Article from Jason Garcia - Staff Writer for the Orlando Sentinal.

Even as it tries to lure recession-saddled consumers with deep discounts on hotel rooms and food, Walt Disney World is raising the price of its theme-park admissions to new heights.

Beginning Sunday, Disney will increase the base price of a one-day, one-park ticket to $79 -- up $4, or 5.3 percent. The price of a similar ticket for a child between the ages of 3 and 9 will climb $5, or 7.9 percent, to $68.Prices for the resort's more popular multiday-ticket packages will also rise, climbing between 2.6 percent and 4.7 percent.

In keeping with Disney's strategy of driving guests toward extra days in its parks -- rather than those operated by rivals Universal Orlando or SeaWorld Orlando -- the smallest increases are reserved for tickets good for four or more days.

What's more, Disney will raise the price of adding a "Park Hopper" feature to any ticket -- which allows a customer to visit multiple Disney parks in one day -- to $52, up from $50. The price of adding a "Water Park Fun & More" feature, which allows admission to secondary venues such as water parks and DisneyQuest, will also rise to $52 from $50.Disney spokeswoman Kim Prunty said tickets represent good value for consumers, even after the increases.

Disney last raised its admission prices in August 2008."We survey our guests regularly and, in our research, nearly nine out of 10 guests rate the value of our theme parks as good, very good or excellent," Prunty said. "Our pricing is based on the high-quality experience we deliver to our guests, and our guests continue to agree that a ticket to Walt Disney World represents a great entertainment value."Still, Disney's latest price hike is not as aggressive as other increases in recent years, in a likely reflection of the challenging economic environment.For example, the price of a five-day park-hopper -- which analysts say is among Disney's most frequently purchased ticket options -- will rise 2.9 percent to $280.

That's the smallest percentage increase in at least four years, according to data compiled by the stock-research firm Pali Capital; Disney raised the price of the same ticket by 4.6 percent last year.Disney's price increase could be a precursor to similar announcements by Universal and SeaWorld, because the three theme-park resorts have historically raised prices in concert with each other.

A spokesman for Universal said the resort had nothing to announce Friday, while a spokesman for SeaWorld said it had no plans to raise ticket prices "at this time."

Jason Garcia can be reached at jrgarcia@orlandosentinel.com