5 Price Hikes and Upcharges Coming to Walt Disney World

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Price hikes and upcharge events have become an unfortunate reality of the modern landscape of Walt Disney World, where attendance is uncertain but there is still a push from upper management to keep revenue high.

And while many of Disney’s recent upcharge experiences (like Express Transportation) have been well-received, over the past few months several new price hikes and “premium” experiences have been announced, including a new charge being added on for something that was previously always free…

1. Preferred Parking upcharge comes to Disney Springs

Image: Disney

Though preferred parking has been an option for theme park guests since last year, Disney announced earlier this week that beginning today, Disney Springs will also offer its own preferred parking option for guests. For $10, guests can now park in the Grapefruit lot on the West Side near Cirque du Soleil, or the Lemon lot next to World of Disney. Both preferred parking locations are surface lots away from the Lime and Orange garages. This new option is in addition to the valet parking at Disney Springs, which costs $20 and is also located on the West Side near Cirque du Soleil.

Though it perhaps isn’t surprising to see the addition of preferred parking at Disney Springs, many are wondering if this means that free parking at Disney’s on-property resorts could be going away soon as well as Disney continues to add these little upcharges when it comes to parking.

2. New Epcot upcharge experience announced

Disney has announced a new upcharge experience that will bring Epcot guests on a luxurious trip around the World Showcase. Called the Day Cruise Around the World, this upcharge experience takes place daily at midday, and takes guests from the Bayside Marina at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort on a pontoon boat around Crescent Lake and the World Showcase Lagoon. The experience is 60 minutes long and includes bagged snacks and soft drinks. Day Cruise Around the World costs $149 plus tax and gratuity per boat, which includes up to 10 guests. Private dining can also be added for an additional fee to turn this into a lunch cruise.  Reservations can be made now on 407-WDW-PLAY.

3. Dining packages now available for The Music of Pixar Live!

Image: Disney

Disney’s new summer show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios began performances last week, and guests are really repsonding to this new show, lining up nearly an hour in advance to ensure they have a spot. However, guests who want to skip the line can take advantage of a new upcharge that includes breakfast, lunch, or dinner at one of Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ most popular eateries, as well as reserved seating for The Music of Pixar Live! You can read more about this new show here. Here are the prices for this new dining package:

Hollywood & Vine

  • Breakfast – $39 per adult and $25 per child
  • Lunch – $52 per adult and $32 per child
  • Dinner – $57 per adult and $35 per child

Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano

  • Lunch & Dinner – $45 per adult and $18 per child

The Hollywood Brown Derby

  • Lunch & Dinner – $65 per adult and $22 per child

4. This year’s longer Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is also going to be more expensive

Image: Disney

Earlier this year we learned that the 2017 edition of Mickey’s Not-so-Scary Halloween Party would feature more dates than ever before, as Disney has made the truly unprecedented step of expanding Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party into August (which is still technically summer) for the first time ever. And now we know that this year’s party will be more expensive as well, with ticket prices rising between $3 and $10 for most nights. You can check out the full price breakdown (including discounts for annual passholders, DVC members, etc.) for this year’s event here.

5. Prices for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party have also risen

Frozen Christmas

Image: Disney

Perhaps unsurprisingly, ticket prices for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party have also risen for 2017, with most tickets costing between $3 – $10 more when compared with last year. The full price breakdown for this event (which is the same length as last year and is said to not have any additions in 2017) can be found here.

How do you feel about all of these price changes and upcharge additions to the resort? Will you be taking advantage of the new preferred parking option now available at Disney Springs? Let us know what you think in the comments!

 

-From Theme Park Tourist, June 1, 2017 by Amanda Kondolojy

 

 

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Don Korta
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