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Dopey on the Snow White attraction at Disneyland.

In a move that surprised absolutely no one, Disney recently released their usual across-the-board pricing increases for the Disneyland Resort. Everything from single day tickets to Magic Keys and Lightning Lane to parking were affected.

What was surprising is that in large part the increases were modest, with a handful of ticket types receiving no increase at all. Disney’s never been shy about raising their prices, often standing on business in their defense against often overwhelming angst from the Disney fandom.

A recent example of this was them increasing the subscription price of their Hulu and Disney Plus streaming services. They did this despite strong brand protest from fans as a result of them (temporarily) yanking Jimmy Kimmel off the air, which occurred just weeks before this announcement.

Honestly, that move caught me off guard. I’m of the belief that the streaming price increase was on the books long before the Kimmel situation took place but the timing was unfortunate, at best, as many perceived it as Disney “poking the bear”, so-to-speak.

Likewise, for those thinking this recent increase is a strategy to recoup loses from the resulting canceled streaming subscriptions, that couldn’t be further from the truth. This is an annual, often times bi-annual, occurrence. It’s simply Disney raising their prices to match the value offered, along with offsetting rising operational costs.

Getting back to the subject at hand, this post is going to list the various price increases (along with some commentary and tips to save money) so you can better plan for your trip. Remember, a great way to get favorable deals on Disneyland tickets is through Get Away Today. They often feature deals such as “adults at kid prices”, “buy three days, get four” and more. You can see their current deals at this link.

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Single-Day Ticket Price Increase

A scene from the Little Mermaid attraction at Disneyland.

Single day tickets are priced much in the same way hotels determine their room rates - demand. The biggest difference being the various prices which are set in a pre-determined list of tiers, rather than increasing and decreasing by the hour (don’t get any ideas, Disney).

There are seven tiers, starting with Tier 0 and concluding with Tier 6. The top of the tier system, Tier 6, is reserved for what Disney believes will be their busiest days, which often revolve around major holidays and the like. Conversely, Tier 0 are the expected slow days and are competitively priced in an effort to boost attendance on those days.

One bright side to these increases is the surprising increase in Tier 0 days. That’s right, in conjunction with not raising Tier 0 pricing (still at $104), Disney also increased their availability. In last year’s increase Tier 0 days were limited to just 26 days. In this round, that number jumped to 46!

Minnie Mouse bronze statue in Disneyland.

To the contrary, Tier 6 days saw a heavy increase to $224 from $206. This represents an 8.7% increase, the largest of all seven tiers. These varying prices are why I always recommend purchasing a multi-day ticket, as the per day price actually decreases with each additional day, thus increasing your overall value (up to 5).

Unlike Walt Disney World, Disneyland’s single-day tickets are priced identically, regardless of which park you’re visiting. It’s insanity, really. Especially when you consider there is so much more value at Disneyland over that of DCA. Though it’ll get closer to evening out over the next 5-10 years.

Moving on, below you’ll find the new pricing for each tier of single-day adult tickets:

A scene from Tiana's Bayou Adventure at Disneyland.

Tier 0 - $104 (no increase)
Tier 1 - $129 (formally $126, a $3 bump)
Tier 2 - $149 (formally $142, a $7 bump)
Tier 3 - $169 (formally $164, a $5 bump)
Tier 4 - $184 (formally $180, a $4 bump)
Tier 5 - $199 (formally $196, a $3 bump)
Tier 6 - $224 (formally $206, an $18 bump)

As you can see, Disney is precariously close to having two tiers exceeding the dreaded $200 mark. Tier 5 is closer than ever at $199. I would expect Disney to potentially leave this tier alone on the next round of increases. Simultaneously, it also wouldn’t surprise me to see it increased to that price-point.

It’s important to remember that these new prices don’t reflect the various up-charges, such as park hopping, which also saw a rise in price. The old price ranged between $65-$75, depending on tier day or the amount of days on your multi-day ticket. The new range is $70-$90, a jump of 7.4%-18%, respectively.

Multi-Day Ticket Price Increase

The Mark Twain River Boat at Disneyland.

Multi-day tickets also received an increase, albeit a modest one. Each tier saw an increase between 1% and 2%, which makes sense as multi-day ticket pricing are tethered closely to single-day pricing, as they offer the advantage of per-day discounts with each additional day purchased.

New multi-day adult ticket pricing is as follows:

2-Day, 1-Park - $335 (previously $330)
3-Day, 1-Park - $425 (previously $415)
4-Day, 1-Park - $480 (previously $474)
5-Day, 1-Park - $520 (previously $511)

Additionally, new pricing for upgrading to a park hopper ticket are:

2-Day ticket - $100
3-Day ticket - $110
4-Day ticket - $120
5-Day ticket - $135

In large part, it’s a good idea to spend multiple days at Disneyland, three being my middle-of-the-road suggestion to most. Comparing pricing between multi-day and single-day tickets, it’s entirely possible to purchase multiple single-day tickets which combined could come out to lower than one multi-day ticket.

Statues of Mickey and Minnie at the Disneyland Hotel.

This is where it pays to study the tier calendar and compare it to your desired dates. With multi-day tickets, you pay one flat price. With single-day tickets, you’ll pay the park hopping up-charge for each ticket, which could significantly increase your cost if you’re not paying attention.

For example, February 24, 25 and 26, 2026 (a Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday), are Tier 0 days at $104 per day (adult pricing). You could purchase three of those single-day tickets for a total of $312 per adult. Compare that to a 3-day, 1-park ticket at $425 - which equates to a $113 savings per adult (remember, one park per day).

Conversely, let’s say you want to park hop. For the same dates, that’s another $70 per ticket, equating to an additional cost of $210 and making your new three day total $522 per adult. Compare that to the price of a three-day ticket with park hopping - $425 base + $110 for park hopping = $535. You’d save $13 per adult going this route. Modest savings, sure, but every dollar counts at Disneyland.

Moana during the Magic Happens parade at Disneyland.

That equation changes if you’re visiting on busier days, though. Say you’re visiting around spring break, we’ll use March 31, April 1 and 2, 2026 (also Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday), as examples. Those days are listed at $169 (Tier 3), $169 (Tier 3) and $184 (Tier 4) respectively.

If you purchased these days separately, your total would $522 per adult. Compare that to the base price of a three-day ticket ($425) and you’re saving $97 per adult going the multi-day ticket route already. Now, add the park hopper option:

3/31 - $80
4/01 - $80
4/02 - $80

Adding park hopping to three, single-day tickets in this scenario would increase your cost by $240, making your new total $762 per adult. Purchasing a three-day ticket ($425) and adding park hopping to it ($110) is the obvious route to take here.

I just threw a lot of numbers at you, I know. Bottom line, it pays to study single-day ticket pricing and compare them to your dates. At worst, you save some money. At best, you avoid tremendously overspending. By the way, these numbers don’t even account for adding Lighting Lane to your ticket (or parking, for that matter).

Lightning Lane and Parking

Riding Incredicoatser during sunset at Disney California Adventure.

Parking

Along with park tickets, the cost of resort parking and Lightning Lane, Disney’s loathed skip-the-line service, also saw increases. The new parking fees are effective immediately and account for vehicles parked at any of the various resort parking garages/lots, as well as their resort hotels (but not Downtown Disney).

Parking rates for all vehicle types are now:

Car/Motorcycle - $40 (previously $35)
Oversized Vehicle - $45 (previously $40)
Bus/Tractor (has anyone actually parked a tractor at Disneyland?) - $50 (previously $45)
Preferred Parking - $60 (previously $55)

Parking cost has always been a contentious topic at Disneyland, behind only ticket prices and the ever-increasing cost of a churro (worth it). That said, Disney has cornered the market as nearby options are severely limited, at best.

To save, you could park at the Anaheim Artic Station at 2626 East Katella. Day parking is free, though you’ll need to take an Anaheim Resort Transit (ART) shuttle to the park, as the artic station is roughly 3.5-miles away from Disneyland.

A scene from the World of Color show at Disney California Adventure.

The 553 bus runs straight from the artic station and drops passengers off at Disneyland’s eastern entrance on South Harbor (there are a couple stops in between). ART charges a modest fee of $2 per person, per way. Depending on your party size, this could equate to a significant amount of money saved.

If cost doesn’t bother you and you’d rather park a bit closer to the park, The Anaheim Hotel on South Harbor reserves a limited amount of non-guest parking on its lot. Their price is the same as Disney’s at $40 for the day, but you’ll need to arrive EARLY as they tend to sell out quickly.

Lastly, if you’re planning to visit for multiple days you could save significantly by purchasing a “parking membership” at nearby GardenWalk. You pay $72 (which already costs less than two days parking at Disney) and it’s good for four parks, making each park $18.

Even if you’re only going to the park for two or three days, this is still advantageous over parking at Disney, cost-wise. You can either walk to the park from GardenWalk or take an ART shuttle, which has a pick-up/drop-off location on-site. You can find more information here.

A scene on the Little Mermaid attraction at Disney California Adventure.

Lightning Lane

I know I’ll likely catch a lot of hell for this, but I’m firmly in the camp that believes Lighting Lane should be expensive, so I don’t see its recent price increase as a bad thing. In fact, I don’t feel Disney raised it high enough. Before you come at me in the comments, hear me out.

If too many guests purchase Lightning Lane on a given day, then stand-by queues will suffer greatly as a result. Often times needlessly. When Disneyland reopened from their covid closure, it was purely stand-by queues only. During my wife and I’s entire visit that trip, we didn’t wait longer than twenty-five minutes for any attraction.

In fairness, that would be different now with demand at an all-time high. I’m not advocating for Lighting Lane to go the way of Splash Mountain, quite the opposite, actually. It serves a purpose and should be offered, just not at rock bottom prices (when compared to nearby Universal Studios).

At its current price-point, most guests could afford to spring for it, given the right budget and amount of time to save up. Additionally, Disney doesn’t seem to limit sales much, opting instead to charge a higher price for high-demand days.

The Quin-Jet at Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure.

It’s no secret that Lightning Lane significantly impacts wait times so by selling it at a low price-point, stand-by queues become stagnant and Lightning Lane queues develop a wait of their own, completely defeating the service’s entire purpose. Everybody loses in this all-too-real scenario.

If it’s priced higher (like similar offerings elsewhere), less guests would be inclined to purchase it. You may think that would mean less money for Disney, but that’s not the case. Disney will still profit substantially by charging a higher price to fewer people.

Disney still profits, folks who purchase LL get what they’re promised, and all other guests wait in reasonable stand-by queues. It’s a win-win all around. That said, it’s unlikely to happen anytime soon, especially given the release of Lightning Lane Premiere Pass, so I digress.

At the Disneyland Resort, Lightning Lane Multi-Pass’s (LLMP) price varies. If you purchase the service at the time of purchasing your tickets ahead of your visit, you’ll pay the new base price of $34 per day, per person. This is a $2 increase from $32. Again, this is the pre-purchase price.

Hatbox Ghost from the Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyland.

If you decline to purchase Lightning Lane with your tickets and change your mind later on, your only option is to purchase it on the day of your visit. If visiting on multiple days, you’ll need to purchase for each day of your visit. Additionally, you’ll need to be scanned into the parks before doing so.

Going this route is a gamble, as the price varies according to demand. It begins at $34 and there’s no official ceiling, so-to-speak, but the current highest price (post-price increases) that’s been advertised is $40. It could go higher than that, though.

Lightning Lane Premiere Pass (LLPP) now starts at $399 and peaks at $499, up $100 from each end of the spectrum. I wrote an extensive post detailing what makes LLPP different from LLMP and who would benefit most from it. You can read that post here.

There’s no real way to save money with Lightning Lane. The price is the price. Though if you’re certain you and your group will benefit from it and use it, I recommend purchasing ahead of time (with your park tickets) to ensure you’ll pay the base price and nothing more.

Magic Key Price Increase

The old fashioned cocktail served at Magic Key Terrace at Disney California Adventure.

Lastly, we’ll discuss Magic Keys. If you don’t know what they are, they’re Disneyland’s equivalent to an annual pass program. There are multiple tiers and each one offers its own set of benefits, perks, blockout dates and finally…price.

In a somewhat surprising move, Disney only raised prices of two of the four tiers. The two higher tiers are what saw the increase while their two lower, more affordable tiers were left alone. This move appears to be in the same vein as Disney not raising the price of Tier 0 (value) single-day tickets.

Those who really want the highest tiered keys will find a way to afford them, while those who can afford the lower two will (assumingely) appreciate theirs being left alone (for now). In Disney’s eyes, it’s good PR. Something they can point to in times of crisis.

Pocahontas greeting guests at Disneyland.

Note that benefits and perks didn’t change, just cost. The new prices are:

Imagine Key: $599 (no change)
Enchant Key: $974 (no change)
Believe Key: $1475 (previously $1374, a 7% increase)
Inspire Key: $1899 (previously $1749, an 8.2% increase)

If you’re a local and you visit the parks often, then purchasing a Magic Key is a no-brainer. If you’re an out-of-area visitor who goes to the parks regularly, they can be a great deal as compared to purchasing a series of multi-day tickets.

For most causal guests, though, Magic Keys aren’t even in the conversation. The cost of a single key, even at the lowest tier, is substantially higher than even the most expensive multi-day ticket. Difficult to justify for a single trip, even with accompanying discounts.

A scene from the Pinnochio attraction at Disneyland.

With two annual visits at five days each ($520 for a five day ticket, $1040 total), purchasing an Enchant Key ($974) would be the way to go. Similarly, three annual visits at three to four days each would also justify an Enchant, possibly even a Believe Key. It just depends how often you visit.

Whatever you do, don’t justify the purchase of a key off of the discounts alone. Trust me, they’re largely not that great. Getting 20% off of merchandise with the Inspire Key is, don’t get me wrong, but even that wouldn’t amount to any actual “savings” for the typical guest who visits just once a year.

That said, I hope you enjoyed this article and that at least some of the tips and advice given helped you in some way. If you’re still looking for a hotel near Disneyland for your trip, see my top recommendation here. Additionally, read my review of Great Maple, one of my go-to eateries at the resort.

SEE THE PHOTOGRAPHY, TRAVEL AND HIKING PRODUCTS I USE AND RECOMMEND IN MY AMAZON SHOP HERE!