New Walt Disney World Annual Pass Price Increases Go Into Effect Today

Jessica Figueroa

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New Walt Disney World Annual Pass Price Increases Go Into Effect Today

With bookings for 2020 Walt Disney World vacation packages going on sale today, it seems Disney took some time to refresh Annual Pass pricing for the upcoming year…

That’s right, pass pricing increases are here! Check out the full breakdown of pricing, by pass:

Below you’ll see the Florida Resident price, followed by the Out-of-State price, if applicable (you can see previous pricing set earlier this year here):

  • Platinum Plus: $999 (previously $849) / $1,219 (previously $994)
  • Platinum: $899 (previously $749) / $1,119 (previously $894)
  • Gold: $699 (previously $609)
  • Silver: $519 (previously $479)
  • Theme Park Select: $439 (no price change)
  • Weekday Select: $349 (previously $319)
  • Epcot After 4: $309 (previously $289)
  • Water Parks: $139 (previously $130)
  • Water Parks After 2: $89 (previously $79)

The Disney Premier Passport, which grants guests access to both parks at Disneyland Resort and all parks at Walt Disney World Resort, is now priced at $2,099, up from $1,949.

For Disney Vacation Club members, annual pass prices have increased to the following:

  • DVC Platinum Plus Pass: $999.00 (increase of $150)
  • DVC Platinum Pass: $899.00 (increase of $150)
  • DVC Gold Pass: $699.00 (increase of $90)

What’s your take on the price increase? Will you be renewing or putting off annual passes for some time? (You won’t be able to get into those nifty Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge previews at Disney’s Hollywood Studios without some of the upper-tier passes, though…) Let us know in the comments!

93 thoughts on “New Walt Disney World Annual Pass Price Increases Go Into Effect Today”

  1. A 25% increase with NO notice is complete BS. I am an annual passholder that was logging on to buy one for my son. Now he won’t get one and I won’t be renewing. Give passholders a heads up this is coming and you will have more loyalty. Screw Disney, they are bankrupting me.

    • Disney isn’t responsible for you making decisions to spend money on things you may not be able to afford.

      • Your reply couldn’t be more ignorant nor arrogant, Ethan, and I am displeased with myself for wasting these 30 seconds in replying to you.

      • Pissed off wrote, “Disney, they are bankrupting me.” In no way is Disney forcing you. Most people voluntarily pay this obscene amount of money to see the mouse! Some even put it on payments. Paying for Disney on credit, is a bad money management decision. Ethan is correct, Disney is not responsible.

      • They are responsible for doing the right thing and giving a little notice. This is not the company Walt founded. I have been an annual Passholder for 36 years and think we are did a little respect

      • That is the dumbest response I have seen in a long time. How long did it take you to think of that response?

    • I’m done with Disney. This is outrageous. Is Disney only for rich people now? It was originally meant for everyone. They are pricing out the middle class. Keep in mind, this is just AP. Regular tickets are also getting extremely expensive. I think I’ll be visiting Universal this year.

      • Universal is not that much less expensive. I think for many of us this means going every other year instead yearly.
        It doesn’t have to feel bad. That’ll help with crowdedness (hope that’s not too optimistic) and free up time for other destinations.

        • Universal’s Preferred Pass (equivalent to Silver) is only $360 right now. WAY CHEAPER! I have annual passes for both WDW and US. Looks like I’ll be dropping WDW and going back to Sea World/Busch Gardens/Aquatica.

          • A couple years ago we dropped our WDW passes and kept US. Maybe around the 50th we’ll go back to WDW, but only with day passes. The era of us having Disney annual passes is over.

  2. I was going to renew my annual pass that ends in July, live in GA, with this $150 increase that’s 450 more dollars for my family. Sorry, I’m done!

  3. Weekday select….I don’t want to be in the parks on weekends or during the summer/holidays.

  4. Honestly, it’s getting ridiculous. For non-Florida resident, almost $1200. That’s crazy! This is just AP prices… not the mention the last ticket price hike to regular day tickets. Are they trying to price out the middle class? Do they not want APs anymore from outside of Florida?

  5. Seems to me that Disney doesn’t want out of state visitors who visit less than 2x a year to have an annual pass. This way they don’t have to dole out discounts on merchandise and food.

    • Weird thing is there was a period where they seemed to not want the local passholders because they didn’t spend enough money on merchandise. Now I’m not sure they know who they want.

  6. Disney, I didn’t think anyone could take my mouse away from me…you did! So sad, I’m out priced. I am a hard working teacher and live in GA. I made the trip six times last year. I honestly don’t believe Walt intended Disneyland or Disneyworld to be only for the rich and famous. I will miss you!

    • I agree! I feel like they are trying to push the prices to the point that people will literally not go and the parks won’t be so packed! And the more people continue to go, the more they’ll push the prices.

  7. I’m sure this will get downvoted into oblivion but I’m honestly super glad for the price hike. Park attendance NEEDS to be controlled in some way and with the amount of expanding and refurbing they are doing, I feel the hike is justified.

    I still go 3-4 times per year as an out-of-state AP holder and when I do it’s so packed it’s just not as much fun as it once was. I’m good with the price increase.

      • The response, even in this forum alone, is evidence that the crowds will diminish at least some. And thanks, I always hope to.

        • It’s evidence that people will complain, and that’s about it. People complain with every hike and swear they won’t go anymore, and attendance keeps rising.

          • Yup, they’ll complain, and then they’ll pay. The same pattern that will repeat next year, and so on…

    • So as long as you get a better experience it’s ok for others to be unable to go? Wow. Do you hear yourself?

      • I mean, what others can and can’t do doesn’t really concern me. I can only control what I can do.

        They aren’t running a charity, they’re running a for profit business and they’ve been investing HEAVILY in creating more experiences for us to enjoy as well as infrastructure improvements. The cost to build certainly hasn’t gone down so those costs have to be offset somehow. If the bi-product of all of this is that I can have shorter lines and waits and fewer people to bump into, sure, I’m glad for it. Has NOTHING to do with me wishing bad for others.

        • agreed. The parks are too busy. I’d love for more people to be able to go (and afford to go) but it isn’t operationally practical until they eventually open another park. The reality is that more and more people are going, and the only way to control the crowd size is to raise the price.

    • 100% agree with this. If they don’t add more capacity (5th gate) then they have to find some way to control crowds. Right now things are crazy crowded and will only get worse with Galaxy’s Edge. If the $90/pass (gold) bump is going to bankrupt you, you probably shouldn’t be going in the first place.

      • The $90 will not bankrupt me, I can afford it. The problem is I don’t see the value anymore. I’ve been going to Disney for years and I own dvc. Yes I will visit the new sw:ge, it looks great, but I am done going to the parks and fighting the crowds in a dirty park with rude people and for the most part employees that could care less about Disney Magic. I will stay at a dvc resort and relax, Uber to other places in Orlando and relax.

        • Dirty park??? Don’t agree with that….we have always been very impressed with how clean all the parks are. But…..disappointed the rate increases 🙁

        • Interesting thoughts. I also am a DVC member and I too have noticed the decline in service for the price point. The parks are dirty now and I never thought they would be…was there two weeks ago and the condition of the bathrooms was deplorable. the CM’s are no longer magical and the crowds as of late have taken away that MAGICAL feeling I used to always get walking down Main Street. I am trying to hold onto the magic but seems like the strikes are against it…

      • Do I get to tell you what you should and shouldn’t be doing too or is it only you who is the arbiter of everyone?

    • I agree that the rationale for price increases is mainly crowd control. I would not say I am super glad about it, because it’s sad. I loved being a AP holder, and loved going to WDW often, but I can no longer afford it. That means less visits for my family and me, which…ironically…is what Disney wants.

    • I’m not so sure this would actually help crowd control, though. People could just do what I used to do and just buy a vacation package.

    • You can always spend the $349 for VIP tour and get to ride without a wait. If you have the extra money I would do that next time.

    • I do feel truly bad for people who have been priced out but I agree with you – this will thin out the crowds for the people who can still afford to go. Earlier this year we anticipated that the price hikes for out-of-state annual passes would be dramatic so we bought them back in February, even though we won’t use them until at least December (or later if the Star Wars crowds are still huge by then). We have agreed to focus all of our vacation time next year on Disney – hope to squeeze five trips (driving from Richmond, VA) into that year. After then we’ll decide if the current cost of annual passes are worth it. Just might be if the higher prices really do thin out the crowds. (Again, feel bad for

  8. Has your family ever been to Europe? Did you know that you can travel to Europe for a week for the same price as a trip to WDW?

  9. I currently have a Platinum Annual Pass, and while I do have the money to afford the price increase (it doesn’t always come down to that, sometimes it’s a principle thing), I cannot say I’m thrilled about it. Upon visiting last week (for the 4th time this year — I’m from Louisiana), I was treated extremely poorly by a Guest Relations cast member, and noticed an increase in rude park attendees who clearly did not understand park etiquette. I think it might be time I take a break from Disney World for a bit.

  10. Just got our passes a couple weeks ago, and with this news, will not be renewing next year or ever again. This is a cash grab for star wars opening that will never go away. I remember when platinum passes were $399… for the same parks they have now with practically the same rides… they have not expanded enough to justify these ridiculous price hikes. They own 60% of all media entering the American home, there is no shortage of cash, this is pure greed.

  11. My wife and I are DVC members and have been since 1998 and have seen tons of increasing prices, even in out yearly dues. But we get the AP on top of being DVC members. This is a bit crazy for Disney too keep raising prices. They keep chasing people away! I don’t think Walt Disney would wanted this too happen? I think they have to pay for all the money they poured into the parks this past yr or so making drastic improvements, Great and that is good but don’t keep driving your loyal Disney Fans out the door. Not everyone is a Millionaire!

  12. I was JUST going to get get my annual pass for the first time tonight and now the price increased…. seriously??

    • Ana if you go to samsclub.com and search for “Disney” (just that, nothing more) you’ll see a link to where they are still selling the passes at the old price – actually a little less. At this point, even if you have to buy a membership just for this you’ll be ahead of the game.

  13. Ultimately, this is just Economics 101. Supply is relatively flat, and demand is way up. If demand drops, prices will follow. Every time Disney raises prices, people create a temporary social media uproar, and it has absolutely no effect. Demand continues to increase.

    Disney is known for magic and fun, but they’re still a business, and they operate as such.

    • Just what I was going to say. As unpleasant as this is, Disney is a business and they will keep increasing prices until they see a drop in revenue, not volume. Sure, some people won’t renew at these higher prices, but if the overall revenue goes up, it sends Disney the message “it’s OK to keep doing this”. Unfortunately, the numbers govern all and the number don’t lie.

  14. As an AP holder, it’s simple math, how many times am I going per year and for how many days? Figure out the price of those tickets and if it’s more than the cost of an AP, buy the AP. If the tickets cost less than the cost of an AP, don’t buy the AP. For the number of people who say they are never returning, Disney has 5 people waiting to take their place. Disney has a fortunate problem of having more demand than supply. If they can charge 10 people $100 and make $1,000 or charge 9 people $120 and make $1,080 then, why wouldn’t they? They are a corporation and therefore loyalty is to their stockholders, not their park goers. Walt might not like that fact, but I’m sure Roy the businessman would. Don’t get me wrong, I think there are more Roy’s than Walt’s currently employed…or the Roy’s have all the power. But at the end of the day they are a business, and until they start making less money by charging more, they will keep increasing the prices.

  15. But what about the renewal price? There was always a discount on the AP price if you renew it so that they could get more people coming back, but did the renewal price go up too?

  16. I really thought it was going to be more, and I’m sure in September there will be another hike. Sure it sucks, but living in FL and going at minimum once a month it is still a savings for my family. The parks are ridiculously crowded and if this thins them out a bit then it helps. I get it, Disney is not in everyone’s budget and for that I’m sorry, but Disney likes money and this certainly a way for them to get more of it. Happens every year(seems to be twice a year now) and you get the “thats it im done” crowd but they still come or some one still does because of these increases are not affecting attendance. I wish you all good fortune in the wars to come, be prepared for price increase number 2 in the fall after SW opens.

  17. I was trying to renew since Tuesday of last week but it kept giving me error messages, now a price increase today when they actually let me purchase it without an error message haha. I’m still going to buy it since I’m going 5 days in August and 10 days in December, but disappointed with this experience is an understatement.

  18. Unbelievable, how in the world can any middle class family afford Disney any more. I have been going since it opened and so disappointed to see what is happening. Yes lower crowds with this but so many families that will be priced out. Walt would not be happy.

    • Of course, there are many families who have *never* been able to go. Not everyone gets to go. Someone has to be priced out in order to achieve lower crowds. There’s no other way.

  19. Where is the incentive for me to keep renewing? I have been an APH for over 15 years and gone every year since 1977. People who book a vacation once every so often (IE don’t go as often as APH do) have more access to FP+, a possibile FREE dining plan – depending on when they go- etc. APH and DVC get NONE of that…..

    • First timers that become repeat customers are worth more to Disney. They only care about money, as shown by these price hikes and very little park expansion.

  20. People will complain then they will still come in droves. Disney is clearly trying to curb the crowds. This a public company doing what it must to grow and increase profits. I don’t fault them. If you don’t see value then don’t spend your money that simple. They will charge what they believe the market will bear. We the consumer have the ability to say no more. But until mass numbers of people say no the prices will continue to rise. You didn’t think that they will pay for Star Wars expansion we the consumer will pay for it.

    • Yet the Star Wars expansion isn’t even complete. They opened up a third of it, knowing they could capitalize on the height of its popularity and a fan base itching to go. Meanwhile they want to replace the bears with Toy Story marionettes, instead of, you know, actually putting them in the Toy Story land. They haven’t expanded enough to warrant this. Yeah, I think we all get they’re a public company, but we also know they make billions from movies alone. Like someone else said: this is pure greed. Walt is rolling over in his grave how they’ve turned his dream world into a cash cow. At least we have $30 Bubble wands and headbands! The magic is fading.

  21. Premier pass holders get two bumps in one year! That pass just went to $1949 in January! Now $2099 a few month later?! I never complain about yearly increases because I see them as inevitable, but two in one year sucks.

  22. I wonder how this will affect the large number of tour groups coming in from South America? There are a ton of people in those groups and I figure they are there for a week or more so that has to costs them big time. Will that mean the spring time in WDW will have less groups coming in from down south?

  23. I would be more ok with the price increase if out of state holders could do a payment plan like Florida residents get to. Hope they increase the Passholders discount you get for renewal but doubt. Still will be renewing though. I work to hard to be kept out of my favorite place.

  24. Literally just cancelled my trip I was planning for beginning of August because I hadnt bought my annual pass yet(I let it expired in May). AND we are postponing our October trip until January. this is a blatant FU to all of the loyal Disney patrons and obviously Im super disappointed. I dont care about Star Wars as I have two young girls who arent really into it.

  25. Maybe it’s not so much Disney outpacing the middle class as the middle class not keeping up with the wealthy in the US and other economies abroad.

  26. Paid $749 a year ago for platinum non resident. Now a few price increases and 11 months later its $1119. CRAZY. Both have great jobs and we’re still being priced out.

      • I’ve seen the price of a gallon of gas jump that % in an hours time or a hotel room triple because of events in the area, I could go on and on…so don’t say its not normal in business
        Going to a place like Disney is a privilege…not a right…..if its more than you want to pay, don’t go…you do have that right.

        • Going to Disney is not a privilege. And it’s also not a right as you wrote. It’s a choice. I never said they are charging too much. I have the ability to pay whatever they want to charge if I so choose. That is not the point I made. Your response is nonsense. Gas jumping 49%?? BS. When? During a hurricane? And even then the gas station would be cited for price gouging. Hotel room rates tripling because of a special event is not comparable to a permanent price change. Did the hotel room rates stay at 49% or more above their previous rate going forward permanently? Of course not. Going from $749 to $1,119 in 11 months is not normal for any business to increase their prices that much. That’s a fact. No other business increases their prices 49% in 11 months time. Have you ever seen Publix increase all of their prices 49%? Wal-Mart? Any restaurant? The answer is no.
          Disney has the right to increase and charge any amount they want. But that doesn’t change the fact that the increase Michael sited is way out of the norm for any business.

          • So your whole argument is that Disney should be price regulated because you state it is not a normal business practice to raise the price like they did? and if your not saying that, what is your point?
            BTW who says Disney has to conduct themselves in normalcy anyways ? you?
            They have an exclusive on everything they have and do…. besides going to Disney is not life or death, you want to scream about price hikes go to the prescription drug boards and complain about 1000% mark ups overnight……………..and yes the hotel would keep the price high if the venue remained, as in the case with Disney.
            Geeez you people act like someone is forcing you to go to Disney.

            • Once again you mentioned things that were not said. Who said they should be price regulated??? I simply stated a fact: A 49% increase in 11 months is abnormal. I assume you can relate to that. Don’t bother replying. I’m not coming back to this site. I didn’t realize there were people like you trying to pick a fight and create an argument when one didn’t exist. You have a problem.

              • Bet you do come back….and no picking a fight here, simply disagreed with your unsubstantiated comment, and you obviously don’t like when that happens…so who has the problem?
                Perhaps this will help you in the future before making such comments:
                Look in mirror and repeat Prov. 18:2
                See you at Disney someday Vince, I’ll buy you a Dole whip.

  27. We grew up in Orange County, CA. We weren’t poor, but we did NOT go to Disneyland every year, let alone everyday. We simply couldn’t afford it. Instead we packed a lunch and headed to Huntington “State” Beach – as it was less expensive than the “city” beach. We only went to happiest place on earth when our relatives came for a visit. It was a treat. So many here think the park should run as a socialist program, well its a business – simple as that. They are here to make money for their shareholders – I am one. The Disney company has always been a “For-Profit” company.

    I buy an annual pass every four-five years. I love Disney and I’m not leaving them cuz they raised the prices – I just won’t be there every day/week/month/season/year.

  28. The fact is that Disney is pricing just the Americans out. if you have noticed, and I can’t see how anyone hasn’t, the parks are filled with the Brazilians and British. The exchange rate is apparently extremely favorable for these two countries — they come and spend millions and millions at the parks. These are the people they cater to. The entrance fees are extremely favorable to them because of the dollar exchange. Disney doesn’t give 2 damns about their faithful annual pass holders who come by themselves or with visiting family and friends. We apparently don’t spend enough. My guess is that the annual pass will be eventually discontinued, possibly next year. Shame on the execs of Disney to turn this park into a playground for just the wealthy Europeans. Take a look at the salaries these execs pocket, yet they still want more.

  29. I am in orlando and have 2 weeks booked in a hotel. I was planning to renew my AP and my Wife while adding to AP for my 2 daughters.

    I have been trying to renew it and buy the new tickets over the phone since last week, but they kept telling me that I had to buy them at the ticket office because of a change in florida residency status.

    At 150$ each this would represent a 600$ increase in one day. This basically ruined my vacation. I was going to buy the tickets on Sunday, but had to wait until tomorrow.

    So now I will not be renewing, I cancelled my booking for the hotel, and I am leaving tomorrow to never come back.

    Disappointment is not a word that can come close to describe how I feel.

  30. We’re out-of-staters currently in an AP gap (necessary for a four-adult free-dining trip in September) but were planning to renew during that trip. We’re now looking at taking up UO on that buy-two-days-get-three-free deal for a holiday trip and maybe going to regional parks in Georgia and NC in the spring.

    Maybe — MAYBE — we get an AP next fall that carries us into the fiftieth, but that’s a huge “maybe”.

    In the meantime, we aren’t going to the Disney parks, we aren’t bringing anyone to the Disney parks, we aren’t evangelizing on behalf of the Disney parks. That’s not gonna be good for Disney if we’re at all typical.

  31. What I find confusing is…

    Some of these price increase have obviously been geared to deal with capacity issues (Price MK higher, make prices different depending on days/seasons). In response some of us have looked at that and said “well, we used to go every year, but now we’ll have to skip a year”.

    But then the discounts come. I’m in Canada, so I don’t know if this happened in the US. But over the winter we were getting a lot of Canadian resident discount offers.

    So they raised the prices to get us to not fill up the park, but then offered discounts when we didn’t show up?
    Can they make us their mind already!

  32. Here’s my theory: Disney used to want to build a strong base of repeat, loyal, year-after-year customers … excuse me, “guests.” In the last few years I believe they’ve changed their marketing strategy and really want to be a one-time or one-year’s worth of trips destination … they’ll get you there once and drain you for every dime they can. Seven years ago I bought an annual pass for $551 including tax. Today same pass would cost me about $1,200. The inclusion of photopass is an added value since I paid $551, but they should go back to allowing that to be an option, IMO.

  33. Did anyone else notice that the DVC prices only rose by 10% but the regular prices went up by 25%? The DVC Gold price “only” went up by $90 (which is still a lot but nothing like the regular prices). I have no inside knowledge but this sure seems to be a way to push people into buying DVC – “You’ll save so much money on park tickets vs paying full price!”

  34. It is sad. Money talks- My heart goes out to those whose life has changed- meaning after reading a lot of comments many will not be renewing. We know that the economy is the highest it HAS EVER BEEN and Disney is missing the opportunity. I don’t have a pass but if I did, I would accept maybe a $100 increase but not $300. NOW HEAR ME CLEARLY! If Disney raised the pice a little (acceptable) to your LOYAL supporters that got you where you are today. ESPECIALLY IN FLORIDA – Universal I hear has a whole bunch of land and we saw that the new Harry Potter Ride had a 10 hour wait., I have seen many companies close because they “PRICE THEMSELVES out of business” All Universal has to do it have a season pass special like half price for “Pissed off passholders” and you see what happens. DISNEY Walt would never have wanted it this way. YOU MADE A VERY BIG MISTAKE a very big MISTAKE- reduce those prices and you will get all those who quit to come back.

  35. Passes expiring in December which were brought just after last increase. Have been a loyal Disneyworld AP holder and went 5 times last year with 4 trips this year, but no longer feeling that what I get is worth a 25% increase. If you are going to raise prices then AP should get additional bebfits because we all know there is no way we are ever getting near SWGE when it opens. May be trying something different in December when they expire. Don’t think it is right to increase out of state more than Florida residents. After all they don’t have to pay airfare on top of hotel if they are within driving range. Just think Disney if getting greedy, first charging to park at their hotels, increasing hotel rates, and then they have decreased extra magic hours at night in order to charge for Disney After Hours. Poor Walt is turning over in his grave. His vision of a family resort that everyone can enjoy has long since died.

  36. I can’t seem to find the renewal rate for Florida annual pass holders. I have called and no one seems to be able to answer me. Wonder if they stopped giving renewal rates.

  37. I just finished a year and a half of saving up a little each week to gift cards to try to have enough for what I believed was around $900/year for each member of my family for regular annual passes, since there was just another hike in October. Now I find out the price just exploded, and my family of 4 will need $4,500 for the stupid passes. I am beside myself. They are raping their customers. And STILL no passholder payment plan for out-of-state residents. I am done. What is supposed to be a happy place has left a bitter taste in my mouth, and I will just stay local and go to Hersheypark, which is a classier option. I suppose the rich can still go.

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