When it comes to Disney theme parks, one thing that is always certain is the fact that prices will go up. The addition of new attractions, increasing costs, and high demand all make that inevitable. If you’re planning a trip to see Mickey Mouse and his pals in the near future, you know that it’s going to cost a sizable chunk of money. We all basically set our watches by Disney World and Disneyland raising prices in early October every year, for the beginning of the company’s fiscal year. The thing that caught my attention is that now, even the cheapest ticket costs four times the debut price once you recalculate for inflation. According to AllEars.Net, when the Magic Kingdom at Disney World opened in 1971, an adult ticket cost just $3.50, or what would equal about $29 today. Obviously, the hugely popular Disney theme parks would never leave their ticket prices below $30 today. That’s just not a reasonable expectation. But the $119 price tag for the cheapest ticket (which is actually for Disney’s Animal Kingdom) is four times that amount. Yes, you read that correctly. I’m still shaken to my core about that fact as well. Disney Prices Are Inevitably Going to Increase, But Four Times The Price Of Opening Day Just Hits DifferentBeyond Animal Kingdom’s lowest price of $119, EPCOT’s lowest is $129, while Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios are $139, going up to the highest one-day, one-park total of $229. If you’re going to be spending several days at Walt Disney World, you can’t help but think about the cost, and its sobering knowing the stat of it being four times the price of opening day. It’s something that most of us have to take into consideration. In comparison to that incredibly low $3.50 adult ticket price that’s hard to even fathom now, the federal minimum wage in 1971 was $1.60, so times were very different. Yes, theme park admission is undeniably pricey now and Disney World hotels can get very expensive, but Disney World frequently offers discount promotions on hotel stays, and there are also often ticket discount offers to help combat the increased prices. So it might help potential visitors to do research and see what’s available if they're planning to visit Disney theme parks anytime soon. Disney Parks Are Still A Popular Destination, Even With The Rising CostI still think that a trip to Disney World or Disneyland is absolutely worth it, and I’m not going to lie and pretend any differently. As someone who doesn’t frequent sporting events and who only goes to a handful of live entertainment offerings a year, I budget for theme park trips. Whether it’s visiting the Country Bears at Magic Kingdom in Orlando (who left Disneyland in 2001), or taking a new photo with the same character to mark the passing of time, the Disney parks provide an emotional nostalgia fix that works for me. While I’m never going to get over the fact that ticket prices have jumped four times over the original price in the last 50 years, it will be interesting to see where they’re at in another 50 years.