When Disneyland announced its upcoming Kids’ Special Offer Ticket last week, I had a suspicion that the deal was intended to soften the blow of a pending price increase. It's been exactly one year since the Disneyland Resort raised ticket prices, so today's announcement really shouldn't come as a surprise.
Effective Wednesday, October 11, Disneyland is raising the price of single-day park tickets by as much as 9% depending on when you visit. Multi-day tickets are going up by as much as 25%, and annual Magic Key passes jump as much as $150.
Prices for the park-hopping add-on, Disney Genie+ service, and parking fees are also all on the rise.
When announcing the changes, the Resort said, “We are investing in the guest experience, constantly developing new entertainment offerings, character appearances, attractions, dining experiences and shopping destinations. In 2024 guests can look forward to ongoing Downtown Disney expansion and development, the introduction of the reimagined Pixar Place Hotel, and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opening!”
Theme Park tickets and add-ons
The Disneyland Resort uses a seasonal flex pricing structure, with the price of one-day tickets based on a seven-tier calendar.
A tier 0 ticket is lowest-priced single-day admission, and remains the same $104 as offered since 2019. Disney generally publishes the calendar 120 days in advance, and there are more than 25 tier-0 days on the schedule through early February. Not surprisingly, reservations for these lower-cost days can book quickly.
Starting today it will cost a bit more to see Sleeping Beauty Castle in person. MousePlanet file photo.
On the other side of the spectrum is the tier 6 ticket. Valid on the busiest of days, it saw a $15 increase, to $195. The $91 difference between a tier 0 and tier 6 ticket is striking, as you can save nearly 50% by visiting on a “slower” day. Prices for one-day tier 2 through 5 tickets each increased $5 to $15.
The price for multi-day single-park tickets each increased by $25 to $65 for adults, with the five-day ticket now $480 per adult. Again, two tier 0 day tickets at $104 each are a better value than a 2-day ticket (now $310) if you can time your visits to off-season weekdays.
The park-hopper option will cost you more depending on how many days you visit. The one-day park-hopper option remains the same at $65 per ticket, but you'll pay $75 to add park hopping to a five-day ticket.
Finally, Disney is again raising the price of the Disney Genie+ service for advance purchases, and continuing demand-based pricing for same-day purchases. If you add Disney Genie+ to your ticket before your visit, it's costs $5 more, to $30 per day. If you decide to wait until you get to the park, the price could be $30, or it could be a lot higher based on demand.
Magic Key holders still receive a 20% discount on the purchase of Genie+, but still can't purchase them as an add-on until the day of their visit.
Effective today, the Disney Genie+ service now includes the new Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway attraction at Disneyland. Next month, Disney adds The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure attraction at Disney California Adventure to the Disney Genie+ lineup. Disney also noted that pricing for Individual Lightning Lane selections would “continue to vary,” with no pricing examples provided.
These price increases add up quickly. The cost of a “fully loaded” 5-day ticket with park hopping and Disney Genie+ service, has jumped by more than $100 to $705 per adult, an 18% increase.
Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway is now part of the added-cost Disney Genie+ service. MousePlanet file photo.
One-day tickets
| Ticket & Season | Adult One-Park | Adult Park Hopper | Child (3–9) One-Park | Child (3–9) Park Hopper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One Day – Tier 0 | $104 (no change) | $169 (no change) | $98 (no change) | $163 (no change) |
| One Day – Tier 1 | $119 ($5 increase) | $184 ($5 increase) | $119 ($11 increase) | $184 ($11 increase) |
| One Day – Tier 2 | $134 ($5 increase) | $199 ($5 increase) | $127 ($5 increase) | $192 ($5 increase) |
| One Day – Tier 3 | $154 ($10 increase) | $219 ($10 increase) | $146 ($10 increase) | $211 ($10 increase) |
| One Day – Tier 4 | $169 ($10 increase) | $234 ($10 increase) | $160 ($10 increase) | $225 ($10 increase) |
| One Day – Tier 5 | $184 ($15 increase) | $249 ($15 increase) | $174 ($15 increase) | $239 ($15 increase) |
| One Day – Tier 6 | $194 ($15 increase) | $259 ($15 increase) | $183 ($15 increase) | $248 ($15 increase) |
Multi-day tickets
| Ticket | Adult One-Park | Adult Park Hopper | Child (3–9) One-Park | Child (3–9) Park Hopper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two Day | $310 ($25 increase) | $375 ($30 increase) | $290 ($20 increase) | $355 ($25 increase) |
| Three Day | $390 ($30 increase) | $460 ($40 increase) | $365 ($25 increase) | $435 ($35 increase) |
| Four Day | $445 ($50 increase) | $515 ($60 increase) | $420 ($50 increase) | $490 ($60 increase) |
| Five Day | $480 ($65 increase) | $555 ($80 increase) | $450 ($60 increase) | $525 ($75 increase) |
Magic Key passes increased in price by $50- $150 dollars.
Magic Key Passes
At press time Disney had put a pause of new purchases of Magic Key passes, but existing Key holders can renew their pass. Those renewals will now be a bit pricier, especially for the Enchant Key.
| Magic Key Type | Price effective October 11, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Inspire | $1,649 ($50 increase) |
| Believe | $1,249 ($150 increase) |
| Enchant | $849 ($150 increase) |
| Imagine | $499 ($50 increase) |
The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure will be added to Disney Genie+ in November. MousePlanet file photo.
Parking
Almost every category of parking sees a $5 increase starting today, although there was no change in the Downtown Disney rate.
| Theme Park Parking | Price effective October 11, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Auto / Motorcycle | $35 |
| RV / Oversized | $40 |
| Commercial / Bus | $45 |
| Preferred Parking | $55 |
| Hotel Parking | Price effective October 11, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Auto / Motorcycle – Hotel Guest Self-Park | $40 |
| RV / Oversized – Hotel Guest Self-Park | $45 |
| Hotel Guest Valet Park | $70 |
| Auto / Motorcycle – Non-Hotel Guest Self-Park | $40 first hour + $10/hour; $80 max |
| RV / Oversized – Non-Hotel Guest Self-Park | $45 first hour + $10/hour; $85 max |
Now what?
While these new prices are all in effect as of today on the Disneyland website, some authorized Disney ticket sellers usually offer tickets at the pre-increase price for about a week. If you are now scrambling to save on tickets for your upcoming visit, visit our travel partners at Get Away Today or call 1-855-GET-AWAY, and be sure to mention you saw them on MousePlanet.
This is also a great time to revisit that discount ticket offer that Disney announced last week.
Starting January 8, 2024, children ages 3 to 9 can visit Disneyland or Disney California Adventure for as low as $50 per day.
The Kids’ Special Offer Ticket goes on sale starting October 24, and is valid for visits between January 8 and March 10, 2024. You can purchase 1-, 2- or 3-day park tickets, and add on optional park hopping and Disney Genie+ upgrades. Disney hasn't released full pricing details for this offer yet, but we'll update this information as soon as possible.
The offer is a much shorter duration than the usual winter discount for Southern California discounts, which usually runs into May. However, the dates will definitely cover the popular Lunar New Year celebration, and may just include the first weekend of the Food and Wine Festival.
Read the fine print carefully, because you need to make a theme park reservation to use this ticket, and Disney is only setting aside a limited number of reservations for this ticket type each day, and states, “reservation availability for Kids’ Special Offer Ticket holders is not guaranteed for any date, and reservations may be difficult to get for any particular date, especially as the ticket expiration date approaches.”
Kids can play at Disneyland for as little as $50 per day starting in January, 2024 as part of a limited-time promotion. MousePlanet file photo.
To make reservations easier to plan, Disney will extend its booking window later this month so that you can book theme park reservations up to 180 days in advance instead of the current 120 day window. This will let you make all of the reservations for this special offer as soon as you purchase your tickets, and also see which days are “Tier 0” days, where adult tickets are only $104.
In addition to requiring a theme park reservation, this ticket also has a “fuse”—which means multi-day tickets expire 13 days after the first day of use (or on March 10, 2024, whichever comes first). You won't need to use all two or three days consecutively, but you will need to make sure to use them all before they expire. From past experience, it will be difficult to get reservations the last week of this offer unless you plan well in advance.
Disney's announcement came as part of a longer Disney Parks Blog article detailing ways to save on Disneyland Resort visits, and it's really clear the company is addressing a widely held perception that the parks are just too expensive for families to visit. Official tips include staying at off-site hotels “that may work better with your budget,” avoiding parking fees by taking public transportation to the parks, and even reminders to pack your own water and snacks.
As far as souvenirs, Disney reminds you that digital downloads of Disney PhotoPass attraction photos are free.
If you have already booked your winter 2024 vacation package, call your travel agent to see how you can apply this new discount to your vacation.
If you haven't yet booked your travel, we always recommend you contact MousePlanet's travel partner Get Away Today and let them find the best deal for you. Visit Get Away Today or call 1-855-GET-AWAY, and be sure to mention you saw them on MousePlanet.
