If you’ve got a visit to Disney World slotted into your annual budget, you might have to adjust the amount of money you’re setting aside: Walt Disney Co. is toying with the idea of using a demand-based pricing model to determine how much you’ll pay to get in, depending on how busy it is at the Disney park you’re visiting.

Tickets might cost more if there are a lot of people at the park, or perhaps you’d be able to score a cheaper ticket if you choose to go on an “off-peak” day, say, the middle of winter.

“We have to look at ways to spread out our attendance throughout the year so we can accommodate demand and avoid bursting at the seams,” Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Bob Chapek told the Wall Street Journal.

Simply raising the prices overall as it’s done in the past isn’t enough, he added, because the parks are trying to attract more visitors during slower times of the year.

The surge-pricing model could also benefit guests who are sick of facing super long lines on busy days, or who have learned to simply stay away during known busy times.

Disney is going to start surveying past visitors to get a handle on how they’d feel about different pricing options. Chopek says that while the company is all about figuring out how to “steer demand” through ticket options, there’s no solid plan on how or when Disney will choose what to do. But with new attractions aimed at bringing in the crowds — Avatar and Frozen attractions are underway in Orlando, and Star Wars-themed areas will be in the works next year in both Anaheim and Orlando — something has to change.

“It’s a problem that is going to grow over time as we expand the size of our parks,” Disney’s Chapek said.

Disney Parks Consider Off-Peak Prices [Wall Street Journal]

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