Walt Disney raises ticket prices to theme parks

CNN- The Walt Disney Co. announced that it is raising ticket prices for theme parks in Florida and California, effective immediately.

Disney said it raised prices for one-day tickets by $2 to $7 at its Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme parks in Florida. The prices, and price increases, vary for adults and children, and also depend on the time of year of the visit.

For example, Disney increased one-day ticket prices for Disneyland Resort in California by up to $11 for an adult on peak days. The price increases for one-day tickets to Disneyland varied from $2 to $11, depending on the time of year. But it also lowered the price by $10 on value days.

Generally speaking, peak pricing happens during the holidays, such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year’s and July 4. Value pricing, as the company calls it, often happens on weekdays during slower months like May and October, according to Disney’s ticket calendar.

Here’s how the ticket price increases break down.

–A one-day adult ticket to the Magic Kingdom in Florida now costs $129, an increase of $5, during the peak tourist season.
–A one-day adult ticket to Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida during peak season now cost $122, an increase of $3.

–A one-day, adult ticket to Disneyland Resort in California is now priced at $117, an increase of $7.
–The price of parking at Florida theme parks went up by $2, to $22 a day.

“We know how important making memories at Disney theme parks is to families and we will continue to evolve our pricing in a way that gives families a range of options to meet their budget and helps better spread attendance throughout the year so they can make the most of every visit,” said Disney spokeswoman Andrea Finger.

The company also raised the price of its annual passes at the different theme parks. At its Florida parks, a silver pass now costs $439, a gold pass costs $589 and a platinum pass is $849, or $729 for Florida residents. The platinum pass rose by $70, or $50 for Floridians.

These passes provide unlimited access to Florida theme parks during normal opening hours. Some of them, like the platinum pass, also provide certain discounts for dining and merchandise.

At Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, a Signature Plus annual pass is now priced at $1,149, a Deluxe is $729 and a SoCal Select costs $369.