Small Price Increases That Could Have a BIG Impact on Your Next Disney World Vacation!

Last fall we saw Disney World’s Refillable Mugs, Minnie Ears, and many popular park snack and beverage options receive minor prices increases.

Mickey Ice Cream Bar at Magic Kingdom

That was just the tip of the tiny price increase iceberg! Over the last few weeks, we’ve spotted several small price hikes. They may not seem like much at first, but when you roll them all together, they start to add UP! But what effect will all of Disney World’s little price increases have on your trip? Let’s examine each one!

Character Meal Price Increases

One of Disney World’s sneakiest price increases happened to many of its character meals. The adult cost for character meals (including breakfast, lunch, and dinner) all increased $1. That might not seem so bad, but the cost of kids’ character meals cost all increased by $3-$4, which could really be a chunk of change if you have a lot of mouths to feed! Here are the restaurants affected:

1900 Park Fare at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort
Bon Voyage Adventure Breakfast at Trattoria al Forno in Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
Hollywood & Vine at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Garden Grill at Epcot
Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom
Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Cape May Cafe at Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Storybook Dining at Artist Point at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Akershus Royal Banquet at Epcot
Tusker House at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Click here to see our full list of character meals at Disney World!

How Can You Save?

Generally, character meal breakfasts can be significantly cheaper than character meal lunches and dinners. You’ll also want to consider which character meals are plated and which are all-you-care-to-enjoy options. While buffets can be slightly more expensive, they might be a better value for a hungry group since you’d be able to fill up your plate several times!

Hollywood and Vine

Park Hopper Price Increases

Disney World’s two Park Hopper ticket add-ons also recently underwent a small price increase. These options allow guests to enter all four Disney World theme parks (with the optional “plus” add-on feature to access water parks and more) each day that they have a valid ticket. Park Hopper and Park Hopper Plus have both increased $5. Here’s the current pricing for both add-ons:

Park Hopper Pricing:

$60 increased to $65 per ticket for 1 day tickets
$70 increased to $75 per ticket for 2-3 day tickets
$80 increased to $85 per ticket for 4-10 day tickets

Park Hopper Plus Pricing:

$80 increased to $85 per ticket for 1 day tickets
$90 increased to $95 per ticket for 2-3 day tickets
$100 increased to $105 per ticket for 4-10 day tickets

Typhoon Lagoon

How Can You Save?

While we often enjoy the flexibility of having Park Hopper with our Disney World tickets, it’s totally possible to get by just fine without it. And since all Disney World resorts have a pool area for their guests, that’s usually plenty to get us our chlorine fix while on vacation! If you do want to spend a good portion of the day at Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach, water park tickets can be purchased separately for around $69 per day per park which might save you some money in the long run versus purchasing a Park Hopper Plus!

Find out more info about the recent Park Hopper price increases here!

Disney World Annual Pass Price Increases

One of the biggest price increases Disney World rolled out recently was for annual passes. As you’ll see below, both general public and Florida residents were affected by this price change.

General Public

Premier Passport increased from $2,099 to $2,199
Platinum Plus Pass increased from $1219 to $1295
Platinum Pass increased from $1,119 to $1195

Florida Residents

FL Resident Platinum Plus Annual Pass stays at $999
FL Resident Platinum Annual Pass stays at $899
FL Resident Gold Annual Pass increased from $699 to $719
FL Resident Silver Annual Pass increased from $519 to $539
FL Resident Theme Park Select Pass stays at $439
FL Resident Weekday Select Annual Pass increased from $349 to $369
Epcot After 4 Annual Pass increased from $309 to $319

(Note that current Disney World Annual Passholders are eligible for discounted renewal rates.)

Magic Kingdom

How Can You Save?

Many people visit Disney World frequently enough to justify the cost of purchasing or renewing an Annual Pass (AP), but with these recent price changes, it’s more important than ever to ensure you’re utilizing your AP status enough to make it worth your while! Be sure to take advantage of all the AP discounts on rooms, dining, merchandise, freebies, and more to help offset the increased cost of your pass.

Minnie Van Price Increases

Hiring a Minnie Van to take you to or from the Orlando International Airport used to cost a flat service fee of $150 (gratuity not included), but the fee just crept up to $155. A Minnie Van to Port Canaveral (which services the Disney Cruise Line) has also increased from $240 to $249.

Minnie Van

How Can You Save?

Minnie Vans are a nice luxury to have but aren’t a necessity by any means. If you’re staying at any of Disney World’s Resort Hotels, Disney World provides a free, complimentary airport shuttle service called Disney’s Magical Express. The shuttle is also available to take guests from their Disney World resort to Port Canaveral for less money than a Minnie Van.

VIP Tour Price Increases

Many of us only dream of experiencing a Disney World VIP Tour with our very own “Plaid” (a.k.a. Guest Services Cast Member wearing a fancy plaid vest!), but these experiences run rather pricey. And now the price has gone up once again! The minimum length of one of these tours is 7 hours, and pricing starts at $425 per hour. However, depending on what time of the year you go, this base cost can fluctuate. While these tours previously peaked at $625, it looks like the tours have experienced an increase and now cost up to $750 per hour.

How Can You Save?

If you had your heart set on booking one of these luxurious tours, you’re gonna have to save up a few more bucks! To diffuse the cost, you can try wrangling in some friends and family members to help you split up the bill amongst the group! Each VIP tour can accommodate up to 10 guests including infants, so if you spread the cost around a group it could be much more doable!

Click here to read more about the VIP Tour price increases here!

Overall

Even though these recent price changes may just be a small increase from the previous prices, we understand how important every dollar you spend can be! These changes may mean putting extra money aside for an upcoming trip or restructuring your plans to save a few extra bucks, but don’t let these increases put a damper on your vacation! We always want to make sure you know how to get the most bang for your buck, so make sure you’ve signed up for our newsletter to keep up with the latest price increases and other Disney park news! Check out some more of our favorite money-saving tips below!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.

Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.

Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!

Will you be forgoing any of these experiences because of Disney World’s recent price increases? Let us know in the comments below!