With rising theme park ticket prices, increasingly expensive nightly hotel rates, plus the addition of pricey add-ons like Genie+, Disney Parks have been criticized by many as becoming too expensive for the average consumer.
Though Disney has introduced plenty of deals and discounts over the past few weeks to lure guests into a summer visit, it looks like the resort is also quietly raising prices in some key areas, including upcharges, dining, Genie+ and more. If you’re planning on heading to Walt Disney World in the near future, here are some of the new upcharges you should know about when planning your budget:
1. The Magic Kingdom Ferrytale Fireworks Cruise returns from refurbishment at a much higher price point
The Ferrytale Fireworks Dessert Cruise closed for refurbishment earlier this year on March 30, and while it wasn’t able to reopen for the return of Happily Ever After, Disney has announced that this upcharge experience will resume sailings once more starting July 12. However, those who want to see Happily Ever After from this unique vantage point will, unfortunately, have to pay a lot more, as Disney has raised the price of this experience substantially. The new pricing is $130 for adults and $100 for ages 3 – 9, way up from the previous $99 and $69 price point.
According to Disney’s website, the experience during this returning dessert party will be essentially the same as it was before the refurbishment. The event begins 75 minutes prior to the start of Happily Ever After fireworks, and lasts for 90 minutes. Before the fireworks start guests can dine on small plates, including an international selection of cheeses, and kids can partake in a scavenger hunt aboard the boat. While viewing fireworks, guests can dine on cupcakes, pies, tarts, mousse, and more. Specialty drinks—with or without alcohol—are also available. Reservations are available now for this returning experience at the Magic Kingdom and can be made here.
2. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party ticket prices are up on several nights from last year
It may be the beginning of July, but guests can book their tickets for the 2023 edition of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party beginning in just a few days on July 6. This year’s event runs select nights from November 9 – December 22 and ticket prices range from $159-$199 per person, which is an increase of $10 for the cheapest ticket compared to 2022, with many nights seeing larger increases from last year. Disney Vacation Club Members and Annual Passholders will still get a $10 discount on select party nights, but will still end up paying more than they did last year for tickets to this popular upcharge event.
Though the general on-sale for tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party happens later this week, guests of select Walt Disney World Resort hotels can learn more about this year’s event and book tickets now on the Walt Disney World website.
3. Genie+ gets (kinda) more expensive for multi-park service, at least for now
Last month, Disney made a big change to its Genie+ service, giving guests the ability to purchase the add-on for a single park instead of all four parks by default. Though this has resulted in lower prices at some parks individually, the prices for an apples-to-apples comparison of multi-park to multi-park Genie+ have largely been higher than they were before.
Broadly speaking, for those who are planning to just use Genie+ Disney’s Animal Kingdom and EPCOT, the new pricing structure offers generally cheaper prices than the original multi-park option, as Genie+ costs during non-holiday periods have typically ranged between $15 to $25. However, under the new structure, costs have already exceeded that, with Genie+ multi-park access costing $27 on the day it debuted.
Unfortunately, because Disney does not allow pre-purchasing of Genie+, guests can only find out the pricing from midnight on the day of visiting the park, which further complicates the matter for those trying to budget for this add-on. Though there may be days when Genie+ is cheaper than it used to be under this new structure, right now it is looking like those who want to continue to bundle parks together will likely end up paying more for this service in the long run.
4. The Disney Dining Plan returns for 2024, but will cost more for adults
The Disney Dining Plan is officially back at Walt Disney World, with guests now able to book this as an add-on to resort bookings for stays in 2024 and beyond. However, the plan has gotten a lot more expensive since 2020, the last time it was offered. Guests purchasing the Standard Dining Plan can expect to spend $94.28 per adult, per day and $29.69 per child (ages 3 to 9), per day. The Quick Service Dining Plan is a little more affordable and will cost $57.01 per adult, per day, and $23.83 per child (ages 3 to 9), per day. Previously, the price of the Standard Disney Dining Plan was $78 per adult and $30.50 per child, and the daily price for the Quick Service Dining Plan was $55 per adult and $26 per child. Though the kids’ prices are a little bit less expensive now than they were previously, the adult prices have gone up significantly.
Earlier this year, Disney CEO Bob Iger admitted that Disney vacations are getting too expensive, saying “I think that in our zeal to grow profits, we may have been a little bit too aggressive about some of our pricing.” He later added, “I think there is a way to continue to grow our business but be smarter about how we price so that we maintain that brand value of accessibility.” With that in mind, it seems strange that Walt Disney World prices continue to rise on everything from dining to Fireworks dessert parties. However, perhaps some more discounts are on the way for guests who are still reeling from the fact that a Walt Disney World vacation now costs upwards of $5,000 on average, for a family of four who are staying at a value resort.
