Disney tickets can be EXPENSIVE, and price increases have hit the Most Magical Place on Earth time and time again.

We’ve already taken a look at the cheapest days to visit in 2023 and the most expensive days. We’ve also warned that Disney likely WILL raise prices (at least on some things) in 2023, and when you should be ready. Now we’re taking a closer look at ticket price increases that Disney has put in place over the years and just what to be prepared for as we get further into 2023.

The Biggest Price Increases (Regular Tickets)

First, let’s look at regular 1-day theme park tickets (not annual passes). A huge thank you to AllEars.net which has historical records of ticket prices and price increases dating back to 1971!

Based on that data, it appears that the largest single ticket price increase was back in February 2016. At that point, Disney transitioned to a tiered pricing model on one-day tickets, introducing peak, regular, and value periods.

In February 2015 the ticket prices were $105 for Magic Kingdom and $97 for all other parks. In February 2016 that changed to $124 for tickets during peak periods, $110 for regular periods, and $105 for value periods. That marked a $19 increase for the peak period, which is the largest increase made according to AllEars’ data.

The next largest increase was in March 2019. At that point, peak pricing increased by around $10. Other large increases were generally in the amount of $6 or $5 dollars (for example, one-day ticket prices increased $6-$3 in February of 2015).

Check out the full AllEars page on price increases here

The Biggest Price Increases (Annual Passes)

But one-day tickets aren’t the only ones that have seen increases. Over the years, Annual Passes have become more expensive too.

Looking at the lower-level Annual Pass option, the largest increase appears to have been in June 2019, at which point the lower-level Annual Pass price increased by $125. At that same time, the “premium” Annual Pass also increased (rather dramatically) by $225.

Other Annual Pass price increases appear to have been smaller. The next largest increase in price for the lower-tier Annual Passes was around $90 (October 2015), followed by one increase of $76 (February 2020).

In terms of the premium Annual Pass, the next largest increase was by around $80 (February 2018) with another increase of $76 in February 2020.

Click here to learn about the Annual Passholder program at Disney World

Recent Ticket Price Changes

While that’s a look at historical price changes, what has happened more recently? Well, ticket prices have really evolved.

Back in June of 2022, we spotted some HIDDEN price increases in 2023 park tickets to Disney World. Various dates had been placed into higher pricing categories, meaning that they were more expensive than the same dates in 2022 (though that wasn’t the case for all days).

This was followed by a significant ticket change in December 2022. On December 8th, 2022, Disney officially launched park-specific pricing for its 1-day, 1-park tickets. Instead of ticket prices being the same for all of the parks on any given day, 1-day, 1-park tickets are now more or less expensive depending on what park you’ll be visiting on that day.

So, a ticket to Magic Kingdom may cost MORE than a ticket to Disney’s Animal Kingdom on the same day.

Here is a look at the ranges we saw back in December 2022 when this change was made:

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom — $109-$159 (no change from current costs)
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios — $124-$179
• EPCOT — $114-$179
• Magic Kingdom — $124-$189

That park-specific pricing is in addition to the date-based pricing that already makes tickets more or less expensive depending on the day you visit.

In addition to that park-specific change, some price increases were put in place. Here’s a look at those changes:

• 1 day — remained the same at $109
• 2-day — was $107, increased to $112
• 3-day — was $107, increased to $114
• 4-day — was $106, increased to $114
• 5-day — was $91, increased to $99
• 6-day — was $78, increased to $85
• 7-day — was $69, increased to $75
• 8-day — was $65, increased to $70
• 9-day — was $60, increased to $65
• 10-day — was $56, increased to $60

We also found that some dates in 2023 are more expensive (or fall under a more expensive ticket bracket) than they were before. Basically, expect to pay more in 2023 than you paid for the same trip in 2022!

And finally, price increases were also announced near the end of 2022 for Annual Passes. Though the sale of most new Annual Passes remains paused, various price increases went into effect for these passes on December 8th, 2022. Here’s a look at those changes:

• Incredi-Pass (new sales paused, renewals available)
  • Current price: $1,299
  • New price: $1,399 (increase of $100)
• Sorcerer Pass (new sales paused, renewals available)
  • Current price: $899
  • New price: $969 (increase of $70)
• Pirate Pass (new sales paused, renewals available)
  • Current price: $699
  • New price: $749 (increase of $50)
• Pixie Pass (new sales available, renewals available too)
  • Current price: $399
  • New price: $399 (no increase)

Again, new pass sales remain paused for most passes, renewal prices did increase with those December 8th changes. Increases were between $43-$100, depending on the pass type. The good news? Annual Passholders still get the same percentage discount for renewals.

So the price increases didn’t exactly slow down in 2022.

Click here to see what iconic snack also got hit with a Price Increase!

A HIDDEN Price Increase

While tickets are the main focus of this article, we do have to talk about a “hidden” increase to your ticket price as a whole. Disney Genie+ is the PAID FastPass+ replacement service in Disney World. It is NOT included in the purchase of your park ticket and IS a separate charge. But, in a way, it’s a sort of hidden increase when it comes to ticketing in general.

While your old park ticket used to include free access to Fastpass+, that’s simply not the case with Genie+. Instead, if you want to skip the standby lines now, you’ll need to pay for a Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lanes (pay-per-ride) as applicable.

And while Genie+ used to be a set price each day, that has now changed. In 2022, Disney changed to a dynamic, surge-pricing-based model. The price of Genie+ now changes day by day, depending likely on expected demand. We’ve seen the Genie+ price go as high as $29. 

Remember that Pay-Per-Ride selections also vary in price depending on the date, ride, and price. So those are two additional costs you’ll need to factor into your overall Disney experience (if you want to use those services).

Learn more about Genie+ here

Could It Happen Again?

Now to the key question — could substantial price increases happen again? The reality is there is almost always a possibility that significant price increases could hit Disney World’s ticketing once again.

The changes made at the end of 2022 are strong evidence of that. After experiencing a few years significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney reopened much of its parks and hit guests with some big increases as more things returned to “normal.”

Though we have seen some direct price increases (particularly when it comes to the park-specific 1-day, 1-park tickets and Annual Passes), it’s worth noting that hidden price increases also seem to be a trend. Sometimes those hidden increases reveal that certain dates have been placed into higher categories (in terms of expected demand), making them more expensive.

Other times the more hidden increases come in the form of things like a switch to park-based pricing. While that switch has only been made for 1-day, 1-park tickets, could it potentially be incorporated into other tickets in the future? It’s possible, though Disney has not yet made any announcements on that.

Another change recently made is that Park Hopper ticket add-ons are now priced depending on the date. Before, it was $65 to add a Park Hopper to a single-day ticket and $85 to add a Park Hopper Plus to a single-day ticket. Now, the price changes based on the date. During popular times of the year, we expect these will be more expensive compared to slower times of the year.

Changes like that, though small when viewed individually, can add up to some significant increases over the course of a whole trip.

But perhaps significant price increases may NOT necessarily be made soon. On February 8th, 2023, Disney held its earnings call for the first quarter of fiscal year 2023. During that call, CEO Bob Iger actually spoke about price increases. He shared that, in his opinion, some of Disney’s “pricing initiatives were alienating to [its] consumers.” He shared that Disney was “not perceived to be as accessible or as affordable as [they] probably should have been.”

He went on to discuss how they’ve worked to put more flexibility in place in terms of how much it costs them to visit the parks. For example, out at Disneyland, Iger emphasized that Disney has “greatly increased accessibility to [their] lowest priced ticket.”

While these statements don’t necessarily mean that we won’t see price increases at all, they could indicate that direct ticket price increases may be more minimal, while Disney instead focuses on more hidden increases (like increases on Genie+ or other things that would increase guest spending in the parks).

This is particularly interesting since Disney did point to things like Genie+ and increased guest spending as part of the reason why their Parks, Experiences, and Products division did so well in Q1 of FY 2023. But, it’s also important to note that some of the biggest historical ticket price increases we mentioned above did take place during Iger’s initial time as CEO. So we’ll just have to wait and see what this 2-year term for him will hold.

You’re spending MORE in the Disney parks and here’s the proof

When to Expect Increases

If ticket price increases do take place (significant or minor), when can we expect to see them? Well, AllEars has a list of the number of price increases by month since 1971. Here’s the list from the most to least increases:

• June – 12
• February – 11
• October – 7
• March – 6
• December – 5
• August – 5
• September – 4
• May – 4
• January – 4
• April – 3
• November – 3
• July – 0

It seems June, February, and October are the most popular months for price increases, at least based on history. That’s followed by increases in March, December, and August.

So if you’re planning a trip to Disney World, the time to buy those tickets is likely right NOW before any further increases are put in for the year. Tickets are already available to purchase throughout 2023. If you buy your tickets well in advance, you’ll lock in the current price and won’t have to deal with the stress of later increases.

In terms of hidden increases, specifically increases on Genie+ pricing or Individual Lightning Lanes, there may not be much you can do to avoid those since those are purchased the day of your trip. They most you can do is make sure to leave enough space in your budget for potential increases in those services so you are prepared for the future.

Remember to always check for discounts on hotels, tickets, and vacation packages to help you save as much as possible.

And if you ever have any doubts about whether you’re getting the maximum savings or booking things right, you don’t have to do it all alone. Our friends at Small World Vacations can help you plan the trip of your dreams AND they’re always watching for the latest deals and discounts so they can ensure that you can the best savings possible.

We’ll continue to look for Disney tips and tricks and let you know what we find, so stay tuned for more!

What’s the most you’ve ever paid for tickets at Disney? Tell us in the comments.

The post The Biggest Disney Ticket Price Increase in History and If It Could Happen Again first appeared on the disney food blog.