Disney has increased menu prices on hundreds (if not thousands) of food & drinks at Disneyland, DCA, resort hotels, and Downtown Disney as of Summer 2025. This includes counter & table service restaurants, snack stands and bars–on everything from entrees to desserts to snacks, bottled beverages, alcohol & more. This post shares a sampling of the price hikes, plus our commentary.
Disneyland typically raises prices on restaurant menus once or twice per year. The big increase usually occurs shortly after the start of the Walt Disney Company’s new fiscal year. Our expectation is that prices will go up around October 8, 2025 on park tickets, Lightning Lanes, Magic Keys, and more. That’s the big annual increase.
In the meantime, we’re seeing almost across-the-board menu price increases at Disneyland Resort a few months before the new fiscal year. Why this is happening now is anyone’s guess. Perhaps Disney is trying to offset the lower crowds we’ve observed at Disneyland Resort over the last couple of months? Maybe it’s simply a matter of getting out ahead of the Halloween and Christmas seasons, which are right around the corner in a few weeks.
Here’s a rundown of common items that have increased in price, and by how much:
- Popcorn (various locations) – Increased from $6 from $6.50
- Chicken Tenders (various locations) – Increased from $11.99 to $13.49
- Dole Whip (various locations & flavors) – Increased from $6.49 to $7.29
- Dole Whip Float (various locations & flavors) – Increased from $7.49 to $7.99
- Fountain Drinks (various locations) – Increased from $5.29 to $5.69
- Freshly Brewed Joffrey’s Coffee (various locations) – Increased from $4.29 to $4.79
- Turkey Leg (various locations) – Increased from $12.99 to $14.49
- DASANI Bottled Water – Increased from $4.39 to $4.79
- Pickles – Increased from $4.49 to $4.79
- Plaza Inn Fried Chicken – Increased from $19.99 to $21.99
- Fantasyland Garlic Cheesy Brat (Edelweiss Snacks) Increased from $12.99 to $13.79
This should give you a rough idea of what the price increases look like at counter service restaurants, food courts, and outdoor vending carts (ODVs). This is just a small sampling of prices that have increased–we tried to emphasize items that can be found on a variety of menus, plus a couple personal favorites.
With that said, plenty of specific fan-favorite items have also increased, such as Cold Brew Black Caf and Felucian Kefta Garden Spread in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, along with pretty much every entree at Hungry Bear BBQ, Smokejumpers Grill, Red Rose Taverne, and more.
On the table service front, it’s a similar story with most entrees around Disneyland Resort. Several fan-favorite restaurants, including Blue Bayou, Lamplight Lounge, Carthay Circle, Cafe Orleans, Carnation Cafe, and our beloved GCH Craftsman Bar & Grill were all hit by $1 to $4 entree price increases.
Alcohol is a similar story, with higher prices everywhere from Trader Sam’s to Napa Rose to Oga’s Cantina to Wine Country Trattoria. Pretty much everywhere we’ve spot-checked has higher prices on something–or most things.
In other posts, we’ve already discussed the seasonal price increases on the character dining experiences in the Hotels of Disneyland Resort, which have absolutely exploded in the last couple of years. Joining these higher prices for the base Halloween and Christmas experiences at Storytellers Cafe and Goofy’s Kitchen are drinks, which have also increased at those restaurants.
Then there are the World of Color and Fantasmic dining packages. The former have shot up by $5 to $6, whereas the latter are up anywhere between $3 and $10. These were all already overpriced before, and are now in obscene territory.
This is especially notable because it’s happening at a time when regular viewing for all of these shows is less competitive than a couple years ago. Meaning that you really don’t need reserved viewing for World of Color or Fantasmic anymore (at least, not most dates).
I have some “complicated” feelings about price increases on food.
Some things don’t bother me in the least. The price of bottled water could increase to $33,000 and I wouldn’t care. I mean, I’d probably say, “wow that’s aggressive, even for Disney” but I wouldn’t necessarily be upset about it given the abundance of free drinking fountains and cups of water. My feelings on spending any amount of money, whether that be $3 or $33k, on bottled water are fairly similar.
This probably won’t win me many friends, but frankly, I feel the same way about alcohol. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against it in the parks. But I also don’t mind family-friendly theme parks charging sky-high prices on booze to discourage overindulgence. Disney charging a “convenience tax” on all of this stuff–ODV impulse buys, booze, bottled beverages–that subsidizes lower prices on staples at counter service restaurants does not bother me in the least.
The problem is, that’s not what’s happening here.
Disneyland is also increasing prices on counter service restaurant staples and eliminating the cheaper menu items. Even though I’d also never order chicken tenders, I do take issue with the price going up on those; they are a crowd pleaser that many guests stretching their vacation budgets rely on to feed their families.
Things like that–that are filling and fairly priced are precisely what I don’t want to see go up in price. I’d prefer much higher prices on indulgences or impulse buys and holding the staples steady. It’s not just chicken tenders, either. There are a lot of stereotypical theme park dishes that were around $11 to $14 that are now $13 to $16. That may not seem like a huge difference, but it all adds up. That’s especially true if a day at Disneyland is a splurge for these families in the first place.
What’s possibly most interesting is that some of the biggest increases are found at experiences–things like the nighttime spectacular dining packages and character dining.
I can only assume this is because these things skew towards tourists, who are typically free spending and are driven by the FOMO machine to a greater degree than locals. Perhaps the thinking here is that guests who won’t balk at a $2 price increase also won’t be discouraged by $4 to $10.
I wonder whether this is a miscalculation. As I’ve mentioned in other posts about character dining, it used to be the case that Storytellers Cafe regularly had a massive morning crowd loitering outside the restaurant, blocking the pathway that led to the parks. I haven’t noticed that in a while.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Disneyland has already seen a downtick in demand for character dining experiences–and nighttime spectacular viewing packages–and is trying to recoup the difference with higher prices. The problem, at least potentially, is that higher prices will further reduce demand. It’s a vicious cycle.
Our own spending on dining at Disneyland has definitely decreased, despite higher prices.
This started with snacks, once more of these started to break the $7 barrier. It spread to counter service restaurants once more of those entrees hit $18 or $19. With both of those, it’s not just the prices–it’s also the portion sizes and quality. I went from having the Plaza Inn Fried Chicken all the time to getting it a couple of times per year because not only was the price significantly higher, but I was paying more and getting less–along with inconsistent quality. (At $22, I’m completely done with it.)
We still enjoy eating at Disneyland, and do a lot of it for the sake of “research.” We also dine in the parks whenever bringing family or friends with us. But when it comes to personal enjoyment, it’s pretty much just the occasional character meal for a special occasion, GCH Craftsman Grill, and a couple of other cost-effective options. For us, it’s not that we can’t afford the meals or snacks–it’s that the value proposition feels off.
To that point, one thing worth underscoring is that even if prices haven’t increased, that doesn’t mean the value proposition has remained the same. By now, you’re probably familiar with the ‘wise words’ of dearly-departed Disney CFO Christine McCarthy who mentioned managing costs on earnings calls: “We can adjust suppliers. We can substitute products…We can look at pricing where necessary. We aren’t going to go just straight across and increase prices.”
This was also the source of her now-infamous line: “We can cut portion sizes, which is probably good for some people’s waistlines.” (Sorry, I know I reference this a lot. I still can’t get over the absurdity of her thinking this was a thing she should say out loud.)
Terms like “skimpflation” and “shrinkflation” have entered our collective vernacular, and Disney has become a poster child for both. Portion sizes have become noticeably smaller in the last couple of years, with quality cuts along with them. We’ve definitely still been hungry when leaving some Disney restaurants. (As much as I love Docking Bay 7, I won’t even eat there anymore after having one too many $19 entrees that left me hungry.)
Of course, our circumstances are somewhat unique in that we’re locals who drive to Disneyland and usually don’t spend the full day in the parks. Moreover, we usually pack food for our daughter, because we’re picky about her nutrition.
It’s easy enough for us to eat a big meal before we head to the parks, pack healthy snacks for ourselves, and then eat on the way home. This doesn’t always work out, which is why we often find ourselves at GCH Craftsman Grill or San Fransokyo, etc.
But these circumstances are only somewhat unique. The bulk of Disneyland guests are locals and repeat visitors, so most guests can do something similar with eating before arriving or after leaving. Not only that, but literally everyone can walk across the street to Harbor Boulevard and be at McDonald’s within a few minutes.
Speaking of McDonald’s, we can’t help wonder if the trajectory of Disneyland food pricing will change. I know, I know–wishful thinking. But what’s more powerful than the magic of a dream your heart makes, right?! And I wish for lower menu prices.
Even though Disney prices tend to only go in one direction–up–there actually is recent precedent for lowering menu prices. Real world fast food chains have been lowering their prices in the last several months. McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King and Subway are all offering new, lower-priced value meals.
All of these chains (and others) have reported that budget-conscious consumers aren’t visiting as much, and they’ve responded to this behavior by trying to lure back lost customers with lower prices and better value. Although Walt Disney World restaurants are different than fast food restaurants due to having a captive audience, that’s not nearly as true at Disneyland. And the sentiment about needing to lure back lost consumers rings true, regardless.
Since we’re on the topic of fast food, now seems like as good of a time as any to share that a new In-N-Out Burger has opened in Anaheim! Located just over two miles from Disneyland Resort, the new restaurant is located at 540 N. Euclid Avenue.
The new Anaheim In-N-Out Burger offers a drive-thru lane, indoor seating for 84 people, and a covered patio for 28 patrons. Like other In-N-Out Burger locations, it’s open daily from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. on weekdays, and until 1:30 a.m. on weekends.
We highly recommend rope dropping In-N-Out Burger, or going at between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. We’ve done extensive research, and those are the sweet spots for lower crowds. I’d also add that my favorite Anaheim location is still at 1168 S State College Blvd, Anaheim, CA 92806.
What I’d really recommend is going a bit farther, down to Costa Mesa where you can hit up a great In-N-Out Burger, followed by Sidecar Doughnuts, as well as Tokyo Central (Japanese grocery store) and Trader Joe’s. All are easy to hit in quick succession if you fly into SNA.
Grab a couple of Animal Style Double Doubles, a dozen doughnuts for breakfasts, and groceries to prepare food in your room so you don’t have to buy as much food at Disneyland.
This is a really smart strategy if you’re staying at one of our favorite family hotels that offer partial (or full) kitchens, or really anywhere with a microwave and mini-fridge. Tokyo Central has some great pre-prepared meals; their ramen is way better than it has any right to be.
Ultimately, these price increases probably aren’t make or break on their own in the grand scheme of a day at Disneyland or in the bigger picture of a Souther California vacation costing several hundred to several thousand dollars. But that’s always going to be the case, and the fact of the matter is that it does all add up. At some point, a breaking point is reached. Whether it’s for visiting, period, or trading down from table service to counter service meals, fewer snacks, skipping special dining experiences, etc.
Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and many other SoCal cities!
Your Thoughts
What do you think of these price increases at Disneyland? Think this is a natural consequence of inflation, or another example of Disney getting more greedy? Will these price increases impact your plans for future vacations? Do you agree or disagree with our commentary? Think there will be long-term consequences for Disney resulting from its pricing trends the last few years? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
