While California's Disneyland and Florida's Walt Disney World (DIS) are some of the most beloved theme parks in the country, the high cost of attending one with the family is the primary reason many never make it there.
One calculation by Wolfe Research shows that the cost of a single day at Disney — not just entry but also the snacks and souvenirs the average family buys — rose 56% between 2014 and 2024.
Numbers also show that growing numbers of families are putting their Disney vacations on credit cards and that those expenses stay on as high-interest debt instead of being paid off in the same month.
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Disney World tickets will vary not just on the time of year one comes but also on which of the four main parks one chooses to visit.
Disneyland in California has two prices, depending on whether one wants to hop between the main park with Cinderella's castle and California Adventure.
Disney just passed the $200 barrier for the first time
While the Wolfe Research numbers show that the cost of most things at Disney rose an average 5% a year, Disneyland just upped prices on both regular tickets and Magic Key passes for reserving ride spots.
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To ease fans' wrath somewhat — the past year has seen increasing social-media debate about whether a day at Disney is still worth the cost — Disney is keeping the base fare of the one-day, one-park pass at $104.
But it's raising other packages 6% — a five-day park pass is up to $511 from $480 while a two-day pass now costs $330 instead of $310. Both increases are 6.5%.
All changes were already quietly put into effect at the time the news broke on Oct. 9.
Disney tickets are also categorized by six "tiers" based on popular and less-popular times to visit. Single-day passes in all six tiers have been raised in a range of 5.9% to 6.5%.
For the most expensive Tier 6 during peak holiday periods, this means a jump to $206 from $194, which in turn means that Disneyland broke the barrier of charging more than $200 for a single ticket for the first time.
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The Magic Key passes saw even bigger price hikes — 14.7% to $974 for the Enchant category allowing four ride reservations at a time.
The cost of the highest Inspire Key, granting six reservations and the biggest discounts on Disney purchases, jumped 6.5% to $1,749.
The raised prices left many lower-income fans feel as if a family trip to Disneyland is even farther off on the horizon.
Two common ways to bring down the cost of a Disney visit are:
— Come during the lower tier Levels (although the Disneyland website shows that only 34 days in 2025 will have the $104 Tier 0 ticket price)
— Take advantage of vacation packages that combine the visit with flights and accommodations. Use the Disney credit card with Chase Bank, which offers a $400 statement credit after the initial first spending period. Those funds can be used to cover tickets. And using the card can get you discounts on purchases within the Disney parks themselves.
