Price of Disney World admission up 3,014 percent since it opened, study reveals

Prices adjust for inflation

ORLANDO, Fla. – When Walt Disney World opened in Florida in 1971, one adult day ticket was $3.50. Today, it costs $109. 

Mind you, in the '70s, you needed a separate ticket for each ride. After accounting for inflation, it would still be more expensive to go to Disney World today.

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Play Like Mum compared the price of a one-day theme park ticket at five of the company's six worldwide resorts. The blog left out Shanghai Disney, since it opened three years ago. 

Cost analysis shows costs going up exponentially throughout the decades. In the last 60 years, Disney World one-day admission is up 3,014% Less than a decade ago, theme park enthusiasts could have purchased a ticket under $100.

Then there's the magical world of year-round visits to account for.

Annual passes were introduced 11 years after the park opened, their debut price a whopping $100 in 1982. Now they're hovering around $1,000

While Florida has the most visited resort, it's not the most expensive. Prices tripled between Walt Disney World's 10th and 20th anniversaries, the resort's biggest period of expansion, according to the study.

But Disneyland wins the crown when it comes to price hikes. When it opened, admission prices were $2.50. Today, guests can buy a one-day ticket for $129, that's a 5,060% increase.

Price hikes aren't expected to go away, as Walt Disney World Resorts continues to take an innovative approach to ticket pricing. Disney World's date-based ticket pricing system went into effect in October, and recently raised it's annual pass prices in June. The resort also launched a new vacation package for families, giving the admissions world a new edge in pricing.


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