Disney Parks Raise Prices But Also Improve Park Hopper

We’ve got good news, and we’ve got bad news involving Disney theme parks. Yes, Disney has raised the prices on several aspects of a Disney vacation. However, Disney also announced a welcome change coming to Park Hopper. Let’s talk about what just happened.

Disney Restores Park Hopper

During the pandemic, Disney understandably prevented Park Hopping. As a reminder, Park Hopping occurs when you leave one Disney theme park and enter another. That tactic simply wasn’t possible while Disney managed the fledgling Park Pass system. 

As the pandemic waned in scope, Disney restored but modified Park Hopping. Guests who purchased tickets with this option could leave one theme park and enter another at 2 p.m. EST. 

While DVC members were happy to have that option, we all knew it wasn’t quite the same. Let’s use a recent example to underscore the point. When Magic Kingdom shut down multiple themed lands due to the presence of a bear, guests couldn’t leave the park. Instead, they had to wait in long lines for the attractions that were open. 

Had full-day Park Hopper been in effect, many of them would have turned around and taken the monorail to EPCOT. But they couldn’t do that because the bear sighting occurred at the start of the day. Everyone remained stuck at Magic Kingdom that strange morning.

As of January 9th, 2024, that’s no longer the case. Starting on that date, full-day Park Hopper returns. Yes, as long as you own tickets or an annual pass with the Park Hopper option, you can switch parks as early as you want!

This change applies to annual passholders as well. You’ll still need a Park Pass for your first location. As long as you’ve booked one and show up at that park first, you can leave and go to a different park whenever you prefer.

You may recall that January 9th has other big changes as well. On that date, the Disney Dining Plan returns. Also, the old Park Pass system mostly goes away in favor of date-based admission tickets. Realistically, January 9th marks the start of the next generation of Disney theme park visits. 

Disney Parks Increase Prices

Last week, Disney announced discounts at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Families could save as much as 50 percent on the cost of tickets and dining plans for children. In hindsight, that was a clever way of Disney getting ahead of the next story.

On October 11th, Disney announced raised prices in several phases of a theme park visit. We’re talking about a comprehensive list of price increases. 

How significant are they? Well, I’ll use an anecdote. Friends of mine are park reporters. We told them about the price increases rather than them informing us because many of the changes were so modest. For example, Mickey Mouse Ice Cream Bars cost $0.25 more, and pretzels have increased from $7.49 to $8.25. Dole Whips went up by $0.30-$0.50 as well. 

So, you won’t notice the price of snacks much during your visit. That’s not necessarily true about other parts of your visit, though. While Walt Disney World didn’t change the price of admission tickets as of now, it did raise rates in most other aspects.

Memory Maker increased from $169 for early bookings and $199 on the date of the visit to $185/$210. So, they’re $11-$16 more. Annual passes increased as well. Here are those changes:

• Disney Pixie Dust Pass — $439, up $40
• Disney Pirate Pass — $799, up $50
• Disney Sorcerer Pass — $999, up $30
• Disney Incredi-Pass — $1,449, up $50

Single-day water park tickets also increased by $5. They’re $74 now with no blockout dates or $64 with them. Similarly, standard parking at Disney costs $30 today; it had been $25. 

Disneyland Raises Prices, Too

At Disneyland, the cheapest tickets remain at $104, but the Tier 6 tickets, the most expensive ones, have increased to $194. It’s been a sticking point with Disney officials under Bob Iger that the cheapest Disneyland entry point remains low. The same thought process doesn’t apply at the top end of the scale, though. 

So, Disney officials emphasize that some ticket prices didn’t change. Most of them went up by four to nine percent, though. The price of multi-day tickets increased even more, at least percentage-wise. They’re about 12 percent higher now.

For DVC members, the most noteworthy number stems from the cost of a five-day ticket. The price just increased from $415 to $480 to start. That’s 16 percent or $65 per guest. 

Disney also raised the rates on the Magic Key annual passes as well. Here are the new prices:

• Imagine Magic Key — $499, up $50 
• Enchant Magic Key — $849, up $150
• Believe Magic Key — $1,249, up $150
• Inspire Magic Key — $1,649, up $50

Currently, the Inspire Magic Key is the only one available for sale. Disneyland also made two other changes of note. Disney Genie+ costs $30 when you pay in advance. 

At the park, the price starts at $30 and could be even higher, depending on the anticipated crowds that day. Finally, parking has increased from $30 to $35. Please understand that Disney adds tax to virtually every price I listed here. 

If you’re looking to purchase tickets for a trip from now until the end of 2024, consider getting them from DVC Resale Market! Not only can you save up to 10% on Walt Disney World Tickets, but you’ll also save money by buying before potential price hikes. Buy your tickets now!

Also, there’s one other change that might impact your visit the most. Disney raised the price of coffee and other goodies at Starbucks! A couple of Joffrey’s items have gone up as well. It’s that kind of day for Disney fans…but at least Park Hopper is returning in less than three months!