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New Disney World Ticket Prices Revealed and in Effect

Summer Hull
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Summer Hull , aka Mommy Points, ran the Mommy Points site for families who want to travel more for less using miles and points for seven years. She now heads up a variety of special projects at TPG when she isn't exploring the world with her own two girls.
Oct. 16, 2018
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5 min read
Disney Magic Castle at dusk
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As expected, today tickets to the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida are now priced based on the dates you plan to visit the parks. Single-day tickets range from $109 per day for the least-peak days, such as the middle of January, to $129 per day on weekends and holidays. Unlike in recent history, all four Disney World theme parks now price the same for a one-day visit (previously, the Magic Kingdom cost the most). Want all the Mickey you can get? Well, today's changes impact you, too, as annual pass prices also increased effective today. For example, the Platinum Pass I have went from $849 per year to $894 per year. (All of the above prices are plus tax.)

Mickey also took this opportunity to nudge up other costs, such as standard theme park parking for a car/motorcycle that went from $22 to $25 per day. Some Magic Band prices also inched upward a few dollars, most relevant for those who don't get them included in a Disney Resort stay.

(Photo courtesy of Disney)

Disney World Date-Based Prices Now in Effect

This is the dawn of the era when you purchase Disney World multiday tickets based on the dates you want to visit the parks. Some very off-peak days now cost a few dollars less, some cost about the same and expect to pay more for peak season dates. To give a flavor of pricing changes, two-day tickets range from $101 to $119 per day, when the old price was $105 per day. You can check out Disney World prices online through mid-December 2019.

Example prices for five-day Magic Your Way Tickets in November 2018

According to Theme Park Insider, here is how the new per day pricing bands shake out for tickets that include a visit to one park each day (not Park Hoppers):

  • Three days: $98–$115 (old: $101)
  • Four days: $93–$109 ($95)
  • Five days: $78–$91 ($79)
  • Six days: $67–$78 ($68)
  • Seven days: $58–$68 ($59)
  • Eight days: $53–$61 ($53)
  • Nine days: $48–$56 ($48)
  • 10 days: $44–$51 ($45)

The Official Disney Parks Blog gives an example of a three-day ticket starting February 10, 2019, that will now cost $4 less per day than before. However, a six-day ticket with a start date of Thanksgiving will now pay more — an average of an additional $5 per day.

Pricing examples from the Official Disney Parks Blog

You now also have a shorter timeframe in which to use your multiday tickets. Previously, you had 14 days to use all of the visits included with your multiday tickets, but now you have a shorter window that varies a bit based on the length of your ticket and whether you have included a Park Hopper Plus option. Expect to have four days to use a two-day ticket and 14 days to use a 10-day ticket, with some variability between those two points.

At checkout, you can pay extra to make your tickets valid on any date through December 31, 2019. This option also provides you the added benefit of conferring 14 days to use all dates of the multiday ticket, just as was the case with all multiday tickets until today.

Not Too Late to Purchase "Old" Disney World Tickets

If these new prices are bad news for your trip, you can hurry over to an authorized Disney ticket seller to scoop up its existing inventory at the old prices and rules. For example, at Undercover Tourist, I see a five-day Magic Your Way ticket available without date restrictions for $394.21. However, if I purchased a five-day Magic Your Way from Disney for right after Christmas 2018 (on peak dates), it would now cost me $480. Don't expect the old inventory to last very long.

Refreshed My Disney Experience Planning

Once your tickets are purchased, Disney says you can continue planning with the newly refreshed My Disney Experience. This is where you will be able to view or change your tickets, get recommendations, book dining reservations, make FastPass+ selections and more. I haven't gotten a chance to dig into these offerings quite yet, but core features such as Dining reservations and FastPass+ planning appear the same as before.

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Bottom Line

Today's changes mean that families who visit Disney World during peak times and school breaks will pay more. Those who can sneak in off-peak visits can save a few dollars, but they also traded away some ticket flexibility and days to use multiday tickets in the process. All in all, the changes announced today aren't terrible, but they are a part of the ongoing trend of theme parks getting pricier for families.

To help your family maximize time at Disney World while spending as little as possible, here are some articles to get you on your way.

Featured image by Brett Kiger