So it seems Disney has decided to rip the band-aid and increase prices on almost everything all at once. There are few things in life that are certain. Disney raising prices is unfortunately, one of them. I know this is old news to some of you who keep up with this sort of thing. I wanted to mention several things of note, however and maybe give you a way to lessen the impact.

Splurge Buys

Premier Pass

Let’s start with a big one. Premier pass. This thing is expensive. Period. It is also fairly limited, especially in Disneyland. I covered this in a past post, so won’t go into here. I can see if your. trip is once in a lifetime, then you might want to think about this pass. This pass seems to be targeted at first time or casual guests. These guests have limited time to experience the most that Disney has to offer. However, that is not Grandma and I. We are not the target for this pricey choice. The best way to save here is to not give in to temptation and just skip it.

Lightning Lane Multi and Single Pass

The base price for these passes has not increased. That is not to say that the actually cost has not risen. Disney can sneak in price increases on these passes since the actual price you pay is “demand” driven. Demand is determined by Disney and the factors that go into pricing is not transparent. This means that Disney is free to juggle prices anyway they feel. I look for the passes to cost more on average in 2025 as compared to 2024. Grandma and I do not use these passes either. We hold our Disney vacation prices down by not purchasing extra cost items like the line skipping passes. I have written about why in past posts, so won’t dwell on it here.

Souvenirs

Got to confess. I have not read any place where the cost of souvenirs has increased. This does not mean that items in gift shops has not risen. I would be very much surprised if the prices in the gift shops have not increased. I would expect they have increased at least as much as food and theme park tickets. It is hard to make some of these comparisons as merchandise changes often and many items have seasonal pricing. To help mitigate these changes, you can buy many of the same items from Amazon, before your trip. The Disney online store also has special deals. We often by Disney themed clothing before the trip and only buy park or resort specific items while on property. This can save you 10% to 20% or more on your souvenir budget.

Food

Park Tickets, Lodging, Food are the big 3 expense items. Food has not been spared in the rising prices, unfortunately. But there is a bright spot. These increases are mainly limited to signature dining, food courts & counter service restaurants, bars & lounges, and outdoor vending carts. While that sounds like everywhere, there are still plenty of places that did not increase. These include most mid-tier table service restaurants in the parks and resorts as well as Disney Springs. Disney Tourist Blog published a sampling of the increases:

• Mickey Pretzel (various locations) – Increased from $7.79 from $7.99
• Churros (various locations) – Increased from $6.79 to $6.99
• Popcorn (various locations) – Increased from $5.50 to $6.00
• Dole Whip (various locations & flavors) – Increased from $5.79 to $5.99
• Fountain Drinks (various locations) – Increased from $4.49 to $4.79
• Freshly Brewed Joffrey’s Coffee (various locations) – Increased from $3.79 to $4.29
• Powerade (various locations) – Increased from $4.99 to $5.50
• DASANI Bottled Water – Increased from $3.75 to $4.00
• Bottled Beverages – Increased from $5.25 to $5.50
• smartwater Bottled Water – Increased from $5.75 to $6.00

Notice that these did not increase much It is still enough to notice. Likewise the themed restaurants (Sci-Fi, Brown Derby, etc) increased by a small amount 7% or so. However that all adds up.

Food cost saving tips

The obvious way is to avoid the more expensive places. Unfortunately, these are some of the more fun places like Chef Mickey’s or Sci-Fi Theater. Grandma and I won’t skip these experiences as they can only be had at Walt Disney World. However we will curtail other expenses such as snacks on the outdoor vending carts. Ok I confess having a soft spot for Churros and the $0.20 increase is manageable, so I will not forego having a Churro or 2!

Another obvious choice is to bring a refillable Water Bottle. You must stay hydrated while on your visit. Bottled water is a huge expense that is easily avoided. There are water bottle refill stations around the parks. The locations are published in the Walt Disney website. The Disney Dose blog has an excellent article on this subject published here. It goes into a lot of detail especially on how to avoid the horrid taste of central Florida tap water. For a state that is mostly a swamp, you would think that they could do something about drinking water. But sadly, no. Bummer really.

In keeping with the theme of bring your own, bring your own food. Disney does not prohibit bringing food items to the park. When our kids were younger, we always packed a lunch. We also included many snack items for the hungry little ones to munch on. You can always find a spot to break out the goodies, have a picnic, people watch and just enjoy the vibe. Likewise if you are staying onsite, buy some groceries before getting to your resort hotel. A gallon of milk, cereal and pop tarts makes for a quick breakfast before heading out to the parks. If you are not driving to the resort, there are grocery delivery services that will deliver to the hotel.

Theme Park Tickets

Now for a biggie …. Park Tickets. For 2024, one-day, one-park Disney World ticket prices ranged from $109 to $189 per day. In 2025, that price range will increase to between $119 and $199 per day. This is the first time since 2018 that Disney has increased the base price for its cheapest ticket.

Here are the 2025 price ranges for a one-day ticket to each Disney World park:

• Magic Kingdom: $144 to $199
• Epcot: $129 to $194
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios: $139 to $194
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom: $119 to $174

Multi-day tickets also had a price increase. The three-day ticket at the end of December this year will cost you $498.20. Next year, a three-day ticket for the same period will cost $527.34. Bummer! The good news is that the price to add the Park Hopper option to your ticket remains unchanged at $85. Lucky Us!

Annual Passes

Not to be left out, Annual pass prices have also increased. In 2023, prices for Disney World’s annual passes ranged from $439 to $1,449 per person. Those prices have increased by as much as $100. Here are the new prices:

• Disney Incredi-Pass: $1,549
• Disney Pixie Dust Pass: $469
• Disney Pirate Pass: $829
• Disney Sorcerer Pass: $1,079

Note only the Incredi-Pass is open to non Florida residents. The Sorcerer Pass is also open to DVC members.

Saving on Park Tickets

So all is not lost. There are ways to save on park tickets. One way is to plan ahead and pre-purchase tickets from an online official Disney ticket broker. The two main ones are Get Away Today and Undercover Tourist. These sites offer discounted prices on multi-day park tickets. Another benefit is if you buy early, the price is locked in. You will be immune from future price increases. (Note: Grandpa does not receive any compensation from goods or services mentioned in this blog). These sites also offer special event tickets on a discount. They are really worth checking out.

Use a vacation planner. Some sites such as Get Away Today and Mickey Visit offer a full meal deal. That is resort hotel, park tickets, and transportation. They even offer planning services to help with all the logistics of a perfect Disney vacation. Grandma and I have never used such services for planning, but I can see where such a service would be useful. We did use Get Away Today to purchase Disneyland tickets for next spring. I am really happy I did since I did it before the increase went into effect. This means that we got the absolutely lowest price!

Conclusion

Disney is expensive. No doubt about it. The expense is only going up. However with a little planning and self control, these increases don’t have to break the bank. Do I think a Disney trip will be too expensive for mere mortals? Unfortunately yes. I think Disney has already priced out some families. I fear that many more will be priced out in the future. Disney has always been expensive. I think too many people look at Disney of the past and forget that it took a metric crap ton of money to experience Disney. However that experience was premium and priceless. I think now, however, the bloom is off the rose and the experience is not as premium or as priceless. Grandma and I will still spend a good bit on the experience, especially with the grandkids. I do not see that changing.

Do you have any money saving tips to share? What is your strategy? I want to know in the comments.

Until Next Time