fun visit in a day, such as going to Typhoon Lagoon in the morning and then playing a round of mini golf. That scenario would require 2 fun visits. It should be noted that Disney Quest, an indoor arcade experience at Disney Springs is scheduled to close sometime in early 2016. As of 2015, the approximate cost to add this option is around $65 plus tax regardless of the number of days on the ticket.
3 – Park Hopper and Water Park Fun and More Option
If you are interested in both the Park Hopper and the Waterpark Fun and More option, you can purchase them together at a discounted price. This will give you the benefits for both options at around $90 plus tax regardless of the number of days on the ticket.
2 – Annual Passes
If you are going to be visiting Walt Disney World for more than 10 days during the year (less if you take advantage of the many discounts available to pass holders), you may want to consider one of their Annual Passes. Any ticket can be upgraded to an Annual Pass, during the upgrade window described above, with the guest paying the difference in cost. There are two different types of Annual Passes available. The Platinum Annual Pass includes access to all 4 theme parks, includes Park Hopper, no block out dates, free parking and discounts at select locations. But one of the best things that is included with this Annual Pass was just added for 2015.
Guests with this Annual Pass receive the Memory Maker product for the entire year of their pass. This gives passholders unlimited digital downloads of every photo taken by a Photopass Photographer, ride attraction photos and select dining location photos. This is a huge benefit for Passholders! The Platinum Pass price for 2015 is $749 plus tax. The second type of Annual Pass is the Platinum Plus Annual Pass. This gives you everything included with the Platinum Pass but also allows admission to Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach Waterparks and the Oak Trail Golf Course, a 9 hole walking course. The Platinum Plus Pass price for 2015 is $829 plus tax.
To put those prices in perspective, a 4 Day Park Hopper ticket would cost around $365 plus tax. There are additional Annual Passes for Florida residents. For a complete review of the benefits of annual passes and why they are the right choice for many, read our article, 10 Reasons You, Yes You, Should Get an Annual Pass.
1 – One Day Waterpark tickets
One additional ticket type you may consider purchasing is a 1 day waterpark ticket. Whether this is a good option for you depends on your specific situation and what type of ticket you have already purchased. This can often cause confusion for guests. A 1 day waterpark ticket is approximately $58 plus tax. If you already have a ticket with the Park Hopper Option it will be cheaper for you to upgrade to add the Waterpark Fun and More option onto your existing tickets, approximately $30 instead of paying full price for a 1 day ticket. Additionally, adding this option will give you the same number of Fun visits as days you have on your ticket. In most cases you can get more visits for less money! But, if you don’t have Park Hopper and you really only want to visit the waterpark for 1 day, purchasing a separate 1 day waterpark ticket may be the best option for you.
There are many different ticket options for guests to choose from at Walt Disney World, this allows guest to purchase the ticket and options that best meets their needs. If you are unsure where to start, purchase a base ticket for the number of days you know you will definitely be using and then you can upgrade your ticket from there. The Cast Members who work in Ticketing, Guest Relations and Concierge are there to help you and want to save you money, so seek their guidance on the best ticket options for you if you have questions.