Disney World on track to raise ticket prices

It’s about to get a little more expensive to visit the most magical place on Earth.

Last February, ticket prices went up 18 percent.

It can also cost $124 to get in during peak times.

The park also raised annual passes by $90 in October 2015.

Perhaps because of it, Disney has not seen park attendance decline in three of the last four quarters.

But that won’t stop the theme park giant from raising ticket prices again by the end of the month.

“We have to go back to 1988, the last time Disney did not raise its one-day ticket prices. So, it’s going to happen,” said stock analyst Rick Munarriz.

Even with fewer people visiting, Disney is still making more money from the theme parks.

Food and merchandising is up over last year, and even though hotel bookings are down, hotel revenue is up.

Disney will continue to increase single-day ticket prices because, analysts say, the park aims to get the multi-day guest who stays longer and spends more.

“It’s still very expensive for most people. Not attainable for most of us, but it’s something Disney World likes to prides itself on, saying, ‘Hey, buy the multi-day pass, stay here longer, and it will be cheaper on a per-day basis,’” said Minarriz.

Typically, when Disney increases ticket prices, universal isn’t far behind.

But the increase also means more people chose one of the big parks for their annual pass, but then supplement by also visiting smaller parks like SeaWorld, Legoland and Fun Spot.

“It does have a ripple effect to everybody. Disney raising prices is bad for consumers, but it’s great for area businesses,” said Minarrix.

Cox Media Group