ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 06: General views of Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland on April 06, 2024 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
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Crowds and high ticket prices have plagued Disney’s domestic theme parks for years. In a time when everything is getting more expensive, it seems that the average American family is getting priced out of a day at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, or Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. And while that may be true for some seasons, ticket price data and hotel deals for summer at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland tell a different story.
Both Walt Disney World and Disneyland operate on a date-based model, where single-day ticket prices are based on factors such as crowd estimates, major holidays, and more. So a weekday ticket with no major holidays around it will always be cheaper than visiting during the busy Christmas season. In theory, this model allows families to choose to visit either coast during a time that fits their budget and spreads crowds out throughout the year.
ORLANDO, FL - APRIL 3: Statues of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse stand in a garden in front of Cinderella's Castle at the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World on April 3, 2025, in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
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“Disneyland is working to balance making money from in-demand dates while providing tickets at prices that are accessible for more people. They know that it is important to bring in new guests to develop new fandom to develop future generations of Disney fans,” explains Gavin Doyle, founder of Disney news site MickeyVisit.com. The balance seems to lie in the fact that more days than ever at Disneyland are priced at the lowest tier (Tier 0), where tickets start at $104 for a single-park, single-day ticket. According to Mickey Visit, there were 38 days in 2025 when tickets started at $104. In 2026, the number of days nearly doubled, with 56 days priced at $104. Even more interesting is that the Tier 0 ticket prices have not increased since 2019.
The lower-priced Disneyland tickets could also be part of Disneyland’s ongoing efforts to increase access to the theme parks and, in turn, bring in a new audience. Before Thomas Mazloum, Chairman of Disney Experiences, moved into his current role, he was the president of the Disneyland Resort. During his short stint at Walt Disney’s original theme park, he held a business update with the media where he shared that one of his main focuses was bringing new audiences into the Disney theme park bubble.
“He spoke specifically about how they are aiming to create enticing offerings for young families to visit the parks, including the very inexpensive $50 one day kids ticket, a new kids meal, and more inexpensive visit dates. The increase in $104 dates at Disneyland feels directly in line with Mazloum’s ongoing efforts to increase access to the theme parks and develop new audiences,” explains Doyle.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - MAY 29: Details of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge media preview at The Disneyland Resort at Disneyland on May 29, 2019 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
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Families who look at the number of deals at Disneyland and Walt Disney World and are flexible with their dates can get a more affordable Disney vacation. At Disneyland, that could mean booking tickets for adults on a Tier 0 day and combining them with the $50 kids’ tickets, plus staying at an off-site good neighbor hotel. Over at Walt Disney World, the savings come in more unique ways, like specially priced tickets for park entry after 2 p.m., free dining plans with select travel packages, and on-site hotels with discounts up to 40%.
Lower ticket prices could also be linked to the lack of flashy new attractions coming to the parks in 2026. This year, both Disneyland and Walt Disney World are focusing on new entertainment offerings and overlays of current attractions. For example, both Disneyland and Walt Disney World have new Bluey-themed experiences for guests to enjoy, and both coasts are getting a patriotic overlay to the popular Soarin’ attraction. “Those new offerings, combined with the ticket strategies, help to drive urgency to visit this year,” says Doyle.
As Disney looks to the future, its plan to grow its theme park audience while balancing prices seems like a daunting task, keeping everyone from fans to shareholders happy. “Disney attempts to maximize the number of people who visit and money made while also keeping an eye toward the development of future audiences,” says Doyle. “They know that they need to build repeat visitors and that requires creating on-ramps via lower pricing for people to develop long-term Disney fandom. That also means that they can't be maximizing profits at all times because people need to leave feeling like they got great value for their money, excited about the future, and ready to return.”
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