For the most part, going to Walt Disney World and Disneyland has become more expensive.

During the weekend, Disney has increased the prices for almost all of its theme park tickets, including daily admissions and annual passes. One-day adult admission to Orlando’s Magic Kingdom now costs up to $ 129, up from $ 85 in 2011, $ 99 in 2014, and $ 124 last week. Some of Disney’s annual passes have been hit with price hikes of up to 18%.

There is one exception, however: for a certain type of Disney guest, a day in the parks is actually cheaper.

the Disneyland Park Hopper Ticket, which was priced at $ 157 on “value” days, now costs $ 147. The Park Hopper ticket allows guests to enter more than one Disney theme park on the same day. So you can enjoy as many rides as possible at Disneyland and California Adventure in one day.

However, the price reduction does not apply every day of the year. Disney instituted a variable pricing system a few years ago, where the cost of day tickets changes depending on when you visit. So-called “value days” – essentially slower midweek periods when children are in school – are the cheapest, often 20% to 40% lower on “peak” days, including holidays and most weekends.

Variable pricing is supposed to serve two main purposes for Disney: 1) Incentives help redistribute traffic, increasing visits during off-peak times and decreasing crowds on busiest days; and 2) The pricing structure helps Disney earn as much money as possible during peak hours.

With the latest fares in effect, a full-day adult ticket to Disneyland now costs $ 97 a day’s value, compared to $ 135 if you visit at a peak time, the latter representing an increase of $ 11 from previous fares. . A Disney spokesperson explained in a statement that its pricing “gives families a range of options to stay within their budget and helps to better distribute attendance throughout the year so they can get the most out of every visit.”

So what explains the Disneyland Park Hopper ticket price drop of $ 10? It does seem like Disney just wants to attract more visitors on the slower “value” days – and it specifically wants those visitors to do more than just see Disneyland. As Disney expert Robert Niles at Introduced to the theme park Put it on: “Disney would really prefer you to go to California Adventure for part of your day at Disneyland rather than being cluttered with just one park all day.”

It’s also worth keeping in mind that while it looks like Disney is doing something right with a new $ 10 rebate, the Park Hopper option is itself an upsell.

One-day adult admission to Disneyland costs $ 97 on value days. If you opt for the Park Hopper option, which allows you to visit Disneyland and the lesser-loved California adventure on the same day, you’ll need to hand over an additional $ 50 to Disney. And that’s exactly what Disney wants, of course.

On the flip side, the value-added Park Hopper is a steal compared to its peak day counterpart ($ 147 vs. $ 185). Wait times for shopping on these slower, less crowded days should be minimal. Smaller crowds also make for a more enjoyable time overall. So upselling or not, it could represent great value for many Disneyland guests.