Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California offer several ongoing discounts to eligible guests. One particular discount has been something of a loophole to avoid paying full price on certain products. Disney has now changed this policy.
This discount, previously available to multiple groups of guests at Disney World and Disneyland, has been removed. This change took place amid sweeping price increases across both destinations. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including an update on Disney fixing the yeti at Expedition Everest and big changes and firsts coming to Disney’s next cruise ship.
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Discount Removal at Disney World and Disneyland
Guests receive different types of discounts when visiting Disney theme parks if they are Disney World annual passholders, Disneyland Magic Key holders, Disney Vacation Club members, or Disney Visa cardholders.
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One of those discounts has consistently been redeemable for bottled water and bottled soda at Disney merchandise stores. The discount ranged from 10% to 20%, based on the guest’s membership type in the aforementioned groups. This was considered a hack because those same products were not eligible for a discount when purchased at outdoor merchandise carts.
Effective October 6, 2026, Disney no longer provides a discount on bottled water or bottled soda purchased in a store to guests with special Disney membership privileges.
Bottled water typically costs $4.25 at Disney World and $4.79 at Disneyland. Bottled soda is $5.50 throughout Disney World and Disneyland. WDWNT reported the news.
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Price Increases Across Disney World and Disneyland
The same day as the discount removal, Disney increased prices for tickets throughout its parks. These include park hopper add-ons, Lightning Lane access, and select types of park admission. The cost of Disney World’s annual passes went up, but Disneyland’s Magic Key passes stayed the same.
See our breakdown of the 2026 Disney ticket price increases. For Disneyland specifically, our travel partner gets to keep selling the old discounted ticket prices for a very limited time. Learn the details on how you can still purchase Disneyland tickets at the older, cheaper price.
The highest-tier 1-day, 1-park-per-day Disneyland ticket price has increased by 88.24% over the past decade, from 2016 to 2026. The lowest-priced option increased in cost by $9, a 9.47% increase. We share all increases in our Disney historical price increase study.
This past summer, Disneyland increased the cost of hundreds of restaurant menu items in 2 rounds of price hikes, the first averaging 8% at 178 dining locations and the second averaging 6.5% across 13 additional locations. Some outliers were significantly higher. Mickey beignets, for example, increased price by 15.4%
With the October 6 changes, Disney World had its turn of raising prices for over 5,000 menu items, with an average 7.2% increase on food and non-alcoholic drinks.
Several special dining meals changed prices, too. The fireworks experience at GEO-82 at EPCOT, for example, changed from fixed to dated pricing, with a range of $179 to $194 rather than its previous $179 no matter the date. Dining packages for Fantasmic! at Disney’s Hollywood Studios increased for adults at all 4 of its eligible restaurants, with the exact amount ranging from a $1 increase to a $3 increase, depending on the eatery.
Disney World also increased prices for several guided tours. The minimum and maximum prices were raised by $10 for Disney’s Keys to the Kingdom Tour (now $179 to $199, depending on the date) and Wild Africa Trek (now $239 to $249).
Disneyland just removed its unpopular “no-show” policy for reservations made by Magic Key holders. This is a big win for pass holders and gives more flexibility in the program.
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