Disneyland introduces surge pricing for 1-day park tickets

NEW YORK — The "Happiest Place on Earth" now comes with surge pricing.

Starting Sunday, Disney's Walt Disney World resort in Florida and Disneyland in California will charge different ticket prices for its parks depending on the time of year, the company announced in a blog post.

The calendar will be divided into Value, Regular and Peak periods. The new surge pricing plan will apply to one-day tickets.

A one-day park ticket at Orlando's Magic Kingdom during a Value period will stay at current levels of $105 for those aged 10 and above.

But tickets during Regular season days (most of April, for example) will rise to $110. The price will then shoot up to $124 for Peak days. That includes holidays like the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

At Disney World's three other parks (Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom) one-day tickets will be $97 for Value, $102 for Regular and $114 for Peak.

Disney said it's trying to find "ways to help spread out visitation."

"The demand for Disney Parks continues to grow, particularly during peak periods," the company said. "At the same time, we have an unwavering commitment to exceeding the expectations of all our guests."

The price surge comes at a time where the company is planning major expansions based on popular brands like "Star Wars," "Toy Story" and "Avatar."