Disney World is making major changes to the way they price their theme park tickets.
Beginning October 16, customers booking theme park tickets to the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando will see prices based on the dates they’re looking to visit rather than prices that vary by park, as has been the case in the past, the company announced via an official blog post and video. Whether this practice makes tickets generally more or less expensive for buyers remains to be seen.
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“Our new online vacation-planning destination offers several new tools designed to simplify the booking experience for guests and help them easily customize their visit based on their unique needs and interests,” Jacquee Wahler, a spokesperson for Walt Disney World Resort tells PEOPLE in a statement. “As we continue to expand by adding world-class attractions and amazing entertainment, we also are introducing date-based tickets and pricing, which gives guests tailored choices and better allows us to spread attendance throughout the year to improve the guest experience.”
For the first time ever, Disney is also offering seasonal pricing for multi-day tickets, and the tickets will be priced differently based on the exact date visitors want to use them. If they want to book with flexible dates, they’ll pay more.
Currently, customers who purchase multi-day tickets aren’t stuck with exact dates on which they need to be used, but customers must use them on consecutive days within an agreed upon 14-day period. Under the new system, visitors who purchase a three-day pass will have a five-day window within which to use it, for a four-day ticket, they have six days, and so on.
If it all sounds a little confusing, the Disney Parks Mom’s Panel is there to help. Tips from the elite group of layperson Disney pros are sprinkled throughout the booking process.
The blog post also announces that Disney will offer customers the use of an interactive online calendar that shows them which dates each month are priced the lowest, and tips will pop up at the bottom of the screen to show guests which months and dates have the cheapest pricing options.
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The new pricing strategy is not surge pricing, according to a representative for the company. Instead, it’s meant to be an extension of their current seasonal pricing strategy, as the ticket prices will be preset based on park demand and will not fluctuate based on how many people book tickets for a period of time.
Exact ticket prices won’t be released until October 16, but the Disney rep tells PEOPLE that one-day park tickets will range from $109-$129 pre-tax. They are currently $102-$129 per day.
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