Category Archives: News

Walt Disney World raising ticket prices Sunday, February 12th, 2017

News, Walt Disney World

Updated: Ticket prices at Walt Disney World resort went up on February 12th, 2017, and it includes changes in some of the options on Magic Your Way tickets.

The Water Parks Fun and More option is no longer available as a standalone option. It is only available if you also have Park Hopper, and the combined ticket is now called the “Park Hopper Plus”. In general it is the same as before, although DisneyQuest, which had already been dropped from the list last year, is no longer available (DisneyQuest itself is finally closing on July 3rd, 2017.) The list currently includes: Blizzard Beach Water Park, Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, Oak Trail Golf Course, ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex (excludes separate admission events), Fantasia Gardens Mini-Golf Course (before 4:00pm), Winter Summerland Mini-Golf Course (before 4:00pm). But this may bring back the use of the term “Plus” to mean admissions to these locations!

Seasonal pricing still only affects 1-day tickets, and there is still the “Magic Kingdom Surcharge” on 1-Day base tickets, which is now 8 for Value and Regular Season, and $6 for Peak Season.

Guests who purchase 3- to 10-day tickets online or via the Mobile app will receive a $20 discount. Or more precisely, purchasing on site will cost you $20 more. Prices we will quote will be the online price, as we highly recommended getting your tickets in advance so you can make Fastpass selections. It will be interesting to see how this affects the authorized third-party sellers, such as Undercover Tourist, who already sell 3- to 10-day tickets at a discount from the WDW gate prices.

All Magic Your Way tickets will now have a “use by” expiration date, where the ticket must be first used by that date. Previously, all MYW tickets did not expire until 14 days from first use. That date is not based entirely on the date of purchase, so it isn’t known exactly how far in advance, but currently all tickets that are purchased from today going forward must have their first use on or before December 31st, 2018. We expect that date will jump ahead as we get further into 2017.

Our Magic Your Way Ticket Price Calculator has been updated with the current online prices.

Annual Passes are going up as well:

Platinum Plus: $869
Platinum: $779
Gold (DVC And FL Residents only, has blackout dates): $559

Updates to FastPass+ booking times and Rider Switch

News, Walt Disney World,

A lonely little Fastpass+ touchpoint waiting to be used
A lonely little Fastpass+ touchpoint waiting to be used
Just a couple of updates…as of May 18th, the time at which you can first make FastPass+ reservations when the booking window opens has shifted from Midnight to 7:00am ET. Good news for the East Coast and Europe – not so much for the West Coast. We confirmed this change this morning.

Also, I’m hearing that at least at a few attractions there is a slight modification of the Rider Switch procedure, which adheres to the original idea that the Rider Switch pass should be given to someone going through the line first, insuring that it can’t be used until they return.

What may happen is that instead of being given the Rider Switch pass at the entrance, you instead get a lanyard that you will trade in further down the queue (likely at the loading area/merge point), where you will receive the actual pass. Nothing else has changed – the pass is still good for any three guests to use any time later that day.

[Update 8/4] I can confirm that the Rider Switch change has taken place at least at some attractions, as we used it and were presented with a card on a lanyard similar to the timing cards, and you trade that in to a CM further in the queue for the actual Rider Switch pass.

Disney goes to tiered pricing at Disneyland and Walt Disney World for 1-day tickets

Disneyland, News, Walt Disney World

As was being predicted for weeks, Disney is increasing ticket prices again. But they are doing it a bit differently. Now, the price will depend on when you go, at least for 1-Day Magic Your Way tickets – for now.

The calendar will be divided into “Value”, “Regular” and “Peak” days. If you want to go on a Value day, you can use a Value 1-Day ticket or better. But if you want to go on a Peak day, only a Peak 1-Day ticket will get you in.

Disney has not released the actual pricing yet, but we understand that Value pricing will be the current prices ($105 MK/$97 other parks), Regular 1-Day tickets will be an additional $5 each, and Peak will be an additional $19/$17.

At this time, multi-day tickets will be unaffected by tiers, but we expect similar changes will come to them down the line. Multi-day ticket prices did however go up as well across the board.

Disney scuttles Star Wars Weekends while construction begins for new Star Wars area

News, Walt Disney World,

[From our sister site, Sci-Fi Storm]

Star Wars Weekends, a multi-weekend event that Disney has hosted for annually for the last 13 years and occasionally before that, is over.

It was announced on the official Disney Parks Blog today, although we believed it already to be the case.

Construction will begin next year in Disney’s Hollywood Studios park, where the Weekends were held, in order to provide a whole new “land” dedicated to Star Wars. Previously, the Star Wars presence was limited to the Star Tours attraction, the Tatooine Traders shop, and more recently the Jedi Training Academy (where children get trained by a Jedi and then face Darth Vader!) With Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012 everyone expected a bigger park presence and it’s on the way. A few details were released about that expansion:

  • On December 1st, “Star Wars: Launch Bay” opens, giving fans a look at the franchise and the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens with special exhibits and peeks behind-the-scenes, special merchandise and opportunities to encounter Chewbacca and Darth Vader.
  • Star Tours: The Adventure Continues will feature a new scene inspired by Star Wars: The Force Awakens: a chase following the Millenium Falcon through the ship wreckage on the desert planet of Jakku. Those familiar with the random scenes in the attraction might be glad to know that for a few months, the Jakku scene will be in every ride, and then it “will be up to the will of the Force”.
  • Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple (opening early December) is a re-imagining of the Jedi Training Academy which will take younglings to the secret site of an ancient Jedi temple where they will face Darth Vader along with the Seventh Sister – a new villain from the Disney XD series Star Wars Rebels
  • Star Wars: Path of the Jedi will feature scenes from the complete Star Wars saga, also giving anyone new to the Star Wars galaxy an opportunity to get acquainted with the films.

WDW plans Opening Night event for Star Wars: The Force Awakens at Disney Springs and Hollywood Studios

News, Walt Disney World,

Star Wars: The Force Awakens posterOn the opening night of Star Wars: The Force Awakens on December 17th, Walt Disney World Resort will host a special ticketed event at Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney) and Disney’s Hollywood Studios park for fans who want to be among the first viewers of the movie and celebrate with other fans.

Guests will have a confirmed seat at the AMC Disney Springs 24 theater for a showing between 7pm-8pm, and then celebrate over at Hollywood Studios at a private party afterwards until 2am. The party will include special access to the new Star Wars: Launch Bay exhibit, the Star Tours: The Adventures Continue attraction, a DJ dance party, and a preview of the all new fireworks display set to Star Wars music. Costumes are encouraged! But follow standard Disney guest costume guidelines – if you dress like a Disney character, for instance, you may not pose for pictures with other guests or sign autographs, etc.

Characters will also appear at Launch Bay – it is sounding like a private mini-Star Wars Weekends!

Tickets will go on sale immediately after the latest trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens airs tonight during Monday Night Football. And in fact, tickets for showings at theaters around the country will go on sale at the same time!

Ticket prices will depend on which format you see the movie in: 2D ($94.99), 3D ($98.99) and 3D ETX ($99.99).

Note: Direct transportation between Disney Springs and Hollywood Studios will NOT be provided. Parking is free at Disney Springs, and parking at Hollywood Studios is included in the price of the ticket. Guests staying at a WDW Resort will be able to take transportation from Disney Springs to their resort, and then on to Hollywood Studios.

More FAQs can be found here.

WDW completely restructures Annual Passes

News, Walt Disney World,

Surprise! It seemed to be a well-kept secret, but WDW today restructured the whole Annual Pass ticket system. Gone are the Premium, Standard and Seasonal passes. In their place are Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum Plus – along with a new feature and, of course, higher prices.

All passes (unless otherwise specified) now include free Photopass downloads. Prices unless otherwise stated do not include the 6.5% tax.

For the general public, there are the Premium ($749 new, $635 renewal) and Premium Plus ($829 new, $705 renewal). They are the equivalent of the Standard and Premium APs in general.

For Disney Vacation Club members and Florida Residents, Those passes are now $649 and $729 for new passes and $549/$619 for renewals respectively. In addition, a new pass called the Gold Pass is being offered for $549 new, $466 renewal. This is the same as the Platinum pass, but it has blockout dates when it cannot be used: December 17, 2015 ‒ January 1, 2016, March 19, 2016 ‒ April 1, 2016 and December 16, 2016 – January 1, 2017…basically the busy Christmas season and Spring Break.

For Florida Residents only, the Silver Pass replaces the Seasonal Pass, and is $414.29 after tax (I don’t have the pre-tax price handy yet.), and does NOT include the free Photopass downloads. The Weekday Select and Epcot After 4 passes are still available, and likewise do not include Photopass. However, all passes now include freek parking! Which, by the way, was increased to $20 as well today, and valet is now $25.

Information is still fluid, but we expect current AP holders to maintain their existing benefits, and at renewal time will need to choose from one of the new options. Mid-use upgrades would also likely be available to get the Photopass option if desired, but the prices, like always, would not be pro-rated.

It also appears that the Premier Passport, which acts as a Platinum Plus Pass at WDW and a Premium AP in Disneyland, went up significantly as well, from $1099 to $1439.

Disney confirms Star Wars land expansions for Hollywood Studios and Disneyland

Disneyland, News, Walt Disney World,

At the D23 Expo today, Disney confirmed the long expected expansion of Disney’s Hollywood Studios with a land based on Star Wars – and another one at Disneyland Park as well! They report that both are receiving a 14-acre expansion, although the details of how (especially at Disneyland which has limited space available – but recent acquisitions of nearby parcels might be related) and when we’ll see it are still under wraps.

I also wonder whether the 14 acres include reclaimed areas, as was expected in Hollywood Studios.

The land will be based on a remote outpost on a new planet which has not yet been named, but presumably based on the upcoming The Force Awakens movie, but things will be drawn from the original saga as well. A Cantina is expected that will feature the variety of aliens and creatures you’d expect. And two new signature rides will be added, including one featuring the Millennium Falcon nd allow guests to take the controls in a climatic battle between the First Order and the Resistance.

“I am thrilled to announce the next chapter in the long and exciting history between Disney Parks and Star Wars,” said Bob Iger, Disney’s Chairman and CEO. “We are creating a jaw-dropping new world that represents our largest single themed land expansion ever. These new lands at Disneyland and Walt Disney World will transport guests to a whole new Star Wars planet, including an epic Star Wars adventure that puts you in the middle of a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance.”

And for the purists, everything done will be officially canon.

Stay tuned for more details, and follow along with The DIS as they provide live coverage from D23!

Name change coming for Disney’s Hollywood Studios?

News, Walt Disney World

It’s been rumored for a while, but Disney CEO Bob Iger let slip during today’s shareholder’s meeting that Disney’s Hollywood Studios will receive yet another name change, to further reflect that it is not an actual functioning studio any longer but rather an immersive, glamorized version of Hollywood and the land of film making. He caught himself after he said it before revealing a new name, not understanding that they had not yet released the info.

Not sure what the final name will actually be yet, but the top two leaders in my head are currently Disney’s Hollywoodland (a reference to the original full Hollywood sign) or Disney’s Hollywood Adventure, compared to Disney’s California Adventure out west.

WDW raises ticket prices – pages updated to reflect new prices

News, Walt Disney World

We’ve updated the prices and calculations mentioned on our Tickets page as well as the Magic Your Way ticket price calculator to reflect this weekend’s price changes.

Most notably, Walt Disney World has eliminated all sales of tickets with the No Expiration option, which follows last year when they removed the them from online sales and all signage. Some third party resellers like Undercover Tourist may still have stock for a short time if you are still interested in getting a No Expiration ticket.

The No Expiration ticket was good for those who knew ho to use it effectively, but it also caused a lot of confusion with guests as to how it worked and the fact that it could not be added on to later on. This was one contributing factor to WDW phasing them out.

Be Our Guest lunch to start accepting advanced dining reservations

News, Walt Disney World, ,

The Be Our Guest restaurant in the Magic Kingdom, which acts as a counter service for lunch but transforms into a table service for dinner, has been testing a “Be Our Guest Fastpass” system for lunch for quite some time. It was called a “Fastpass” but it had no real relation to the new Fastpass+ system or its predecessor, instead it was essentially an invitation-only advanced dining reservation (sent to on-site resort guests via email – which not everyone seemed to receive) with a option to pre-order your food so it could be ready quickly on your arrival. Recently it was reported that they were trying “Fastpass only”, which meant that walk-ups were turned away, which meant that off-site guests were shut out completely.

That is all changing.

WDW News Today reports that starting February 25th WDW Dining will begin accepting standard Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs) both online and via phone for lunch at the location. They have not stated whether it will have the standard 180 day window, but we are expecting it will.

No change in service is expected – it will remain a counter service-style menu selection and service, but with Be Our Guest’s unique handling – after providing your order, you will sit down, and your meal will magically be brought to your table when it is ready. No more standing in the corrals waiting for that one last item for your tray that keeps getting snatched away by someone else…pre-ordering will still be an option, where you can place your order up to 30 days in advance – and as little as 5 minutes using the My Disney Experience application.

Be Our Guest is expected to begin a counter service breakfast offering this year, but no other details are known yet.