Credit: Disneyland ResortIf there is one thing that you can count on when you go to Walt Disney World Resort, or Disneyland Resort, it is that you are going to be spending a lot of money.
First, Guests must purchase a flight if that is their plan, then a Resort. If they are staying at Disneyland Resort, they can pick between the Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Grand Californian Resort and Spa, or Disney’s Paradise Pier (soon to be Disney’s Pixar Place). All of these hotels come with a hefty price tag, which already puts your Disney vacation off to a pricey start.
On top of a hotel, you have to worry about the cost of food, drinks, and merchandise, which can quickly add a few thousand to that total, depending on your party size, where you eat, and what you drink. Then, you must also buy park tickets to enter both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure. Thankfully, Downtown Disney is free.
We have seen the cost of tickets constantly increase over the years. The price of a one-day ticket now ranges from $104 to $179 based on the day. The most expensive one-day Park Hopper ticket is now priced at $244 per day.
Now, Guests have noticed some discrepancies in date-based ticket pricing. What used to be a discount is apparently now more expensive.
In the past, if you bought more and more Disney tickets, the cost per day decreased. Now, in certain cases, single-day tickets cost less than multi-day tickets at their individual price.
Disney fan SkyOne8232 took to Reddit to share their purchase window for Disneyland tickets.
They said: “This is so confusing to me. Why am I penalized for doing two days instead of just one. Also, couldn’t I just go for a day and then get another one-day pass the second day?”. If we look at the one-day price, we see it’s $104 for the day, but on the two-day section, it’s nearly $40 more per day, which is a huge price jump.
Fans jumped in to help clarify: “Not penalized as much as flex pricing screws things up. And yes, you could just buy separate 1-day passes rather than a 2-day pass or 3-day pass. People have mentioned that before in this sub, that it’s the better way to go.” Another Disney fan replied to that, saying, “The problem with doing that is if you want a park-hopper pass, it’s $60 per ticket. So if you want a 3-day park-hopper, it’s $420 ($360 + $60 for park hopping), but if you buy three 1-day park hoppers, it’s a minimum of $494 (1-day passes are a minimum of $104/day + $60/day for park hopping).”
The most simple explanation is that due to date-based ticket pricing, having each day cost a different price can make one option more than another.
Nefretemerson said, “The $104 tickets are for pretty limited days. The 2-day tickets are valid any day. If you happen to be going on two $104 days, it’s better to buy them separately. But on higher-tier days, the 2-day ticket can be a better value. It just depends on which days you’re going.”
So, if you are planning on visiting Disneyland, it may be helpful to see if the days you are looking to visit are in that $104 category, and if so, purchasing them individually may be a cheaper route.
Are you a fan of date-based ticket pricing at Disneyland Resort?
Are you looking to visit Disneyland? Considering Disneyland, located in Anaheim, California, is the first ever theme park, and the only one that Walt Disney himself was able to walk through, it holds a magical spot in all of our Disney-loving hearts. Seeing Sleeping Beauty Castle is a picture-perfect moment; there is so much to do! When it comes to attractions, Guests can enjoy the spooky adventures in The Haunted Mansion during the year and Haunted Mansion Holiday (featuring the characters from Nightmare Before Christmas) during the holiday season. Pirates of the Caribbean will take you on a swashbuckling journey, and Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain provide thrills like no other. Classic rides like Matterhorn Bobsleds, Storybook Land Canal Boats, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and Snow White’s Enchanted Wish are a must, and dining is excellent with stand-out locations like Blue Bayou and Carnation Cafe. Want to start booking so you can see Mickey Mouse in his home in Toontown? The Disneyland website has everything you need to know about the Disneyland app, hotels, tickets, and the Disney Genie+ service. Click here to check it out.