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Disney plans to invest nearly $2 billion to expand Disneyland over the next decade.
Disneyland guests are paying more to enjoy the theme park’s attractions and rides after The Walt Disney Company raised ticket prices Wednesday.
Prices increased for most single-day tickets under Disney’s tier system, which ranges from 0 to 6, with some rising by as much as 6.5%. For example, a Tier 3 ticket is now $164, up from $154. Only Tier 1 single-day tickets remained the same.
Most of the multi-day ticket prices rose around 6.5%. A two-day ticket, for example, will cost $330, instead of the previous $310.
Prices for the different annual pass categories (called Magic Keys) increased between 6.1% and 20%. The Lightning Lane pass, which allows guests to skip long lines, rose by 7%.
“There is nothing like a visit to Disneyland Resort. We always provide a wide variety of ticket, dining and hotel options, and promotional offers throughout the year, to welcome as many families as possible,” said a Disneyland spokesperson.
Impact of Higher Prices
The price rise comes as Americans may cut back on travel spending in response to rising costs. About 23% of Americans expressed interest in visiting Europe between September and December, down from 41% for the same period last year, according to a survey by the European Travel Commission. Among those who didn’t express interest in traveling to Europe, 40% cited high travel costs as their primary reason.
For the past decade, Disney has increased its ticket prices every year, according to an analysis by MickeyVisit, a blog focused on Disney’s theme parks. This year’s increases aren’t higher than usual, and Disney provides discounts during off-peak days to ensure its available to more families, said Gavin Doyle, founder of DisneyDose.com and MickeyVisit.com.
Disney’s theme parks division has become a key source of profits for Disney as its entertainment, ESPN and sports and direct-to-consumer divisions lag. In late 2023, Disney CEO Bob Iger said he’s been “very, very bullish” about the future of the theme parks division.
“Now that cable has drawn back, it has this effect on the company where streaming isn’t the same super-profitable business as cable had been, and so it’s putting pressure on the theme parks to become this kind of cash cow,” said Doyle.
Disneyland’s price hike comes after the theme park averted a strike by agreeing to a tentative labor deal in July. Disney plans to invest nearly $2 billion to expand Disneyland over the next decade. Under the planned expansion, Disney is going to repurpose some of its existing land for new theme park attractions, dining, entertainment, and retail.
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