Disney almost had us fooled. (iStock)
Price hikes at Disneyland and Disney World took effect over the weekend, making the already pricey theme parks even more expensive for families and fans.
On Sunday, officials for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts announced that tickets for the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif., would increase by nearly 9 percent for peak one-day entry, from $124 to $135, while the price of non-peak “regular” tickets would increase from $110 to $117, Reuters reported.
“Value” tickets, for use on the least busy days, will remain at $97.
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Annual pass prices also rose significantly, with regular, signature, and “Signature Plus” passes going for $729, $999 and $1,149 respectively, up from $619, $849 and $1,049, the L.A. Times added.
Over at Disney World, peak tickets for the Magic Kingdom will now cost $123 and $129 per child or adult, respectively. “Regular” and “value” tickets will also cost more, putting the price of a “regular” ticket at $113 per child and $119 per adult (a $4 increase in both cases), and the price of a “value” ticket at $103 and $109 respectively.
Prices for other parks within Walt Disney World also jumped, including those for Epcot, Hollywood Studios and the Animal Kingdom, per the Associated Press.
News of Disney’s price hikes was naturally met with disappointment on social media, with Twitter users calling the new tickets “stupidly overpriced” and lamenting the “not fair” decision.
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Disney, meanwhile, has said that it will continue to “evolve” its pricing model to better suit guests.
"We know how important making memories at Disney theme parks is to families and we will continue to evolve our pricing in a way that gives families a range of options to meet their budget and helps better spread attendance throughout the year so they can make the most of every visit,” said Disney spokesperson Andrea Finger in a statement to Fox News.
In addition to price hikes at the Disneyland Resort and Disney World's Magic Kingdom, entry fees rose for visitors to Epcot Center, Disney's Hollywood Studios and the Animal Kingdom (Walt Disney World News/Gene Duncan)
Disney originally introduced flexible pricing in Oct. 2015 as a way to encourage guests to visit at less busy times, resulting in its “value,” “regular” and “peak” pricing model, the AP reported.
Officials said on Sunday that date-specific tickets — with prices published in advance — will be the next pricing model to roll out at Walt Disney World.
"Given the small percentage of guests that purchase a 1-day ticket at Walt Disney World, extending pre-published, date-specific pricing to multi-day tickets will further advance our efforts spread to attendance throughout the year and ensure all guests have a magical experience no matter when they visit," said Finger.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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