Disney was once the premier family destination that most people could afford to visit at least once. It’s become known as one giant cash grab as more and more Disney Parks fans are priced out.
Forbes just posted an article featuring a staggering $766 (before tax so well over $800) for a family of four on peak park days. This price does not include Lightning Lane passes, Individual attraction Lighting Lane passes, or the super expensive Lightning Lane Premier Passes.
Sure, Walt Disney World has tickets as low as $119 per person/day, but the average price of their tickets is $160 per person/day. One average day would cost a family of four $640 (plus tax.) If you want to actually be able to ride many of the rides, you will need to add an additional $20-$40 / per person, depending on the park. Now we are up to $720 (plus tax) – $800 (plus tax) for ONE DAY.
If someone wanted to visit the Magic Kingdom and use Lightning Lane Premier passes, it could cost a family of four about $2,800 for ONE DAY (tax included.) The day tickets would cost $800, and the ability to get on the rides would cost an additional $450 per person. That is how insane it has gotten with Disney’s upcharges.
More and more families are struggling due to the rising costs and inflation. Yet Disney has seen 9X the rate of inflation compared to everything else over the last 10 years.
This is why people are getting more and more tired of Disney. Guests used to expect more for less, but now it’s less for more. More money, more planning, more headaches.
The “More for Me” mentality
I am a member of several Disney fan groups, and whenever people point out the skyrocketing costs of Disney vacations, some inevitably say, “More for me then.”
Fine. More for you. I loved Disney. I loved it enough to build up two Disney blogs in the past few years, one of which had media access. That is fine if you don’t care about the increased cost and want to keep going. You do you. However, it has reached a point where many people can not justify the costs of a trip to Disneyland or Walt Disney World. At this point, complaints about cost are becoming increasingly justified.
To get better access to The Magic Kingdom, one person would have to pay $450 on top of the one-day ticket price. That is insane.
You can still go.
This massive sticker shock reflects the higher prices on peak days. You can go for less during lower attendance times, but even then a Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane Premier pass is $350. However, you do not need to spend that much. If you do your research, learn where to go and how to move in the parks, rope drop, or close out the theme parks, etc., you don’t need to pay that much and still have a fun trip. It just takes a lot of research and planning.
Even a “budget” trip will cost considerably more than it did just a few years ago. Always set aside far more money than you think you will need just in case.
That being said, it’s easy to see why more and more people are willing to not go on a Disney vacation and will find alternatives that are more budget-friendly.
What do you think? Comment and let us know!
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