Disney World Tickets can vary in price as Disney tweaks them to achieve maximum earnings, but the typical cost of a one-day base ticket to the Disney parks is around $145! Disney offers discounts for the more days you visit, which will often bring the price down to around $100 per day for a typical 4-day vacation.
The rule of thumb is that the more days you spend at the Walt Disney World theme parks, the less you’ll be spending per day. Therefore, a long trip will get you a better value and more bang for your buck than a shorter trip.
So let’s take a look and break down the ticket types, and how you can save on those Disney World admission tickets.
Ticket Options and Cost
To help you get a good overall idea of the kind of money you’ll be spending on tickets, here’s a breakdown of current ticket rates for this fall:
Base Ticket / Park Hopper Ticket / Water Parks & Sports Ticket
- One-day visit: $139 / $223 / $243
- Two-day visit: $147 per day / $187 / $182
- Four-day visit: $125 per day / $146 / $142
- Six-day visit: $99 per day / $114 / $111
Disney uses date-based ticket pricing so the total price will depend on the day and time of purchase. There are more expensive days to book your vacation. If you have a specific date in mind, you can look up the prices for the tickets now. If not, we will go over the best time of year to purchase your tickets.
When you purchase a one-day visit ticket, cost will vary based on which park you choose to go to. Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park is usually cheaper than EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Magic Kingdom.
After doing some quick math, you can see that a family of four on a 4-day trip would cost just shy of $2,000 for only the base tickets with no add-ons. Adding Lightning Lane passes would likely be another $320. The same park hopper ticket with Lightning Lane Multi Pass would be over $500 more, and Water Parks & Sports tickets would be similar. Feel free to do that math on whichever kind of vacation you’re planning!
There are also special events you can purchase tickets available on select dates, prices vary based on the event and the event dates.
Park Hopper Tickets
The park hopper add on will allow you to jump from one park to another during your day, allowing you to visit 2 or more parks on the same date. This can be a great add-on if you’re only visiting for a short time (1 or 2 days) to ensure you have the freedom to ride all of the top attractions. However, the park hopper comes at a fairly steep cost. The addition will add around $70 to one-day tickets, and only decreases to about $40-$50 per day for a 4-day ticket.
In addition, Disney has started limiting the times at which you are allowed to move from park to park, this is known as park hopping. You are only allowed to enter your second park of the day AFTER 2:00pm, which means you’ll be stuck at the original park for a long time. We highly recommend NOT buying the park hopper add-on, and instead using more time in your overall trip. Adding extra days to be able to visit another park will be the same (or lower!) cost of being able to hop back and forth, and you won’t have to stress and waste time traveling between parks.
Park Hopper Plus Tickets
The park hopper plus option includes park hopping as well as water parks and other Walt Disney World Fun like golf. Frankly, there aren’t many circumstances where this would be a good idea. To make use of all the money spent on the add-on, you’d have to be flying around the parks, visiting all of the water parks, and doing multiple activities per day. Unless your budget is big enough for the price not to matter, you should not consider this type of ticket.
Water Parks & Sports
This add-on will gain you access to the Disney water parks (both Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park and Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park) Disney’s Mini-Golf (prior to 4pm), Disney’s 9-hole golf course (tee reservation only), Footgolf (soccer golf!), and ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. The add on will give each ticket holder 1 entrance/reservation per day of the ticket. Therefore, if you have a 1-day ticket, you’d be allowed to enter a water park 1 time. If you have a 4-day ticket, you could go to a water park 2 separate days, play a round of mini golf, and then play a round of Footgolf.
This add-on can be an excellent value for visitors with extra time on their hands. If you have time for a week or more vacation, having a couple of non-park days to relax or explore the resort are a great way to go. You could buy a 5-day ticket, go to each park once and then your favorite a second time, take multiple days off in the middle to check out the water parks and other options, and keep your vacation at a slower pace. This strategy can get the best value out of your Disney tickets, especially if you’re staying off Disney property where the resort price per night isn’t breaking the bank.
If you are visiting in the winter time or don’t care to visit one of the heated water parks, I would recommend you avoid this ticket addon.
Lightning Lane Single Pass and Lightning Lane Multi Pass
This add-on used to be Disney’s free Fastpass system. Nowadays, it will run you $20 per ticket per day (at a minimum – it will increase during peak times) to be able to make reservations for specific attractions in order to skip the lines. During busy times of the year, utilizing Lightning Lanes is usually needed to keep you from waiting for extended periods all day.
Best Time to Buy Disney Tickets
You can buy theme park tickets about a year in advance and you will want to purchase tickets as soon as you can to plan your Disney World Vacation.
The best ways to buy Disney tickets during holidays, when either Disney itself or third-party sellers are offering special discounts to save you money. Bottom line – you need to buy tickets before you arrive at the Walt Disney World Resort. There are multiple reasons you should avoid having to purchase same-day admission tickets.
You no longer need to make a theme park reservation unless you are using an annual pass, but the park you want may not be available for the day of your ticket. Be warned that any holiday is almost guaranteed to reach reservation capacity for at least one park, and even simple weekend reservations can be hard to come by during peak seasons in the winter and summer time. The Magic Kingdom Park usually fills up first, followed by Hollywood Studios.
There is another huge factor to buying tickets as early as you can – to make dining reservations. Dining reservations open up within 60 days of your visit, so having your tickets and park reservations all squared away before this time is crucial.
When Is the Cheapest Time To Travel To Walt Disney World
Picking a certain time of year to visit can make a huge difference in your vacation experience. The biggest thing to consider regarding the time of your visit is the value you get for your money. Visiting during slower times of the year will allow you to get a lot more done in less time, while visiting with peak crowds in the summer or at Christmas will slow you down and cause frustration. The average wait time for many rides will be doubled in the summer vs the slowest times of the year such as end of January. New attractions are opening, such as a Tron themed roller coaster at Magic Kingdom (and likely the forever closure of Splash Mountain before it is re-themed) in the Spring of 2023, so be sure to keep those dates in mind as they’re announced because they could also heavily influence crowds. In general, here are some of the slower times of year to consider your Disney World Vacation:
Late January-February
Any time of the month in February is THE BEST time to visit Disney. The massive holiday crowds will subside at the parks by the second week in January, and there are no major events or holidays (aside from the MLK and Presidents Day weekends) that happen until spring breaks begin in early March. This leaves a perfect window of time for your family to visit while the lines will be short and the weather will be cool!
Read Also: What to Wear to Disney World in February
Late April
During the last couple of weeks in April, there’s a window of time between when spring break crowds end and when summer break crowds start in which you can visit the parks and maximize your time. The weather will be getting a little hotter, but it will still be mild enough to be very enjoyable!
Early October
Visiting Disney at very end of September into the first two weeks in October are a good way to ensure lower crowd levels while making the most of attraction openings. Another great perk of visiting in October is the chance to partake in Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party at Magic Kingdom, which is an incredible opportunity to experience exclusive entertainment and meet rare characters!
Just note, that this is prime hurricane season, so your plans can get delayed, with the parks closing for a few days.
Another key factor to consider that can save you money on your tickets is the age of your kids. Kids under 3 years old are able to enter the parks free of charge, and kids under 10 will cost less per day than older kids and adults. If you’re planning your visit to Disney World and your children are nearing either of these thresholds, it’s best to visit while they’ll be cheaper!
Finally, it’s important to consider how long your Disney vacation is going to be. Single day tickets to the parks have become astronomical in price and are currently over $170! The best way to save money on your tickets is to visit the parks more with multi-day tickets. That way, the price for each day ticket goes down tremendously. Each day you add on will save you a bit of money per day, but there’s a steep drop off at 5 or more days (closer to $90 per day). If you have the time, stretching out your vacation and having the opportunity to visit each park multiple times can save you a lot of money! In addition, this strategy will keep you from having to pay more for the park hopper option add on or even from having to purchase Lightning Lanes, which can quickly drive up the cost of tickets.
Where To Buy Walt Disney World Tickets?
The simplest and most stress-free place to buy tickets is directly through Disney’s website. If you’re planning to buy a vacation package and stay at a Disney resort, keeping everything in the same place is the way to go. If you’re staying off Disney property to save some money there are third-party alternatives you can look in to.
Undercover Tourist, for example, has been a reliable source of Disney tickets for years. These sites buy Disney tickets and simply sell them back to other people, since they never linked them to any specific account. These tickets are typically discounted at around $10-$20 a ticket, but offerings change often.
You can also use Disney gift cards to purchase tickets and there are some ways to save a little money using gift cards.
Read More:Â How to Purchase & Use Disney Gift Cards Effectively
There are a number of scams that happen with Disney tickets and you should never purchase them from an individual as they are not transferrable.
Other ways to save are buying tickets for Florida Residents. You must have a Florida Driver’s License and a Florida address in order to get this discount.
Disney offers discounts on tickets for active and retired members of the u. s. military, including the National Guard, Reservists, and the U.S. Coast Guard, so if you fall into any of these categories, you’re good to go for some awesome savings!
If you’re an eligible service member or one of the retired members of the U.S. military, you can score some great deals on Disney Military Promotional Tickets for Walt Disney World! Just make sure you bring a valid Uniformed Services ID card or other valid military identification when purchasing or picking up your tickets. These discounts are a fantastic way to enjoy the magic of Disney while saving some money as a thank-you for your service!
Navigating the world of Disney theme park tickets might seem overwhelming at first, but with a little planning, you can easily find the perfect option for your magical adventure. Make sure you purchase a valid ticket from a trusted source to avoid any hiccups on your trip.
Remember, the My Disney Experience app is your best friend when it comes to managing your tickets, park reservations, and everything else Disney! It’s always smart to check the app or Disney’s official website for the most current information on ticket prices, park availability, and any special offers.
Read Also: 100 Smart Tips to Save Money at Disney World
