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Credit: DisneyIt wouldn’t be an average day without Disney introducing another price increase—and this time, it’s heading to D23.
While Disney has never been something anyone would describe as “cheap,” it’s hard to deny that being a fan has become significantly more expensive in recent years. Both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort have introduced ticket price hikes, with Annual Passes also soaring in cost since the pandemic while simultaneously offering less value.
Food, accommodation, and merchandise have all also increased in price, with Disney also introducing more paywalls across its resorts. For example, FastPass, which once let guests skip select lines for free, has been repackaged as the Lightning Lane system. Disney even unveiled a paywall beyond this paywall, launching Lightning Lane Premier Pass (which can cost up to $400 per person) in 2024.
Now, Disney has quietly introduced another round of price increases for its official fan club, D23.
D23 – created to celebrate and connect Disney enthusiasts around the globe – launched in 2009, with its name paying homage to the year 1923, AKA the year Walt Disney founded his iconic studio.
Offering fans exclusive access to behind-the-scenes content, special events, and limited-edition merchandise, D23 is best known for hosting the biennial D23 Expo where the company unveils new announcements in regards to its parks and films.
Traditionally, membership has consisted of two tiers: free and gold. Now, however, Disney has switched up the system with four tiers. The first is still free, but the second, third, and fourth are now subsections of gold.
- D23 General Membership (free)
- D23 Gold Member Essential ($49.99/year)
- D23 Gold Member Choice ($99.99/year)
- D23 Gold Member Complete ($299.99/year)
The difference between these gold tiers is pretty significant. The D23 Gold Member Essential Plan offers access to exclusive events, discounts, and the digital and interactive Disney twenty-three publication.
Members also receive a Gold Membership Kit, including a certificate, card, Savings Passport, collectible Stitch pin, Goofy and Max car magnet, and a special D23 Disney Lorcana trading card featuring Iago from Aladdin (1992).
A D23 Gold Member Choice Plan includes all benefits of the Essential Plan, plus the option to choose one premium item: the Disneyland 70th Collection (featuring a replica park entrance plaque, a reproduction of Walt Disney’s annotated draft, and an exclusive anniversary book), a D23 Gold Member Fan Pack (embroidered crossbody bag, water bottle, and cap), a stylish Gold Member Spirit Jersey with Mickey Mouse artwork, or a collectible pin box set with 10 original character designs.
Meanwhile, the D23 Gold Member Complete Plan offers all the perks and benefits of D23 membership, including access to exclusive events, discounts, and the digital Disney twenty-three publication, along with all four premium items: the Disneyland 70th Collection, the D23 Gold Member Fan Pack, the Gold Member Spirit Jersey, and the collectible pin box set.
These new tiers went into effect today, January 1, but also come with a hidden charge of shipping/handling and applicable fees. According to Mouseinfo, shipping, handling, and applicable fees for the D23 Gold Member Choice Plan increase the total cost by nearly a third, bringing the final charge to $135.23 – a pretty hefty jump up from the advertised $99.99.
How do you feel about these new D23 price increases?