MW Why going to Disney's Abu Dhabi theme park may actually be cheaper than visiting Disney World in Orlando

By Charles Passy

Disney's parks outside the U.S. are often a bargain compared with its American ones

Could a Disney vacation in Abu Dhabi be a bargain compared with the American equivalent?

Travelers may think of the Middle Eastern destination as a place of unbridled luxury, replete with Michelin-starred restaurants and hotels whose rates can run as high as $1 million per week.

But with the announcement that Disney $(DIS)$ is planning a new theme park in Abu Dhabi, travel experts are saying the United Arab Emirates capital city is not that expensive when looked at more broadly - and that a theme-park ticket there might be priced competitively.

That's especially true when you consider that other Disney parks outside the U.S. are cheaper - in some cases, far cheaper - than the ones in Florida and California, where the cost of visiting has increased significantly over the years. One recent survey found that single-day tickets at U.S. Disney parks now cost $100 to $200, whereas at the Disney parks in France and Japan, they can go as low as $60.

"Disney typically adjusts its pricing to reflect local economic conditions," said Alonso Marly, an expert with Skylux Travel, a travel agency.

Disney itself will not build or operate the park, which will be called Disneyland Abu Dhabi and will be located on Yas Island, a popular entertainment destination. The project is being developed by Miral, an Abu Dhabi-based company whose portfolio includes other Yas Island attractions such as a SeaWorld $(PRKS)$, a Warner Bros. $(WBD)$ theme park and the car-centric Ferrari World $(RACE)$.

Disney will have a role in shaping the new park, and it's also been reported that Disney will collect royalties from the partner agreement.

Disney CEO Robert Iger said in a statement that Disneyland Abu Dhabi will blend "contemporary architecture with cutting edge technology to offer guests deeply immersive entertainment experiences in unique and modern ways."

No word was given as to when Disneyland Abu Dhabi might open. Disney officials also referred questions about ticket pricing to Miral officials, who didn't respond to a MarketWatch request for comment.

Experts don't think the Abu Dhabi park will be as cheap as some other Disney locations outside the U.S., but they also say it won't necessarily be more expensive than the American ones. And when factoring in multiday park passes and other travel costs, such as a hotel stay, they suggest the entire vacation may be reasonable compared with a trip to Disneyland in California or Walt Disney World in Florida.

See also: Travelers are waiting until the last minute to book trips. Here's when that works - and when it can backfire.

Its reputation for luxury notwithstanding, Abu Dhabi can be modestly priced in some respects, experts say. Ben Armstrong, owner of Famvia Travel, a travel agency, said standard hotels can run $100 to $150 a night - far less than the equivalent in some pricier U.S. cities, such as New York.

"You can always find deals," Armstrong said.

To gauge what the price of park admission could be, it may be helpful to look at ticket costs for SeaWorld, the aquatic-themed attraction with multiple locations in the U.S. as well as one owned by Miral in Abu Dhabi.

In the U.S., a single-day SeaWorld ticket currently costs $90 in Orlando, $74 in San Diego and $52 in San Antonio, with those prices reflecting a significant promotional discount that's in place through May 11, according to the websites for the individual parks. (The Orlando price, for example, is normally $144.) In Abu Dhabi, the current single-day price equates to around $102 when converted from the local currency.

Miral also sells passes that allow people to visit multiple Yas Island parks at a steep discount per park. A pass that covers four parks over six days runs $184, according to the SeaWorld Abu Dhabi site. That brings the per-park cost to under $50. (For its U.S. parks, Disney also offers discounted multiday and multipark passes.)

Some theme-park enthusiasts say it's not just about savings. They welcome the Abu Dhabi Disney park because they believe it could offer a distinctly different Disney experience. In part, that's because it will have to be designed with the extreme Middle Eastern heat in mind, which could mean more indoor attractions or more special events at night.

And because the Abu Dhabi location is being built from scratch, theme-park designers will have the flexibility to let their imaginations run wild, which isn't always possible when attractions are being added to an existing Disney park, noted Eric Wooley, a staff writer for Coaster101, a website that covers the theme-park world.

"There are all these things you can do" with a new park, he said.

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-Charles Passy

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May 10, 2025 10:27 ET (14:27 GMT)

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