LOS ANGELES, Oct 12, (Agencies): Travelers planning a visit to the enchanting world of Disney will once again find themselves reaching deeper into their pockets as Disney has officially announced price hikes for certain admission and parking categories at its two most renowned theme parks, Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California.

At Disneyland, these price increases will primarily affect the park's annual pass, known as Magic Key, as well as date-based tickets, with the steepest increases of over 8 percent applying to the two highest-priced ticket tiers. In contrast, at Walt Disney World, the price adjustments pertain exclusively to annual passes.

These ticket price adjustments have taken effect immediately, with the increase ranging between $5 and $15 per day of admission, depending on the type of ticket. The cost of one-day, one-park tickets remains unchanged for the lowest-priced tickets, which are $109 at Disney World and $104 at Disneyland.

Robert Niles, the founder and editor of Theme Park Insider, interprets these new pricing structures as indicators of each park's popularity. He stated that Disney's decisions suggest a more favorable situation in California compared to Florida, with Disneyland experiencing substantial price increases for daily tickets and annual passes, while Walt Disney World saw relatively minor annual pass hikes.

Despite this, park-hopping and reservation restrictions are no longer in effect at Walt Disney World, a strategy employed to boost park attendance, whereas these limitations remain in place at Disneyland.

Niles speculates that Disney may intentionally be pricing some Disneyland fans out, as the parks are already crowded, and Disney needs a way to manage the crowd without frustrating fans due to limited reservation slots.

This move to increase prices follows a series of fluctuations in the past two years. Disney customers have expressed concerns about escalating ticket prices for years, and during the pandemic, they had to contend with additional costs for services that were previously complimentary, along with costly changes to replace established services like FastPass.

The ever-changing landscape of expenses, coupled with new and unforeseen costs, posed a threat to Disney theme parks' reputation as affordable family vacation destinations. For many, a weekend getaway for a family of four could easily reach $5,000, making it unattainable for some.

Before former Disney CEO Bob Iger returned to assist the company in late November 2022, Disney had announced two separate price hikes within a short span of time. In January, Disney modified its approach, introducing lower-priced ticket options and offering perks such as free Disney World hotel parking, early park-hopping at Disneyland, and more complimentary ride photos.

In March, Iger acknowledged that continuously increasing ticket prices contradicted some of the company's core values. He stated in a Morgan Stanley media conference, "I always believed that Disney was a brand that needs to be accessible, and I think that in our zeal to grow profits, we may have been a little bit too aggressive about some of our pricing."

Additionally, Disney announced on Wednesday that Disney World would reinstate all-day park hopper access, enabling visitors to move between different parks within the resort at any time, beginning on January 9. Previously, guests had to wait until 2 p.m. before transitioning to their second park of the day. Disneyland will continue with its park reservation system, while Disney World will discontinue its version starting January 4. The booking window for Disneyland reservations has been extended to 120 days, according to the company's announcement on Wednesday.