Disney World has recently been making several generous offers to consumers after it faced a dip in visitors at its U.S. theme parks amid concerns over high prices.
In January, Disney World announced that it will offer guests who purchase select vacation packages this year a free dining plan. It also quietly began testing the return of Resort Airline Check-In service, which allows guests to check in their luggage at a Disney resort for it to be loaded onto their flight home.
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Most recently, Disney World announced that it will offer guests at its resort hotels in 2026 a free dining plan for kids (ages 3 to 9) when an adult purchases a dining plan as part of their package for members of their party who are above the age of 10.
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The additional perks come after Walt Disney (DIS) revealed in its fourth-quarter earnings for 2024 that its U.S. theme parks recently faced a slump in visitors, which contributed to the locations facing a 5% year-over-year decline in operating income.
During the quarter, Disney World and Disneyland faced sharp criticism from consumers for announcing in October price increases for tickets and passes, and for quietly hiking food and beverage prices at multiple dining locations.
Image source: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
Disney World makes a move visitors may not like
Now, Disney World is once again pulling that lever. The theme park recently released ticket prices for dates between January and October 2026, and there has been a notable increase.
Currently, ticket prices for Magic Kingdom are between $139 and $189; however, from January to October 2026, that range increased to $139 to $199. Animal Kingdom tickets currently sell for $119 to $169, but for the majority of next year, they will sell for $119 to $179.
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For Epcot, current ticket prices range from $129 to $184; however, between January and October 2026, they are $129 to $194. Finally, for Hollywood Studios, ticket prices are currently $139 to $184, but for most of 2026, they sell for $139 to $199.
Over the past decade, Disney World tickets have climbed up to 101% or $100, according to a recent analysis from MickeyVisit.com.
Disney World is facing a significant challenge
Gavin Doyle, founder of MickeyVisit.com, said that Disney World may have opted to increase ticket prices in 2026 due to waning travel demand.
“The travel demand from the reopening period after lockdowns has faded and international travel is going to be down,” said Doyle. “I’ve heard from a number of Canadian visitors who are cancelling U.S. trips, including Disney visits.”
He said that demand at Disney World may also be “shifting with the opening of Universal’s new Epic Universe theme park.”
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Doyle flagged that visitors still have options to save money on their Disney World trips due to the theme park ramping up its discounts.
“There are options for savings, including visiting on a one-day ticket during the slowest, lowest priced period, and watching for discounts,” said Doyle. “Even so, there have been shifts on what time of year is the most popular to visit Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Both resorts now have substantial summer discounts, which demonstrates the shift in demand from that travel period.”
Disney CEO recently addressed theme park demand
The move from Disney World comes after Disney CEO Bob Iger said during the company’s annual shareholder meeting last month that consumer demand at Disney’s U.S. theme parks is “extremely high.”
“I was just at Walt Disney World on actually a weekday in March, and the place was really busy, really across the whole property,” said Iger.
He also said that Disney is doubling down on making its theme parks more affordable for families.
“We’re constantly considering and developing and implementing new ways to make the experiences that we offer both more enjoyable, but of equal importance more accessible,” said Iger. “We provide several options for families looking to spend less, including our lowest price ticket to Disneyland, which we’ve kept at the same level since before the COVID pandemic. And two years ago when I returned, we tripled the number of days that low-price ticket was available.”
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