It's as certain as death and taxes

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -
It's official: Disney confirms to Local 6 that effective Sunday, Feb. 22 it will now cost $105 for a 1-day, 1-park ticket to the Magic Kingdom. That's a $6 Jump. Plus tax, of course. And the most popular theme park in the world becomes the first to break the psychological $100 barrier.

Disney's other three major parks: Epcot, Hollywood Studios & Animal Kingdom rise a more-modest $3 from $94 to $97. Full Price breakdown below.

Everyone always asks "Why raise the prices? Disney Spokesman Bryan Malenius responds: "A day at a Disney park is unlike any other in the world. And there is strong demand for attractions and entertainment, We continually add new experiences and many of our guests prefer multi-day tickets and annual passes which provide great value and additional savings."

But Annual Passholders will feel the pain, too. For Florida residents, it will now jump $44 for the basic annual pass (No blackout days and free parking) to $529 (formerly $485). The very popular Seasonal Pass (blackout days & no free parking) jumped a more modest $10 to $329. Premium Annual Pass (adds Disney Quest, water parks & ESPN Wide World of Sports) also jumps $44 to $649 (from $605) To be fair, the sting of those price hikes doesn't feel quite as bad when you pay by the month (something Disney passholders have been able to do since 2010. Universal started the idea a couple of years earlier. SeaWorld also encourages it?.)

Multi-Day "Magic Your Way" passes are going up too: 2-Day jumps to $192 (up $4), 3-Day $275 (up $1) & 4-Day $305 (up $9)
After the first 4 days , it costs $10 extra a day (unchanged) There are additional costs for things like park-hopping. And, like most passes, Children 3-9 cost a little less.

Despite today's increase, you can also still favorably compare the cost &/or value of a Disney park ticket to the price of an NFL game, ?a round of golf, a Broadway-style show at the Dr. Phillips Center, or concerts at Amway. But, the OTHER reason Disney hasn't quit hiking prices is because they can. People keep coming. Disney World broke attendance records over the Holiday season. The Parks and Resorts division (Orlando, California & overseas) made $805 Million in profit (up 20%) from October 1st-January 1st. (1st Quarter of the 2015 fiscal year). When those numbers were announced, Disney leaders crowed that hotel occupancy jumped to an average of 89%. Make no mistake, the hotel stays are a LARGE chunk of those profits. (Though the number of rooms available was lower due to everything from a major Beach Club renovation to converting a good chunk of the iconic Polynesian resort into Disney Vacation Club time shares).

The question now: how will Universal and SeaWorld Orlando respond? Until recent years, any increase was met dollar-for-dollar almost instantly. No one wants to be seen as "cheaper." But that has changed. SeaWorld is $95. Universal's 1-day. 1-park base ticket is at $96. But a little thing called "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" means quite a few guests are opting for park-hopping passes at $136 so they can ride the Hogwarts Express.

There is also one more change to note in Disney's pricing strategy. Water Park lovers: good news. Your $53/day ticket is now good at both parks: Typhoon Lagoon & Blizzard Beach when both are open. Down side: Disney is starting seasonal pricing at its Water Parks. Tickets jump to $58 during the peak season (Mid May - September) when the water parks are most crowded.

Again, all changes take effect Sunday, February 22nd. You have til midnight to buy at the old prices.

Florida Residents are also eligible for other discounts throughout the year. The current deal is called "Discover Disney" and costs $139 for 3-days & $159 for 4-days. You have to use that pass by June 5th, though.

Here is a list of the new prices:

1-Day, 1-Park

Magic Kingdom:

$105

Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, & Disney's Animal Kingdom:

$97

Florida Resident Premium Annual Pass:

$649

Florida Resident Annual Pass:

$529

Florida Resident Seasonal Pass:

$329 before tax, respectively, up from $485 and $319.

Magic Your Way Passes:

2-Day $192

3-Day $275

4-Day $305

5-Day $315

6-Day $325

7-Day $335

Note: the No-Expiration option is no longer offered.

Water Park Hoppers

Mid-May - Sept $58

Other Times of year: $53 (unchanged)