It’s no secret that Disney World is expensive!
Things cost more in the theme parks than they do in the outside world, and you’ll probably have to do a little budgeting and saving ahead of your trip. On top of that, Disney World gets price increases from time to time. And today, we’re sharing eight of them that you need to plan for if you’re going to Disney World sometime this year!
Disney Genie+
Let’s start with the obvious — the free FastPass system is gone now, replaced with the paid Genie+. So, if you were hoping to use those new Lightning Lanes, you’ll need to budget $15 per ticket, per day when visiting the parks. On top of that, you’ll have to save up extra money if you plan on purchasing access to the Individual Attraction Selections (the “Fancy Rides”) — they’re between $7-$15 each.
Airport Transportation
Another big one we’ve got to think about this year is airport transportation. With Magical Express gone, you’ll have to start setting aside extra vacation money to pay for transportation to your Disney World hotel. Similar services include Mears Connect and Sunshine Flyer, so make sure to compare prices before your trip.
Annual Passes
In 2021, Disney World started selling annual passes again, and not only did the categories and perks change, but prices went up across several categories (which is also important to keep in mind if you’re renewing!). The cheapest pass is now $399, while out-of-state guests only have one choice — the Incredi-Pass for $1299. And those prices don’t include tax! You’ll also need to budget extra if you want the water park or Memory Maker add-ons for $100 each. NOTE: Right now, the only annual pass available to purchase right now is the Pixie Dust Pass, as all other sales are paused.
Merchandise
Disney World went on a wild trend in 2021 of releasing ridiculously expensive merchandise. What do we mean? Well, we got three pairs of ears in the Luxe Logo collection priced at $250, $750, and $1000 (!!!) each. That same collection gave us an over-the-top tracksuit, a pricey backpack, and more. And Disney World seems to want to continue this trend of “luxury” merchandise (especially for the 50th Anniversary), as we’ve seen with things like $600 plushes. So, you may want to start saving now.
Holiday Parties
In 2022, holiday parties are BACK for both Halloween and the Christmas season. They’re returning for the first time since 2019, so you’re going to have to add some more money to your budget if you plan on attending! These are separately ticketed events, so they cost extra than just a normal park ticket (but you can JUST buy a party ticket if you want). The prices for these parties completely depend on the date you choose, so make sure you pay attention and budget accordingly!
Tours
Disney World has brought back select tours this year, and reservations for those are currently available. However, some of them got price hikes in the nearly two years that they were gone. The Keys to the Kingdom Tour used to be $99, but now it’s priced at $114 per person. The Caring for Giants Tour got a $5 price jump, and Savor the Savanna, Up Close With Rhinos, and the Wild Africa Trek all got little bumps as well.
MagicBands
This past year, the free MagicBand perk was discontinued for Annual Passholder and resort guests. Now, you’ll have to pay for whatever bands you want, although you’ll be offered a discounted price if you fall into one of those categories. In addition to needing to budget for MagicBands, we’ve also seen the introduction of the new MagicBand+, which has new technology and costs more than the previous bands (for the most part). You can take a look at the prices here.
General Price Increases
And finally, let’s talk about general price increases. These occur regularly around Disney World at restaurants, snack stands, gift shops, and more. This year, several dining locations got small price changes on their menus and some popular merchandise items got more expensive by a few bucks. This kind of thing happens frequently, so we recommend bringing a few extra dollars just in case your Mickey bar costs more than it did last time.
So those are the price increases that you should beware of this year in Disney World! We’ll keep you updated with all the news you need to know for your next trip, so stay tuned to AllEars.
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Are you going to Disney World sometime this year? Tell us in the comments!
Hey someone has to pay for the Di$ney purchase of FOX, the lost of sales do to the pandemic and executives high salaries and retirement packages! Right?
Disney will be the death of itself. They are becoming a place that caters to the elite; kinda like that Disneyland feel where you see the Kardashians, Vanessa Bryant, etc. The working class aren’t welcomed anymore. We went for Christmas and stayed off-site and brought our own food. We resort hopped and the resorts were empty. Let your wallet teach the lesson.
Is it just me? It seems like every week Disney World has either jacked up another price again or taken another perk away. I felt like WDW used to welcome all and treat everyone the same. Now it seems like WDW is seeing how much money it can get from its customers. And if you spend that money, you get treated differently.
Used to go to WDW for a week each year since 1971 and twice a year since I retired in 2012 at a minimum. I haven’t been there since surgery in Jan 2019. I am not sure I will be going again. I don’t think the changes at Disney will provide a good experience for me.
It used to be that Disney tried very hard to put the “ magic “ in the forefront. Now the insatiable greed in right in our faces and the “ magic “ is being pushed off to the side. Chapek and his team of money grubbers have caused us , who are 20+ year DVC and annual pass holders , to rethink everything. It used to be exciting to plan our Disney World vacations and now we are planning not to go for the first year in a very long time.
Creo que año tras año Disney nos toma de tontos, nos quitan cosas y aumentan los precios de por sí ya caros y no nos dan nada a cambio. Por tema de covid tuve que pasar mi viaje para el año 2023, y seguramente sea el último, no dejaré que Disney me tomé por tonto
A family tradition during the holidays is to plan our “big family vacation” trip for the next year,1st time ever Disney world is not even on the table or considered. We went last summer and we were just totally disappointed, the value for money is not there anymore and the quality has went down ( food and experiences and atmosphere), even though it’s more expensive. Mind you, you would go every year and multiple times to Disney, but last few years, it is just not the same or enjoyable. The constant price increase, will reach a point , I hope, where they reverse the constant price increases it and provide better deals like they used too. Until then, we will vacation elsewhere to get a better value for the money we spend. Sad, but Disney is just not what it used to be.
It will never go back, this is the new normal!
This would have been a much shorter article if you had just come out and stated the obvious.
Everything. Everything will cost more in Disney. From losing services and “freebies” to straight up price increases on most if not everything across the board. Every aspect of a vacation to Disney will cost more.
Unless Disney has an INCREDIBLE sale for Florida resident’s, I will never set foot in a Disney park again. Considering I would go 5-10 times a year, this says a magnitude.