The nature of business is to raise prices. Walt Disney World is no exception to this practice. In fact, after the limited opening of the parks and hotels due to COVID-19, it would be expected that Disney Parks prices would rise this year. How much are the prices rising by? How will this affect family vacations going forward? The key to a successful Disney World vacation is to plan ahead and save where you can to combat the rising costs of each facet of your vacation.
Seeing Cinderella Castle in 2021 is going to cost you more. Photo: Sarah Gilliland
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Disney Prices Increasing in 2021
It is no secret that Disney World ticket prices have changed many times over the years. In the last year, the parks in Florida went to a tiered pricing structure. Disneyland is also following suit with this new pricing structure in 2021. With the losses suffered from the pandemic in 2020 and the upgrades to the parks such as Toy Story Land and Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and the new Tron coaster coming to the Magic Kingdom, Disney World is increasing prices again.
Ticket Prices Stay the Same, Park Hopper Increases
While the tiered ticket pricing structure hasn’t changed, the cost for adding a Park Hopper has. The park hopper option may be added to tickets from one-day to 10-day tickets. Park hopping allows guests to visit multiple parks of their choosing on the same day. In 2021, Park Hopper tickets will rise by $65 per ticket. That is a $40 increase over 2020 prices.
Additionally, the Park Hopper Plus option that can be added to theme park tickets will cost more. This option allows guests to also visit Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach waterparks, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course, and the mini-golf courses. The Park Hopper plus price also will jump up in price to $85 per ticket.
Walt Disney World Annual Pass Categories
For non-Florida residents, there are four major categories of annual passes to the theme parks:
Disney Premier Passport
Disney Platinum Plus Pass
Disney Platinum Pass
Water Parks Annual Pass
Each of these passes has different costs and perks associated with them. Perks include admission to all four theme parks, the ability to park hop on the same day, Disney PhotoPass downloads, merchandise and dining discounts, and free standard parking. As of 2021, the Disney Premier Passport is no longer an option as both Disneyland and Walt Disney World have currently paused annual pass sales.
The Hollywood Tower Hotel is a park icon at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Photo: Sarah Gilliland
Florida residents have more options to choose from when it comes to their annual passes. In addition to the pass types listed above, Florida residents also can buy:
Gold Pass
Silver Pass
Theme Park Select Pass
Weekday Select Pass
Epcot After 4 Annual Pass
Water Parks After 2 Annual Pass
As of this article’s publishing, no new annual pass sales are occurring. The only annual pass sales are to assist existing passholders who have children who have aged up and now require a ticket to the theme parks. If the parent or guardian has an active annual pass, children turning three are allowed to have an annual pass purchased for them. Disneyland is currently not allowing any passholder sales at this time, and it has currently closed the annual pass system for their parks entirely.
Currently, no new annual pass sales are being offered at Walt Disney World or Disneyland Park. It is expected that sales may resume sometime in 2021, but there have been no current announcements as of this article’s publishing. Prices from 2020 are not a good estimate for how much new annual passes will be when sales resume because of the upheaval to business caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Non-Florida residents will only have the following annual pass options to choose from when sales return:
Disney Platinum Plus Pass
Disney Platinum Pass
Water Parks Annual Pass
Balloons at Disney World in the Magic Kingdom. Photo: Sarah Gilliland
Florida Resident Annual Pass Prices
When pass sales resume, Florida residents, not just Orlando residents, have the option of paying for annual passes in 12 installments after an initial down payment. For Florida residents, these annual pass categories have been available in the past:
Disney Platinum Plus Pass
Disney Platinum Pass
The Gold Pass, which has some block out dates.
Disney Silver Pass, which has more block out dates than the Gold Pass.
Disney Weekday Annual Pass, which allows admission during certain times of the year Monday through Friday only, but does allow park hopping.
The Water Parks After 2pm Pass
The Epcot After 4 Annual Pass
The Disney Theme Park Select Annual Pass, which allows admission during certain times of the year to select theme parks and admission to at least one theme park on more days annually compared to the Silver Pass.
When will Disney resume annual pass sales? Only time will tell. Disney prices are certainly not decreasing, so it would be prudent to expect an increase in annual pass costs as well.
Finally, and thankfully, parking fees have remained the same price since the previous year. Reservations made for arrivals anytime after June 18, 2019 include the following parking fees:
Value Resorts: $15 per night
Moderate Resorts: $20 per night
Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts: $25 per night
Parking fees at the theme parks have not changed. Resort hotel guests can still park their vehicles at the theme parks for free with the resort stay. Parking remains free at the Disney water parks as well as Disney Springs.
Parking fees increased last year, but Disney Springs still remains a free place to park. Photo: Sarah Gilliland
Tips for Getting the Best Deals
As always, there are ways to combat the price increases if you are a savvy vacation planner. Consider using a travel agent to help plan your next vacation. It is their job to check for special offers and alert you of deals for multi-day tickets, hotel discounts, and more.
When planning your Disney parks trip, consider the number of days you will visit the parks. Do you need Disney tickets for every day? Can you get by with a single-day ticket or choose to attend a special ticketed events instead of spending the entire day at the park? Price increases may make you think twice about becoming an annual passholder or using the add-on park hopper feature, but they shouldn’t deter you completely from visiting the most magical place on earth.
Where Can I Buy Discount Disney Tickets?
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1 Comment on “Disney Parks Prices Rising this Year”
Would like to take my family of 11(7 adults 4 children under 5yrs old) to Disney world November/ dec of 2021 and stay on site at age appropriate hotel.
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Would like to take my family of 11(7 adults 4 children under 5yrs old) to Disney world November/ dec of 2021 and stay on site at age appropriate hotel.