How has ‘Disney Inflation’ impacted favorite theme park foods?
It’s no secret that a Disney vacation is not inexpensive (and a couple of years ago, we reported that “Disney debt” is a thing), but a new study shows that “Disney inflation” is also a thing—and it’s impacted some of our favorite theme park foods.
Personal finance website FinanceBuzz conducted a study to compare 2024 prices for ten food items at Walt Disney World Resort to the cost of those same items ten years ago to find out how much more we’re paying now. Unsurprisingly, they discovered prices for many popular Disney eats have increased by 50% or more in the last decade, which they note is considerably higher than the real-world inflation rate of 32% over the same ten-year period.
“Disney snacks are as integral a part of the Disney World experience as Cinderella’s Castle (and for some people it’s more important to have pictures of Mickey-shaped treats on their Instagram post than a pic of the Magic Kingdom’s iconic castle),” said FinanceBuzz Senior Content Marketer Josh Kobert. “Knowing how many visitors have raised concerns about how expensive just about everything at Disney World has become recently, we decided to take a look at how prices have changed on some of the most iconic Disney snacks to see if reality matched perception on that front, which it mostly has.”
How has Disney Inflation impacted favorite theme park foods?
The most notable item impacted by Disney food inflation is the bread service at Sanaa in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, which includes a selection of breads with nine different dips and sauces. While Sanaa bread service is a favorite (and often Instagrammable) meal for many Disney fans, it also had the most significant price increase, more than doubling from $9.99 in 2014 to $22 in 2024.
Photo courtesy of Walt Disney World Resort
The only other iconic Disney World treat to double in price is the corn dog nuggets from Casey’s Corner in Magic Kingdom, which have jumped from $4.99 to $10.79 (116%) since 2014. Other food prices that outpaced the 32% rate of inflation are Mickey Mouse-shaped ice cream bars (up 63%), Dole Whip (up 58%), churros (up 54%), and fish and chips at the Rose & Crown in Epcot (up 50%).
Disney Deflation
Thankfully, not all prices are going up. Fans of Mickey waffles will be happy to know that the price for their favorite Disney treat has actually stayed below the rate of real-world inflation, as the Mickey-shaped waffles are “only” 30% more expensive today than they were in 2014.
Surprisingly, the price of the least expensive theme park ticket at Walt Disney World has risen by just 21% in the last decade – and hasn’t changed at all since 2019. On the flip side, the price for the highest-cost Disney ticket (on peak park days when park attendance is at its absolute highest) has risen by 91% in the same period.
How Much is Food at Walt Disney World?
In addition to calculating price increase percentages, FinanceBuzz also analyzed how the actual prices have changed since 2014 and determined that the cost for every item on their list has increased by at least $1.50 (with most going up by at least $2).
Disney World foods that have gone up in price by $4 or more since 2014 are Sanaa bread service, which has increased by $12 in ten years (by far the most significant jump), corn dog nuggets (up $5.80), fish and chips (up $4.50), and turkey legs (up $4).
Doubling back on their ticket findings, the base price for the most affordable Disney World tickets increased by $19 from 2014 to 2024 – only $7 more than Sanaa’s bread service.
So, how has “Disney Inflation” impacted a Walt Disney World vacation? It all comes down to what you spend your money on.
While prices for some favorite foods at Walt Disney World have increased by 61% (on average) over the last ten years, if you steer clear of the pricey Sanaa bread service, you can save your cash for the still-affordable (and always-iconic) Mickey waffles.
Methodology
Current menu prices were sourced directly from the official Walt Disney World website, and 2014 prices were collected from the official Disney World website and AllEars.net via the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.
Inflation rates are based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ CPI Inflation Calculator. Inflation rates were collected in May 2024.
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