Our 2023 ticket buying guide covers how to save money on park admission at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and other theme parks. This covers info & tips on the best deals & time-saving add-ons for Florida, California, Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Hong Kong–every park in the world! (Updated January 23, 2023.)
The first thing you need to know is that Disney typically raises ticket prices each year in February. This usually impacts a variety of park ticket durations, with off-season ticket prices usually not increasing much (or at all) to keep base prices the same (and thus conceal the increase). Multi-day prices and peak season dates typically increase by much larger amounts. Unfortunately, with the date-based system, it’s easier to obfuscate the increases. The good news here is that the 2023 ticket price increase has not occurred at Walt Disney World or Disneyland. At least, not yet.
The bad news is that twices went up twice last year, including in December. Given the recently of the last increase, it’s entirely possible that Disney will forgo their customary increase in February 2023. However, I would not bet on it given that Disney has been raising prices more and more. Accordingly, we’d recommend buying now from Get Away Today to lock-in current savings, beating the next price increase and get the lowest rates.If you’re looking for the short and sweet version of that post, that’s it–buy now from an authorized discount ticket seller to save up to $75 per ticket!
In this post, we cover other ways to score legitimate discounts on Disney Parks tickets. We cannot stress the “legitimate” part of the above enough. There’s a plague of fake and unauthorized tickets being sold for the parks. Roadside stands, eBay, Craigslist, shady websites, etc–there are many Disney ticket scams to which budget-conscious guests fall prey. Worse yet, if you innocently purchase invalid tickets from a scam, you’re going to pay twice, because Disney isn’t going to accept the fake tickets.
Suffice to say, if a ticket deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. While it is possible to save money on Disney tickets, most savings are of around $5 to $50 per ticket, with the biggest savings being on multi-day tickets for 5 days or more. (Sometimes, 10-day tickets are discounted by $80 or more.) However, you will never find legitimate, half-price tickets.
Tickets are often one of–if not the–most expensive aspects of any Disney vacation, so we understand the desire to save as much money as possible. However, you have to be smart about it. Spending money on a shady but “great deal” that turns out to be a scam will cost you more in the long run. Our Disney ticket tips & tricks cover only the best, legitimate ways to save money on Disney tickets, and authorized sellers from which to buy those tickets.
Before we get started, there are a couple of things you need to know before buying tickets for Walt Disney World or Disneyland in 2023. First, guests are required to make a theme park reservation in addition to purchasing valid tickets. For Walt Disney World, reservations are already available through January 2024. For Disneyland, reservations are released 120 days in advance on a rolling basis.
We have a How to Make Disney Park Pass Reservations Guide that can assist with that, but it’s pretty easy and intuitive. Outside of peak season, most dates have wide-open availability, and reservations are mostly a formality for both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. However, that might not be true for Spring Break or Easter 2023, so plan accordingly and err on the side of making reservations early just in case.
With that out of the way, let’s discuss the options for discount Walt Disney World tickets…
Walt Disney World
Walt Disney World has myriad ticket choices that enable you to buy exactly what you need and nothing more or less. It’s a complicated, date-based system that can be difficult for a first-time Walt Disney World guest. Disney representatives often only make matters worse, as they upsell or subtly “encourage” guests into buying the more expensive tickets.
To underscore just how much you can save by knowing which type of tickets to buy and from which authorized discount ticket brokers to buy them, Get Away Today currently has select multi-day Walt Disney World park tickets discounted by up to $75 off! This will save you a lot of money over buying park tickets directly from Disney. Use code DTB23 at checkout for even bigger savings.
Another excellent ticket seller we recommend is Undercover Tourist. These two typically compete with each other on prices, and are usually within a few dollars of one another. Which is better often depends upon the ticket type and when you’re searching. Both sellers offer huge savings on 10-day tickets with all the add-ons, but that’s an extreme example–more common savings are around $35 to $40 for multi-day base tickets.
You can order tickets for use now through December 31, 2023, and you will receive confirmation codes via email for My Disney Experience. In our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post, we discuss which add-ons you should and should not get, how many days you might want tickets, and also compare prices among the four reputable Orlando discount ticket brokers.
Simply knowing about the different options so you don’t purchase unnecessary add-ons and buying from the discount sellers with the best price on particular tickets can save you a lot of money, and significantly cut down on the cost of your park tickets. It’s pretty easy to do, especially since many guests (especially those families with small children) don’t truly need Park Hopper or other add-ons.
Disneyland
Disneyland Resort park tickets are slightly more straightforward. Since there aren’t water parks and only two parks–Disney California Adventure and Disneyland–it’s a pretty simple process. It’s basically a question of whether or not to get the Park Hopper option, and how many days to stay in the first place. (There are also various ticket tiers with different pricing, which effectively means you’ll select dates for visiting when buying the tickets.)
AAA, Safeway, Costco, and a handful of other SoCal retailers have small discounts of a couple dollars per ticket in store from time to time, but those savings are usually smaller. Additionally, there is a Southern California resident special on tickets from now through May 25, 2023. If you’re not a Southern California local (with ID to prove it), your best option is purchasing online via authorized discounted sellers.
The best deals for buying Disneyland tickets safely and securely via Get Away Today, which is an authorized seller of Disneyland tickets with the best prices and customer service that we’ve found. They have tickets that are valid for admission from now until December 31, 2023. If you already know how many days worth of tickets you need and are looking for the best price, that’s all you need to know.
If you need more assistance with determining how many days to buy tickets, if you should get the Park Hopper option, and whether a Magic Key might actually make sense, check out our Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets post.
Disneyland Paris
Both Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland are unique in that if you plan to spend as few as 3 days in either, you might be better off just buying an Annual Pass. Disneyland Paris just released a new range of Annual Passes last year, with the new tiers being the Discovery, Magic Flex, Magic Plus, and Infinity Annual Passes. These APs vary in price considerably based upon blockout dates, discounts, and other perks that each tier offers.
As far as regular park tickets go, Disneyland Paris has adopted surge pricing, meaning that single day ticket prices vary based upon anticipated attendance. This makes things a bit more complex, since there are three tiers of normal single day tickets now: Mini, Magic, and Super Magic.
Note that only the single day tickets are subject to the tiered pricing. If you purchase a multi-day ticket, the tiers are irrelevant. However, even if you are going for multiple days, you should look at the tiered pricing calendar, as 2 Mini tickets (if you’re going during a slow season) is actually a cheaper option than one 2-day ticket. Zut alores, très compliqué!
For multi-day tickets, there are also some money-saving options available, particularly for Europeans. Americans might have a more difficult time scoring deals, but we cover all the ways to save in our Disneyland Paris Park Ticket Tips & Info post.
Tokyo Disney Resort
Your options are pretty limited when it comes to tickets for Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea, but the good news is that park tickets there are significantly cheaper than for the US Disney Parks. The Japanese parks most definitely are locals’ parks, so the pricing strategy there is to charge a premium for Annual Passes and less for one to four day tickets.
Not only are the single and multi-day ticket prices lower, but for Americans, the dollar-to-yen exchange rate is excellent right now, making park tickets for us a relative steal. Of course, you still have to pay for airfare to get there in the first place. Read our Money-Saving Tips for Tokyo Disneyland Park Tickets post for our full recommendations on buying the best tickets–and at the best prices–for Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea!
Although not at a discount, you can purchase Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea park tickets in advance from Klook. This is what we strongly recommend doing because the official TDR website has issues with foreign credit cards. (Some work, most don’t. If you run into a problem, it’s them–not you!)
Unfortunately, these are the exact same price as buying directly from Tokyo Disney Resort. However, the big difference–and huge advantage–is that you can actually buy them with a U.S. credit card and purchase them before you arrive. While buying tickets upon arrival is an option (physical credit cards do work once you’re on the ground in Japan), that’s only if tickets don’t totally sell out. Not worth the gamble when flying halfway around the world, in our estimation.
Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland has by far the easiest ticket system. There are 1-day and 2-day park tickets (no Park Hopper since there’s only one park), and three tiers of Annual Passes: Silver (valid for 250 days per year), Gold (valid for 340 days per year), and Platinum (valid for 365 days per year). Each of these passes also offers discounts on food, merchandise, and hotels. The break even point on the Silver is 3 days, with the other passes having varying break even points of ~6-10 days based upon whether you’d buy 1 or 2 day tickets.
About the only way to save on single day Hong Kong Disneyland tickets of which I’m aware is to buy from Klook, which will save you about $8 per ticket, and will allow you to instantly print your ticket. You can also use the coupon to purchase a discounted meal voucher for Hong Kong Disneyland.
Shanghai Disneyland
The good news is that park tickets for Shanghai Disneyland are inexpensive as compared to the US parks, especially during their low seasons (they also have surge pricing); the bad news is that prices have already increased and upcharges have been introduced since Shanghai Disneyland opened two years ago.
Fortunately, there are now discounted 1-2 day tickets available via Klook. Depending upon the ticket season, you’re looking at a savings of around $5-10 per ticket. Not huge savings, but considering that tickets are in the $65-75 range, that’s not bad–and it all adds up.
Regardless of how you purchase your Shanghai Disneyland park tickets, we recommend getting digital tickets. Once you have them, take a screenshot of the ticket (for safety in case the internet is down) as well. Make sure to bring your passport in case the Cast Member requests to check your ID (you should always have your passport on your person when traveling internationally).
Shanghai Disneyland also offers “Disney Premier Access” which is a paid, digital FastPass service for its most popular attractions. If you only have 1-day in Shanghai Disneyland and don’t arrive at rope drop, this can be a good, time-saving purchase. If you do rope drop, stay late, or have multiple days in the park, we view this as unnecessary.
Planning a visit to one of the Disney theme parks? Check out our Disney Parks Trip Planning Guides for everything you need to start planning a trip to Walt Disney World, Disneyland Resort, Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disney Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Aulani in Hawaii.
Your Thoughts
As for tickets, what are your preferred type of tickets to get? Do you purchase optional add-ons, like Park Hopper or MaxPass? Do you have an Annual Pass? Any tips or tricks of your own to add? Any questions? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
