Disney World Has Gotten Too Expensive

For years, I have watched as the price of a Disney World vacation has gotten more and more expensive. Since I haven't been back to the parks since 2019, it got me thinking on just how expensive it has actually become. So, i'm going to find out! Im taking a single day trip, doing everything Disney wants me to do, to figure out just how expensive it really is. It turns out... very.
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Chapters:
Opening - 0:00
Transportation - 0:56
Resort (Port Orleans) - 2:56
Breakfast - 5:53
Park Tickets - 6:10
Park Day & Genie+ - 7:05
Lunch & Snacks - 9:18
Lightninglane - 10:11
Nighttime & Dinner - 11:23
The Damage - 13:07
Cost Savings - 14:55
A Full Trip's Cost - 15:31
Alternatives & Final Thoughts - 16:35
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Bright Sun Travels 2024
Presented in 4k

[@BrightSunTravels]

If you want to stay up to date with our travels, & see live postings of our shenanigans, follow the channels Instagram! instagram.com/brightsuntravels/

[@LoveLightVibration]

Excellent video with well thought out points. Kind of reminds me of former smokers who decide to take another puff and then realize, nah, it's not worth it or as good as it used to be. lol

[@bidenoncrack7608]

Congratulations on wasting your money

[@dongshengdi773]

OMG 😱 I really feel Disneyland is so cheap.

[@drjk7565]

I think you should do a video simply titled "Disney has gotten too expensive" since every experience you've had can be summed up in that one sentence. Same can be said for their movies in 2023 which flopped hard despite billions of dollars spent on them.

[@nathanpayne5358]

The virtual line pass is ridiculous. My family and I drove 14 hours to Florida to go to universal studios and that was the only way to ride Hagrids. We tried all day and could never get a pass so my brother and I along with our kids went to guest services to talk. We pretty much had to stomp our feet until they gave us one. Not very fun.

[@phionella7]

Disney doesn't care because people pay.

[@slimcourage901]

This is it. People can complain all they want. But Genie+ sells very well. On busy days, it sells out. The hotels are as full as they've ever been, from value to DVC villas. People buy tons of merch, snacks, and meals. Ticketed events like holiday parties sell out way in advance. Yeah it's crazy expensive, and IMO predatory (see Jake's comment on Genie+ maybe being worth it for the one-time family vacation), but as long as people continue to reliably pay, it will only get worse.

[@Crest28]

Best way to save money at theme parks in general. STOP!!!! BUYING ALL THE STUPID ADD ONS. People complaining about the prices are the same ones that'll eat at a terrible Disney restaurant with trash food vs eating at a local restaurant. People need to stop encouraging what they supposedly want to stop

[@Mmt13]

Yep. People no longer bat an eye at seemingly small “add ons” on their phones. And people are putting everything on credit nowadays anyways. Society is getting out of hand

[@Stark21293]

They did lose over a billion dollars on that stupid Star Wars hotel…..I’m willing to bet they weren’t to thrilled about that

[@jonathanbutcher6]

STOP PAYING DISNEY!!!

[@drew7308]

“After purchasing the privilege of something that we used get for free” sums up the last 5 years tbh

[@txag007]

The Bobs have been nothing but detrimental to the WDW experience.

[@johnfoltz8183]

Now all rides are upcharge attractions in addition to the regular park admission?

[@sfoster1186]

​@@johnfoltz8183No, the Genie+ is an additional cost if you want to access the shorter queue instead of waiting in the free longer line.

[@lexa_power]

Exactly

[@rootigaroot9922]

you can thank the "genius" concept of streaming platforms, and also companies losing money on every movie they make lol

[@JosieDrake1995]

American economic classes can be split up by the following: never been to Disneyland, went to Disneyland once, and regularly visiting Disneyland

[@princessmarlena1359]

I used to visit it by and large when I lived in California, one county away. But since I moved, not anymore. I am a day’s drive from the Magic Kingdom, but cannot afford to go.

[@markzugay8321]

Jake, you could not be more spot on! Sad is the feeling my wife and I share even as vacation club members for 22 years! We literally just figured out our total cost and again we are vacation club members and our one and a 10th inch of beach club villas on our deed that we own has long since been paid for. The annual dues coupled with our flight, Mears transportation, and 4 day park passes without park hopper and no extra frills for the tickets will come to $5500 for a one week stay. This takes into consideration, only one meal per day on Disney property,, and having Walmart deliver our groceries for the entire week for breakfast and lunch to be eaten in our studio, no frills room. Walt Disney would be turning in his grave! Spontaneity is vacant from any Walt Disney World vacation gone forever! You almost have to take a college course with continuing education in order to understand how things work! I feel bad for a family who has never experienced Disney before who absent from a college degree in how Disney works now would be more frustrated than I! Disney World is an absolute waste of time and money! I’ll take my $5500 for that week and stay at the most expensive hotel in Yellowstone! Go to Gettysburg! Take a Caribbean cruise for a week! You get my point! Disney is no longer about the small people that brought them to the dance. It’s going home in a suit coat with the deepest pockets! Sad is the operative word! 😢

[@patriciabetker6747]

Disneyland/World is so over priced I cancelled a trip for Nov as I can do cheaper vacations elsewhere. I will always love the visionary that Walt was. But as much as I love Disneyland I wont go back because of the very things you pointed out. Planning a trip to Efteling instead next year,as its a far more magical place that still has the magic that the disney has lost for me. It holds the potiential of what Disneyland could have been before corporate greed took over.

[@misshope8297]

$5500!!! this is downright INSANE! I hope you and your family can get to discover the beauty and magic of natural places around the earth (especially if it's around where you live to avoid pollution because of airplanes) without it costing two months of good salary

[@TINASAMRA-zr8lj]

Corporate taking over since Walt Disney has passed " Corporate is MONEY-HUNGRY-VERY VERY GREEDY

[@TINASAMRA-zr8lj]

Corporate taking over since Walt Disney has passed " Corporate is MONEY-HUNGRY-VERY VERY GREEDY

[@user-my8bb6nc1x]

Disney is now full of middle class dorks who work in professional jobs. Working class people cannot afford it. This is wrong.

[@kirsten_305]

$40 to get on a ride in a park you already paid for is infuriating My 90s kid spirit is screaming

[@louc3268]

Right?? It certainly isn't the Disney we grew up going to. I remember it being expensive even in the mid 90's, but still something we could do once every few years. I didn't even know they got rid of Fastpass because I haven't gone since 2017, and it looks like I won't be going back anytime soon.

[@kirsten_305]

@@louc3268 exactly!! Crazy times.

[@YelpIsForSnitches]

Same here. I want to take my 4 year old but it’s just not a justifiable purchase. It’s cheaper to go on vacation somewhere else.

[@TheRealZombieWizard]

Six Flags was better than Disneyland.

[@TabithaJones-rg9ig]

@@louc3268 Having grown up in California just a short drive to Disneyland...and now 75 years old....having gone there many many times, looking at it now, it is a totally cheap fake worthless piece of overpriced nonsense. It reminds me at the core as very Wallmart, with a fancy paint job.....it is idiotic mind numbing and designed to fleece the masses and mind manipulation so that all the stupid low iQ masses gladly pay the inflated prices. When I was young, I preferred Knotts Berry Farm for its authentic old west vibe. I even worked as a can can girl in the Calico saloon for an entire year....Back then it was free admittance and all the prices were a bargain.

[@TheIronArmenianakaGIHaigs]

Walking around the theme park staring at your phone and fretting over all these systems to try and access rides sounds like a horrible time

[@6Six6Six6Bruh]

It really does. Especially for people with sensory issue and anxiety, it must be absolute hell

[@exempligratia101]

Multiply the escapism with a device that encourages escapism from an amusement park. Makes it a topsy turvy moment

[@KawaiiEvoMii]

I was at Disney when Pokemon GO dropped. Everyone was freaking out about pokemon behind fences and glued to their phones. What a way to spend a Disney trip

[@soccerchick9841]

for a trip that you spent so much money on!

[@SchnookieC]

It was horrible when i went last year, the most stressful holiday ever, and 3 weeks in orlando cost us around $22000Aud so a disaster on the wallet too

[@bbowen1751]

I first visited Disney World in 1972, one year after it opened. Of course, being a 13 year old kid I had no idea what it cost. In 2022, I went with my son, his wife and my 1 year old grandson. Yes, very expensive. But that place is so outdated, old, and filthy. Many of the restrooms were dirty, broken tiles, and basically stunk. Felt life being in a gas station bathroom. Some of the attractions and buildings needed paint updates. I just seemed like an old amusement park.

[@GForceIntel]

I went 6 months ago and didn't see any of that. The price definitely left you with some PTSD and haven't recovered yet.

[@exilefolklore]

the first half of this comment made me realized how crazy time is

[@timeshark8727]

@@GForceIntel I have been in Disney almost every day for the past 10 years... the original poster is 100% correct. Its been going steadily down hill in maintenance year to year.

[@GForceIntel]

@timeshark8727 What other place offers what Disney offers. Nothing lasts forever or remains how you first saw. People just tend to complain and start seeing the little imperfections in everything and everyone. With time, everything decays.

[@timeshark8727]

@@GForceIntel lol, Disney World shouldn't "decay". Walt was very big on maintenance, and basic cleaning and maintenance should be incredibly easy and high up on the to-do list. I will never understand why people like you will attack other people, like you did in your original reply, in order to protect a company that can't be bothered to do the bare minimum to justify the price. I don't think having clean bathrooms, buildings that aren't dropping paint chips like snow, working games in ride lines, or working fans without half and inch of dust encrusting them is to much to ask for when you are paying over $150 per day per person... This isn't a rant about them taking out or retheming a ride or show... its about *basic maintenance and cleaning not being done.* As far as what over places offer what Disney parks do... how about *_every other theme park._*

[@JS-DeepStar]

Our family of three quit going to Disney in 2019. For all of the same reasons that you stated in your video. Like you we were family pass holders and fell for all the Disney traps. After the wife and I sat down and did real accounting of our Disney Vacations, like you, we started to compare the accounting with other trips. Since then no more Disney for us, we are traveling around the world and for a lot less money then ANY of the Disney trips from 2008 to 2019. We are heading to London for week this year and can't wait. Get out and see the world people! Its more fun and you will save lots of money.

[@TheTamaranch]

Only magic that’s left in Disney World is how magically fast your wallet will be drained.

[@whiteprivilege912]

Abracadabra!!!

[@howardb.6205]

Smash all your childhood films too, but that is on the house

[@filip1408]

How is that magical, you literally see it vanish

[@Navy35]

Disney is very overrated. It’s the name brand. You’d be better off going to the beach and maybe paying for parking. Bring a picnic basket

[@cliffturbo2146]

​@@filip1408 Magic, my friend.

[@mtnhowie]

As someone who grew up in the middle class, we always considered the Disney Parks too expensive for our family. Now it’s just stupidly out of reach.

[@veganconservative1109]

Low Income family, but Disneyland was just down the street so I got to go maybe four times before moving out of state. Dad would get each of us the booklets of tickets and we'd all choose which 'E' rides to go on first. By the end of the day and everyone more tired, we decide which 'A' rides were worth stomaching. That was when it was under $14 to enter the park and get a booklet of tickets. Now... nope. Sounds like a super expensive chore.

[@jool5941]

Last time I went it was still $70 per ticket and that was expensive for my parents.

[@Millie.com232]

Good comment

[@D3sdinova]

Ive never been able to enjoy these things. I always got sick or hurt. If id buy tickets id just break my legs tomorrw and itll be a waste just like all the other times.

[@AwesomeHairo]

The middle class never existed.

[@LarryLMelton]

I am one of the original Disney kids. My first trip to Disneyland was in 1955, and I got to see Walt Disney himself invite us into the park. I watched The Magical World of Disney change from B&W to color. When Walt's vision for Disney World opened, I was there with my family. I attended many times afterward. Walt's vision was for all children to have the opportunity to see and believe in an alternate world that emphasize all that was good in the world. Disney is now run by scalpers and traitors to Walt's original vision. Disney could care less about the children of the world and certainly left all that is good in the world at the front door of the bank. Larry from Texas

[@tomobedlam9045]

I agree with everything you wrote. Disney could care less about the children. Now, they only care about the almighty dollar.

[@ksandhoff1]

MY Father put the roof on the castile and I was involved with him to put the roof on ASS HOl ew

[@markklingerman8116]

My wife and I were married in 1978 and went there on our honeymoon. We are from Indiana and have 3 children. We returned every year since bringing each of our children with us after they reached 4 years of age. WDW was where we vacationed all the time. As our kids grew up and got married they established the tradition with their families. When Covid began we stopped. 2019 was the last year we stayed on ground and went into the parks. Just this last March we returned, when we saw the prices of everything we said “Enough!” We are done! Our tradition is over……we’re finished.

[@user-my8bb6nc1x]

Sorry but I find it wholly weird to always vacation at Disney

[@warlordop713]

Weird

[@mancal5829]

Good riddance!

[@marinawolf]

It took you that long? We stopped in the early 2000s and we were Florida residents.

[@JRenee-Sings]

Ever try to estimate how much money you all spent all those years? Would be interesting.

[@nokrepkie]

Genie+ is an absolute disgrace. I don’t even think six flags could cook up something that horrendously anti consumer.

[@HaddaClu]

You just had to say something.... now Six Flags will take that as a challenge.

[@TheBaldr]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6rNi6N4ppaLeKc It explains a lot.

[@Mike_jigsaw]

The six flags near me has had their flashpass system long before genie+ came along. I used it once years ago, $65 and you got three rides, thats it. I’m sure it’s different now though.

[@JustinSteereMusic]

@@HaddaClu Six Flags knows that the best way to beat Disney is to add more value. Six Flags would see that as their demise.

[@edwardrhoads7283]

Um, 6 flags has a system too but their system is wayyyyy more expensive. We did a trip at start of year and parks were crazy busy. Did not matter as genie plus let us ride almost everything. Disney system is CHEAP compared to other systems.

[@robbieschertz3726]

6k got me 20 days between Iceland, Copenhagen, South Sweden, and eating and drinking like a KING and I’d do it all over again over Disney 😂😂

[@DoctorCyan]

This is what I find most interesting. I understand why families with lots of kids in different ages would rather do Disney than backpacking in the Alps, but I find it surprising that adults would love Disney so much that they would go with just friends or a partner. Go have fun in a real city! It's way better and half the cost!

[@dks80721]

Amen

[@bighand1530]

Nice

[@darkartsandcrafts7996]

Right?!? I spent maybe 2k on everything for my trip to Norway for three weeks in 2019.

[@jeanpaulfelix4095]

europe is mind blowing. If your 10 disney might be better.

[@markdaniels2092]

The separate lines at rides for people who are willing to pay more than the admission fee, puts parents in the loser position of having to explain to their children that all those folks make more money than they do. ALL children will feel an instinctive violation, unfairness. Also, in more and more professional videos here on KZbin, a stunning lack of proper maintenance, AND in some cases, even cleanliness is apparent for all to see. Not being able to find a clean, decent amusement park for his daughters to enjoy on the weekends is what initially got Walt Disney to think up the idea of Disneyland. Now, with great regrets, the beautiful Magic Kingdom is neither.

[@DucatiJohn]

I’ve been a Disney going guy since I was a child. I’ve been there more than 30 times. First as a child, and now as parents. Since going for the first time in the seventies I’m now in my fifties and have also moved to Europe. I live in the Netherlands. It’s now May 2024 and we visited Disney on the 19th of April. A three day hopper pass for a STAGGERING $1700+. Because my mother lives in the Villages, Florida, we didn’t need any kind of hotel. Parking was $30 and food was also priced at a premium. You’ll need pretty much 20$ per person per meal. Crowds even in April are INSANE. For Avatar passage of flight it was more then two hours. The rest of the rides around the parks were just as busy, although Avatar was the busiest. We had luck with Tron as we managed to join the virtual queue. Had to be at the ride at 18:20 and even then it took over more then an hour to get on the ride. Our son was 4 years old when he first went. Now he’s 20. He enjoyed it and we enjoyed sharing the experience of being with him. Our last trip to Disney was in 2016. Needless to say a lot has changed again since then. To say it’s expensive is an understatement. It’s getting ridiculous. To say it’s busy is another understatement because crowds are absolutely insane. The over the counter food is terrible and expensive. In all I find it hard to believe that this sort of pricing will continue and that crowds will keep coming in. Yet, the crowds still come….and they seem to keep on growing. I’m now 58……and it pains me to say that this was my last time. Not out of anger because I’m not angry over the way Disney is going about their parks. It’s just rational thinking. Pricing, wait times, quality of food and the overall experience is just not worth the money anymore. For us that is. I’ve been very fortunate to have been able to do this for so long. After doing Universal Studios, where things are getting insane as well, this vacation is almost over. Just for tickets: 3 day hopper and one day park to park Universal Studios it was almost $2400 for three adults. Let that sink…just for tickets. Again it’s getting ridiculously expensive.

[@mmytacist]

I'm older and I do understand tech. But when I went online to book Disney World, I eventually threw up my hands and said "fuck it" and didn't even go

[@FransceneJK98]

You dodged a financial bullet man 😂

[@christopherblaisdel]

If only they had a phone number.

[@iVTECInside]

I dislike how so much of it is app driven. Add roaming fees to the total cost.

[@FransceneJK98]

@@iVTECInside especially if you’re visiting from overseas. 🙄

[@CincyJen513]

This is the way.

[@MarielleMorris]

so you're telling me... I have to pay to get into the park THEN I have to pay for an app, THEN after I pay for an app I have to PAY FOR THE RIDE???? that's insane.

[@sissycarolina4863]

It's called a profit center. That is how the people behind Disney now think. They probably spend tons of times in meetings trying to figure out what they can make next a profit center.

[@kimsinclair9100]

The app is free but, yes, you’re paying an additional fee to get on the premium rides at peak attendance and/or popularity of the ride. Crazy!

[@macflod]

Seems like the accountants are running the place now

[@koresoteira447]

Yup, you pay an entry fee, just to pay more money. And because everyone has to rely on the fast passes etc, your ONLY hope to not spend multiple hours in queues for single rides is to also pay for those passes. Then you have the situation where everyone has fast passes, so they have introduced a faster fast pass. It's nuts.

[@brianal7143]

@@koresoteira447it's crazy how accurate this is

[@KamraMahl]

I worked at disney for a year back in 2012. I recall a one day one park ticket being $90.53. I remember being completely baffled that families would come to the ticket and transportation center to purchase tickets and would have to drop $2k easy for a family of 4, visiting for 4 days. Nevermind the add ons for park hopper or waterpark fun and more, which could run you $50 per day, per ticket. No idea how I kept a straight face while swiping their credit cards for payment.

[@alia1549]

I’ve never been to any Disney parks, presumably because it was too expensive for my parents to justify going… and that was many years ago. Videos like these over the last few years affirm my decision that it’s not even worth it anymore, and I don’t need to bother feeling like I missed out on anything.

[@thisismyaltaccount85]

Idk man it's really fun

[@ChuckE.CheesesIllinois]

​@@thisismyaltaccount85Nah, it's not fun anymore. At Magic Kingdom Splash Mountain was the last good thing there, with that gone there's nothing much worth going there

[@hedgehog3180]

I exclusive watch these videos so I can feel good about not doing these kinds of things.

[@Lukas-tf3nu]

When it's that expensive and the park is still overcrowded, you can only imagine that it's going to be even more expensive in the future.

[@Bruce22027]

I think overall attendance is actually dropping despite it being crowded on this particular video.

[@Lightningdude]

Idiots will keep paying for woke garbage and Disney will milk them as much as possible to fund their failed social engineering movies

[@HapPawhere]

That is depending on how the worls's economy@@Bruce22027

[@gregorycolonescu6059]

this is some hard cope@@TD75

[@makayla5227]

@@TD75I honestly wasn’t super impressed when I went to Disney last year. $20 per person for a fast pass is insane. We had the genie plus too, but it doesn’t even get you that many rides.

[@JustAnArrogantAlien]

Part of the problem is that a lot of folks today don’t see a trip to Disney World as a vacation, but a pilgrimage. It’s something they believe they’re just supposed to do, and no matter how steep the price tag gets, that conviction remains.

[@random1ghost819]

That’s what it felt like when I went with my fiancé

[@MVPUnlucky]

It's the holy land of American Consumerism. So yes it is a pilgrimage. One that gets worse every year.

[@nightwines]

Same as having children.

[@mr.person1219]

​@@random1ghost819I suggested this to my girlfriend and she was like "you crazy?"

[@n3wt]

Check out the Disney reviews on google arrange by lowest Scary wait times and crazy crowds

[@Electrohead92]

This is especially horrible when you’re a Canadian and have to deal with the awful exchange rate. Everything essentially becomes 25% more expensive by default.

[@Snuggles_the_Unholy]

I grew up in Anaheim. 1/2 mile away from Disneyland. In my youth I would walk to the park and beg E tickets off of people who were leaving and not returning. NOW, it's just a too expensive eyesore with fireworks. You shouldn't have to get a 2nd mortgage so you can afford to go to a goddamned theme park.

[@floycewhite6991]

Very dangerous neighborhood esp. hoodlums preying on tourists at hotels, restaurants, and parking lots.

[@lillithsummers8817]

You paid almost a grand to ride 3-4 rides , eat 3 meals and stay 1 night in a mid hotel.😮 Yet Disney is packed with people to pay that (and more). The world is crazy!

[@okieg8960]

It’s mostly older adults who are retired or influencers who get payed to go. Then you have the normal middle class family vacations and the low amount of people who saved a lot

[@OldManAndTheSeaOfTooManyCats]

I can only conclude people don’t know any better.

[@billlumbergh9251]

There's an abundance of stupid. That company hates you (if you are white)

[@Chthonian121]

And fools wonder how are we in a recession

[@klwarhouse]

I go every year. It's not full of just old people and influencers. Also, if you have the means, what's the issues? More people have the means to take trips like this than you may think.

[@lexic.4802]

We actually recently priced it out. It's cheaper to fly to Tokyo, stay, eat, and go to Disney there, than it is to go to either Disney park in the US. And we live in the US, and can drive to some of these

[@Fhwgads11]

Do you have more details on this price comparison? Trying to convince my family to go to Tokyo before my friend that lives there moves back

[@mynorargueta6457]

@@Fhwgads11look up the price for tokyo disneyland and disneysea and convert to USD. it’s dirt cheap compared to the US parks. you can also buy tickets to the tokyo disney parks at convenience stores in japan like 7/11

[@Ariel-lol]

That’s actually super smart!! Plus getting to experience a whole new country at the same time?! Yes please!!!

[@IAmAnAnne]

…! Is it?! They have the Duffy friends mascots there! :D this is a great idea

[@mutilatedpopsicles]

​@Fhwgads11 there and back flights range anywhere from 1400 to 2000$ USD per ticket Hotel prices (normal hotels, didn't check disney ones) are from 40 to 200 a night Actual park tickets depending on your age and amount of time spent are around 140-200 per person This is based off of googled amounts and doesn't include food or transport so I could be completely off, I would recommend sitting down with your family and having a conversation about it, finding places to stay and plane tickets so you have a better idea.

[@user-wp1wp8sc4r]

Thank you for this video. My wife and I are in our 70s and living in Australia. I visited the original Disneyland in 1973 and had a marvellous time with some friends. Subsequently our family including two daughters visited Tokyo DisneyLand & DisneySea in 2003 while in Japan and Paris Disneyland in 2005 while in Europe. As we had limited time, I opted to not join them in these parks and did some rail travel instead. In 2011 we were in Hong Kong by ourselves and my wife visited the smallest Disney park while I did my own thing. When Shanghai Disneyland opened in 2016 we were there at my wife's suggestion and then she thought it would be good to complete the whole collection with a trip to Disney World and Disneyland. So we travelled in January 2019 during the cooler (but not cold) weather. Bear in mind that as senior citizens by now, it was more a case of enjoying the atmosphere than doing anything strenuous. I'm glad that we visited then as the price increases would have made a trip now even more expensive than we experienced.

[@vtech920]

I went to Disney World as a child in 1996, a day ticket was $38 dollars and a yearly pass was $202. those were the good Ol days. Now, tickets start at $99 and a yearly pass is now about $1500. How things have changed, no wonder nobody can afford to do anything nowadays with the cost for everything being so high

[@dutchvanderlinde1505]

Boycotting Disney could really do us all some favors, their monopoly is getting out of hand

[@grazz7865]

I FULLY agree-100%. Mr Trump even recommended the same thing (not for disney). The problem is this is a cuntry of 300 million people living together that all hate each other. So we would never get any kind of unity.

[@galiiiiiiiii]

Yuppp

[@neonflashsparkotron5435]

Bro has a plan 💀

[@Voltaic_Fire]

People should and are going to Universal instead, it's both better and more affordable.

[@joshualemay5634]

Facts ​@@Voltaic_Fire

[@lisapolanski9379]

How terrible to charge people an extra $20 to ride a popular ride when they have already charged you for admission. What a scam!

[@mr.foxwiz1653]

People keep paying

[@andrewschannel4259]

Busch Gardens Tampa: Hold my beer

[@raymondlin8728]

Kinda like paying real estate taxes when u have no kids in school

[@AngelicWitch444]

Staying in line is free tho

[@raymondlin8728]

Yeah like buying car insurance. 2000k a year. And the insurance company pay 500$ WHEN YOUR CAR iS TOTALED

[@maverick214]

I'm sure Walt Disney, who died 5 years before Disney World opened, didn't envisage that this amusement park would become ultra expensive and that you would almost need a degree in computer science to figure out the best deals, ride times, hotels, etc. The whole experience seems to be a complicated maze of unexpected costs and bizarre queueing for everything. Far from a relaxing vacation.

[@joeybaby.]

This is so sad. I'm 65 and loved my trips to Disneyland as a child and adult. Now a retired adult I will never be able to take my grandchildren to disney. This is nothing but obscene gluttony by a once respected company . This is not capitalism it is robbery. Walt would be so ashamed.

[@juanpabloruiz9741]

I couldn't agree more with you, sir. I'm 31 years old and I haven't gone to Disneyland since I was 15. It makes me sad that I can't save enough money to go back there (even taking my girlfriend there for the first time) with all their prices rising. It's almost as if they wanted only rich people and wouldn't let anyone else get in there if they're not willing to pay their prices. So much for the "happiest place on Earth". It's pretty sad to say the least 😕😕😕

[@richarddeane8433]

We took my daughter & grand daughter last year & hated the crowds & the long lines for a lot of the best rides . I noticed that many people seemed stressed - out & ill-tempered, probably because you spend a fortune to get there & then realize much of your time is spent just waiting .

[@sparda9060]

90% of disneyland experience is you walking around in hot weather and waiting in lines for a 1 min rides..... I'd take that money and vaca somewhere else around in a exotic country with way better experience and way cheaper than Disneyland.

[@jamesma7351]

Exactly sir exactly

[@Dawho99]

With their high prices, it really shocks me to see people so relaxed, just walking around slowly with no set plan of getting their moneys worth… some people dont seem to even get on any rides, and seem happy to just walk around, i guess thats a good thing, but it still surprises me

[@satisfied656]

This must be an "american thing"! I´m from Europe and for roughly 1000$ per day i can book a mediteranian-cruise (at a private!! yacht 4 pax) or travel to the Seychelles or Maledieves instead waste my money on this crap! I can understand if someone had kids to go and see Disneyland, even it´s a "money burner"....but as an adult #Never (not even for free)

[@JAlexanderCurtis]

This has been my refusal to go to Disneyland again. All you do is stand in line. Even if the park pass was free, I'm not sure I would want to spend my day in lines. Plus guess who's even worse at waiting in lines than adults... kids. So you have screaming kids who are hot, thirsty, hungry, angry and impatient. Everywhere you look you pay more money. Honestly the price of food doesn't bother me as much as most people. It's the fact that you are always in line. Line for the bathroom, line to get a drink, line for the ride, line for the bus, line for lunch.

[@SgtGitaroo]

It's devastating to see crowds bigger and bigger while Disney squeezes everybody more and more. I'm almost as mad at everybody continuing to support them than I am at Disney itself...

[@Housewarmin]

People will splurge on just about anything. Look at the people who paid $14k to go to the Superbowl.

[@DraconisLeonidas]

@@Housewarmin I'm no football fan, but at least the Superbowl is a once-a-year event acting as the championship for the entire league. If you're a big football fan, especially if one of your teams is one of those competing in it, then yea, I'd say it's at least somewhat justified to be willing to spend a lot of money on something that's such a big deal overall. But Disney? Disney's there every day, offering the same services, and the variable prices are only for selling more tickets overall, not because you're getting less or more or whatever. Hell, even as someone who doesn't like football, I'd probably sooner spend that amount of money on going to the Superbowl myself than bothering with Disney. At least with the Superbowl I'm actually going to be able to see the game, whereas with Disney I might not even get to ride the rides I want, which would be my entire reason for being in the park.

[@Housewarmin]

To some people, Disney is a once in a liftetime or once a decade trip. They will always spend to have the trip they want. Disney knows that, and will always go after those people. Im sure in a year or two, Genie Plus will be $100 a person, and people will STILL pay for it. @@DraconisLeonidas

[@JohnScaer]

I think this is the key point. It's not just that Disney Parks' profits are growing. They could theoretically get that result by gouging more money from a smaller pool of attendees. Despite how much people seem to complain, more and more customers keep going. My old coworker seems to visit WDW at least once a year. I told him at one point, "It's a nice place, but I can't justify going back because the prices are out of control." He replied by saying that was just part of the experience that you have to deal with. It's not just the people splurging for One Big Trip that are propping up the Disney theme parks. A lot of repeat customers really do just love it THAT much.

[@RoboRoby321]

They're losing money long term. As a child/teen I used to go yearly but haven't been back in 7 years seeing how the prices just keep going up. I'm planning a trip this year but I know it's the only one I'll make for several years to Disney due to the cost. Instead my money has been going to six flags which I frequent way more often

[@kitkat5339]

I owned DVC and went regularly. I loved it. Then they started screwing with the services offered (fast pass, free trans from airport) and seemingly stopped trying to make the magic happen. It got dirtier, trashier, and chain places like Starbucks started appearing. Then they started mandating you pick a park and took away spontaneity. Ticket prices jumped every year and they monetized what used to be free. Rides were frequently broken down. In short, it became more and more difficult to find that Disney magic. I sold my DVC and haven’t been back. I doubt I ever will return. I’m aware WDW doesn’t care. They’re after the “once-in-a-lifetime” people. Loyalty has no value.

[@lesfrischmann]

We are done with Disney. I am tired of the corporate greed. It was overpriced 30 years and now it's just ridiculous. The lines are too long and the rides are too short. We use to bring in our own sandwiches and snacks to keep the cost down. It lost it's magic a long long time ago in a land far far away.

[@PaladineGirl]

A day in Disney is like 3 months of rent for me... that's insane...

[@ca7surfer]

Bruh where do you live where rent is 150$?! My rent is 3200

[@Speedster189]

​@@ca7surferdon't play dumb Disney visit cost more then the ticket

[@laurenchafin2404]

If that’s the case you’re doing it wrong. A bit hyperbolic and unnecessary exaggeration on your part.

[@scotthullinger4684]

@@ca7surfer- Rent for maybe a 5 bedroom apartment or house? What city?

[@keinlieb3818]

​@@ca7surfer my rent is only $450 for a 4 bed, 2 bath house in a gated community with a guard and a maid that comes in weekly. You gotta move.

[@Leprechaunproduction]

If Dante wrote 'Inferno' today, the circle of greed would be stuffed to the brink with Disney executives.

[@KhurtKhave669]

Sadly that’s the whole world. Greed is doing more damage than all the hate and wars, and is usually the cause of a lot of those wars.

[@user-li2yv5je5e]

Are you sure it wouldn't be the inner circle of treachery? They've betrayed Walt's dream.

[@DougGlendower]

"Disney" is an overqualification.

[@ddespair]

No it would be stuffed with conservatives who value money over people. Disney isn’t the problem. The American healthcare system, monopolies and capitalism that refuses to make minimum wage on par with living costs is why you can’t afford Disney.

[@cattenchaostherandomperson]

@@user-li2yv5je5e they'd be split

[@kapri8723]

Loved this video another amazing video from you. This brought back memories of going to disney world in March 2022 and staying in Port Orleans and getting pizza every night. I also remember a lot of the factors in this video. Loving the content!

[@flibber123]

Raising prices is one way to limit the number of people who go there and allows Disney to avoid having to say straight out that they are trying to limit how many people can go there. If you were waiting 90 minutes to get on a ride at these prices, imagine how much more insane the wait would be if it were more affordable. Disney is not trying to figure out how to attract more visitors, they are trying to regulate how many visitors they attract.

[@MrScalius]

The could just limit the number of people entering in the park

[@flibber123]

@@MrScalius For one thing, it would lead to questions like "Why does Disney allow those people in but not us?". By raising prices, they can say they will allow anyone in...as long as you can pay. It amounts to the same thing but is perceived differently.

[@emmasilver2332]

​@@flibber123 There's an easier solution to this: just require reservations. Have X amount of people allowed in the park per day, and the only people allowed in are those who made reservations.

[@rogerk6180]

A normal reaction to this problem is increasing capacity. You know, growing with your audience. Pricing out your customer base is never a good idea.

[@FaceRipperReal]

What's even funnier is that even though they keep increasing prices, Tron was STILL sponsored by Enterprise as if Disney didn't have enough money to built it themselves or something

[@wewhoareabouttodiesaluteyo9303]

build*

[@JerseyDevils21]

​@@wewhoareabouttodiesaluteyo9303who cares

[@zackakai5173]

Jesus, at least back in the day when a corporation sponsored a ride, they had the decency to come up with something original. Now they fall back on marketable IP-name recognition anyway. Fuck corporate greed.

[@patrickn8355]

It’s hilarious isn’t it? Universal has never once done this in the last 20 years to my knowledge, yet put up significantly better, and more immersive arguably, attractions with less money, no sponsors and at 5x the speed. Almost like Disney doesn’t care at all anymore and is focused solely on their IP and streaming while parks take a backseat to cash flow.

[@everythingsalright1121]

there's no reason for them to improve the parks. despite living costs going up more than ever, people still spend money far beyond their means to go to places like disney for vacations. their reputation is such that no matter what they do, people are always going to go to the "happiest place on earth". it's always been simply about making the money number go higher, even though disney couldve easily footed the bill on pretty much everything they make, they still seek out sponsors since it's less of a liability for them@@patrickn8355

[@mr.pencilsharpener8004]

I was in Japan for several weeks this summer, so I decided to check out Tokyo Disney. I spent two days to check out each park, spent 3 nights at a 3rd party hotel that was onsite and still on the monorail line. Including food and transport to the resort from the city, the total trip cost about 58,000 yen or about 390 usd. That is nuts compared to the US.

[@KhurtKhave669]

A lot of US Disney fans have started going to the out of country parks instead for that very reason.

[@damnimloomin]

The Oriental Land Company has been extremely hostile towards the recent changes at Disney! They are refusing to re theme splash mountain, and have been staunchly against the price hikes and anti consumer sentiment so I can’t say im shocked! Disney has been trying to fight them but thankfully their contract has helped OLC fight off these changes.

[@ScouseJazmin]

It's the same with Paris - tickets are included with the hotel price, which generally is around or under €200 a night. I've never been, so I'm no expert, but I think it's bc in the USA, Disney has legit political power in the areas where the parks are so they can pretty much do what they want, and there's not much chance of losing their customer base bc Disney adults are Disney adults. But in Europe and Asia, the parks are near capital cities, which have better tourist alternatives, other economic industries, and harder-to-manipulate local politics. They actually have to price competitively to get people through the door. I wonder how that will change now that Americans are apparently going to the cheaper international parks? Here's hoping they learn to appreciate the actual countries instead of the disney parks in them 😅

[@mr.pencilsharpener8004]

More Americans are going to the international parks than before, but it’s an extremely small percentage of the people visiting the US parks. I don’t think people going abroad will have any effect on how the US parks are run.

[@shadowduck02]

Tokyo Disney is run by another company. Disney has zero invovlement. That is probably a huge reason why it is so much more affordable.

[@joehawaiian1078]

If your a DVC member, get a room with a kitchen, buy food at the supermarket cases of water and juice, breakfast foods eggs bacon etc.. a small cooler, make sandwiches for lunch and bring it to the park. Then family size food to pop in the oven. To save money to spend on tickets, souvenirs etc...

[@TwoFoxGibbon]

That's insane. My parents worked at Disney, so on the weekends, they would take my friend and me to the park at around 8-10am, give me $20 for food for the day, and then pick us up when the park closed, which is between 9 and midnight depending on the day of the year. I basically went to Disney at a minimum of once a month, and often many more times than that. And since my parents worked at the park, our passes were the park hoppers and we could get into any park at our leisure. That was my growing up in Florida from age 10 until I left for the Navy.

[@Leafwink]

Wife: "I want to go to Disney World!" Me: "I want to pay off the car."

[@RM-lk1so]

ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT

[@Minarreal]

"I want to pay off the house" levels coming in 2028.

[@andreaslind6338]

2040: OK dear, ill sell my kidney...

[@user-hc6ne8lm8v]

wise man.

[@BobSmith-tn2qp]

You pay off the house, then she files for divorce, keeps the kids, keeps the house and sells your car and makes you pay child support 😅

[@MissManicMellie]

I’m a Canadian who grew up lower class (single mother raising me and my brother, bordering on poverty class at times) and when I tell you I used to FANTASIZE about a Disney trip. Disney rentals from Blockbuster raised me on nights my mom worked late and they always had commercials for the parks. I still want to go at some point in my life, but now at 31 years old hearing how different it is to the parks I dreamed about as a little girl is really disheartening

[@givemeyournachos]

Same! And with the current economic downturn in Canada (can't afford shit here!!!) No way id be able to afford to go down to the USA to go to disney world/land. Way too much $$$ in exchange rate alone. Id rather spend the hundreds/thousands you need to travel there and go elsewhere.

[@TalpaTulpa]

I went to a Disney park…..AS A FUCKING BABY. I don’t even know which one I went to and I’m only going if from stories of my parent, so this baby was most likely my big sister and not even me

[@f00kiebookie]

Hi Mellie, I'm truly sorry to hear you've never got to live out this dream of visiting the park. I can empathize greatly. I've always been poor but knew I'd make it there one day so at 21, I got a credit card and flew to Florida. I maxed it out visiting the parks. I'm 26 and still paying it off. I wish I could say it was worth it. the parks were packed. the lines were long. the days were hot. it's hard to have memories of it when most of the time I was heat exhausted in the cues. Disney has become completely overrated sadly. I still hope one day you get to live out that fantasy when it won't financially harm you

[@LakesideGazer]

@@UDontCare0 Nope, it won't. Corporations got a taste of REAL unadulterated greed during/after covid, with huge profits and returns, and now shareholders won't let them NOT do this kind of thing anymore. More profits, more squeezing the consumer, more, more, more.

[@TalpaTulpa]

@@UDontCare0 it won’t

[@Joel-oy5fi]

For $5K I'm going with my wife to the Maldives all inclusive for 2 weeks in December (their peak season). No lines and I may only look at my smartphone for the time of day.

[@billparks7368]

Former pass holder for almost 10 years before covid. Lived west of Orlando. 45 minutes away. Went twice a month. Epcot was our favorite. Moved closer to Tampa and go to Busch Gardens for a lot less. Resident of Florida for over 50 years. Seen a lot change. Sad. Miss old Florida. 😢 Great channel. 👍

[@jstarASMR3103]

I would literally NEVER go here again. The amount of money spent for the bare minimum at this place is INSANE

[@jstarASMR3103]

For context the last time I went was in 2016 when I was 12, so I didn’t have to worry about prices obviously. But now as an adult, I’d literally never go back unless they change their ways. But even if I was super rich I still wouldn’t go because this place is a woke cesspool and I hate the political hill they insistently choose to die on at every chance they can get. Boom 🤣💀

[@broncosstampede494]

Go To Universal Studios, They Really Want To Please The Guest To Make Sure They Return... Disney With Their Woke Trash Movies And Now Milking Their Parks For The Most Money A Person Could Ever Spend In A Day, To Recoup From Their Box Office Failures, That's The Reason Disney Parks Are So Expensive, BECAUSE THEIR MOVIES ARE BAD

[@onlythebest3311]

Who cares about what you want, when your kid tells you that’s the only place they want to go, you go…

[@irisheartt]

​@@onlythebest3311 If you can't say "no" to your kids, that's a you problem

[@broncosstampede494]

@@onlythebest3311 I Replace Disney With Harry Potter, So The Kids Have Better Standards

[@tombuck]

Can you really call it a Disney vacation if you don’t get at least one diamond encrusted Cinderella Castle?

[@richardsavaglio523]

I buy one every time I go! Don’t you? Lol

[@JH-lo9ut]

What kind of father would deny their daughter anything of the kind.

[@JeremyLeech]

The man himself!

[@TimoteoDeBaum]

I’d buy it not for $200K 😂

[@xm1808]

@@TimoteoDeBaum Imagine not spending 200k on an ugly display castle on your 1k 1 day fun park vaction. What are you poor? (this is a joke)

[@thomassawyer6523]

Done with Disney World over a decade ago and the kids are grown up. The bean counters have taken over and they slice and dice the experience into a credit card milking machine. G'bye Mickey, say cheers to Goofy for me!

[@danielbanducci681]

Really enjoyed your video. I am an avid Disney park fan. But I too have become very discouraged of the constant rising prices. I think your insight was spot on. The issue is many people have what I call the Disney magic obsession. There is something about this place that people for whatever reason are willing to pay whatever they can to experience it. Disney is well aware of this. I live in Southern California and close to Disneyland. I used to be an annual pass holder but unfortunately the annual passes have become cost prohibitive and quite frankly I don’t want to go to the park 16 times per year for it to pay for itself. Still the park grows and grows in crowds every year. So being a big Disney kid who definitely gets the Disney magic I have tapered it down to Disneyland for one day once a year and maybe a four day visit to Walt Disney World every 7 to 10 years. I have traveled all over the world, and I agree with you that there are many many wonderful destinations to experience for less. I will never turn my back on Disney. I just don’t need to be a fanatic about it anymore. Thank you again👍

[@kurtisstoddard2744]

The elimination of Free fast pass with the introduction of Genie and particularly Individual Lightning Lanes just kinda killed my enthusiasm

[@janett253]

I refuse to use it because #1it's too expensive and #2 It's too confusing. I'll never purchase it.

[@RoboRoby321]

I've just seen the mess Disney has made for itself with all the different fast pass systems and I'm just confused how they get it so wrong. But I understand they just want more money so they're willing to make everything feel worse so you pay for a barely acceptable experience

[@adamstrachn]

Same here. I live in Orlando and make decent money, but still don't feel like going. I grew up here and remember how it used to be not so long ago, so I get a little bitter at how it is now.

[@kurtisstoddard2744]

@@adamstrachn Same, I could afford it but I still just resent being nickel and dimed on attractions inside the park. The whole point of the fast pass was to reduce time in line to get people elsewhere in the park spending more. They’re just dinging customers both places now.

[@bellanoche6116]

Same, I am waiting for the old system to come back.

[@karlstrauss2330]

Disney used to be super expensive but provided a great experience with a lot of value. Now it’s just super expensive.

[@jmn327]

That's a key point; my family was lucky enough to get to go every year for a little while when I was a kid, and while my parents knew it was pricey, they at least felt like they were always getting their money's worth - the staff always went above and beyond, the experiences were varied and had something to offer for the entire family (not just the kids or just fans of a particular property), etc. There's still stuff to like there now, but the experience itself is so much more harried and stressful, the perks that were there are being removed one by one, lines are longer not just because of crowds but because of the very "solution" Disney had proposed with Lightning Lanes, and even the staff, which often tries its best, is in such a tougher situation given how much worse corporate apparently treats them today as opposed to back in the 80s-early 00s. And they want us to pay 50% *more* for all of that.

[@karlstrauss2330]

@@jmn327Michael Eisner got a lot of hate in the 2000s for the way he ran the company. In hindsight, I think we were too harsh on the guy and didn’t appreciate him enough for what he did for the company.

[@jmn327]

@@karlstrauss2330 There's definitely a lot to legitimately criticize Eisner about, and I do think there's something to the argument that he was never quite the same once Frank Wells died. However, push comes to shove, Eisner at least came in as a guy who cared about the creative side of things, and still demanded a top-notch show, even though there were moments he screwed up big time (e.g. the end of the old EPCOT Center began under his watch, the EuroDisney early shakiness, the beginning of California Adventure, etc.). While he was far from perfect, I'd take his approach over the "Harvard MBA" approach of the Bobs, where you avoid risks, make tons of cuts, and jack up prices at every opportunity.

[@jacksonteller3973]

@@jmn327 I don't think Wells death had much to do with it, even before then he was running into problem's like the opening of Eurodisney not doing as well as anticipated.

[@BigRico.]

I normally just watch your abandoned stuff. But I did appreciate this very straight forward and honest approach. I have not been in years as it is a bit over priced. But if you have the money and dont care about the gouging then I guess why not lol. Thank for the video 😁

[@schallrd1]

The Disney Magic is how fast they make your money disappear.

[@imsleepingbeauty]

2 years ago, we stayed in a 2 bedroom bungalow on a beach in Fiji for 12 days. With all food, at least 1 excursion each day (zip lining, snorkeling, fishing, private island bbq, mud pools, several tours, transportation, flight and more) for $1,400 USD. It's a bummer cuz I love Disney, but I'd rather take a 2 week tropical vacation than waste all that money for 2 days at Disney.

[@Jodus_MacGotuss]

That vacations sounds absolutely incredible! You've gotta be just uninformed or completely engrossed in Disney consumerism crap to choose two days at Disney world rather than two weeks anywhere else

[@lyndafayesmusic]

​@@Jodus_MacGotuss Oh, nice " consumerism crap" we term that MARKETING PLOYS, ha...sorry, seems Disney has disintegrated, ha!! I DIGRESS. "Poor Walt," is all we can say. A man who love children and telling stories , influencing their imagination...I just bet HE , himself wouldn't have a very good time visiting his own parks these days. "The Pirates of the Caribbean" characters and the "Lincoln Speech" were worth seeing, (but not worth a $5000 vacation! )The lines and the crowds, not so much. WE visited Anaheim decades ago, and Orlando, decades later, but all we here these days is "Wow, we could have spent our money on much more enjoyable activities", but then marketing schemes have brainwashed our children continually through the years. OUR character doesn't like mice (Though Ramatoulie was cute!) and would rather have a live Shetland pony, than any types of stuffed animals!And for the prices at Disneyland, allot of families could fix up that back yard to provide experiences for their children! My friends and I have found the humor in the whole concept of " Visiting Disneyland!" ...Our character, a little eight year old girl, says to her parents when her classmates all scream out " Disneyland for a birthday party", " I want to go where man has never gone before!-- HOME!" When we called the copyright office to copyright her, the clerk said in looking for the correct forms to submit, " We haven't copyrighted a character such as this since Walt copyrighted his Mickey Mouse!" We had to file our character's music, stories, and theatrics under one name, so she became "Honey Unlimited!" "Her" songs are at You Tube &Soundcloud; She later became "carved in stone" too! (Since she "stars" in five musicals-she'll always be TOO BUSY to want to visit Disneyland!) We were on the set when Bob Brunner was helping film " The Apple Dumpling Gang" with Dallas McKennon...I remember Dal introducing us to Don Knotts in the cafeteria that day-was a " memorably creative" day! (Bob was the orchestrator of Bambi, a very nice man, and personal friend from the Church of the Latter Day Saints, in Brentwood,CA ).Bob predicted this $$$ could someday become $$$Disastrous! "Lost in a Song About You" from "Beauty is as Beauty Does" the musical comedy. "Time Goes By" from Honey Visits With the Famous First Four" (The "Presidents' Story)" Lynda Faye's Little Blue Mermaid" the musical for children with sculptured mermaids.SeaponyMermaids by LyndaFaye@Gmail. (K-12 San Diego Unified)

[@ALT-vz3jn]

@@lyndafayesmusicTLDR. What?

[@factsoverfeelings9228]

Are you autistic? Serious question. Because your babbling to seemingly no one but yourself 😂

[@MsBlueRyan]

DisneyLand property is owned by the British Crown..look it up. The money doesn't even go back into America. That is why no one ever unalives at Disney..it's Crown Land and the biggest secret ever.

[@koresoteira447]

We went to Disneyworld a few years back, and our biggest take away was that, for the "happiest place on earth", EVERYONE looked stressed and miserable. It was overly expensive, severely over crowded, stifflingly hot, there were no places to rest or sit, and other customers were all single minded and selfish, meaning that you had to have your guard up the entire time. We had exponentially more fun at the Universal parks.

[@jonbiedermann79]

THat's great, don't go.

[@Vespyr_]

Based take. Universal Parks are amazing.

[@dannydaw59]

They should raise the price until it's not crowded. 20 minute wait time for the most popular ride.

[@christianadriangurrolagulu555]

Even though I really had a great experience at universal, I still don’t know why a lot of people say that universal studios has gotten way better than disney, when it’s equally expensive and crowded af as Disney. At the end of the day, both set of theme parks are great in their own way, and which is one better comes down to personal taste and preferences of attractions

[@marcelluscunningham1144]

Exactly. Universal is half the price and to me you get a better experience there then Disney. corporate greed has run wild at Disney. The movies that they’re putting out are not bringing in the revenue that they used to so they’re trying to make it up with the parks.

[@jonlessard7622]

Jake, great video and I must agree with you! The cost to stay and play at the Happiest Place on Earth is out of touch with the public. For years my family and I stayed at the Poly, with dinning plan and the works for a 5-6 night park hopper pass. What used to cost us under $10K is now double. We won't be back anytime soon.

[@turkfiles]

I moved to So Cal almost 45 years ago due to a job relocation. I didn’t make my first trip to Disneyland until I had lived here 3 years. From my first visit to this very day, I have not been enamored with D-land primarily due to crowds and the long wait times for just about everything caused by Disney over-packing the park. Then, comes the cost. It was costly right from the start. Now it’s become excruciatingly expensive just to park your car, let alone pay the entrance fees, food costs, etc. It’s what happens when greed becomes a business’s main motivation for existing. I believe there will soon come a day when people will finally say, “This is crazy! I come here to escape from a world gone mad, and find myself in the midst of one that is even madder!”. I wonder if the costs in FL are lower than those in CA? Your meal prices and lodging did not sound that expensive compared to today’s at Disneyland. A stay at the California Adventure Hotel is about $800 per night. At least Disney World has the land to create large themed areas around their on-site hotels. D-Land only has two hotels jammed into its space. They’re two different “Worlds” when it comes to land coverage.

[@bionictea4360]

I remember about 10 years ago when my family was staying at the Disneyland Hotel, on our last night a cast member slipped a voucher under our door that let us stay another night for about $50 or so. Obviously it was a way to get us to buy another ticket for the parks but it was such a good deal that there is no way we couldn't have taken it. There is absolutely no way modern Disney would ever do something like that.

[@eduardovargas7366]

Now they are going to slip a rainbow flag under your door LOL

[@JAmacela]

I had a cast member give me 4 Fast Passes because I had a nose bleed while cueing up for Space Mountain. It wasn’t even a bad nose bleed- I had them all the time. This was also at the time of paper fast passes. Yeah, modern Disney would never do that. Better yet, I’ll never forget the joy that families would have when my family would give away our paper fast passes on the days we park hopped.

[@jonathandpg6115]

@@JAmacelaactually this is wrong disney still does stuff like that aka magical moments

[@rollercoasterridereview]

Sea world Orlando is way better I'd also prefer fun spot

[@Ssylphie]

@@eduardovargas7366bro what

[@2stayweird]

Going to Hong Kong Disneyland was like stepping back in time. No park reservation, we just showed up. The ticket was about $60 a person. Crowds were manageable. Food was theme park priced, but not outrageous. It was cheaper to fly there than it would be to spend a weekend at Disney World in a Disney Resort. :/

[@tomman2257]

Prices fluctuate in regards to local wealth. Disney in NA has become an annual exodus for the rich, people on HK don’t have as much money nor are willing to spend as much.

[@thisgame2]

Interesting

[@PoetaOm]

@@tomman2257 of course, they wont be abused like the americans, becuase they just dont "love" disney that much.

[@PoetaOm]

but were all the attractions in mandarin?

[@2stayweird]

@@PoetaOm Yes but, what I remember mostly everything had English subtitles or a translation posted :)

[@MrScalius]

I am with you on this. I went there with my young family at the time where the free bus and Fast pass was in effect. There was still a value proposition. It also made sense to get the meal plan which was affordable at the time relatively speaking. Going to the park is quite an experience not seen elsewhere. It is... magical. But now, the avarice is destroying all of this and it is pitiful.

[@falkensmaize]

We were considering another Disneyworld trip last year, and realized for the price of a mid-level Disney trip we could literally take a European vacation instead. So we did. 10 days in England and France. It was a profoundly more memorable and exciting trip than any Disney vacation we went on. Lunch across the Seine from Notre Dame. Real castles. Quaint and beautiful villages in the countryside. Towering cathedrals. Rich beauty and history at every turn. Disney is just no longer worth the headaches and expense. There’s a whole world out there you can visit - go see it!

[@BlinkyB23]

The $285,000 crystal-covered castle is the epitome of lunacy.

[@boardcertifiable]

I can bedazzle that myself for 500 bucks 😂

[@theEumenides]

But it's one of fifty!

[@scottbuck1572]

Its crazy you can just buy it in the gift shop

[@DeepDeepSpace]

You can buy a house with that.

[@D_veraz]

How do you take it home? Or at least they include shipping?

[@tdb7992]

It used to be very common for people from my country (Australia) to fly to the USA just to visit Disney. It was considered “do-able” albeit a bit expensive. These days it seems like everyone would rather visit Tokyo Disney, rather than the American ones.

[@keithsnider1958]

I would prefer the American parks for sure.

[@Pinkrosesandagraveyard]

Probably ran better with less nonsense

[@MrGforce52]

Doesn't matter, Disney is still getting your money 😂.

[@jessn.3851]

Tokyo could definitely be cheaper.

[@654jimbob654]

@@MrGforce52 Tokyo Disneyland is the only resort that Disney doesn't operate. It's ran by the Oriental Land Company and the prices, while still expensive, are nowhere near as extortionate as any other Disney resort.

[@williamakins4807]

Took my wife and daughter to "Be Our Guest." The child's dinner was $41.00. It offered her grilled steak, chicken breast, shrimp, Mac & Cheese or Chicken Tenders. Of course, a 10-year-old wants the chicken tenders ( we had to ask for fries ). I spent $41 on chicken fingers and fries. And don't get me going on "paying for the theming and experience". We have been here many times before. One fond memory, our daughter was 5 and dressed as Belle. We stood in line and had a meet and greet with The Beast. Everyone was charmed when she bowed to him after they danced. This time, the Beast did a drive-by walk-through. We knew when we overstayed our expected time when the recorded announcements repeated what we heard when we first got there. We are DVC members. We go every year, but over the last decade, the cost has gone up, and the quality has dropped. Disney World is far from the most Magical Place on Earth. Because of this, I am considering leaving my membership.

[@courtney02161980]

Thank you for showing this!!! I was thinking the same thing!!! You might as well go to Europe or the Caribbean!!!

[@partypete2542]

Something I noticed off the top of my head, they probably could easily reduce capacity and improve service/wait times. But they won't since 60+ minute wait times means an average family can only average 3-4 rides a day MAX. Forcing you to stay longer + buy more food + more drinks + more merchandise etc

[@Fa1seP0sitive]

I just wish people would stop falling for it. It was one thing when the experience as a whole wasn't as expensive, but every year it just gets worse.

[@meganegan5992]

"reduce capacity" sounds like you might've put that a little backwards

[@cjadventures8840]

@@meganegan5992wdym

[@qay7586]

Z

[@nickbsick6142]

@@meganegan5992I believe OP is saying that could have reduced capacity by limiting how many people get in through ticket sales, but they won’t because they make more money by having stay longer

[@LeonBes]

Hearing that you paid over $40 for the two of you to ride Tron absolutely killed any morbid curiosity I had about visiting these parks again. I can spend that money on a mid-price video game and actually get several hours of enjoyment out of it.

[@craigstephenson7676]

I could spend hours going to professional sporting event for less money they he spent on a minute long ride.

[@bluntalan5581]

Perfect to buy Helldivers 2

[@mscottster444]

Or go to Universal instead. Screw Disney

[@AwesomeHairo]

That's a week or half a week of groceries.

[@neru1584]

My birthday was just yesterday and I spent like 50 dollars on baldurs gate 3 and got more enjoyment out of it lmao

[@jh6031]

Very interesting episode. Thanks for the great content!

[@thomaslogan3057]

I'm just glad that I got to got Disneyland in 1963. My 3 three single aunts took me and my two brothers. We flew from Philly and took the helicopter from LAX to the old Disneyland Hotel parking lot! And my brothers and I paid for our own tickets and spending money by collecting and recycling newspapers. No way any kid is going to be able to do that today.

[@VictoriaGates]

Last time I visited Disney in the spring of 2023, I found myself constantly thinking about the high costs of everything, such as $400 pajamas and $25 scrunchies. By the end of the day, instead of reminiscing about the fun I had, I was worried about the size of my credit card bill, even though I didn't buy much merchandise. On my way back to the hotel, it dawned upon me that despite being a Disney fan since childhood, I would rather try Universal Studios the next time. This realization came as a huge surprise to me.

[@jmmartin7766]

💯

[@joshr6626]

Universal is great ! We only go there and stay at their resorts but honestly it's pricey as well especially the express pass..

[@yrbelite8450]

Went to universal in Hollywood even when you’re just looking around, it’s hella fun. Soooo many things to do for free.

[@VictoriaGates]

@@yrbelite8450 I went with a friend to Universal Hollywood for Halloween Horror Nights, and it was a BLAST. Not cheap... it's a theme park of course but WAY more reasonable than Disney.

[@VictoriaGates]

@@joshr6626 The express pass def makes it pricey. We did without and waited way too long to ride some things but with strategy we still rode everything we wanted that day. Def not so at Disney. :(

[@dawnwelch6579]

Just stumbled across this while looking up something else - excellent video, which I can relate to. My husband and I got to do our WDW dream trip the first half of February 2017, so your prices are spot-on for that year. We had the Magical Express, the Fast Passes, the free Magic Bands, stayed at Port Orleans Riverside with a corner room for an average of about $235/night, and had a scooter for my disability, which I rented off-site so I can continually have one with me the entire 14-day trip! That was only about $420 back then for the entire 14 days; literally saved our trip! A lot less expensive than hoping there’s one at the park available, and that’s not guaranteed every day. Some friends who stayed at the same hotel we did a month before told me the on-site scooter rentals were about $60-70 a DAY! We even did the Star Wars Dessert/Fireworks Party, which was AWESOME at $69/adult back then. We got desserts, savory snacks, and even alcoholic (and non-alkie) drinks all included in that $69!! Even a free Chewbacca plastic stein! I hear it is a LOT more now…last I heard it was around $99 or something. We did the romantic Dessert Cruise with the fireworks on our last night there, Valentine’s Day. Wish I could remember how much that was, but it was worth it! If we had not been able to go back in 2017, we may not have ever been able to at all, considering what things are like now. These high prices are turning away many people I know. Seems like we went at the most perfect time we could’ve possibly gone - lots of things started disappearing right after we left (La Nouba, The Great Movie Ride, etc.)…but I am so glad we got to enjoy it so much!

[@montyloads]

everything has become more expensive.....its like they figure out how much spare money the average person has left roughly each month and then hike up prices to leave them with nothing until the next pay check...... This is the blueprint, the average person is not allowed to accumulate wealth, its a system built to keep the workforce in check and ensure they are forced to turn up to work and get exploited for the next pay check, This is why credit / buy now pay later exists and why home ownership is encouraged etc etc, its all a system to keep the lower classes of society working hard for the higher classes of society

[@vinnyls6421]

I work at disney for the last few years and I still remember something a guest told me on one odd my first few days in conversation. They had to save 5 years for week long trip , and it’s only getting worse. That made me feel so bad and really puts it into perspective

[@same5952]

Anyone who would save for 5 years to spend 1 week at an amusement park, has their priorities wrong.

[@richardvancleave2139]

Black nazi woke Disney dont care what you think

[@MajorSquiggles]

​@@same5952I can understand why they would. If this is your dream vacation, then 5 years of saving to make it the best week of your life...well it's not a good option but it's really your only option.

[@cidie1]

Five years just to go to a theme park is an odd obsession, there must be way more interesting places in the world to visit than that.

[@That0neSister]

What was your hourly wage?

[@frans91]

I feel like Disney is banking on people often having that “hey kids we saved up for a once in a lifetime Disney World trip” where they aren’t going often, so they assume it’s inflation rather that price gauging. They don’t have many prior experiences to compare to, so they don’t know better. It’s so sad, takes away from the Disney magic.

[@honkhonk8009]

Disney dug its own grave. Its associated with pure consoomerism goy-slop now. Disney World is infested with 30 year old adults instead of kids.

[@satekeeper]

I doubt that this is so. It is far more likely Disney would prefer repeat customers. At Disney World, they clearly simply do not have the capacity. It is not price gouging because the price structure is necessary to maintain the basic premise of the park- that you can get tickets without a 3 year wait and have access to at least most of the attractions you want. If the prices were cheap as demand increases, the lines would become endless, the crowding insufferable, and simply being able to get into the park at all extremely hard for most people. There's no "Disney Magic" in that experience either.

[@appleiphone69]

You know what Disney thinks of their customers? Suckers!

[@Navy35]

It has to be a once, or maybe twice, in a lifetime vacation unless you are loaded

[@DaveFlorida]

Sadly, it feels as if most Americans can’t afford a Disney vacation, ever. This is due to U.S. wage growth and Disney price increases

[@kevinmiletello112]

Jake, I agree with everything you mentioned. The fast pass was not only a value to the consumer, it was also a fun aspect. Family would go to get a drink, and I would make a rush to the next fast pass. It was an exciting aspect that I thoroughly enjoyed. Looks so confusing now, doesn’t seem enjoyable. Very sad for those who love Disney but have been priced out or refuse to pay the ridiculous amount of money you have to part with.

[@commonomics]

wow i love that resort, i love the historic look

[@jtoddsmith73]

I went to the Magic Kingdom Feb 13th for the first time in 10 years. I didn't go until 4PM and was surprised to learn that they no longer had the discounted tickets if you were at a Disney resort for a conference. Then I went straight to Tron to ride, but I had to ask the employee which line I take. She said, "do you have a paid reservation or a free one?", and I told her I didn't have a reservation. She then told me"I'm sorry but you won't be riding today". I love the parks, but I feel like they have gotten to where there main objective is how much money they can get from each guest.

[@Dre2Dee2]

Actually turning you away from ride is what Disney WANTS The less rides you get to do in a day, the more tickets you'll have to buy for a CHANCE to ride them the next day Disney has learned that keeping lines as long as possible makes them more money Stay away from Disney

[@forg_m6424]

This is something super common with themed parks, sadly. I live near a big park and the amount of money visitors spend is astounding. I used to work in a hostel nearby and people were genuinely excited to go (many came from other countries too), until they returned in the evening and told me how much they spent and how little they enjoyed the place. A family of four spent 100 euros for "skip line" tickets and despite that they waited hours to get to the rollercoaster, to me it's insane and also sad, since the park used to be super affordable and fun once...

[@ct6852]

It's amazing how many people are willing to put up with the lines at all. It's kind of insane...considering you're paying a hundred dollars a person just to get in the door and get the chance to stand in those lines. But it's unavoidable, I guess.

[@diverman1023]

The reason the tron ride is operates this way is because the parks are way too crowded…it would have a waiting line across all of Tomorrowland. When the reservations open on the app at 7am, you have about 10-15 seconds to opt in or all reservations are given out for the day. The parks are less fun because they’re too crowded

[@marksanders60]

I purchased a discount conference ticket in September. It was still $89, but better than $150.

[@mrb152]

Disney in the US is an absolute nightmare in every way. I bring my kids to Disney Tokyo for their Disney fill. It's not run by Disney and it cheaper in every way. Public rail to the resort, the non-disney hotels are just as close, tickets cost less than half as much and all of the food is cheaper.

[@christopherblaisdel]

It's almost like there are different market forces at play in Tokyo. 🤔

[@SomethingSomethingg]

Honestly, Japan is just a better country in general lol. Everything's cleaner. People are so much nicer. It's so much safer. And it despite what everyone says, Japan is so much cheaper than the US. It's not Thailand but it's not as bad as people make it out to be.

[@michaelholbert191]

Great! But what's it cost to get to Japan ??????????????

[@Saphire_Throated_Carpenter_Ant]

Yeah but it's still woke narrative pushing Disney...

[@SlavoidUkr]

@@SomethingSomethinggspoken like someone who never lived in Japan

[@sasquatchjunk]

So here is something that shocked me. My wife and I have always been Disney fans. When we were younger we went to Disney California each spring and Disney world each fall. Her Dad lived in Kissimee and we could stay at his house when we went to Florida. The price you have for your one day is what we paid for a 5 day park hopper pass and we stayed off site for most trips to Cal. So your daily cost for 2 is what we paid for a whole week. Since we stayed at pops place in Florida it defrayed the cost of the hotel so we paid essentially the same in each park for an entire week. Needless to say although I love the parks we will never get to see them again. We probably visited each park 18 times in 34 years but sadly never again. I think I can hear Walt spinning in his grave when it's really quiet.

[@BigFloridaCountry]

I’ve watched our beloved Walt Disney World over the last ten year spiral into what it has become. It’s not only the Covid days that caused it, it’s the greed the Disney execs from California and the steps to remove Walt’s ideals over the years that has turned Disney into a place that’s becoming more hated each year. We used to have a group of at least 24 that were passholders. It’s only four now and I barely can get anyone to come along with us for a dinner at a resort or the springs, let alone ever going to the parks again. If they do not reverse course they will lose the real fan base and only be catering to once and done guests. Universal new park will some great IP’s I think will show Disney board members it better revert back or lose the throne. I am a huge Disney wdw fan and have been going since the late 70’s. I have been so close to also dropping my pass and move past this new Disney, and that’s saying so much. Thank you for the great video.

[@DiannaMoorvlogz]

I experienced Disney Land for the first time in 2013, then I was 26. I was blown away. It was an awesome experience and I was amazed at the joy and helpfulness of staff members and just how controled the park was. It was crowded but no more than expected. I went back again with my family almost two years ago and it was truly a miserable experience. The cast members were grumpy, the park was kind of dirty and I had never seen it more crowded. We were essentially shuffling slowly everywhere we wanted to go. It was not a good time. I have had no desire to go back since.

[@BerryBerry1465]

Not a fun experience anymore sadly.

[@user-wh1gd5iz3e]

Yeah i feel like this with disney world. Cant say ive been there pre covid - but disney world now seems to have workers who are a little grumpy, the people visiting the park are a little hostile and stressed. Was it always like that ?

[@samueldavis5895]

lol it was trash and expensive in 2013 as well

[@SomeYouTubeTraveler]

@@user-wh1gd5iz3e It's because every young person today is being told their life sucks and that all work is the slavery of capitalism. Forget doing your best and having a good attitude to earn your pay; instead, you are entitled to a life of free-everything and infinite happiness, and all employers are capitalist pigs who are forcing you to do work just to survive. Come to work with that mindset, and there's _no way_ you'd have a good attitude about anything.

[@espinoza1987]

Did you go during 2 different seasons? That could impact your trip a lot

[@adamstrachn]

Disney is bleeding billions with streaming, the Disney channel and movies so I assume the park prices are one way they make up the costs instead of just improving quality. It's maddening knowing you can go to some of the most beautiful places on the planet for the same price or less.

[@ImReadyD151]

I think they could really easily fix their streaming performance by backing off the pc agenda, but maybe they’ll learn their lesson eventually

[@mustang6599]

@@ImReadyD151 It has nothing to do with "PC Agenda" no matter how much you tell yourself that. You see, most reasonable people aren't bothered by it. Unless they live in DeSantistan...

[@adamstrachn]

@@ImReadyD151 I couldn't agree more. They keep pandering to a non existent audience and pushing away everyone else. They scream about conservatives, men are bigots and whatnot, but it's everybody at the end of the day. The numbers prove that.

[@Tavi78]

@@ImReadyD151”pc agenda” isn’t the real issue it’s more of a symptom. I’m sure you’ve seen at least one good movie or show that had a genuinely compelling character that fits that demographic. The real problem is out of touch studios listening to writers who don’t care about the source material they are adapting.

[@McCapitalK]

@@ImReadyD151lol sorry your super hero movie had an extra brown person in it buckaroo.

[@user-cp4eb6fx3t]

Great analysis! How true! Thanks

[@timeshark8727]

Not only is the price going up and up and up, what you are getting for your money, the quality and experience, is going down and down and down. The parks are more crowded and dirtier than ever, with rides and decor falling apart, the feelings and theming of the parks getting more watered down to generic nothingness, and the extra "magic" they used to give their guests is done less and less.

[@Cyberjoker14]

As a native Floridian who grew up going to Walt Disney World (when it was cheaper than it is nowadays) The best time to go to the park is during hurricane season. I've been to Disney several times when a hurricane is going to hit the area and the park is almost deserted but all the rides, attractions, restaurants ext are still open. definitely a great time to go if you hate crowds and lines lol.

[@bacontheuber2499]

Lmao my family went the day Irma was supposed to hit and it was legit the best experience ever 😂

[@naesala]

I grew up near a Cedar Fair park and had a pass there for a few years, and if the weather was inconvenient at all but not so bad it closed the rides, it was the best.

[@lexa_power]

same with cruising 🚢

[@amypatterson7395]

@@lexa_powerThe only cruise I’ve ever been on was a Disney Cruise during hurricane season! It did rain the day we stopped at Castaway Cay, but they stayed an extra day for us to be able to enjoy the island! To this day it’s the most relaxing vacation I’ve ever been on and I’ve nearly convinced my partner that it should be our next vacation.

[@lyndafayesmusic]

When we lived in fla., we were always warned to "stay away from METAL" of all kinds, during tornados or hurricanes? We had friends who shoed horses and rebuilt their automobiles; THEIR kids had so much fun they never even ASKED to go to Disneyland! FIX IT SHOPS AND HORSES can be educational AND fun. Look up above your comment; Those who visited Disneyland in TOKYO saved allot of money! With all of their profits and land purchases evident, you'd think they could have provided a WAITING ROOM WITH CHILD CARE FACILITIES for those people instead of CRAMMING them all in to suffer! Welcome to the new America; Charge more, provide less, make profits your goal! The Disney of the 70's was great as it was, but then EVERYTHING gets expanded upon to make money to be followed ? Perhaps if the space aliens could come here to intervene before mankind shoots itself dead in the foot, there could be hope. WE pray if Walt can "return to us " someday, he could design a BIG ANTI WAR MACHINE for us! Ha, I guess enjoying riding you own little Shetland pony would have not incited enough excitement and would have required skill?! Better to dream of mice that talk and bears that are stuffed, and rockets that soar in the air and kill people, right ? If Disney had KEPT designing more rides LIKE The "Pirates of the Carribean,", and "displays with dissertations" such as, i.e. like, the Abe Lincoln speech, it seems more of Walt's ORIGINAL IDEAS might have continued successfully! "This world, That world,"and expansions etc. may not have done allot to help "educate children" as Walt had thought! (Just my opinion regarding "education versus entertainment!) Of course it DID successfully provide more JOBS for employees! One former commenter said " consumerism crap" WE term that MARKETING PLOYS, ha...sorry, seems Disney has disintegrated, ha!! I DIGRESS. "Poor Walt," is all we can say. A man who love children and telling stories , influencing their imagination...I just bet HE , himself wouldn't have a very good time visiting his own parks these days. "The Pirates of the Caribbean" characters and the "Lincoln Speech" were worth seeing, (but not worth a $5000 vacation! )The lines and the crowds, not so much. WE visited Anaheim decades ago, and Orlando, decades later, but all we here these days is "Wow, we could have spent our money on much more enjoyable activities", but then marketing schemes have brainwashed our children continually through the years. OUR character doesn't like mice (Though Ramatoulie was cute!) and would rather have a live Shetland pony, than any types of stuffed animals!And for the prices at Disneyland, allot of families could fix up that back yard to provide experiences for their children! My friends and I have found the humor in the whole concept of " Visiting Disneyland!" ...Our character, a little eight year old girl, says to her parents when her classmates all scream out " Disneyland for a birthday party", " I want to go where man has never gone before!-- HOME!" When we called the copyright office to copyright her, the clerk said in looking for the correct forms to submit, " We haven't copyrighted a character such as this since Walt copyrighted his Mickey Mouse!" We had to file our character's music, stories, and theatrics under one name, so she became "Honey Unlimited!" "Her" songs are at You Tube &Soundcloud; She later became "carved in stone" too! (Since she "stars" in five musicals-she'll always be TOO BUSY to want to visit Disneyland!) We were on the set when Bob Brunner was helping film " The Apple Dumpling Gang" with Dallas McKennon...I remember Dal introducing us to Don Knotts in the cafeteria that day-was a " memorably creative" day! (Bob was the orchestrator of Bambi, a very nice man, and personal friend from the Church of the Latter Day Saints, in Brentwood,CA ).Bob predicted this $$$ could someday become $$$Disastrous! "Lost in a Song About You" from "Beauty is as Beauty Does" the musical comedy. "Time Goes By" from Honey Visits With the Famous First Four" (The "Presidents' Story)" Lynda Faye's Little Blue Mermaid" the musical for children in Spanish, French & Italian with sculptured mermaids.SeaponyMermaids by LyndaFaye@Gmail. (K-12 San Diego Unified)

[@RariettyC]

My parents met while working the Canadian international program at Epcot during the 80s, and they returned to WDW for their 30th anniversary in 2023. Even with that insane nostalgic connection, and even after leaching off of friends who still work at and around the parks for freebies and discounts, they were flabbergasted at how much they spent in comparison to family trips they took during the 2000s and 2010s. Their main takeaway was that they're much more likely to vacation elsewhere. They told me that if Disney can't keep a couple like them who have sentimental history with the parks as loyal customers, how is Disney going to expect continued loyalty from anyone? The pull will eventually wear off as the price tag keeps rising with little improvement to show for it.

[@aoe4_kachow]

They don't need loyal customers. There are hundreds of millions of future tourists to the US who will go and millions of upper class families who reside in the US who can easily afford all the add-ons.

[@MrOskiee]

​@@aoe4_kachow this is the answer. They don't care about retention, or quality or giving customers value because theres always that family whos never gone and are willing to drop 15-20k on their Disney world vacation.

[@usagijojo]

​@@aoe4_kachow People thought the MCU was too big to fail just a few years ago, too, and I reluctantly believed them at that time. Now I know better than to underestimate just how much a negative reputation can chip away at a brand. It may take years though since some people need to experience the disappointment of modern WDW themselves to know how bad it is.

[@BoldFollower]

I worked for Disney marketing. They absolutely know people will pay whatever they ask. Our job wasn’t to sell Disney because they KNEW people would go. The goal was for us to make them spend more time there. Very unique marketing strategy

[@turbotoommyguns1971]

Nicely done! Our family enjoyed the time of 1995-2016. We went all the time and lived 2 hours away. It was truly relaxing and the resorts were priced tiered very well. I can't bring myself to give Disney our money these days. With their politics and price gouging, we stay far away. Like you said, the freebies were great during the time we went. I can't see us ever returning in the foreseeable future.

[@CarsonHunter]

I originally read the title of this video as "The World Has Gotten Too Expensive" and my first reaction was "no kidding"

[@malachitep4276]

Real

[@If4c4ad3]

Real

[@justinparker7712]

I think you answered your own premise. If its gotten "too expensive" its because there are STILL huge crowds and demand, until that changes, don't expect the prices to do anything but go up. That reminds me of the Yogi quote about nobody going to a restaurant because its too crowded. The park is now made for rich families with kids, not like it used to be, and any "normal" person that goes there will get sticker shock.

[@shuki1]

Exactly. And since Disney is a company and not some public property, they have every right to decide any price point they want to sell there product.

[@jogregg6442]

When they opened, Disneyland cost ~$10 to get in, this included the entrance and about 10 ride tickets. Walt Disney's intent was to build a marvelous place where middle class families could bring their children for an affordable vacation.

[@cherkovision]

It reminds me of that scene in Jurassic Park where the lawyer says "we can charge whatever we want and people will pay it." and John Hammond responds "but I want everyone to visit Jurassic Park, not just the super-rich". At some point, Disney stopped listening to the John Hammonds and started listening to the bloodsucking lawyers.

[@bmcclure3atgatech]

Honestly, it's baffling to me that people don't understand this. It's a business, and there are people willing to pay whatever for their product(even if they don't have the money). A business will push up their prices both to make money AND reduce demand to help create lighter crowds/even out demand throughout the year.

[@cherkovision]

@@bmcclure3atgatech Right, but they don't HAVE to. Costco, by contrast, charges less than they have to for a lot of their products, such as hotdogs, to maintain customer loyalty. As a result, I have a large portion of my retirement savings invested in Costco, and zero retirement savings invested in Disney. Ask me how my portfolio has done over the past five years.

[@TimBear-px9gj]

I can't comment on Disney World, other than to say it is most likely priced the same way as Disneyland, which has been way over priced for several decades. For example, I went to Disneyland to apply for a job once back in the late 1970's, and they said I would have to pay the standard entrance fee to get into the park, and IF I was hired I would get it back. "But what if I am not hired?" I asked. Nope, they keep it, because that's the oldest trick in the book to get into the park for free. I said forget it and got a job at Universal Studios Tour in Universal City, and spent the summer walking around the lot in a wool Frankenstein's Monster costume talking to kids in the prerequisite Frankenstein's monster voice... *:)*

[@foleyfamify]

Wow,thanks for that in-depth analysis of Disney. We have gone there many times over the last almost 30 years. It’s sad to see how they have jacked up the prices and really taken advantage of the customers over the years. I know this is not what Walt would have wanted. I’m glad we were able to take our children when they were young and even when they were teenagers. We have boycotted them since the grooming issues have surfaced. We won’t be going back unless there’s a sincere apology for their behavior and until they make it family affordable again. So sad. I wish everyone would just boycott it for one year. That would teach them a lesson on how to treat customers and children.

[@herrelladventures]

Our family's sentiment exactly. We used to go a few times here and there, but haven't been back since 2018. The cost, value, and experience are far removed from what it used to be. Since that time, we have been all over the USA exploring some pretty amazing places. We went to Hawaii in November for a week, and was cheaper than a Disney trip. That says quite a bit right there. The nickel and diming of Disney World, and the aspect of being tethered to a phone the whole time to pay more on top of an already expensive park/hotel was simply no longer justifiable for us.

[@Bwilliams2]

I agree completely.

[@worldtraveler3044]

Ditto! We’ve been all over the country traveling spending our ‘Disney money’ elsewhere until they fix the ‘fast pass’ nonsense

[@hb-mek]

Man figured out how to write off his entire vacation on his taxes lmao

[@TheGahta]

"business related tax deduction" 😂

[@GoatzilIa]

I was thinking the same thing. Credit where credit is due, though. I would do the exact same thing if i was in his position. I bet he'll do a comparison of a Universal Studios trip, too, and write that one off as well. 😂

[@Zveebo]

There’s a reason Jake created an entire travel channel 😅

[@ralphpootawn6772]

He lives in Canada so not sure if you can that

[@shadowduck02]

@@TheGahta 100% do it every month. Even work from the parks.

[@shannonbarrett724]

My family and I have made many visits to WDW over the years and it remains our favorite vacation destination. However, the extreme price increases have drastically changed our visits. Previously we visited yearly for 6-7 days with Park Hopper Plus tickets. We visited the theme parks, water parks and scheduled character meals. Now, we get 2 day Park Hopper Passes and stay from rope drop to close. I order a grocery delivery to our room and if we eat in a restaurant, it's a quick service meal. Every time we visit, the parks are full, so Disney has no reason to reduce the cost.

[@michaelm4550]

I literally just got back from a trip with my girlfriend where we visited Paris, every major city in Poland, Barcelona and then New York before returning to Toronto over the course of 6 weeks The entire trip costed roughly 3000 USD including air travel, food, transportation, museums, hotel rentals, and yes... Theme park rides. You would spend more in 6 days at Disney than we would for 6 weeks while travelling all over Europe.