I guess we’re never taking the family on a trip to Disney. That was my reaction to reading about the recent increase in ticket prices for the theme park. It’s not like we had set plans to visit Disney any time soon, but it just seems like something that should be a part of every childhood. Why is that? And where will go on vacation, instead of Disney?
Disney announced increased prices for all admission tickets this month. The cost of a regular, adult (10 + years old) ticket is now $129. That’s for one park, for one day. Apparently, I’m not the only one who was rather disappointed by this news.
How Many Families Can Actually Afford A Trip To Disney?
Walt Disney has been quoted as saying, “We believed in our idea – a family park where parents and children could have fun- together.” The park was supposed to be a place for all families to enjoy. Now, it’s turning into an elitist rite of passage. When you consider the cost of travel, admission tickets, parking, and food . . . the cost is prohibitive for many, many families. It’s simply not an option.
Yet, we somehow expect that all kids should get to visit Disney at least once during their childhood. I have been there twice. Mr. Smith has never been there. I remember my own surprise when he told me about never visiting Mickey down in sunny Florida. I felt a sort of pity for him, for being short-changed as a child and missing out on some fundamental experience. Of course, that was before I started to think for myself when it came to money and priorities.
Is The Cost Of Disney Even Worth It?
For the families that can actually afford the costs of a trip to Disney, I have to wonder, is it even worth it? According to this chart, most rides are ten minutes or less. While there are plenty of tips on maximizing your time in the park, on average, you’re able to go on eight to ten rides. Ten rides, at ten minutes each, equates to one hour and forty minutes spent on rides. You’re paying over one hundred dollars, and standing in lines all day, for less than two hours of actually enjoying rides (and that’s not including all of the other costs).
I realize that Disney is supposed to be about more than just the rides. There are costumed characters interacting with the kids and the park is designed to have an immersive, magical atmosphere. Yet, it’s all based on movies and make-believe. There is a whole world beyond the 142 acres of the Magic Kingdom, and it is filled with real-life captivating sights and experiences.
Where To Go On A Family Vacation, Instead Of Disney?
Instead of Disney, we’re planning a visit to Washington, D.C. this spring. We will head there in our bus and rent a small apartment through AirBnB. This trip was being planned before any announcement regarding ticket prices, but it’s a great example of a different option. An option that is less expensive, more educational, and hopefully won’t involve much time spent waiting in lines. The museums and monuments in D.C. are mostly free of charge. Admission to the zoo is even free! Our biggest expenses will be travel, lodging, and food. We are also planning another frugal trip to Maine again this summer.
I do worry about the memories our kids are creating of childhood. Sure, we could use the credit cards to book a trip to Disney, amassing thousands in debt, and they would probably have a good time. But what about five years from now? We hope to be semi-retired in the near future, so we can go on all sorts of adventures with our children. If we start spending money on things like expensive day passes to theme parks, then we would have to continue working full-time jobs longer, and miss out on spending time together with our children . . . now, before they become grown ups.
Life is all about making choices, and deciding not to go to Disney feels like the right choice for our family.
haha- I love this! Our son is only 2.5 but I am hoping and planning to avoid Disney (is that terrible to admit?)
I went to a conference at a Disney property and everything struck me as so fake. Nothing against going there… but I think our family would enjoy different types of vacation.
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No, not terrible! The kids haven’t ever asked to go, and I can only hope that they never do. I think our families are similar – we enjoy adventure vacations instead of commercial ones.
Thanks for stopping by!
Great post! My parents always opted on different vacations (national parks and beach trips) instead of Disneyland/world when I was younger and I don’t regret that at all.
For our first wedding anniversary/before kids, my husband somehow scored very inexpensive day passes to disney world, so we just had to pay for the flights and our room. We took red-eyes both ways and we opted to stay in a non-resort hotel in Orlando to save money. The place was awful and probably not in the best part of town, but it really didn’t matter, because we were only there for sleep for 8hrs each night. We packed sandwiches for lunch and snacks and had a blast. We completely exhausted ourselves doing the main park one day, universal studios the next, and finishing out with epcot and animal kingdom the last day. We had fun chatting in lines together and treated ourselves to dinner in “Morocco” one night. We were able to get full value for the different passes, didn’t put anything on a credit card, and that trip lives on as one of my favorite trips as a young adult.
So that’s my advice – Tell the kids that those parks are still a ton of (if not more) fun as an adult. I could also see it as being a really fun alternative to the classic “spring break” trips with a group of friends in college or post-college.
Hi Tanya 🙂 Thank you so much for this perspective. I never really considered that the kids could always go when they get older, if they really feel like they were missing out on something. Most of those rides would still be fun as an adult.
And I never understood why parents would spend so much money to bring really little ones to Disney. There are always different events with meet-and-greets with Anna and Elsa around our city. Is it really that different to see them at Disney, besides waiting in that really long line?
Neither my husband nor I have ever been to Disney, and we don’t find ourselves any worse for it! We haven’t decided whether we’ll ever take our kids to Disney. With one on the way, it seems unwise to shell out before he/she is old enough to go & enjoy it. I don’t particularly want to go. If we do, we’ll be doing some serious research on how to minimize cost, including possibly camping. But the only “bad” (short-sighted) parenting in this area is if you compromise your financial future for a Disney trip!
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Nice to hear from you Kalie! Good to know you can still turn out okay without a trip to Disney 😉
You definitely have more important things on your mind these days. I’m sure you’re right, that there are ways to decrease prices a bit – but most people are still going to want to spend a couple of days in the different parks and that is going to add up quick.
We just had this discussion a week ago. Since Mrs. SSC’s brother just mvoed to FL and is close to Disney, she suggested tacking on a 2-3 day trip while we’re out there vacationing at his place. The cost is SO freaking high, and she brought up, “But shouldn’t every kid get to go to Disney? Are we bad parents if they don’t get to go?”
I replied, “I’ve never been… Plus, our kids aren’t even really in to Disney stuff, and our daughter isn’t some Princess fiend that would just go crazy seeing all of the princesses and characters around the park.”
So, yeah… I think we’re taking a hard pass on that one for now. Maybe once they’re older or more into something that could be “park relevant” then sure, but even then it would be hard justifying spending that much $$ on Disney when we could get overseas for a similar cost, if not cheaper.
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See, I’m not imagining it! People really do think that every kid should get to go to Disney.
My daughter is definitely no princess fiend. I don’t think any of my kids would really enjoy the characters that much. If your child is really into Harry Potter, then a trip to Universal Studios might be worth it, but that would probably be for bigger kids.
You made the right choice. I’ve enjoyed Disney the several times I was there, but I do think it’s close to jumping the shark. A family of four will now need $516 just to get into the park. Want food? Want a couple of Micky hoodies? Now we’re over $700. That’s pretty crazy. You guys will love DC and the DC zoo.
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Hear, hear! We live about 40 miles from Disneyland and have never been with our kids, almost 5 and almost 8. My husband and I have been once. It was fine, but not close to worth the money, and I almost lost it in the endless line for the Indiana Jones ride. But the 4yo has asked to go for her 5th birthday, and we’re considering it.
I also agree that Bar Harbor is a wonderful place to vacation, though it’s a long haul for us.
It definitely does not seem worth it to me, but I never went as a child. We would take a class trip to a much closer and cheaper theme park. Even that seemed like a waste of money.
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We just went last year, and they ended up offering us free tickets to return–long story haha.
We did travel hack the tickets, were gifted a week at a family member’s time share in Orlando, and we drove because we were going to attend a wedding in Sanibel the following weekend regardless. So costs for us were pretty minimal…until we got into the parks themselves.
I can definitely see wanting to spend money elsewhere, and I don’t think it’s a must do. And the pricing of everything is elitist.
We were incredibly lucky to go for the price we did. But since we got so much for free, it did end up being worth it
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Most children that are not from US do not even know Disney world. I think that most important is that you teach them about life through fun activities.