Major Price Increases on Park Tickets & Genie+ at Disneyland

Disney has increased parking and ticket prices for the remainder of 2022 and 2023 at Disneyland and California Adventure, with 1-day, multi-day, Park Hopper, and Genie+ costs now up across the board. In this post, we’ll share price change info and offer commentary about the ever-growing

First of all, none of this is even remotely surprising. If you read last week’s update to our 2022-2023 Discount Disneyland Ticket Buying Guide, you already read our recommendation to buy tickets ASAP. That was premised on the reservations pause being driven by looming ticket price increases, which has now proven correct.

Before we get going, the good news is that Get Away Today, our recommended authorized third party ticket seller, still has tickets at the “old” prices for right now. By purchasing your Disneyland park tickets via them, you can lock in the previous pricing and save significantly on multi-day tickets!

This October 2022 price increase is the first since last year, which occurred shortly after Magic Keys debuted. Even though they had gone up in the fall, we were honestly surprised that Disneyland ticket prices didn’t increase again in February along with Walt Disney World’s most recent price increase.

Here’s how the latest Disneyland ticket price changes stack up, with some comparisons in the old versus new prices. Brace yourself, as some of these increases are pretty significant…

Ticket Price Increases

Single Day & Park

  • 1-Day, 1-Park (Tier 0) – $104 (new tier)
  • 1-Day, 1-Park (Tier 1) – $114 (previously $104)
  • 1-Day, 1-Park (Tier 2) – $129 (previously $119)
  • 1-Day, 1-Park (Tier 3) – $144 (previously $134)
  • 1-Day, 1-Park (Tier 4) – $159 (previously $149)
  • 1-Day, 1-Park (Tier 5) – $169 (previously $159)
  • 1-Day, 1-Park (Tier 6) – $179 (previously $164)

Single Day Park Hoppers

  • 1-Day Park Hopper (Tier 0) – $169 (new tier)
  • 1-Day Park Hopper (Tier 1) – $179 (previously $164)
  • 1-Day Park Hopper (Tier 2) – $194 (previously $179)
  • 1-Day Park Hopper (Tier 3) – $209 (previously $194)
  • 1-Day Park Hopper (Tier 4) – $224 (previously $209)
  • 1-Day Park Hopper (Tier 5) – $234 (previously $219)
  • 1-Day Park Hopper (Tier 6) – $244 (previously $224)

Multi-Day Single Park Tickets

  • 2-Day, 1-Park – $285 (previously $255)
  • 3-Day, 1 Park – $360 (previously $330)
  • 4-Day, 1 Park – $395 (previously $360)
  • 5-Day, 1 Park – $415 (previously $380)

Multi-Day Park Hopper Tickets

  • 2-Day Park Hopper – $345 (previously $315)
  • 3-Day Park Hopper – $420 (previously $390)
  • 4-Day Park Hopper – $455 (previously $420)
  • 5-Day Park Hopper – $475 (previously $440)

The Genie+ ticket add-on will now cost $25 per day, which is up from the previous cost of $20 per day. As a reminder, Genie+ includes PhotoPass at Disneyland, which is one reason why it costs more. The California parks also have a better Genie+ ride roster, so the line-skipping service is more useful.

As with Walt Disney World, same-day Genie+ purchases will be variably priced based on date and demand. Read our extensive commentary about that change, which is mostly the same for Disneyland Resort. The key difference is that Genie+ has yet to collapse in California’s crowds, which is likely (again) due to the more robust ride roster.

In addition to PhotoPass, Genie+ at Disneyland also recently added AR lenses. Now we know why! While those will drain your phone’s battery more than they’ll add value to your day, they are something. (See our Guide to Genie+ at Disneyland and Lightning Lane FAQ for more background and info on how paid FastPass works at DLR and what all it includes.)

More significantly, WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure is now part of Genie+ as of today. The attraction was previously one of 3 Individual Lightning Lane attractions at Disneyland Resort, with Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs Racers being the others. Leaving those bona-fide E-Tickets as the lone Individual Lightning Lanes makes sense, as does adding another attraction to the smaller Genie+ roster at DCA.

Price increases have also hit preferred parking at the theme parks (up from $45 to $50) and valet parking at the hotels (up from $50 to $65). No changes to regular self-parking prices at the parks or resorts.

As for ticket price increases, it’s a clever move by Disneyland to add a new tier, as the base price for single day tickets doesn’t increase; it’s $104 before and after. The company can still tout prices “starting at $104 per day.” That has been the case for the last ~5 years, and our commentary has been consistent throughout that.

Last year, Disney added another tier at the high end. This year, they’re pulling a page out of the Resident Evil playbook with a “zero” prequel. Perhaps it’s named after the number of days that’ll be eligible for that low price. As with last year, adding another tier was likely done for greater control over pricing and so that direct comparisons of price increases don’t look as bad.

One thing that’s noteworthy here is that the price increase for Tier 6 dates for 1-day tickets this holiday season is that they’re effectively up $20 year-over-year. Since there was no Tier 6 until last October, no dates on last year’s calendar were in that tier–they were all Tier 5.

In addition to prices increasing, the number of lower tier days has seemingly been shrinking while the number of higher tier days is increasing since reopening. The more accurate way to view the price increases is likely in percentage terms, with prices jumping by ~9% on the high end–perhaps a bit more for some dates if you factor in the tier shifts.

When it comes to multi-day tickets, most prices are up by approximately $30 per ticket. Percentage-wise, these are higher than the last go-round, with most tickets up by 8%. This is above historical standards, with increases of about 5% per year being the recent norm. Even that isn’t completely consistent, and this year’s increase is about on par with the one before Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened.

Unsurprisingly, park reservations are no longer paused, and are once again available on a rolling 120-day basis (currently through February 2023).

Even though seemingly unrelated, this pause was the red flag that Disneyland park ticket price increases were incoming.

Park Ticket Price Increase Commentary

Frankly, I’ve lost the capacity for surprise when it comes to Disneyland price increases. In this case, I’m more surprised at how long the company has gone without increasing prices. This is the most significant change to ticket pricing since February 2020.

At this point, crowds are crushing, pent-up demand is still strong, and the parks have a devoted and passionate fanbase. The busy Christmas season is right around the corner, which was so popular last year even at top-tier prices that Disneyland ran out of reservations and suspended ticket sales.

Looking forward to January, the 100 Years of Wonder Celebration kicks off with new nighttime spectaculars and the debut of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. It’s going to be busy during what’s historically a slower season, and that’s even without new Magic Key sales. Why wouldn’t the company increase prices?

On top of that, inflation is running hot around the globe, with the United States hitting a four-decade high above 8% this year. Most of these price increases are in the neighborhood that. On top of that, the least expensive single day tickets haven’t gone up since October 2018.

However, it’s also fair to point out that with the end of free FastPass+ and introduction of paid Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, which Disney has indicated that roughly one-third to half of guests are purchasing, the effective cost of visiting has gone up by more than 10%. In order to have an equivalent experience as compared to pre-closure, you’ll need to spend an extra $25 per day, at least, and that’s just for Lightning Lanes. That’s still not exactly apples to apples, but it’s close enough for the sake of our comparison.

During earnings calls and interviews throughout the year, CEO Bob Chapek has directly addressed price increases–and prepared fans for more of the same. He has said that Disney’s theme parks are seeing unprecedented demand, and have pricing power as a result. Chapek has also boasted that the company’s domestic parks and resorts have achieved all-time revenue and operating income records.

For several consecutive quarters, per guest spending at the domestic parks has been up more than 40% versus the same quarter in 2019, an absolutely staggering number. This has been driven by a more favorable guest and ticket mix (read: fewer Annual Passholders), plus higher food & beverage and merchandise spending, as well as contributions from Genie+ and Lightning Lanes. Revenue and operating income exceeded pre-pandemic levels, and that’s even as Disney continued capping attendance.

It’s hard to make a compelling case that Disneyland has any sort of pricing problem, at least for now. Even with all of the recent (non-ticket) price increases, the company is posting unprecedented numbers and demand is off the charts.

We’ve spent many days in the parks over the last few months, and the crowds have been absolutely bonkers. This is something we’ve touched upon elsewhere, but it’s tough to overstate just how busy Disneyland has been in the last two months–even before fall break, Halloween, and Christmas seasons arrived in full force. (We were again in the parks over this past holiday weekend, which can best be described as bonkers plus.)

In short, as long as consumers keep spending and pent-up demand is strong, people will pay the prices for Disneyland park tickets, Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, and whatever else has gone up in price. The serious issue will come down the road when people are not feeling so hot about their economic circumstances and future.

At that point, it’s a question of whether discounting will be enough to incentivize guests to return, or if irreparable brand damage will have been done during the last decade or so of increases. We don’t have an answer to that–no one does–but it’s definitely something about which we’re curious.

Ultimately, it’s still our belief that things aren’t too far from normalizing. (You might call it wishful–or delusional–thinking!) At some point, pent-up demand fizzles out, inflation on necessities influences discretionary spending, higher interest rates, underperforming investment portfolios, and growing household debt will bring the party to an end. The clock is ticking on all of that.

When all of some of that happens, consumers will return to being more cost-conscious and price sensitive, and things will normalize to at least some degree. However, there don’t appear to be any signs of those things happening anytime soon. So, get used to high prices, heavy crowds, and nickel & diming at Walt Disney World and Disneyland as this record run of revenue and income continues for the foreseeable future. We’ll be paying careful attention to all of the changes, and will keep you updated as we learn anything new.

Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and tons of other places!

Your Thoughts

What do you think of these price increases to Disneyland base ticket and Park Hopper price increases? Thoughts on the changes to Genie+ at Disneyland Resort? Will you still be visiting the parks this year, or are you priced out? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!

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