Hundreds of Menu Price Increases Hit Disneyland

Disney has raised prices on hundreds of food & drinks at Disneyland, DCA, resort hotels, and more as of Summer 2026. This includes menus at counter & table service restaurants, snack stands and bars. This post shares a sampling of the price hikes on everything from entrees to desserts to snacks, bottled beverages, alcohol & more, plus our commentary.

Disneyland typically raises prices on restaurant menus once or twice per year. According to our archives, the major price increase occurred last year in late July, so this one is coming a couple of weeks early as compared with then. Disney typically raises food prices prior to the big bump on everything else that happens around the time of the new fiscal year.

Speaking of which, our expectation is that prices will go up around October 7, 2026 on park tickets, Lightning Lanes, Magic Keys, and more. The last two increases happened on October 8, 2025 and October 9, 2024, so that date would be consistent with those.

In the meantime, we’re seeing almost across-the-board menu price increases at Disneyland Resort. Why this is happening now as opposed to the new fiscal year (which is when the big food price increase typically occurs at Walt Disney World) is anyone’s guess, but it was the same story last year.

Our theory is that it’s timed to a slower and more touristy season when many Annual Passholders are blocked out. Current visitors might be less price sensitive and locals might be less inclined to notice the changes once the blockouts lift. That’s just a theory, though.

Here’s a rundown of common items that have increased in price, and by how much:

• Popcorn – Increased from $6.50 to $7
• Dole Whip – Increased from $7.29 to $7.49
• Freshly Brewed Joffrey’s Coffee – Increased from $4.79 to $5.49
• Mickey Beignets (3-Pack) – Increased from $6.49 to $7.49
• Pepperoni Pizza Slice – Increased from $8.99 to $9.99
• DASANI Bottled Water – Increased from $4.79 to $5.49
• Bottled Sodas – Increased from $5.19 to $5.49
• Ronto Roasters Black Caf – Increased from $4.79 to $5.49
• Chicken Tenders – Increased from $13.49 to $13.99
• Cuties Mandarin Oranges – Increased from $1.99 to $2.49
• Cuties 3-Pack – Increased from $5.49 to $5.99
• Hungry Bear Corn Ribs – Increased from $14.99 to $15.79
• Bengal BBQ Beef Skewer – Increased from $7.49 to $7.99
• Award Wieners Asada Fries – Increased from $12.99 to $13.49

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.

If you want to take a deeper dive into the data, we’d recommend checking out this post over on ThemeParkIQ, which contains a searchable table with all 917 items across 178 dining locations at Disneyland Resort.

By their math, the average price increase across all menus at Disneyland is 8.1%. This is above the nationwide rate of inflation on food.

According to the USDA, food prices were 3.1% higher year-over-year from last May to May 2026 (latest data). The food-at-home (grocery store or supermarket food purchases) CPI increased 2.7 percent; food-away-from-home (restaurant purchases) CPI was 3.5 percent higher year-over-year.

Throughout the next year, overall food prices are anticipated to rise slightly faster than the historical average rate of growth. In 2026, prices for all food are predicted to increase 3.2 percent. More relevant for our purposes is food-away-from-home prices, which are forecast to increase 3.6%.

One thing that stands out to me is how this round of price increases seems more concentrated towards the lower end of the spectrum and on what I’d consider more discretionary items. There are a lot of increases on bottled beverages, coffee, snacks, cocktails, and souvenir sippers.

To the extent that there are increases at regular restaurants, they’re disproportionately at counter service restaurants as opposed to table service. And even within that category, there appear to be more and greater increases on inexpensive items (like pizza slices, salads, vegetarian dishes) than the pricier and more ambitious dishes.

As someone who doesn’t purchase any novelties or souvenir sippers, standard theme park fare, or pre-packaged items, I was mostly breathing a sigh of relief over the changes. Even with 900+ price increases, very few items that we order were impacted. (This may seem like a small miracle, but our favorites were hit pretty hard last year, so it’s not completely unexpected.)

Then I got to the menu for GCH Craftsman Grill, the restaurant at Disneyland where we eat more than anywhere else. Most entrees increased by $1 to $2 here, and it’s not as if they were cheap in the first place!

It’s a similar story over at Tangaroa Terrace. At both of these counter service restaurants, most menu items are $25 or higher for lunch and dinner, and pushing $20 for breakfast. These were once our favorite secret spots for table service caliber cuisine at counter service prices, but that’s less true with each passing year.

Guess that just leaves Small Bytes over at PPH, which is immune from price increases (for now) since it’s operated by a third party. Speaking of which, not many price increases in Downtown Disney as of right now for precisely the same reason.

As mentioned previously, I have “complicated” feelings about price increases on food.

The price of bottled water could increase to $33,000 and I wouldn’t care. It would be overly 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. Smartwater is an oxymoron.

It’s a similar story with 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 theoretically subsidizes lower prices on staples at counter service restaurants does not bother me in the least.

Then there are the novelty items. I have much stronger opinions about those and the proliferation of these products. I’ll spare you the soapbox, but suffice to say, I’m unbothered how much Disney charges for them. In an ideal world, the prices of all these items would increase while maintaining reasonable prices for basic counter service cuisine.

The problem is, that’s not what’s happening here.

Disneyland is also raising prices on counter service restaurant staples. Even though I’d also never order chicken tenders or anything from Alien Pizza Planet, I do take issue with the price going up on those. Ideally, filling crowd pleasers that many guests stretching their vacation budgets rely on to feed their families should be fairly priced.

I’d prefer much higher prices on indulgences or impulse buys and holding the staples steady. Increases of 50 cents or $1 on entrees 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.

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 broke the $20 barrier. 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. Not only was the price significantly higher, but I was paying more and getting less, along with inconsistent quality. (Speaking of which, no increases at Plaza Inn, which is starting to look like a better value again due to higher prices elsewhere!)

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, we eat more strategically. It used to be the case that we bought whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. We made a lot more impulse buys.

I didn’t balk at menu prices, because I largely wasn’t looking at them. For us, it’s not that we can’t afford the meals or snacks–it’s that the value proposition feels off as more and more price increases have happened. Food is still part of the fun, but we’re more measured about it.

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.

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 and few of the kids menus at Disneyland offer healthy options.

It’s easy enough for us to eat a big meal before we head to the parks, pack snacks for ourselves, and then eat on the way home. This doesn’t always work out, which is why we often find ourselves at Docking Bay 7, 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. We don’t actively recommend this to infrequent visitors; your vacation time is valuable and there’s something to be said about the experience of dining at Disneyland!

Speaking of McDonald’s, we can’t help wonder if the trajectory of Disneyland food pricing will change. 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 to win back price-sensitive consumers. McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King and Subway are all offering lower-priced value meals.

Since we’re on the topic of real world restaurants, I will offer that many of the fast casual restaurants around Anaheim have seen massive price increases. These are the spots a rung above McDonald’s, and are more on par with counter service restaurants in the park. The Blaze Pizza on the corner of Harbor and Katella is a good example of this; good luck getting out the door for under $20 per person. Our last meal there was over $50 for 2, and it was not anything special! (Pizza Press is better and less expensive, thankfully.)

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 Southern 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 that means skipping a visit entirely, trading down from table service to counter service meals, cutting snacks, or skipping special dining experiences.

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!