Getting into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is going to cost you a few more galleons.
Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, the company’s Orlando theme parks, have raised their ticket prices, just weeks after Walt Disney World hiked the price of annual passes for its fans.
The cost of going to one Universal park now ranges from $119 to $179, depending on the day. (That’s for admission to a single park, and does not allow going between the two.) Before the increase, prices stood at a range of $109 to $159.
For people who want to hop between the parks, the price has jumped to between $174 and $234, up from a $164 to $214 range.
“Our pricing reflects the incredible, world-class entertainment experiences we continue to offer our guests, and with our date-based variable pricing model, guests have more flexibility when planning a visitor our destination and can choose the best time to visit that suits their needs,” Universal said in a statement.
Annual passes for the Universal parks were not increased, though the company did raise prices on the two top tiers of those earlier this year.
Universal Orlando is in the midst of an expansion in central Florida. It’s expected to open a new 750-acre theme park in 2025 called Epic Universe, centered around the characters of DreamWorks Animation, including Shrek, Trolls and Kung Fu Panda. That expansion will also bring another Harry Potter expansion and the company's "Super Nintendo World" to Florida.
That announcement put Disney on the defensive. Earlier this year, it announced plans to spend $60 billion over the next 10 years on capital expenditures at its Disney Parks, Experiences and Products division, which oversees all of its theme park holdings. That’s double the amount it had previously planned to spend.
