Why Disney World tickets could cost more than ever

For years, Disney World has been a go-to getaway for many Bostonians — but that could soon get a lot more expensive.

Disney is testing a new pricing approach that could greatly increase the cost of single-day tickets. The company is exploring a form of “dynamic pricing,” in which ticket prices would fluctuate based on demand.

According to an exclusive report from The Wrap, prices could change throughout the day, meaning guests guests would pay more when crowds surge. Busy travel periods — like school vacations and holidays — would likely come with the highest prices.

“It’s not dynamic pricing as much as it is dynamic ratcheting,” one person familiar with Disney’s plans told The Wrap.

Chief financial officer Hugh Johnston said the model “may” be introduced in “subsequent years” at a Wells Fargo TMT conference Nov. 19, but that it’s “probably something that you won’t see this year.”

Disney has already rolled out dynamic pricing at Disneyland Paris, where ticket costs rise during peak periods. The website features a color-coded calendar to alert customers of when prices will be higher.

“We’re doing it in Paris right now. We’ve been doing it for about a year. It’s off to a very good start,” Johnston said, according to Deadline. “But we’re really going to make sure we optimize it before we bring it into the domestic parks.”

The U.S. rollout could face some resistance. “What Disney World needs to look out for is the pushback they could get from domestic guests when instead of talking about a $600 one-day visit to Disneyland Paris, we’re talking about $6,000 for a five-day Walt Disney World vacation,” Disney Insider Len Testa told The Wrap.

Asked whether the new system would resemble airline pricing, Johnston responded, “I’d like to not think about it that way, to be honest with you. But yes, similar,” he said, according to Deadline.

For now, the change isn’t yet certain.

“Disney’s domestic parks use a date-based ticket model with multiple tiers, and have no immediate plans to change,” a Disney spokesperson told USA TODAY.

Still, rising costs are a reality for guests. Disney World raised ticket prices in October, and NerdWallet reported that the most expensive single-day Magic Kingdom ticket will surpass the $200 threshold for the first time, reaching $209 per day.

We want to know: What do you think about ‘dynamic pricing’ at Disney World? Will it impact your future plans to visit? Let us know in the form below or e-mail us at [email protected].