Going to Disney World? You'll need at least $75

Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer

August 2, 2008

A basic theme-park ticket at Walt Disney World will cost an added $4 a person starting Sunday.

Disney announced increased ticket prices Friday afternoon that push the cost up 5.6 percent to $75 for the basic one-park, one-day ticket for adults and children 10 or older. The old price, $71, is still in effect today. The price of a basic ticket for children ages 3 to 9 will rise Sunday to $63, up 5 percent from $60.

Disney also raised the price of its "Magic Your Way" multiday-ticket packages, by 3 percent to 8 percent. The top deal, a 10-day adult Magic Your Way ticket, now costs $237, or $23.70 a day, up 5.3 percent. The Park Hopper add-on, which allows ticket holders to move among any of Disney's parks, will cost $50 for up to 10 days, a $5 increase. The Water Park Fun & More add-on option remains $50.

Florida residents may buy advance tickets from participating agencies, by phone or over the Internet, starting at $67.50 for one day. That also reflects a 5.6 percent increase from the current base price.

The price increases were no surprise to Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services, who said Walt Disney Co. executives had indicated the parks were doing well despite the soft economy. The $75 mark is a bit of a consumer milestone, he noted. And it might be hard to leave it behind, he added.

"The difference between $74, $73, $75 -- there's not that much difference. Once you reach that level, you might as well go to $75," Speigel said. "But I think that puts their increases away at least for a couple of years."

Central Florida theme parks used to announce price increases near the end of the year or in early January. Disney and Universal Orlando switched to late-summer adjustments in 2006 to meet the publication deadlines for annual, independently produced guidebooks. SeaWorld Orlando and other Busch Entertainment Corp. parks joined the trend this summer, announcing price increases June 30.

SeaWorld now charges $69.95 for a basic, nondiscounted ticket.

Universal has not yet announced a price increase this year, though it and Disney have been in lock step on ticket prices for several years. Universal's base ticket as of Friday still cost $71.

Scott Powers can be reached at spowers@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5441.