Disney World will be moving to date-based pricing for theme park tickets starting October 16, 2018. This means that tickets will be priced differently depending on the day you visit.
The new system will:
- Assign each individual calendar day a specific ticket price (each day will reflect a different price based on various factors like crowd levels)
- Use an interactive calendar for ticket purchasing, and to show guests the highest and lowest ticket prices within a given month or year
- Offer guests the option to upgrade to a ticket with a “flexible start date” for an added cost.
How To Purchase Disney World Tickets Using The New Date-Based Pricing System:
Starting October 16th, guests wishing to purchase Disney World tickets will be able to access the new system via DisneyWorld.com or the My Disney Experience app.
Guests will be able to search for lowest-priced days to maximize their budgets, and when they’re ready to purchase…
Search for lowest-priced days
…they’ll be able to choose a start date for their ticket.
Choose your start date on the Disney interactive calendar (prices are for example only and do not reflect actual pricing)
Once a start date is selected, guests will see the total ticket cost based on that start date.
See total ticket cost based on start date (prices do not reflect actual pricing)
A date range will also be provided for when the ticket can be used. Tickets do not have to be used on consecutive days, but do have to be used in entirety during the date range provided.
Note date range during which you can use ticket (prices shown do not reflect actual pricing)
If this system doesn’t do it for you, there IS a way to avoid the changes altogether… but it will cost you!
Disney World Date-Based Pricing “Flexible Dates” Option
For guests who’d rather not be locked into specific days, a “flexible dates” option is available for an additional fee. This is basically your “keep everything the same as it was before” choice. It allows guests to start using the purchased tickets on any date before December 31, 2019 (in this example below — date will change going forward) and allows for a 14-day window during which to use the ticket after it’s been activated by a first use. So…pretty much the same as the current system.
Choose a flexible start day ticket for an added fee
Depending on the cost of tickets on the days you want to head to Disney World, there’s a chance the flexible dates option may actually save you money — but that remains to be seen based on exactly how much they end up charging for the flexible dates option, and how much ticket prices vary per day. These prices are always subject to change.
Why is Disney World Doing This?
According to Disney, “introducing date-based tickets and pricing will allow us to better distribute attendance throughout the year so that we can continue to improve and deliver a great experience.” So, in a nutshell, Disney World is getting too crowded, and making popular days more expensive is the most effective way to incentivize guests to visit during lower capacity times.
It makes sense. Crowd levels have been high in Disney World, and spreading those out a bit will make the experience better for those who traditionally visit during busy times.
Also, Disney has priced hotel nights and hard-ticket events based on capacity and “seasons” for years — why wouldn’t ticket prices follow suit? Disney World is a business, and it makes sense that they’d follow a supply-and-demand policy for pricing park tickets.
However, the new system could make things more financially difficult for families who can only attend during school breaks or pre-set work vacation dates. These are historically and usually the most popular and crowded seasons — meaning they’ll likely be the most expensive seasons as well for airfare, hotel stays, AND, now, park tickets.
Disney World Date-Based Ticket System FAQs
What Happens If I’ve Already Purchased My Tickets For a Date AFTER October 16th?
If you’ve already purchased tickets for a date after October 16th, or you purchase tickets BEFORE October 16th for a date after October 16th, your tickets and prices will not be affected. The policy is not retroactive.
Does this Affect Annual Passholders?
At this time, no information has been released regarding updates to the Annual Passholder ticketing system.
Will Tickets Still Cost Less Per Day The Longer You Stay?
Yes. The “more you play, the less you pay per day” structure is still in place. So, if you buy a one-day ticket, it will cost more than that same day would cost if you purchased a multi-day ticket.
Head over as we answer MORE of your questions about Disney’s Date-Based Ticket System!
Let us know what YOU think in the comments, and read more at Disney Parks Blog.
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Shayne — I know; we’re entering the first year of having to travel only during school breaks, too.
AJ,
Thanks so much for the flash news.
Bummer about the information.
I go in October 18 and already have my tickets booked so I’m all good this time around. I don’t plan on it being my last Disney trip, so the info is really helpful for next time around.
Keep up the great work.
Tom — I don’t think we’ll see exact pricing before the system rolls out on October 16th, so it would be a gamble. Prices for some dates will go down, and others will go up, but it remains to be seen which days are “value” in Disney’s calendar.
Pharaby — tickets that have already been purchased will not be affected
Robert — This is a conundrum for me, too. Prices for some dates will go down, and others will go up, but it remains to be seen which days are “value” in Disney’s calendar.
CJ — I hear you.
Rachel — Thank you so much for the kind words <3
Hi Carl — I’m not sure how this affects UK tickets yet. We’ll see what we can find out.
What happens if your plans change? You have to cancel or move your trip?
just chatted with undercovertoursist.com. They don’t know (or can’t say) what impact is. I am going in a low/value season next year. Thinking about it, when has WDW tix ever decreased? So maybe best to buy now.
My son is homeschooled so we can go pretty much whenever. But whenever we plan an extended stay we always compare season passes to daily tickets. Just means more homework for us.
Very sad. WE are DVC members and stockholders, but it is getting harder and harder to plan vacations at Disney. Now we need to factor in varying ticket prices. How sad…..for families and anyone who is on a specific time line of when they can travel.
Question: So we have family coming in early December for 8 days – they intend to buy 3 or 4 day park hoppers. We will be in the parks on December 4 for sure, and probably December 6-8. Would you buy the tickets now? Or will the new rates consider these value dates and possibly drop prices? (We are local pass holders so the dates can move as far as I’m concerned.) Thank you!
Something to consider. There is nothing in the details to indicate that Disney is not going to adjust pricing as they go (a la airlines). While I do not expect it at the beginning I would think in the not to distant future you could see prices changing on a daily basis as demand changes.
I don’t see Disney decreasing ticket prices. It’s all about money. They’ll just increase prices for tickets during the busier times to force people to go to Disney during the less busier times when the tickets will be cheaper. It will help even out the crowds while generating more revenue for Disney.
To be honest , I’m surprised they haven’t done this years ago. I’m so glad we have our trip booked for April 2019 , so we ate locked in. I personally don’t think it’s entirely crowd control. I think the extra increase will help replenish money for all the renovations and future projects. Which is fine, I don’t mind paying more as long as they continue to improve the parks. Thank you so much AJ for the update!!
THANKYOu so much for the info. I have annual pass but bought a lot of ((over 12) regular tickets with no expiration ranging From 4-6 days. Some with hopper option. I put this on adult family members when they go with us. Currently have not put them in the account. Do you know what will happen with those ? SOme are more than 2 yrs old but suppose to be good forever, now I’m wondering status of those.
As an annual passholder, this kind of concerns me. How the annual passholder prices will be affected?
Park sizes stay essentially the same and more resorts get built. Are we really surprised the parks are too crowded?
They are working for us to spread the crowds out? Why don’t they offer free park hopping to guests that stay on property? People might leave an over-crowded park and then the crowd might lessen a bit. Or, how about having early and late hours at all parks everyday for on-property guests? With the incredible hike in room rates, this should be included anyway.
What if you stay for 8 or 10 nights and buy a 5 day park pass? I suppose you have to go to the park for at least the 1st day you planned and won’t be able to alter that. It also looks like they only gave a 4 day window to use the tickets in the video (instead of a 14 day window), looked confusing, but seems like you are less free to select how you stretch your days out (unless you pay an extra $100 to have the 14 day window).
Then, what happens if you have to cancel and reschedule your vacation, or just cancel. Do you get a refund on the tickets, does the money stay in your account to use in the future, but maybe for a different priced time of year.
If this actually lessens or averages out the crowds, how will determine where the low season is? It’s just another way to make us miserable and take more money. Really, if you are there during a more crowded time, you get less for your money already and they want to raise the price on you. Thanks again Disney! I vote they get a new CEO before everybody gets so disgusted that the place just becomes a ghost town.
Well I am so Happy Easter 2019 is the last time we have to go during a School Break. Tickets are expensive yes, DIsney is a business and knows they can make more $$ the busiest of times. Parks are crowded all the time now. They keep building new reosrts, adding onto 4 parks. What Disney needs is another park .
This is so disappointing and frankly, disgusting – deliberate exclusionary tactics by the higher ups at WDW who are totally out of touch with or completely unsympathetic to middle and lower class families….this is NOT the WDW I grew up with – I have some tickets left that I will use and then never ever again go back. All the fun and magic in planning and going on a trip to WDW is GONE! Will also be getting rid of my Disney Visa card this month.
Doesn’t this appear like a way for Disney to make more money off of us? Looks like we’re paying for the Cast Members raise.
I am a Disney stockholder so I really appreciate that this is being done because the parks are so popular, however as a (formerly) frequent WDW visitor, this makes me very sad. A friend and I were just discussing that this would probably be the next step and it’s yet another reason that our trips are becoming fewer and farther between . Between the increases in fees (parks, parking, hotels) and the encouraged, nearly required, reliance on the Disney app, some of the magic is definitely gone for us.
Yahoo.
If they would stop building so many hotels, then this would not be such a problem. Or build another park. Or other activities INCLUDED in the passes. My first trip was only 20 years ago. They have added or significant lay increases the capacity on 10 resorts in that time. Can’t wait to see when my APcosys $1,500.
soooo if there are a lot of people at the park one certain day according to Disney yearly figures then you will pay more but get less out of the park because of the crowds. seems to me a little reverse phycology is needed and charge more for less crowded days because you will get more value on a least crowded day. just sayinggggg.
Thank you for keeping us up to date on real Disney need. Is this in effect for Disneyland as well ?
I am so confused…so all four parks cost the same to enter for one day?? Please dont tell me that I have to plan what park I want to go what day based on the price also. Planning is not even fun anymore. very upset
This is all IMHO, and it’s all over the place, but here goes:
— I believe Disney will still offer “pricing breaks” for people getting full packages (hotel – park tickets – dining), because they want to be the all-in-one stop shop for your entire vacation budget.
— If you are getting the longer amount of days at the parks (aka – we go for 10 days), I believe they will still offer you a “pricing break” of sorts. You will simply need to tell them WHEN you will start to use your tickets
— Day one is X day, thus, the pricing of the tickets is Y
— I believe that families will still drive their cars down to Disney to save money on flights, and the parking fee is them getting on equal footing as, say, Universal. You have to pay to park there too (however, they have a garage system connected to a security hub, and moving sidewalks). At least they don’t charge you to park at your resort AND then to park at the parks. That would be despicable… muh-ha-ha.
— I believe I will AVOID the Monorail WHENEVER POSSIBLE. My hubby is in the Transportation industry. They don’t make parts for that old Monorail anymore, and it is becoming a problem. Heads up, people, heads up. We were stuck waiting at MK for a monorail last week, and they sent us to the resort side to catch one. It took 35 minutes to wait for a FULL train, mid-day, and of COURSE people had mega strollers in every nook-and-cranny of every car, open, with their toddlers in their laps. OMG, where is the shame? I can understand if it’s not busy, but if people are in the heat, can you fold it up maybe?
— I budget for everything, but I would say that you have to budget even more. We always book the bounce back offer, but now I’m going to look for other opportunities. You can drop your reservation and get the $200 per room deposit back within 30-days of your start of vacation. So if you are going to stay on property, LOOK FOR THE BOUNCEBACK OFFER in the literature in the room, or at the least, CALL the WDW main line to ask about it once you have STARTED your trip and checked-in.
— You will probably have to book for the time frame you are in the park now… aka – we’re going back in the HEAT of early September
— BOOK – BOOK – BOOK, and plan to be on the phone with them for a good hour… they get backed up
— You can do this while you sit at the pool on your cell phone, doing laundry – BOOK
— You can always look for a better deal and drop it later, but once it’s gone, it’s gone
— We always book a value, AND UPGRADE our dining to the middle-of-the road dining plan (one QS, one TS, two snacks per person, per day – you CAN NOT eat this much food, you WILL be taking home snack credit gifts for people.
— HEADS UP – for QS (Quick Service) AND for TS (Table Service), as long as you are of age, you CAN get an alcoholic drink FOR FREE as part of your meal plan. Do you drink? Even occasionally? This is amazing!
— HEADS UP – there are SEVERAL alcoholic drinks that are considered SNACK CREDITS. Game changer for Food and Wine, and for us when we were at Teppan Edo (Hibachi restaurant in Japan Pavilion). Sample those wines, cocktails, etc… and get a glass of water on the side. It’s FUN to try new things!
— POP is renovated, it’s great, go there… TONS of USB and regular plugs, rain showers with removable hand held piece, it’s heavenly. Gets LOUD b/e the walls are thin, so be a good neighbor, and hope your neighbors do the same, HUGE TV, plenty of storage areas
— DO NOT GO TO ALL-STAR SPORTS, IT’S TREATED POORLY BY THE VISITING TEENS GOING TO SPORTING EVENTS. Some family went there recently, last week, and over 1/2 of the plugs didn’t work. The food court was under construction on their 2nd day (NO ONE MENTIONED THIS WHEN THEY BOOKED THIS ROOM), which was a pain. The room itself was old and terrible. They saw our room and almost cried – it’s that big a difference.
— Once the Gondolas (overhead transport) are installed, GET READY FOR MORE PRICE INCREASES. It’s coming, people, believe it. Those hotels will be hard to book.
— New Star Wars land is going to make the park even busier, and if you are going BEFORE it opens (aka – basically, before November 2019), you will have to walk quite a bit to get to the FRONT of the park. The construction is all over the place, and the tram drops you off quite a ways from the front gate. If you have someone with mobility issues, consider that in your planning.
— If you are able to use the boat system to Hollywood Studios (aka – staying on the Boardwalk, Swan, Dolphin), you might be happier at the end of the night… lol.
— I wish they would just come out and say “Pay us X amount of dollars, per day, per person for one of THESE tiers” and let you budget / pick out what you want or can afford. We can’t afford the VIP thing this year, but we may save up to do that with my Nieces in a few years BECAUSE they will be so young, and my Brother has so little time to actually tour the park(s). Just give them the gravy, as long as you’re willing to “grease” the wheels of the VIP plan cost. But man, if there were less expensive versions of the VIP experience, c’mon now, wouldn’t you do it? I mean, really, wouldn’t you want to get in there, hit it, and go relax at a meal or something?
OK, I could talk Disney all day, I’m tapping out. THANK YOU DFB for all of the tips, you made our trip (and our Food and Wine experience) out of this world!
So on your made up example you picked an $85 day to start but the four days you picked after your first day were also $85 a day even though the calendar reflected a different price? Is that how it will work? Your first day is your price per day for the length of stay? Or was that just an example glitch?
Not an issue for me since I usually buy an AP and it’s already in effect for what times of year I can go and I will plan around that. I also don’t get people thinking that Disney owes them something. If you can’t afford to go to WDW then you don’t go. That was the case for me for years. They’re a company and they are in it to make a profit just like any other company. Going to WDW is a privilege not a right.
@neNolan-hate to say it, but they owe DVC something. I don’t expect anything for free, well shampoo, but now I have to share.
I digress, but even though i buy an AP, when will I be priced out of that? You may not know, but anytime anything is updated at a resort that has both DVC & hotel rooms, our maintenance & taxes go up., regardless of whether they collect on increased hotel room rates. Forget about a storm. I don’t envy anyone who owns at Hilton Head or Vero Beach. And my heart goes out to anyone suffering from all of the hurricanes from the past 18 months.
But eventually something has to give. We get a slight discount on passes, it’s better if we renew. But seriously, I understand it’s a business, but theoretically we are business partners & they don’t ask us. Even at board meetings. I’ve been.
Our last trip to WDW was Nov 2017, we were totally disenchanted to say the least. We’ve been there at least a dozen times over the past 30 years…it’s all we could afford..and have watched it change from magical to mercenary. It’s now the Mall of the World rather than a theme park. Do people actually buy that overpriced nonsense? We’re going as a family with grandkids this November but it will be our last trip. Pandora’s world has a huge dung heap as its focal point and the River Ride was even less exciting than a blue-light ride at a local carnival. And the hokey “acts” weren’t even laughable – barely a handful of guests engaged with them. The newbies and foreign guests will continue to fatten the Disney pockets.
I have to agree that planning for WDW world stopped being fun some years ago. I used to love making plans. I could handle the restaurant reservations, but the fast passes months in advance made the trips stressful. Now you won’t be able to find a time that is less crowded which we loved. I don’t want the crowds the level out. I want to go when other people don’t. Pricing is almost out of our range. Yes, they have the freedom to raise prices anytime they want, but I wonder what Walt would think? Why not just limit the number of people in the parks to a lower number? Why not give the people who stay on property SOMETHING, like evenings for guests only to make the expensive rooms worth it? It’s all about the money now, and Disney is raking it in. It’s really sad, that it is so stressful and expensive anymore. Disneyland is better, but prices are rising a couple times a year. But fastpasses are still great there. I hope they never go to WDW system.
Lots of good feedback and concerns on this topic. I too am a DVC Member based at Boardwalk/WDW and Annual Passholder at Disneyland. In a way, DVC as had this sort of points based system for years. We have to use more points during a PEAK or HOLIDAY season and Value or Regular season is always less points. Seems they are now bringing this over to daily ticket rates and it’s really starting to feel like booking a FLIGHT. I mean, we know best travel days and worst travel days and highest prices/lowest prices. I for one anticipate FRI-SAT being highest prices, Sun a bit less, Mon- Thu even less depending on if it’s New Years, Presidents Day, Labor Day, Christmas, 4th July..SUMMER, etc etc etc ….. For people who are flexible you can search/choose a more economic time to go, for others, WE ARE JUST GONNA BE STUCK PAYING HIGHER PRICES OR DON’t GO. I must say I am glad I have my DVC membership/points or I truly could not afford to go to the HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH with my famil and friends as much as I do…..
I’ll figure it out and adapt accordingly.
No problem.
Some of these long, long comments where people are freaking out are ridiculous…….but hilarious.
WWWT (what would Walt think?) he would think- like any self made business man of his era – that capitalism is a glorious thing. They have no obligation to make anything affordable for anyone. When it starts breaking my bank I will stop going. Till then- business is business.
I already have a vacation booked for June 2019, with park hopper/water park tickets. How is that going to effect the price I was quoted?
We buy our tickets through the military. Curious to know how/if the Salute tickets will change . . .
Wonder how they’re going to pice Magic Your Way Vacation packages booked before Oct. 16th but not yet fullly paid for? Will it be at current pricing or will they adjust the price based on when you are booked once the new pricing is issued. I have a trip in April 2019 booked.
As someone who frequently has to rearrange my plans during a vacation (or even if I will be going) due to chronic illness I hate this. My daughter said “Disney’s gotta make bank somehow.” But I really hate this. I am not a happy mouseketeer.
Really !?!?! Some of us come during off season for a reason. If I wanted to be there duringbpeak crowds with whining kids I would cone in the dead of summer. All this says to me is the quieter, lesser crowd days will soon be a thing if the past. Will be seriously rethinking other vacations destinations.
Are Hopper Passes still going to be available?? I apologize if someone has already asked this question and it has been answered. Thank you!
It’s really interesting reading some of these long-winded comments from people who seem to be self-centered and self concerned. Comments like “Disney doesn’t owe you anything”. Well Yes, they do – they are a business true, but when you pay them for a service they need to deliver on that service. There is an expectation that you will receive what you pay for. That expectation goes without saying for any business. In this case, in the long run, we are not receiving what we are paying for. We are asked to pay more for less and it keeps getting worse. My heart goes out to those families that have children who are dying to get to Disney World. These parents are doing everything possible to get them there, but it’s getting harder and harder for a family of three, four or more to afford Disney. Disney is becoming a luxury. It is no longer for the common family. One very mean comment was made by someone that stated ” if you can’t afford it don’t go.” How very sad that Disney has made people so cynical, cold, and uncaring. For a place that began as Walt Disney’s dream for families to be together in a fun, affordable and safe atmosphere, Disney, the company, has strayed so far from its founder and his principles. And unfortunately from reading some of these comments many fellow Disney guest have become uncaring, unkind and unconcerned about how all these pricing changes and increases are affecting other people and hurting them financially. I encourage people to email or call Disney and let them know how these changes are affecting you personally. Of course maybe nothing will change, but then again maybe somebody at Disney who still remembers the values that Walt Disney put in place and his vision for his name sake, will listen.
Until then, I for one do feel for my fellow guest who are struggling due to all of these price increases and changes, and I hope that Disney will listen to us , their paying guest, and take our concerns seriously.
Unfortunately I think this will make it harder for families already on a tight budget to visit as often. I understand why the change, it’s just a bit sad.
Thanks AJ for keeping us informed and letting us voice our opinions! Interesting comments and information to learn from. All in all, it just seems that it’s getting too complicated to plan and sad that you have to plan soooo much or else risk not being able to do the things you want.
As a DVC and AP holder, I am pretty happy to see this news tbh. We just returned home yesterday from a week in WDW and (for the 3rd week of September) the parks were too crowded!! Not to mention the Halloween Party was WAY over-sold.
One of the most notable things we saw was a huge influx in the amount of foreigners at the parks. What that says to me is that Disney needs to open a park in South America stat! Ever since Shanghai Disney opened, the amount of Asian tourists has dropped big time at WDW. If they opened a park in Brazil I think the same would occur.
I anticipate AP increases next year but I’m ready for that. With all the work they are doing to the parks. I also can see a few more blackout dates for Gold passes.
Michelle, this change shouldn’t impact trips that are already booked.
For those asking about military rates, we are looking into it!