Mom Insists Disney World Is a Total Scam and People Are Here for It
We're all used to hearing Disney World described in the most effusive of terms: it's "The Most Magical Place on Earth," a place where dreams come true, a fairy tale land come to life- you get the gist. For a lot of people, it probably does feel like that, as Disney World really is an incredibly immersive and nostalgic experience. Even though I'm not exactly a "Disney adult," I still remember all my childhood Disney World vacations very fondly.
But that quintessential Disney magic is starting to wear off for people over time, especially for the many parents who have to tangle with the reality of what a Disney World vacation entails. On March 20, one stressed-out mom went so far as to call Disney World a "total scam," going off on the House of Mouse in a fed-up rant.
Kailey, or @the_geriatricmillennial on TikTok, isn't a Disney World newbie. Before COVID, her family had visited the parks twice, and while a Disney World vacation has never been dirt cheap, the cost didn't shock her back then like it does now. When Kailey booked a last minute Disney trip for spring break 2024, she was aghast by how much everything had taken a turn for the pricier.
"Not only have ticket prices gone up, like, exponentially- I think it was like $165 a ticket, and that was a base ticket, no Park Hopper - if you're staying in a resort, you used to get a Magic Band... now you have to pay for those, which is like $25 to $35 a person," Kailey complained. She was also disappointed about being charged for Flash Passes, especially as they seem to have surge pricing similar to rideshare services like Uber and Lyft. And that's not even factoring in the price of Lighting Lane passes and other amenities!
"They are making it, like, so unaffordable for the average family to take a vacation there, and it is greed at its best," lamented Kailey. "Had I not already booked it and paid for it all, I'd be looking elsewhere, because I had no idea this is what was happening."
The Prohibitive Costs of a Disney Trip
Disney World has always been pretty inaccessible, or at least very difficult, for lower-income families to visit. In the post-pandemic era, however, with rampant inflation and changes to pricing at Disney, the divide has only gotten bigger- a feeling that was reflected in the comments on Kailey's video.
"I'm a single mom of three, we've never been able to afford Disney. It's so much money!" said @snippetsfromasinglemama.
"We went and skied the Swiss Alps for spring break. It was quite less than our trip to Disney last summer," claimed @cannotdothat321.
"We took our son back in 2021. Family of 3. Total cost was almost $10k. We are still trying to recover," shared @seejanecraft.
There's no surefire way to make a Disney vacation magically ultra-cheap. However, when you visit can influence ticket prices, hotel rates, and the cost of other add-ons. As convenient as spring break is for families to vacation, it's definitely not the cheapest time to go to Disney. A ticket pricing guide on Mousesavers.com recommends late January or early fall as the cheapest times to visit the parks.
Even if you're adept at hunting down the cheapest rates for a Disney trip, though, it's still a prohibitively expensive venture for a lot of families, more so now than ever. I can't fault parents like Kailey for feeling scammed by Disney over their surging costs. It doesn't matter how magical the "Most Magical Place on Earth" is if only a select privileged few can afford to see it - and right now, it looks like it's heading in that direction.
For more WanderWisdom updates, be sure to follow us on Google News!
Have you had a funny, interesting, or just highly memorable experience while traveling? We'd love for you to submit a video of your travels for a chance to be featured on WanderWisdom and our social channels! Click here to upload your clip and share your adventures with the world.
