Last summer, I went to Disneyland for a friend’s birthday. While the park was more fun as an adult than a kid — because I could go on all the rides without worrying that Big Thunder Mountain or The Matterhorn would send me into a technicolor panic attack — I was unpleasantly surprised to find that ticket prices had become much more expensive since the last time I’d visited, ten years ago. And despite the fact that I’d had to take a plane to get there, I still considered telling my friends to “go on in and have fun without me, I’ll just be at The Rainforest Cafe” before shelling out the $100 for mid-summer ticket costs.
Perhaps you’ve suffered the same fate and existential crisis when purchasing tickets. That’s too bad, because on Sunday, Disney raised their prices once again. And they did under the cloak of darkness! It’s like all of the villains met up at The Haunted Mansion, had snacks in the great ballroom, and then decided that the best way to turn the world into the nefarious playground of evil they’ve all been dreaming of (particularly Ursula) was to raise ticket prices by $5.
Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating, but it’s still From Time:
In most cases, one-day adult tickets are now $5 more expensive. Disney parks use a variable-pricing scheme, in which admissions to EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, or Hollywood Studios in Orlando had been priced at $97 during off-peak midweek times, $102 during mid-tier periods, and $114 for peak times. As of Sunday, these tickets cost $99, $107, and $119.
Magic Kingdom admissions are higher too, now running $107, $115, and $124 for one-day passes. And visitors to Disneyland in California face higher prices as well: $97, $110, or $124 (up from $95, $105, or $119). All of the prices listed are for adults; admission for kids ages 3 to 9 is generally a few bucks less, but their tickets have been hit with price increases similar to adults.
How can you fight the creeping costs? Two ways: You could take advantage of a multi-day ticket — Time reports that prices of multi-day tickets decreased as prices of single tickets increased — but that could mean spending more money overall. After all, food, hotels, and booze aren’t cheap when you’re living in Mickey’s world. Your other choice? Go on a day when the kids are in school, suck up the price increase, and ride all the rides before you leave. Sure, you may get a little sick — I rode Space Mountain three times after lunch in July and would not recommend it — but at least you’ll be getting more rides/dollar!
