Walt Disney World is an exciting place to be in 2022. Both Fantasmic and the Festival of Fantasy parade are returning. Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is finally debuting and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will be opening Memorial Day Weekend! While Disney fans will be able to partake in these exciting new and re-imagined experiences, they will also be facing increasing costs. Disney recently announced even more price hikes coming in 2022, so here’s everything you need to know about how much it’ll cost to go to Disney World in 2022:
2022 Price Increase at Disney World
It was recently announced that Disney World is – yet again – increasing the price of Park Hopper, multi-day tickets. Here’s a breakdown below:
Multi-Day, Base Tickets:
Multi-day tickets are those you can purchase for multiple days of your trip. Guests will be able to designate the number of days they want to visit each park, utilizing only one ticket per park per day. As of right now, prices for 1-3 day tickets have not increased. However, families looking to purchase four or more tickets will have to pay the following prices:
- 4 days: $447.70 – $596.74 (previously $434.83 – $596.74)
- 5 days: $484.52 – $646.87 (previously $463.53 – $630.85)
- 6 days: $496.43 – $672.25 (previously $477.79 – $645.91)
- 7 days: $511.10 – $694.96 (previously $492.06 – $661.56)
- 8 days: $545.19 – $716.20 (previously $518.17 – $678.83)
- 9 days: $563.46 – $738.66 (previously $536.00 – $691.93)
- 10 days: $582.09 – $752.40 (previously $553.69 – $703.65)
Before tax, a party of two could be paying a minimum of $895.40 per person for a four-day trip to Walt Disney World or up to $1,504.80 for a 10-day visit. Since most families visit the parks for five days, a family of four can expect to pay anywhere from $1,938.08 – $2,587.48 per person, excluding resort stays, travel expenses, food, and other souvenirs and/or experiences such as VIP or behind-the-scenes tours.
Park Hopper Prices
Park Hopper tickets allow guests to visit more than one park per day. Since the parks have reopened, one of their new rules regarding COVID-19 restrictions only grants guests the option to “hop” to another park after 2:00 pm. Before COVID, there were no restrictions as to when a guest could visit another park on a Park Hopper pass.
With some parks closing as early as 8:00 pm, this option is really only good anymore if you made a dinner reservation at a unique restaurant like Be Our Guest at Magic Kingdom or one of the restaurants in Epcot’s World Showcase. Otherwise, you’ll be paying a lot of money for minimal experiences, especially due to how busy the parks have been. I mean, wait times for rides like Rise of the Resistance can reach four hours!
Prices for 1 or 2 day Park Hopper tickets haven’t changed, however, the following price hikes will apply:
- 3 days: $416.37 – $555.88 (previously $415.77 – $555.88)
- 4 days: $540.89 – $687.27 (previously $525.35 – $687.27)
- 5 days: $572.47 – $739.92 (previously $554.09 – $721.38)
- 6 days: $586.96 – $762.77 (previously $568.32 – $736.44)
- 7 days: $601.63 – $785.48 (previously $582.59 – $752.08)
- 8 days: $628.04 – $810.55 (previously $608.69 – $796.36)
- 9 days: $626.53 – $782.46 (previously $649.96 – $827.00)
- 10 days: $671.55 – $841.86 (previously $644.22 – $794.17)
So, a family of four who wants to use a Park Hopper pass for four days could be spending anywhere from $2,163.56 – $2,749.08 depending on the time of year they visit. In most cases, ticket prices increase during the holiday season, spring and summer break, on marathon weekends, and other various three-day weekend holidays such as Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day, and President’s Day.
Unfortunately, with many families experiencing more flexibility to travel due to remote schedules, it’s becoming increasingly harder to visit the parks during a “downtime.” However, you will still find the lowest prices (at least for now) during January and the first half of February, after spring break, and in September and October after kids are back to school and families are waiting until the holiday festivities to travel.
Read more: Best Times to Visit Disney World in 2022
Increased Prices on Disney World Food
Unfortunately, it’s not just the price of park tickets that have increased. Food has gone up in price, as well. And the price hike has been a bit more controversial.
Back in January, Disney announced that they were increasing the price of food around the parks while simultaneously reducing portion sizes, which, if you may recall, was a supposed “benefit” to “people’s waistlines,” according to the Walt Disney Company’s CFO, Christine McCarthy. The controversial statement was said in conjunction with other cost-saving measures the company is taking on account of widespread, record-high inflation that has increased the cost of meats and supplies across the country. These measures included reducing portion sizes, adjusting suppliers, and substituting products (we assume for lesser quality that doesn’t cost as much).
While it’s impossible to keep track of everything that has experienced a price hike in recent months, here are a few notable price increases we’ve noticed upon visiting the parks:
- Popcorn increased from $4.99 to $5.50
- Dole Whip increased from $4.99 to $5.99
- Mickey ice cream bars increased from $5.79 to $5.99 at various Disney World resorts and now costs $6.25 at many snack carts throughout the parks.
- Coffee increased from $3.29 to $3.49
In many cases, the cost of appetizers and entrees increased by about $3, whereas alcoholic beverages at designated dining locations increased by $1. While these costs may not seem like a huge deal, they can quickly add up the larger your party is.
How to Avoid These Rising Costs
Many people have begun saying that Disney is pricing out the average family and it’s true. The rising costs for diminished quality and overall experience have not been lost on Disney fans. Many people have agreed that the vibe at Disney has changed, even noticing that Cast Members don’t seem as friendly and as outgoing as they once were (though who can blame them with how they’re sometimes treated by unruly guests).
But if you’re still interested in visiting Disney World despite all of this, here are some tips for how to avoid these rising costs:
- Bring Your Own Food or Get Food Delivered: While visiting the parks, bring in your own snacks that won’t spoil in the Florida heat. This includes granola bars, fruit, gummy snacks, and crackers. You could even create your own “goodie” bags full of popcorn or pretzels. Another option is to get food delivered to your resort. Either order groceries to get you through the week via Instacart or utilize services such as DoorDash or UberEats. You’ll probably get bigger portions you could share with family or save for leftovers the following night.
- Do Your Research: Long gone are the days of being able to visit Disney World without a budget. Check out the menus online of restaurants you want to visit and what snacks you’ll probably want to order. This can give you some time to develop a budget ahead of time so you’re not caught by surprise.
- Get a Larger Snack as a Meal: For larger snacks, try using them as a meal for either breakfast or lunch. A turkey leg is a great example. While it’s viewed as a Disney snack, the portions are so filling that you could easily have it count as a meal – and a pretty affordable one at that.
How Do You Feel About the Price Increases Around Walt Disney World?
The price increase at Disney World leaves a lot to be desired. While the price increases may have been easier to swallow knowing that the parks were still impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the opposite is true, with Disney having returned to profitability again since reopening. This just makes all of this harder, but we want to hear from you: what do you think of the price increases around Disney? Does it deter you from going?
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As a self-proclaimed Mouseketeer, Courtney Dercqu is a fan of all things Disney. Between decorating her desk with souvenirs from the park, to making unique mouse ears and having a dedicated Disney Instagram, Courtney is a true believer in the magic of a Walt Disney World vacation. Having had more than 200 articles published on various content, Courtney’s excited to share her knowledge and experience with everyone! Be sure to follow her on Instagram for all the Disney magic.