Family Slammed for "Insane" Spending at Disney World

Disney has been called out recently for its exorbitant prices and increasing lack of accessibility for the middle-class or average family. A TikTok video went viral earlier this week for a dad’s reaction to a $200 character dining bill at Walt Disney World, leading to arguments and conversations about whether a trip to Disney is worth the current price.

4k for two rides and a few toys and meals

the absolute state of disney adults https://t.co/DVOTviqcHT

— B0l (@Bolverk15) April 28, 2023

Now, there’s another video going viral, but this time, it’s much more than a $200 dining bill. A mom shared a video to TikTok in December last year totaling up the amount of money her family spent in one day during a five-day trip to Walt Disney World. She includes the amount of money they spent on food, souvenirs, and extra purchases like Lightning Lane and Genie+.

She also doesn’t hold back on her opinions of each experience, calling breakfast at Hollywood Studios’s Hollywood and Vine character dining ($223) “mediocre” and explaining that even after purchasing Lightning Lane (cost with tickets was $870), her family was only able to get on two rides due to every ride being over a two-hour wait. After purchasing PhotoPass ($170), she says the photos were “cell phone quality.”

However, she has several additional purchases shown throughout her day that the comments say were “unnecessary,” telling her that “Disney finessed you.” She shows several sets of Minnie ears ($130), three lightsabers ($800) plus shipping costs, and shows several shots of snack items like blue and green milk, popcorn, funnel cakes, ice cream, a full lunch, and dinner at Planet Hollywood at Disney Springs. While she never mentions the hotel the family stayed at, she does mention their nightly cost is $997. Overall, she claims she spent over $4000 for one day at Disney World with her family.

Again, while several comments mention that a lot of what she purchased was unnecessary, like the amount of food, lightsabers, and ears, that’s pretty typical for a family to be buying, especially if it’s their first time at Walt Disney World or it’s a bigger family visiting. With a nightly resort cost of almost $1000, it’s clear the family opted for a deluxe hotel instead of a cheaper value hotel, which could’ve helped them cut cost.

Either way, it’s clear that the mom wanted to give her kids the full Disney experience without having them worry about the amount she was spending for them all. While a little extra, the comments attacked her for the way she spent her time and money, saying it was exaggerated, there was no planning done, and telling her she could’ve done it “way way way cheaper than that.”

At the end of the day, it’s no secret Disney has raised their prices so high that the average family has a hard time affording an enjoyable vacation to the Parks. What was once a place where everyone was welcome and able to enjoy the magic, has now resorted to pricing people out to make it more exclusive. Hopefully Bob Iger takes his own comments to heart, and looks at adjusting the prices of tickets and Park experiences to make it easier for the average family to attain.

Would you spend $4000 in a day for your Disney vacation? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Please note that this story is based on a personal Disney Guest experience. No two Disney experiences are alike, and the opinions mentioned in the article do not necessarily represent Inside the Magic.