What you need to know about Disney's new date-based ticket prices

ORLANDO, Fla. – On Tuesday, Walt Disney World's new date-based ticket pricing system went into effect, offering guests a chance to plan their theme park visit around the cost.

A new interactive online calendar shows guests how much a ticket will cost per day based on how many days they plan to explore the parks and when they plan on beginning their visit. The prices fluctuate based on how busy the park generally is on that date, meaning busier days have higher prices.

Disney officials said this new system will allow them to better disperse attendance throughout the year.

"As our parks continue to increase in popularity, this new pricing model is part of our broader efforts to better spread attendance throughout the year, and is intended to help us improve and deliver a great experience for our guests," Disney officials said in a company blog post.

Guests who aren't necessarily looking to visit during a certain time frame have the option to see which month will be the cheapest based on how many days they want to visit. Alternatively, there's the opportunity to choose a flexible start date. With that method, guests can visit whenever they want before on or before Dec. 31, 2019, keeping in mind that all of their multiday tickets must be used within 14 days of the first one.

If something comes up and a guest needs to change the date of a previously booked visit, he or she can do that free of charge, although the guest could have to pay an additional cost if the ticket is switched to a more expensive time frame.

Along with the launch of date-based pricing on Tuesday, Disney also implemented new increases for annual passes. This marks the second time this year those prices have gone up.

Below is a breakdown of pass prices:

Florida Resident Gold Annual Pass: $609, up from $589
Florida Resident Platinum Annual Pass: $749, up from $729
Florida Resident Platinum Plus Annual: $849, up from $829
Florida Resident Silver (Seasonal): $479, up from $439
Florida Resident Weekday Select Seasonal: $319, up from $289
Florida Resident Theme Park Select Pass: $439, which is the same
Disney World’s Platinum Plus Annual Pass: $994, up from $949
Disney World’s Platinum Annual Pass: $894, up from $849

Theme park officials said the average passholder visits Disney 12 times per year and noted that the new prices equate to about an extra $4 per month for guests who choose to pay in installments.

Disney's website on Tuesday also reflected new parking prices, which are available below: 

Preferred parking for a car or motorcycle: $50 per day, up from $45 per day
Standard parking for a car or motorcycle: $25 per day, up from $22 per day
Oversized vehicle parking for a shuttle, limo, camper trailer, RV, bus or tractor-trailer: $30 per day, up from $27 per day

For more information about planning a visit to Walt Disney World, click here.