Yesterday Disney announced a slew of price increases, some beginning immediately and others starting in 2020. Unsurprisingly, the reaction to this was negative. In this post, I’ll break down the price increases and then give my commentary on these changes.

We’ll start with the minimal increase on the 2020 Disney Dining Plan. From 2019 to 2020 the Dining Plan will only see an increase of about $3 on each plan. After not increasing the price from 2018 to 2019, seeing such a small increase for 2020 is surprising.

Also beginning in 2020, Disney will raise the price of parking at value resorts by $2 per night and $1 per night at moderate and deluxe resorts. The initial announcement of guests having to pay for parking about a year ago was met with outrage from many Disney World fans. Minimally increasing the price is more annoying than anything. It won’t price anyone out of a trip but it certainly feels like more nickel and diming done by a company who is now known for that.

Neither of those increases are large enough to spend much time on. Enter the annual price increase! Disney World has raised the prices on each of their annual passes, some by as much as $225. Every pass that is offered to those outside of Florida went up by over $200. Meanwhile, the Gold Pass which many Floridians and DVC Members pay for increased by $90.

Disney has not been shy about raising prices over the last 5 years and this is yet another unsurpising move. Having said that, this particular increase is staggering. Raising Annual Pass costs by at least 14% is shocking and frustrating.

Honestly, I get tired of writing these price increase posts. The news comes out, everyone and their dog gets mad about it and then it usually blows over in about a week. It’s not that the anger isn’t justified but at this point these increases should be expected. While I think that these price increases will reach a breaking point with fans and attendance will eventually suffer, there’s no sign of that at this point.

If you have been to Walt Disney World anytime over the last few years you’ll notice that attendance hasn’t dropped. In fact, it’s increased every year. With Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge on the verge of opening the resort will see more people coming than ever, even if this summer has slightly lower attendance than typical. As much as I’d like to pay lower prices to go to Disney Parks, it makes sense that they continue to raise the price on tickets and Annual Passes.

Frankly, I don’t have a lot more to say in the subject. Price increases suck for the fans. On the other side of the equation, they are the smart business move for the company until we eventually see a lull in park attendance.It’s truly too bad for the guests who will get priced out of a Disney World trip. In this case, a few more people won’t be able to buy an annual pass. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a ticket price increase one more time before Galaxy’s Edge opens in late August, as well, so get your tickets sooner than later if possible.

What are your thoughts on the price increases at Disney World? Let us know below in the comments. Planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Check out our Disney World Trip Planning Guide to help you out. If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!