A trip to Disney World can be magical, full of deliciousness, an absolute delight, and…expensive.
Magic Kingdom
Between Disney World tickets, your hotel stay, food, merchandise, flights, and other costs, you can easily and quickly end up spending a whole LOT of cash (we’re talking some serious money here folks). And things at Disney World have been getting more expensive lately. That got us wondering — is Disney World too expensive for average families now? We’re crunching some numbers to find out.
Average Household Income
We’ll start by looking at the average household income. According to the data from the United States Census Bureau, in 2020 the median household income was $67,521. That was actually “a decrease of 2.9 percent from the 2019 median of $69,560.” It actually marks “the first statistically significant decline in median household income since 2011.”
©U.S. Census Bureau
That is the median income for all households, but note that the numbers are different if you look at just family households or non-family households. And the numbers can also vary depending on some other factors.
Pricing Out Our Trip
Now that we know what the median income was for 2020, let’s take a look at just how much of that median income could be spent up on a trip to Disney World.
The cost of a Disney World trip, even if you just look at hotel and ticket prices, can be extremely high. That cost can get even bigger if you’ll be visiting with a larger group.
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Of course, prices can vary depending on a number of factors including how many people you’ll be visiting with, when you’ll be visiting, what type of hotel you choose to stay at (on property, off property, AirB&B, etc.), how many days’ worth of park tickets you buy, and more.
Accommodations & Tickets
For our trip, we’ll price out a vacation for a family of 4 (with 2 kids under the age of 9) for August 4th-7th of 2022, a quick trip just before school starts up again.
Based on one search we did, the lowest cost for rooms in August was around $113.67 per night for a space to go camping. For a traditional Disney World hotel room, the cheapest cost was $186.67 at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort. The most expensive option was for the Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa for $955. There were also some options in between, in the $200-$400 per night range.
Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
For our example, we’ll go with a room that is more in the middle of the range in terms of cost — a stay at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort (a moderate Disney World resort) which is priced at around $266.33 per night.
When looking at booking the reservation, we were then prompted to add on tickets. There were options for tickets for 1-4 days as well as park hopper and sport/water park add-ons. For our trip (which is 3 nights, 4 days) we opted to go for 3 days of park hopper tickets with the Genie+ service added on*.
*As of June 8th, 2022, Disney Genie+ will only be available for purchase the DAY OF your visit to the parks. You will no longer be able to buy the service before you arrive as a ticket add-on.
Coronado Springs Resort
Of course, keep in mind that variations can significantly change the cost. For example, it would be very different if you got 1-park-per-day tickets, tickets for more/less days, etc.
Coronado Springs
And keep in mind that traditional tickets start at $109 for a 1-day 1-park-per-day ticket. The prices per day then reduce as you add on more days. But, ticket costs will then vary depending on when you go, as ticket prices differ by day. So, if you visit during a peak period, you’ll be looking at a more expensive cost. Keep in mind that Disney has also noted that tickets may be unavailable to purchase on select future dates. So, if you’re planning a visit during a particularly busy period, you’ll want to get your tickets quickly.
©Disney
In total, for park tickets and hotel, our sample stay came out to $3,026.30.
©Disney
That averages out to about $1,008 a night. For a family of four, this is spending $252 per person per night, and we haven’t even eaten, yet!
8 Reasons You Should Definitely Consider A Disney World Value Resort Hotel
Transportation Costs
Now, you have to think about travel costs. We’re regularly looking at how much it costs to fly to Orlando. Let’s say our family is coming from Dallas, Texas to Orlando.
For our trip, we stuck with non-stop flights only and it came out to about $1,526 round trip for the family of 4. That presumes our family is flying and is coming from Dallas or a location where the flight cost would be similar. If the family is driving to Disney World, or flying from a location where the cost of the flights is more/less expensive, then obviously travel costs will differ.
©Google Flights
For our example, we won’t add on the cost of a rental car. But, keep in mind that adding in a rental car would be an additional fee for the car rental itself and then parking costs at Disney World’s hotels or theme parks (if you’re not planning on staying at a Disney World hotel and thus will have to pay for theme park parking).
Disney’s Magical Express was discontinued in 2022, so for our example we’ll assume that our family will use Mears Connect (which is very much intended to be a paid replacement from Mears, the company that currently operates the Magical Express) to get to their hotel. The cost is estimated at around $118.
©Mears Connect
Transportations costs total $1,644, and this doesn’t include any extra costs for checking baggage, tipping shuttle drivers, or those other miscellaneous expenses you may run into.
The Average Cost to Fly to Disney World in May of 2022
Food Costs
Next, we have to talk about food costs. The food in Disney World ain’t cheap. Even just a box of popcorn will set you back just about as much as it costs to buy several bags of microwavable popcorn in the supermarket (not the same, of course, but just for cost comparison).
If you stick to quick service locations, you’re generally looking at entrees that will cost about $9.99-$19.99 per adult and about $6.69-$7.99 per child. We used the menu at Pecos Bill’s Tall Tale Inn and Cafe as an example, but note that prices can vary. If you estimate that to about $14 per adult and $7 per child per meal, that would be about $42 per meal. Multiplied by 3 meals a day is $126, and multiplied by 3 days (assuming they’re just heading off to the airport early on the last day) is $378 for the trip. But, that’s a VERY low estimation.
It’s more likely that the cost will be significantly higher depending on the items purchased, the addition of snacks, coffee, sodas, water bottles, etc., and the addition of tax.
Food from Pecos Bill
If you add in character meals, buffets, or even just regular table service meals, you’re looking at more costs. We’d say you’ll want to essentially double that budget to be more realistic. So, for our family, we’ll say that food costs will be around $700.
Corn Dog Nuggs
Again, remember that this can vary a LOT. Things could be much more expensive if you add on specialty drinks, more table service restaurants, buffets, lots of snacks, etc. Things could also be much cheaper, however, if you buy snacks at the grocery store to use throughout your trip, you pack a water bottle that can be refilled with free water, you split meals, you pack sandwiches or other cheaper options from a local grocery store to eat for lunch/dinner, you stick to quick service spots, etc. So, there’s a lot to consider there.
How To Experience The BEST of Disney World When You Have Champagne Taste and a Grocery Store Beer Budget!
Total Breakdown
So, the total cost of our trip is as follows:
- Hotel & tickets with Genie+*: $3,026.30
- Flights: $1,526
- Transportation to and from hotel: $118
- Food: $700
- Total: $5,370.30
That comes out to about 7.95% of the median household income. And keep in mind this doesn’t factor in any tips that might be expected for housekeeping service, table service restaurants, or shuttle drivers. We recommend you plan to bring about an extra 10% of your food budget to absorb some of these miscellaneous expenses so it doesn’t into your DOLE Whip budget.
*As of June 8th, 2022, Disney Genie+ will only be available for purchase the DAY OF your visit to the parks. You will no longer be able to buy the service before you arrive as a ticket add-on.
What Disney World Employees Wish You Knew
But Wait, There’s MORE to Pay For
Of course, there are more costs to consider, and this is where things can also get really expensive. First, there’s merchandise, which is one thing where guests can spend a pretty penny very quickly.
But, there are also all kinds of perks or extra things that you’ll need to pay to get access for. For starters, there are runDisney races. The races themselves can be pricey to sign up for and they can fill up/sell out FAST. If you want early access to register for the races, you can get it, but you’ll have to pay for it. Club runDisney is a special paid membership that provides guests with early access to specific races (depending on your membership type), certain virtual experiences, and more.
Club runDisney memberships are not available to purchase right now, but when they were available they were pricey. The cost of the Club runDisney Gold Membership was $478.63; and Platinum Membership was $798.43. There were other perks too but that’s still one hefty price for the main benefit of early registration. But, if you wanted to ensure that you’d get early registration and hopefully be able to book your spot in those popular races before they fill up, this was the way to do it.
Finish Line!
Want extra time in the parks at night? Well, you can have that too…if you pay to stay in select qualifying hotels. Previously, Extra Magic Hours (which was a benefit that provided Disney World hotel guests with extra time in the parks on select dates) were available to ALL Disney World hotel guests, regardless of the level of the hotel where the Disney guest was staying (value, moderate, or deluxe).
Now, Early Theme Park Entry is available for all guests staying at Disney World hotels (and select other hotels). This allows all qualifying hotel guests to enter any Disney theme park of their choosing 30 minutes early every single day.
Resort Guest? Right This Way!
But, if you want extra time in the parks at night, Extended Evening Hours is what you’ll need. This allows select guests to spend extra time in certain parks at night on specific days. This special perk, however, is only available for guests staying at some of Disney World’s most expensive hotels — the deluxe resorts and deluxe villas.
So, if you’re staying at a value resort like Disney’s Pop Century Resort, or even a moderate resort like our fictional family at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, you’ll be able to enter any theme park 30 minutes early (with Early Theme Park Entry), but you won’t be able to take advantage of those Extended Evening Hours. If you really want ALL the time you can get in the parks, you’ll have to consider shelling out some extra cash to stay at the deluxe resorts.
Extended Evening Hours at EPCOT
Want to experience a Halloween party in Magic Kingdom and go trick-or-treating? You can do that, but it’ll cost ya. In previous years, Disney has offered the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party during the fall. The party featured a fan-favorite parade, trick-or-treating, ride overlays, and more. In 2021, Not-So-Scary was canceled and Disney’s After Hours Boo Bash event took its place. Boo Bash featured less of the entertainment and special offerings from Mickey’s Not-So-Scary, but still gave fans the chance to experience trick-or-treating in the Most Magical Place on Earth and see some unique characters. It also offered some things Not-So-Scary didn’t, like free popcorn, bottled drinks, and ice cream novelties.
Time for Some Halloween Fun!
Despite offering less in terms of entertainment, Boo Bash was FAR more expensive than Not-So-Scary. Tickets for Not-So-Scary in 2019 began at $79 in advance for adults and $74 in advance for children. Tickets for Halloween night, October 31st, were priced at $135 for adults and $130 for children. Tickets for Boo Bash started at $129–$139, plus tax for August/September nights. October tickets started at $159–$169, plus tax. And tickets for Halloween night were $199. Essentially, even the cheapest Boo Bash tickets were nearly as expensive as, if not more expensive than, the most expensive Not-So-Scary night from 2019.
Overall, the price for Boo Bash was more in line with other After Hours events, rather than being similar to the Not-So-Scary pricing. For some, that cost might be more than worth it. But, for others, it might simply be too much, particularly when traveling with a large group.
Click here to see our thoughts on whether Boo Bash is worth the cost.
The price for 2021’s new holiday After Hours event — Very Merriest After Hours — was also more expensive than the holiday party we’ve seen offered at Disney World in the past (Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party). Compared to Boo Bash, Very Merriest had more in terms of entertainment, including holiday fireworks, the holiday parade, and more. But, it was still different in some ways when compared to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
Happy Holidays from Disney World!
Disney Genie+ is something we already mentioned above when calculating our trip, but it’s definitely something we feel is worth mentioning again. Previously, Disney World offered a free FastPass+ service to help guests skip the standby lines. It was available at no additional cost to all guests. FastPass+ has, however, been discontinued and the new PAID Genie+ service (and the related Individual Attraction Selection or pay-per-ride service) has taken its place.
Genie+ costs $15 per day per ticket in Disney World. With Genie+, you get to look at the list of rides and select the next available return time to ride an attraction and use that attraction’s Lightning Lane (a.k.a. FastPass lane). You can make one selection at a time throughout the day (though there are some special rules to know about). So, if you’re hoping to SKIP the standby lines, that’s something you’ll have to pay extra for.
Lightning Lane
BUT, select highly popular rides are NOT available through the regular Genie+ service. Instead, to ride those select attractions (there are typically 2 at each park) you’ll have to pay to use their lightning lanes individually through Individual Attraction Selection (or pay-per-ride). The price for these pay-per-ride options can vary by date, park, and more. Guests are only allowed to get a maximum of 2 of these pay-per-ride selections per day.
For example, in EPCOT, if you want to ride Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure you can either (1) use the standby line for FREE; or (2) pay for an Individual Attraction Selection for the ride. If you want to skip the standby line, you’ll need to pay to use that ride’s Lightning Lane.
Lightning Lanes Have Replaced FastPass+ Lanes
Disney has changed the way guests buy Genie+, too. Originally, Genie+ could be purchased as a ticket add-on and had to be purchased for each day you had a park ticket. As of June 8th, 2022, guests can only purchase Genie+ in the My Disney Experience app on the day of their park visit (starting at midnight).
Lightning Lane
We’re seeing extra costs or more expensive routes taken in other areas too. For example, at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney is converting some of their traditional rooms into Disney Vacation Club Rooms. Big Pine Key is being transformed into 200 Resort Studios, which will open in summer 2022. Of all the rooms, studio rooms are the most comparable to regular hotel rooms, though they do have some more unique amenities and can be more expensive. So, if you’re hoping to stay at a “traditional” hotel room at the Grand in the future, you’ll have less selection to pick from.
Grand Floridian
If recent history is any trend, Disney’s focus doesn’t seem to be on value resorts or “cheap” options. The latest hotel opened on property was Disney’s Riviera Resort, another Disney Vacation Club Resort. Even when we look at the newest value resort on property — Art of Animation — it’s clear how Disney is skewing toward larger (and typically more expensive) rooms.
Out of the 4 sections in Art of Animation, only 1 is really focused on standard rooms. The other sections are filled with family suites, which are more expensive than your standard value room (due to the nature of these rooms and the amenities they feature).
Family Suite
We’ve also seen HUNDREDS of price increases at restaurants throughout Disney World. The differences might not all be dramatic per item, but over time and across multiple meals, that can add up. So, if you’re planning on dining at one particular spot in Disney World that you eat at every year, be prepared in case your bill comes back higher than you might expect.
It’s $Expensive$ But People Want to Go Anyway
Alright, so it’s clear, Disney World can be expensive. But, regardless of how much it might cost, it seems many families are still interested in going. We can tell that first and foremost by the crowds we’ve seen in the parks. But, participants in various surveys and article research have further confirmed it.
According to a poll from Insider (from 2021), which had just over 1,000 respondents, “people who make less than $75,000 per year are the most likely to consider visiting Disney destinations.” Specifically, people who said they made between $50,000 and $74,999 per year were “seemingly the most eager to visit Disney.” Those who earned between 25,000 and 49,999 were the 2nd largest group who indicated they would “consider visiting a Disney park this year” (meaning in 2021).
Crowds waiting outside Hollywood Studios!
But, some people did indicate that Disney has simply gotten too expensive for them. More than 50% of respondents to the poll (both those with kids and those with no kids) said they felt like Disney trips were “too expensive ‘in general.'” Thirty-two percent of poll participants with kids said they’d like to go on a trip to a Disney property, but can’t afford it.
Insider noted that the median household income in the U.S. was “$68,703 per year in 2019, or $5,725 per month.” Insider shared that the average U.S. household spends around $5,100 each month on “housing, transportation, food, utilities, and other living expenses,” leaving little to nothing left to use on a pricey family trip. If using those numbers, that’s about $600 bucks extra a month, or $7,200 a year. But, as most of us well know, life loves to throw curveballs. You need new tires on your car, you need to pay down that credit card, you need to buy new winter clothes for the kids this year. Suddenly that extra money is getting chipped away and now a lot less than you first expected.
Considering that the median household income from 2020 was LESS than 2019, that leaves even less in the vacation budget.
Crowds
A trip to Disney World can be VERY expensive, but there are also ways to save money when planning your trip. That might include renting DVC points, looking for special hotel and ticket deals, not Park Hopping, bringing snacks and/or meals that you can buy from the grocery store, skipping out on “extras” like the After Hours events, and more. But, if you’re looking to visit Disney World and experience all of those bonuses and perks, just be aware that it might cost you more than you might expect.
How much do you think people should budget for their Disney trips? Do you think Disney is too expensive? Tell us in the comments! And stay tuned for more Disney news.
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I personally think the typical Disney vacation these days is far too expensive, and I’m a huge Disney fan. The expense is tough to swallow for someone who used to know all the tricks to make it super cheap and go when there were no crowds, etc. Those days are long gone. Instead, no matter how much Disney hikes the prices, it seems the demand (and crowds) are still there year-round, so clearly there are many people who are willing to pay that much. And as long as the people keep showing up, Disney will keep hiking up those prices until an equilibrium is reached. Hard to blame them!
Kelly did a great job of figuring out all of the costs involved by taking a trip to Disney World. As Yogi Berra might have said “A trip to Disney World is affordable, if you can afford to spend a lot of money”
I’ve been going to WDW since 1974. The answer to your question is a resounding YES. More notable is the fact that the prices are increasing (more rapidly in the last several years) and what is included for the price is decreasing or being taken away twice as fast.
We used to go to WDW at least twice a year with our children. But now it’s very expensive and it’s because of the small increases or fewer perks. When my kids were little (they are now 20 and 25), the dining plan included tips, you didn’t pay extra for tickets to never expire, you could get the ASM resort for $99 a night in the off season, and Southwest used to have $99 round trip tix from our home airport. We used to purchase a 10 day ticket with park hopper and water park and could use it for more than one trip. We still have 4 waterpark and more on those tickets because who really goes to the parks for 10 days and the water parks for another 10 days? It was very easy to go then, but not now with the expense of the tickets and the higher cost of the hotels (and the cost of parking at the hotels as we sometimes drove if we couldn’t get cheap flights). I wish Disney would stop taking away so many of the small perks that made the trips worth it.
Mr. Disney would be very sad and angry at what his dream has become. It’s a “cash register “ for the corporate big wigs instead of a place where families can go make lasting memories…..at a reasonable price.
I agree with the assessment made here for sure, but when we go, we see people from all walks of life enjoying themselves. HUGE family reunions and get togethers and we always wonder how on earth people save up the money to bring like a family of 15 to DW. The last time we went to MK, which isn’t often, it was so crowded (this was just back in December) that it was miserable. On one hand I was like raise the price to where it brings in fewer people – but we know that’s not fair or right. Some sort of crowd control needs to be maintained. I dunno.. make maybe 2b less per year and give people breathing room and less than a 90 minute queue.
We used to buy an annual pass and try and make it 3 times in a year. That covered tickets and 10% off a lot. So it got to the point where we knew what we were doing and it was actually relaxing. Now, it’s a lot more expensive, and a lot more complicated (no free fastpass, no Express Connect to the airport, no normal annual pass for a reasonable price, complictaed things like getting into Rise of the Resistance …) . My wife and daughters will definitely still want to go, especially since the girls have small kids, but it’s going to be far less frequent. (And we’re well above the median income). I just get the feeling that raising prices a LOT is Disney’s way of trying to control crowds.
So personally, I’m done with it. I might only possibly consider it at Christmas with the little ones, but I’m now willing to give Universal a try instead.
Our group of 3 recently spent 4 nights and 3 days with Park Hopper passes. We stayed at the Polynesian. It was a splurge, but we loved the location. I agree with everyone who says DW is just getting priced out of middle class families. Our first clue was having to purchase our “Magic” bracelets. These were provided in past years, with the higher end resorts. Next was the unexpected cost of transportation to and from our hotel! Then this “Lightening Lane” ridiculous process! By the time we figured it out, we were well into our 2nd park day. We tried “pre-trip” to get a live person on the phone at DW to help us understand LL better. The phone wait time was usually over an hour!
Food as noted, was so expensive and portions were small. Our last trip for sure. Universal is so much easier to plan for and I hope it stays that way.
Hi Julie!
Thanks so much for reaching out and we’re so sorry to hear about the Lightning Lane confusion. If you do decide to go again and need any help with that, feel free to reach out to us! We have a lot of articles and YouTube videos that we can share with you to make things a little bit easier.
You should try visiting from oversee’s! I don’t know the next time I will be able to visit, or if I will visit again due to the price hike!
We are a military family so we utilize as many of the military discounts as possible. Even with the Salute to Services tickets and staying at Shades of Green, it’s just gotten too expensive. We are a family of 5. Tickets without the Genie break down to about $1700 plus Shades’s prices has gotten up consistently each year. It is easily a $5000 trip for 5-6 days down there.
I have been with DVC over 10+ years and have had the most amazing family vacations… but now they have made it close to impossible to maintain the quality that we have in the past… it is breaking my heart….
It is very sad indeed. I have been going to Disney since 1974. I think Walt is very disappointed in the management of his dream. We will be taking our last Disney vacation the end of this month.
My husband refuses to pay more for less. We will give Universal a try and go to other places for our family vacations moving forward. Breaks my heart to see what they are doing to such a beloved place of so many. We have many friends and family that are no longer booking Disney vacations as well.
I started going to Disney every year because my company would fly us down for meetings and you could change the date of your flight back. I stayed at Disney for a week after my family would flew down. Now that my company is no more and I have to pay for everything I would still go for 7 days for about $1500, an that was in the value hotel, food & travel. I just went for my 60th birthday by myself in November like always but for 3 days and it cost me $2000. I think instead of going every year only milestone times, like retirement or my 70th birthday. I love Disney, but it has gotten too out of my price lane.
I have not been to Disney since I was a kid. I was going to take my son when he was younger but when I saw how much the prices had up there was absolutely noway I was going to pay that. Families that work hard deserve a place to go where they can relax and have fun and Disney is no longer one of those places. This world has gotten so greedy and I’m not going to pay 4 months income to pay for those that are already millionaires. Why not try giving back once in a while? Bring the prices back down so even a family of 2 could afford to go.
Me wife and I talk all the time about going. Neither of us have ever been to Disney World and dreamed of going. We are now in our mid 40’s, with 3 kids who are : 23(special needs), 17, and 14. For us to all go is astoundingly expensive. The way it looks for us, is that it’ll be something that we can dream of going but never be able to afford to go see. Seems to be that way with a lot of things now -a-days. Most vacations now are only viable for those that can make over 100k a year.
I’ll be going to Disney World at least one more time because I have so many reward points built up on my Disney credit card; it’s the only place I have ever vacationed. I’ve been there so many times because I love it so much. But principals are involved. They’re giving you so much less and prices are beyond reasonable. Vacations will now be at the Jersey seashore.
While I agree that prices have risen very quickly, the parts are still super crowded, the hotels are often sold out and the restaurants are crowded.
I wish the company would build another Disney Park and resort in Houston to create more supply to fill the enormous demand.
I’m a registered nurse with an adult child working at WDW.
Even with the discount provided to cast members, the cost of a Disney vacation has become prohibited.
Very sad to see that Disney has become a money hungry machine, grubbing every coin it can for: shorter hours, long lines, smaller food portions, broken down rides, overpriced souvenirs, no fast pass, no magical express.
There is no value any longer – only misery
Walt Disney created something for families to do together & greediness took away the dreams of the average American family.
Our last trip was in Dec 2019. We had planned on going down in May 2020 but had to cancel due to COVID. We had purchased two annual passes through Sams Club Travel. These were supplied as vouchers which would have to be activated at a park. We were able to get them refunded. These were priced at 2019 prices. Since we are from NC, APs are not available to us. However, with the changes in pricing and reduction in benefits, we would not be able to justify spending the money. We have been able to save on lodging since we own a timeshare (not DVC) and have been able to stay there for an exchange fee of less that $350 for 14 nights. We always had purchased APs and had used them quite well. The savings in parking fees alone made a big dent in the cost of the passes. For several years up through 2019, we had averaged approximately 60 days per year in a Disney park. This would be 4 trips of 2 weeks each. We always had a car since we were staying off property. 60 days at $25 per day for parking at the parks saved us $1,500 per year. We had bought Memory Maker each trip until it became a benefit of the AP. Another savings of $169 (we were buying 2 and sometimes 3 per year.) Now that is gone as well. We had planned on bringing our grandson down before he turned 3 in January but had to cancel that trip. Now we have one 3 day pass and one 4 day pass to be used on our next trip. (Total cost $900). Our plans are now to go back to the area the end of Sep thru the first week of October. NO, we will probably not be adding any WDW days to this trip. I can see us going to Sea world and/or Universal. At least for me, my wife does not do thrill rides. This will probably be our last trip. TOO expensive and from all I have read—-TOO complicated.
I have visited WDW approximately 20 times over the years , mostly personal, but also a few times for business conferences. It has always been a great vacation, but now that I am retired, it is increasingly becoming too expensive. The last time we visited was in 2015 and we generally stay the Caribbean Beach Resort. We will be visiting in early May 2022. The cost of our entire vacation(so far) will be 65% higher than in 2015. Unfortunately, our trip this year is for 7 nights, while in 2015, it was for 9 nights. It appears that we are being priced out of WDW. I think for our next vacation, we may be going to Hawaii. It will be less expensive. Thanks for the Memories.
How sad what Disney has become. I do not see a single positive comment in this feed. Does anyone in Disney management read these comments? Guess not. It seems they just don’t care as long as the cash keeps rolling in. Visiting Disney we never meant to be such a stressful and heartbreaking experience. Walt’s vision was a place where families could gather and be bathed in pixie dust and magic. My family of 9 had a 10 day trip planned for February and we cancelled it. We are going to wait for Disney management to wake up and bring some of the magic back. This year we are heading to UNIVERSAL and SEAWORLD. At least there we won’t feel the pain of seeing what our beloved Disney World has become. It just brings tears to my eyes.
I have been to Disney World many times before Covid . We drove from Minnesota. We booked through triple A a package . Hotel,& dining plan. Kept all the receipts.we stayed 1 week. With services taken away and all the extra charges on this & that I would have to mortgage my house to go now. Really! My impression now of Disney World is a attitude of a company that disregards Walt’s ideas and is only is concerned with making mor money. Yes you are expanding but off the backs of your visitors. Get back to the basics . Maybe not spending so much on 1 ride and only doing one a year. Bring back full service and perks. Sadly trouble has been in your parks. People acting up and weapons . Such as today’s normal. You really do not care about your customers or read seriously comments that are posted. Hire someone that will enact change.
Too pricey, less perks, too crowded, I just can’t go anymore. It was a place to go with my daughter and grandson to get away from the real world and enjoy a grand time. Blessings
I remember going to WDW pin events in September in years past, because the price was irresistible–$475 for adults, $175 for kids, for 5 nights/6 days at a value hotel PLUS park tickets PLUS free dining! Oh, boy, was that wonderful! We were a much lower income family at the time, and it was literally the only way we could make that yearly trip.
In my early days at Disneyland I paid around $20 to enter the park and then bought coupon books for the rides. (Remember what an E ticket was, friends?) I could spend less than $100 for a day and feel GREAT about going, even having to wait on line (this was before Fastpass).
At this point, between the masks everywhere and the unbelievable prices, it’s hard to justify a trip down to WDW again. I did it in 2015 and 2017 with my sons, but at this point, it’s just too expensive, even for 1 person. I don’t mind the drive down (around 6 hours), but I do resent having to pay for parking at the hotels and the parks (something I never had to do before, as long as I stayed at a Disney hotel). I resent ALL the changes that are out of line with what Walt Disney wanted! He made the parks for everyone, and now corporate interests are doing their best to make it impossible for almost everyone to go.
Poor Mr. Walt Disney must be flipping around in his grave. He himself said he wanted to build a place where the average family could spend the day enjoying themselves together. I am sorry Mr. Disney, but it has evolved into a park for the “rich and famous”.
I’m retired now. Purchased annual passes for my wife and I. It’s a great place to walk and watch the children. We don’t do rides. We do eat and see the shows. It makes for a great day. Since covid-19, it has become much more expensive. Retired seniors received a pay increase in their social security. At first, I thought that was great. Finally, I received more income. Then, the utilities increased and gas prices rose, not talking about eating that has doubled in price. Everyone is getting more greedy. My favorite place WDW slowly increased its prices. It’s a tough life. I’m going to be a mall walker until I can afford to be greedy too.
I also agree with the comments above. Disney has been a beloved place for me as a child. I remember my family going there for family vacations and the memories of my dad being there. He has since passed away. I’m disgusted by how Disney is taking away everything that gave visitors a break from the enormous amount of money everything else in Disney would cost. Now you have to pay for EVERYTHING. There is no more pixie dust in a trip to Disney now. We are going one last time next month, but honestly for the first time, I am not looking forward to it. This will be our last trip as my family of 4 can no longer afford to go. So sad what is becoming of Disney. Bob has got to go. He is only concerned about grabbing as much money as he can….
Disney use to be a great place to go with the family. My family are DVC members from NJ and we would come as a group around August since we have teachers in the family. We had enough points to book 4 studios and would get annual passes so we would get 2 visits a year. Now that won’t happen anymore. No more annual passes, Magical Express (We fly in), No more fast pass, No more airport check in for return to airport, etc. Too many things to mention. I remember when you purchased a pass and you didn’t use all the days those days were good forever. Now you have 10 days to use your pass or you loose the rest. Disney keeps on building more DVC resorts and building onto existing resorts. Where are you putting all the people in the parks. Chances are you will not be able to get a reservation for a park if they decide to keep the reservation system which they probably will. This is not a vacation!! My family 13 in total is coming this year since we haven’t been since pandemic basically because I didn’t want to loose my points however this will become a 2 to 3 year visit from now on if I keep my membership which I am considering selling back. Walt would be heartbroken this is no longer a family destination.
I don’t consider Disney an “average vacation destination” at all.
Disney is a luxury vacation. Not sure why people would try to make it something less.
We use to go 3-4 times a year, depending on how our passes worked out. Now, with having to use all the days in a certain amount of time, that option is taken away, but maybe that is what Disney Execs wanted. We went last June and I honestly was shocked at how downgraded the Table service meals were. The prices were extremely high but the portions were small.
We have watched Walt Disney World grow and then cut back immensely. It’s all in the management. It’s so sad to watch this. When a Company has a loyal fan base turn, they need to take note.
No matter what the Disney Corporation has said makes their Argument valid. The same comments keep coming up by many many people. To disregard these as you do have made the public aware of your real motive, . Making more money. Expanding as you have takes money. This requires a infusion of monies. That is where all the fees , all the takeaways from the enjoyment and staying on property. This is what is funding the expansion. No one needs to be a a brainiac to see through the smoke screen. The dream Walt Disney had I’d dead on arrival. No matter if this gets posted for I have a copy to share with anyone.
And no this is not original. It might say the same message that needs to be said again. Their are other venues to post opinions. Your is not the only one. It is a free speech country still. That is changing.
Yes what happened at Disney is very sad, only people can visit who are rich and willing to waste their money . Other. Nice parks in this country who aren’t so greedy. We questioned whether to go but not going we used to go every other year to Disneyworld. We live in area with nice parks and free admission and cheaper food. sorry Walt this is. not what he’d want for families. Wake up Disney execs.!
Just read more comments from others in a different venue. Disney prices over the top. Only the rich are invited now. Other parks in Florida lowering their prices. Also the way you are restricting the numbers of visitors. Totally a move done to show the world your parks are crowed when in fact they would not be if restrictions were not in place. Also price gouging the people that come that want to give their kids the dream. Greed might just bring the kingdom down to its knees. A lesson needs to be learned and what your greedy ways accomplish will be your ruin..
Chapek has taken away almost everything. No fast passes, those were free, now replaced by Genie + that you have to pay for and more if you want to ride Rise of the Resistance or Avitar. No more Magical Express, now you have to factor in the cost of getting to and from the airport to Disney World. My husband has pretty much said he’s done with the parks. The Annual Passes are out of sight. When the one jumped from $800 to $1,200 that was it for us. Since we are DVC members the next plan is to enjoy a week off from life and spend at the resort, not being on anyone’s schedule, maybe trying different places for dinner. I think our days of going to the parks is over with, it has just gotten way too expensive.
Yes, Disney like everything else is getting too expensive. Especially for those who’s wages hasn’t stayed in step with inflation. I understand the price increases that are due to inflation. But if someone is still making wages from two years ago or even longer with no yearly wage increases, of course it is going to be too expensive for those people/families. Fortunately for now I have a job that has kept up with inflation o ver the years and decades, so it hasn’t affected me and my family that much when it comes to going to a Disney park for a day or for a vacation. I haven’t been priced out yet, but that day may still come.
But I mostley blame Disney as they make billions and could easily afford to cut some slack on price increases (or at least give us more bang for the buck). But I also have to blame employer’s who still pay low wages that are out of step with todays economy and have not kept up with inflation over the years/decades. I keep hoping that Chapek will be replaced when his contract ends in Febuary 2023 and the new CEO will bring Disney back in to reality for all the long time loyal fans and guest.
I go to WDW twice a year and yes, it is very expensive and going on up. It’s just my husband and I so it’s a bit more affordable, but still quite high. And we often look at groups of families and wonder how they do it. But they do. And therefore that Mickey pretzel will keep going up! It’s without doubt a park geared for the more wealthy. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been at a register with people buying designer merch like it was Target. It’s quite shocking at times what people are willing and seemingly able to spend.
Just saw a commercial on tv today, June 15, 2022. Vacation package to all Disney parks by jet for a group of people. $110,000 dollars. Yes Disney is catering to the rich. Too bad Disney your long range plan might be shortsighted. Between the governor taking over Disney and loosing the exclusive right to Mickey Mouse and your plan your parks might be out of business in the next decade.
Disney is way too expensive If Eiger keeps genie + in some form, it should include park hopping!