We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with
confidence. While we don't cover every company or financial product on
the market, we work hard to share a wide range of offers and objective
editorial perspectives.
So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us for advertisements that
appear on our site. This compensation helps us provide tools and services -
like free credit score access and monitoring. With the exception of
mortgage, home equity and other home-lending products or services, partner
compensation is one of several factors that may affect which products we
highlight and where they appear on our site. Other factors include your
credit profile, product availability and proprietary website methodologies.
However, these factors do not influence our editors' opinions or ratings, which are based on independent research and analysis. Our partners cannot
pay us to guarantee favorable reviews. Here is a list of our partners.
Disney Just Hiked Ticket Prices Again. Here’s How to Save.
The annual price hike hit on October 8. But savvy visitors can still find deals if they are flexible on dates.
Sally French is co-host of the Smart Travel podcast and a writer on NerdWallet's travel team. Before joining NerdWallet as a travel rewards expert in 2020, she wrote about travel and credit cards for The New York Times and its sibling site, Wirecutter.
Outside of work, she loves fitness, and she competes in both powerlifting and weightlifting (she can deadlift more than triple bodyweight). Naturally, her travels always involve a fitness component, including a week of cycling up the coastline of Vietnam and a camping trip to the Arctic Circle, where she biked over the sea ice. Other adventures have included hiking 25 miles in one day through Italy's Cinque Terre and climbing the 1,260 steps to Tiger Cave Temple in Krabi, Thailand.
Meghan Coyle is an editor on the Travel Rewards team and the co-host of the Smart Travel podcast. She covers travel credit cards, airline and hotel loyalty programs, and how to travel on points. Meghan is based in Los Angeles and has a love-hate relationship with LAX.
Published in
Updated
How is this page expert verified?
NerdWallet's content is fact-checked for accuracy, timeliness and
relevance. It undergoes a thorough review process involving
writers and editors to ensure the information is as clear and
complete as possible.
Disney just raised prices at both Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World theme parks. Effective Oct. 8, 2025, visiting Disneyland in Anaheim, California, on a peak day will cost up to $224 per person — a 8.7% increase from the previously most expensive one-day ticket. The priciest Magic Kingdom ticket at Walt Disney will now cross the $200 threshold for the first time on some days, hitting as much as $209.
Disney often raises ticket prices in October, so the ticket price increase comes as no surprise. But there is some price relief for some California theme park visitors, who can take advantage of a new local resident offer.
Which Disney ticket prices went up
Disney has kept the lowest priced theme park tickets largely the same prices, but the most expensive days to visit have gone up in price, as well as multi-day tickets and parking fees.
At Disneyland Resort in California:
The highest-tier single-day ticket jumped from $206 to $224. That’s an 8.7% increase, and it now makes those peak days the most expensive in Disneyland history.
The cheapest single-day ticket remains at $104, which is the same price it’s been since 2019.
Multi-day tickets went up by a few dollars per ticket.
Parking increased from $35 to $40.
At Walt Disney World in Florida:
The priciest Magic Kingdom ticket will cross the $200 threshold for the first time, hitting up to $209 for one day. That’s up more than 10% from the previous peak ticket price, though those $200+ days aren’t on the calendar until next year.
Most other single-day tickets I checked at Animal Kingdom (the cheapest Disney World park) increased by about $5.
Annual passes also got pricier:
Disneyland's highest-tier Inspire Magic Key will be $1,899. That’s about increased $150 more.
Disneyland's Believe Magic Key cost increased by $100 to $1,474.
The two lowest Magic Key tiers stayed the same price.
Discounted Disney tickets for Southern California residents
Starting December 3, 2025, eligible California residents (ZIP codes 90000-96199) can purchase a 3-Day Park Hopper ticket for just $249 total. That's $83 per day. These tickets are valid on any three days (they don't have to be consecutive) between Jan. 1 and May 21, 2026.
The deal works out to less than half the cost of buying three separate single-day Park Hopper tickets at regular prices. There's also an upgraded version with Lightning Lane Multi Pass included for $351 total ($117 per day), which is still a significant savings if you were planning to purchase Lightning Lane anyway.
To get this deal, you'll need proof of California residency (a valid government-issued photo ID) both when you purchase and when you enter the parks. Theme park reservations are required and subject to availability, so book early.
Other ways to visit Disney without breaking your budget
Here's your action plan for navigating Disney's pricing maze:
1. Be flexible with your dates
The difference between visiting during a peak period versus an off-peak period can be $100+ per ticket. Use Disney's calendar to identify the cheapest days, typically weekdays in January, February, September and early December (avoiding holidays).
2. Consider authorized resellers for regular tickets
Sites like Undercover Tourist and Get Away Today often have tickets at slightly below Disney's prices, and they may still have tickets at "old" prices for a short window after price increases.