Disney World raising cheapest ticket price
A vendor sells balloons in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Credit: The Washington Post/Joshua Lott
The bargain-basement price for a Walt Disney World ticket is going up next year.
More than five years after last raising the price of the least expensive ticket, the Florida theme park complex will charge $119 for the cheapest one-day, one-park entry. That’s up from $109 before tax, which has been the price since late 2018. Disney has touted this price as its cheapest ticket for years.
The new prices were revealed when Walt Disney World opened ticket sales through October 2025 on Tuesday. They don’t go into effect until 2025; this year’s prices had already been announced and won’t change.
Those lowest prices are for the least-in-demand park, Animal Kingdom. More popular options such as Hollywood Studios, Epcot and Magic Kingdom cost more — and prices for those parks on the cheapest days will be higher next year as well. Magic Kingdom reaches its peak of $189 on multiple days in late winter and spring next year, a review of the new prices shows. November and December tickets — typically the busiest and costliest time of year — are not yet for sale for 2025.
As the company points out on its website, the cheapest times to go are late August and September.
On Monday, Disney sought to sweeten the deal for people who stay at its on-site hotels next year, announcing that guests can get free entry to one of the resort’s two water parks on check-in day.
Fans have complained that the cost of a Disney vacation has increased in recent years, in large part driven by a new paid line-cutting service that replaced a free version. Hotel guests also mourn the loss of free bus transportation from Orlando’s airport.
Disney’s biggest competitor in Florida, Universal Orlando Resort, charges $119 for its cheapest tickets. Universal is preparing to open a major new theme park, Epic Universe, next year at its complex that already includes two theme parks and a water park.
Dennis Speigel, president of consulting firm International Theme Park Services, said he believes Disney announced pricing increases for next year far in advance to get ahead of Universal’s new park opening.
“I think it makes it more palatable, starting it now and letting people kind of digest it slowly,” he said.
