Credit: Shanghai DisneylandIt’s official — one Disneyland resort is totally changing its ticket system.
While Disney’s theme parks are scattered across three continents where food, cultures, and customs differ massively, there are some things that every location has in common. For example, the omnipresence of Mickey Mouse, an abundance of complex carbohydrates, and the heavy toll each day takes on your wallet.
Park entry is one of (if not the) most expensive parts of any Disney day. Some parks cost more than others, with Walt Disney World costing as much as $199 per day and Tokyo Disney Resort tickets sitting at an average of $52 due to the yen’s weak position against the dollar right now.
Sometimes, these park tickets are not only expensive but confusing. Several Disney parks operate on a tiered ticket system, with the prices increasing or decreasing depending on the expected attendance that day. Peak periods – including Christmas, New Year, Halloween, or Fourth of July – tend to be more expensive than “empty” days at the park (if there’s such a thing).
Disneyland Resort, for example, currently has seven tiers of one-day tickets for Disneyland Park and California Adventure. The higher the tier, the busier Disney expects the park to be, which in turn makes the ticket more expensive. Tier 0 tickets are $104, while the most expensive tickets (Tier 6) are $194 per adult.
This week, one Disney resort announced plans to take inspiration from Disneyland Resort and make its ticket system even more confusing.
As per a notice posted on the Shanghai Disney Resort website, Shanghai Disneyland will adopt a new six-tiered pricing structure in November, adding two new tiers to its already four-tiered (and complicated) system.
The good news is that the most expensive tier isn’t getting any more expensive and will remain RMB 799 per person ($112 USD). The lowest tier will also stay the same at RMB 475 ($66.80 USD).
In between these tiers, there are currently two “middle tiers” that cost RMB 599 ($84.23 USD) and RMB 719 ($101.11 USD). From November, there will also be another two tiers priced at RMB 539 ($75.80 USD) and RMB 659 ($92.67 USD) respectively.
Unlike Disneyland Resort, which currently advertises the tiers for days up until the end of November, tickets for Shanghai Disneyland go on sale a month at a time, meaning you won’t be able to see the price of your tickets until pretty close to your travel.
Shanghai Disneyland explained that its new ticket pricing structure will “provide more options for guests as they plan their visit to Shanghai Disneyland, while further supporting the resort to effectively spread visitation throughout the year based on attendance forecast and maximize guest experience.”
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The park has struggled to rebound attendance-wise since the pandemic as fast as its sister parks in the U.S. However, its recent addition of Zootopia – a first-of-its-kind land inspired by the Walt Disney Animation of the same name – is thought to boost these numbers.
There are also plans for a new roller coaster at the park. While this will be located next to Zootopia land, its theme will reportedly be Spider-Man. Permits filed on the Pudong district government website suggest that it will feature two launch zones (one forward and one backward) and cover an area of 5.26 acres.
However, it’s worth noting that while these plans also noted that an official announcement was expected on May 2, we’re still waiting on the confirmation from Shanghai Disneyland over 20 days later.
Do you plan on visiting Shanghai Disneyland any time soon? Let us know in the comments!