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…
…they’ll be able to choose a start date for their ticket.
Once a start date is selected, guests will see the total ticket cost based on that start date.
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.
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.
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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Margaret E. Chapmn says
I hate it, its not fair I finally have great grand children I can bring and you bump it up again. It is making it harder for families, I’m ready to sell my DVC points and get out and never come back. You are taking it out on families. Shame on you Disney SHAME
Sue Bellows says
I hate this.
Ed Joshlyn says
Got a feeling this is going to be another hard pill to swallow. I understand what they are doing just know that it will be a big pain point. Planning a trip for some will become a longer process. Wont pass judgement just yet, will need to keep an eye on this as it rolls out. Thanks for the info and thanks for all the great video content.
David says
My wife is a teacher so we already get taken to the cleaners on flights and accommodations. This just kinda adds insult to injury. I am betting that the VAST majority of people who go when it is busy do so out of necessity, not because they want to experience spendy flights and the highest wait times. They can say it is to relieve crowding all they want but the simple fact is they are doing it because they can. The crown reduction will more likely be people who are already stretching their budget not wanting to shell out more money for a crowded trip.
Donna Woitha says
What about annual passes?
Jess says
Wonder how this is going to work if you already have a vacation booked for next year.
M. A. says
This is awful. Especially for people who have pre-planned vacations with tickets already purchased for after this Oct 16 date.
Tarantula says
Can open. Worms everywhere ? … I’m following this post just to see the comments. Better make some popcorn!
(For reference I’m not a huge fan of the change but I understand why they did it. We all saw it coming, let’s be honest. But the online Disney community is gonna explode over this!)
SeeannaN says
So if we want to purchase park tickets for a vacation we’ve already booked, would you suggest we do it now, or wait?
Dean says
I assume this doesn’t affect tickets that have already been bought and will be used before the end of the year?
Tina Handschug says
How does this affect vacations that have already been booked? We have a trip booked for December 2018.
Lynn says
Just another price gouging by Disney. How about opening a new park there to spread out the people instead of building more vacation villas that bring in more people than the parks can hold. As it is you can only get on 6 rides max even with your fast passes after waiting in lines. Sad Disney that you can’t figure this out.
Nicole H says
What about tickets that are purchased now for a trip after that date? Any word on whether or not they will still be honored?
Melissa Wheatley says
I’m kind of shocked they haven’t done this previously, and I’ve never been to WDW. I’m planning my first trip in November 2019, although I’ve already reserved my vacation packages over the phone.
Hopefully my package price won’t rise because of this, since I did it so early in advance.
Kate says
I’m also curious about if this affect tickets already purchased? I’m going that very week! (Oct 15-19th)
CJ says
AJ,
What’s next? Tiered pricing for when you buy a cupcake? Don’t mean to sound cynical, but this has all the earmarks of another cash grab. I know they’re a business, but when is enough enough? I know, never. I guess I am cynical.
Charlotte says
How will this impact buying a MYW package with tickets?
Scott says
The article says they want to do this because the parks are getting so busy. Then again they are cutting so much stuff like the street performers at Hollywood Studios and the Live performers at ROL to save money. Now does this make any since !!!
Pharaby says
What about military tickets that have already been purchased?
robert says
so i was about to buy tix for next sept – during a value/low season. Do i wait to buy hoping it might be lower? etickets are non-refundable so i could buy at a higher price now versus waiting.
Jackie says
Figures, we are planning our one and only trip to Disney in February 2020. We chose that time because it is the least crowed month. Now who know what is going to happen. How will this effect the military discount tickets? They probably won’t offer them at all. In that case we won’t be able to go at all. Totally bummed!!!!
tom says
anywhere we can go to see if it makes sense to purchase tickets for our May 2019 trip NOW before the changes take place?
Shayne says
As one of those families who can only travel during school breaks, this is one of the things I’ve always hated about Universal — you can actually see how much you’re getting screwed by having to travel at busy times — as opposed to the flat (but still very expensive) pricing model at Disney. I’m about as big of a Disney fan as they come, but I’m with CJ. With each new decision, I’m feeling more and more like Disney is just out to make a buck. I realize it is a for-profit business, but it sort of feels like the guest experience is losing priority over the shareholder experience (I’m one of those too, but not in great enough quantity for it to matter!)
With that said, I’ll wait to see how things shake out with this new model. If it really does help reduce crowd levels, that will be a good thing. And I’ll be curious now to compare the cost of the tickets vs. a DVC-discounted AP.
Karla Coco says
Does this new pricing affect tickets already purchased to be used later this year (December, 2018)?
Lisa. P says
I’m curious if i have a 6 day pass but my vacation is 10 days or maybe 14, I’ll have to use my 6 days in 7 consecutive days? I noticed when you select your start date, it gave only a 7 day window to use the ticket in.
Andrea Higgins says
We can no longer afford to go to Disney. They literally doubled the prices of the on property hotels. We used to pay $300+ for Beach, Yacht or Boardwalk. Now those hotels are $600+. Same hold true for value and moderate hotels. Now that the ticket prices have increased, DW vacations are definitely over. Sad
Pete says
The Mouse is gonna keep on Mousin’.
Dee says
Everyone seems to want to penalize people who have to vacation around the school calendar, families with children and teachers.
Elizabeth Smock says
This seems extremely confusing, but I guess it’s similar to how many airlines sell tickets. I thought the “season” passes worked pretty well, but I guess they’re not flexible enough for Disney.
Quite honestly, this doesn’t bother me as much as charging for parking at the resorts or adding all the extra-cost events like the morning magic hours. Those really feel slimy, like true cash grabs. I’m willing to wait and see how this goes. I’m a local AP-holder, so my pass is paid monthly anyway, so this will just affect my guests.
Roger Sauer says
I feel bad for those who are limited by school vacations and work vacation dates set by employers. These people cannot alter dates to less expensive times without throwing jobs or school priorities out of whack. If you cannot be flexible, Disney says, “That’s okay, just pay more!”
In response to Ed above, it is not a hard pill to swallow. It’s a suppository.
Ben says
I still feel they need to open up the parks more, instead of removing the HS back lot for star-wars, move it out from there, and instead of closing the GMR for the mickey roller coaster move it out someplace else. I think they would help with crowds by make more room and rides then hiking up the price. Almost glad my kids are about to get too old for Disney as it’s just getting to be too much money and hassle. With all the events they are adding during the off season it make getting annual passes pointless and now with pushing prices down during those times it will make is worse.
Bill says
Hopefully the “average” price will remain the same as the current flat rate price with some days getting more expensive and some days less, but I am skeptical. This, added with the hotel parking fees, is making Disney look like just another bottom line only business. I’m afraid the next thing on the agenda will be a “transportation fee” for people staying on property and using the bus and boat systems. The recent decisions coming from the executive board room are whittling away at the things that set Disney apart from the wanna bees.
Sara says
They were already doing this, based on Park and season. So essentially what this will do is, because of finances, encourage people to go at the slower times when some of us like to go because it’s a slower time…
Donn says
We can only visit from the UK in school holidays (or be fined by the school). We get shafted by the airlines & hotels for visiting in Aug and now have to pay more for park tickets??
This is not an over crowding solution, this is a ‘let’s squeeze a little more outta the suckers’ idiotic idea. I’ve a feeling our already booked 7th trip to WDW will be our last ?
Katie Edwards says
What will this mean for us in the UK? As we buy 14 day tickets?
Jack says
Does this mean that Disney will lower the prices on the less busy days?
Just kidding…..Disney prices only go in one direction…..for our convenience.
Kat says
I guess we picked a good time to get annual passes. Man this sucks. Although it IS interesting to see where Disney thinks their value season is…
Caryn says
I understand the date-based pricing. I know the example says it’s just that, but I want to clarify / ask a question on multi-day tickets.
In the past, the cost of an incremental day has gone down the longer the ticket. So while a one day ticket might be $90+ per day, by day 8, the incremental days were maybe $40 a day. Is that structure going away? If so, it would be a huge increase.
We’ve been annual passholders and that can make sense, but we’re not in FL, so the longer multi-day has made sense for us sometimes in the past.
Fred J McClimans says
OK I fully understand Disney is a business and can do anything they want to do. Our large family has been a Disney supporter since the Magic Kingdom opened. We live an hour away. Over the decades collectively have spent a small fortune on Hotels and theme parks. We have paid all the price increases and many inconveniences. This latest move is the last straw. It definitely is the last inconvenience we can put up with. The good news is there are lots of other places to spend our money and get a good value in return. So we have to say goodbye to Disney. Our time there was great and really loved it. Decisions made by Disney management over the last several years have degraded the experience. It has turned into something that Walt Disney definitely did not have in mind.
kristen says
We knew the change was coming, but the fact that they’re making us wait three weeks before we can see actual ticket prices feels like releasing bad news in stages. Unbelievable.
AJ says
Caryn — The “more you play, the less you pay per day” structure will continue. Tickets will cost less per day the longer you stay.
Jan says
Hi A.J. I have a comment regarding the Dining Plan. We just came back from a Disney vacation that we planned back in February to celebrate a special anniversary. We decided to include a dining plan with our package so we went with the standard package. We read all about it in your online book first and thought we’d go for it. I have to tell you we were very disappointed and feel that we did not get our monies worth. We ended up using all of our snack points at the end of the trip as you suggested for gifts to bring home but you have to settle for things that won’t perish in travel or mailing. Those things just aren’t very good, most were the large cookies from Main St. Confectionary shop. We ate our counter service meals for lunch but by dinner time we really weren’t hungry for dinner and even then we didn’t feel we got our monies worth at the restaurants we chose. The last night we went to Le Cellier (2 table service points) and averaging that out didn’t make it worth the money it cost us even. So, we will never again purchase a dining plan, Disney made out on us. Think very carefully before you purchase this plan and try to make it work for you, it did not work for us.
Caryn says
Thanks for quick response, AJ! Good news that the declining cost per structure stays.
Although with our beloved IllumiNations ending (thanks SO much for the heads up), I think we’ll start another annual pass at Flower and Garden 2019.
Rachel says
Does anyone know how this will affect third party sellers like Undercover Tourist? I don’t think my family has ever purchased tickets directly from Disney, because there are reputable discount places to buy from, but it sounds like this will prevent third party sellers from being able to offer good discounts…
Diana says
As the article already states, tickets purchased before October 16th for vacations after October 16th, will not be affected. The price you paid is safe.
AJ says
NOTE: I have added an FAQ section to the post where I’m responding to many of the questions in the comments that were asked multiple times 😀 Hope that helps!
AJ says
Hi Jan — Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! (And Thank you for supporting us by purchasing our guide!) Yes, making the dining plan deliver is definitely based on your family and how much you eat, what your needs are, etc. For some people, it just doesn’t make sense. But others can’t live without it! I appreciate so very much your giving us your review and sharing your experience.
AJ says
Lisa P. — We may have to wait for the roll-out to know the answer to that. I’m curious, too.
AJ says
Karla — No — your already-purchased tickets won’t be affected.
Carl says
This is pretty disgusting by Disney. They are penalising people who have no choice but to visit at certain times of the year due to school or work reasons. Obviously they will now overprice those times during the holidays and when school is out, leaving those families severely out of pocket. It’s simply unfair. Tickets should be the same price the whole year around. Plus to use the excuse that it’s due to “over-crowding”, while that pretty much definitely is happening at the parks at times, I just simply don’t believe that rising the ticket prices will solve that at all!!! All it will do is bump up Disney’s profits! If Disney is genuinely worried about over-crowding, they need to find other solutions to this problem, without the need to make more money out of it. But being a large corporate company with shareholders, will they do that?……….hmmm what do you think?
Also, for me based in the UK, I’m wondering what is going to happen to the 14 day Ultimate Tickets which Disney forces UK visitors to buy. That, and the 7 day one, were the only tickets available. They were the only ones you could get via third party websites too. What’s going to happen to them?