Credit: DisneyIf there’s one thing everyone knows about a Disney vacation, it’s that it’s going to be expensive. Flights, hotel, Park tickets, souvenirs, and food add up quickly, especially if you have children or a bigger family. With the price of tickets soaring ever higher, it hasn’t stopped families from continuing to visit the most magical places on Earth, it’s just putting them into credit card debt.
A video posted to TikTok recently is going viral for showing a father’s reaction after seeing the bill for a character dining breakfast at Walt Disney World. The video is captioned with “The mouse takes all our money!” and one of her comment replies states that the bill was “over $200” for two adults and one child. While the video was posted in fun, with the mother jokingly responding to comments under the video, it’s raised comments and criticism about just how expensive a Disney trip has become.
@charlenetpayne The mouse takes all our money! 🤣 💴 #trending #disneyworld #topolinosterrace #mickeymouse #disney #fyp #disneycharacterbreakfast ♬ Oh No – Kreepa
Many comments went back and forth about the high cost, with some saying that $200 for breakfast is insane and others justifying that it’s for a character breakfast at Disney. While higher prices for an experience like that are expected, it’s understandable that people are upset at such a price for three people. The video was posted over to Twitter, with user @EclecticMujer saying, “Those Disney Character meal bills are no joke. Disney itself is a place of dreams & debt. Disney can be an easy $5-10k depending on how big your family is and what you want to do there. But it’s worth the experience at least once.”
She’s not wrong in saying that Disney is a place of dreams and the overall experience is worth it. However, with the price of everything so high, it’s almost impossible for average, middle-class families to afford a trip without using credit cards or other types of payment plans. User @wakefieldreport reshared the video saying “No ‘experience’ is worth going into credit card debt for. Especially not a Disney one…people are mistakenly thinking Disney is catering to the 1%, when in reality, they are just targeting the middle class who are willing to max out credit cards.”
With individual tickets going for around $150 per day for one Park, hotels going anywhere from $150 to $800 a night, and the average menu item costing $15.00, it’s expensive even if it’s only two people. Disney CEO Bob Iger had recently commented on the exorbitant prices, saying that Disney needs to be accessible and stating that the company had been “too aggressive” with its pricing. However, there has been no significant change in cost to any of the Disney Parks or offerings.
When Walt Disney created the concept of a Disney theme park, he had done so with the idea that everyone would be welcome and able to afford the trip to his Parks. As the company continues to announce layoffs and prices continue to rise, it’s sad to see the lengths that families have to go to in order to make magic for themselves and their children.
Do you think a trip to Disney is worth the cost or risk of debt? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Please note that this story is based on individual and personal experiences and stories. No two Disney Park experiences are alike. The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily representative of Inside the Magic.