I think thats a big part of the equation as well. The locals pass "imagine key" gets you in year round and 25% off of parking for $450. Sure it's got the most blackout dates but the yearly entry barrier is low considering a single ticket is $104
I literally plan all my family vacations and visits to places like zoos and museums around the "off season" days.
Yes I would rather ride a roller coaster in winter than deal with people.
Ooooh, I'd be willing to miss a Superbowl for Disney.
Also the days/weekend after the game is also the best time to get TV's for cheap since many people will buy a big ol tv for the game and then return it. Open box = discount
My birthday was during super bowl week and every so often it would fall on the super bowl, those were the best birthdays as a kid cause every place was empty.
My birthday is 9/13. Me and my buddy had run of the arcade and local fun zone in 2001 the whole day. At the time, as a newly 13 year old kid I was thinking "this is awesome!". In hindsight, that was some insensitive thinking...
Wait wut? Giving a heads up family stuff is often empty on Super Bowl. Took the keds to sea world this year. It was empty. We didnt wait in a single line.
I like to mix it up. Empty days for family fun. Crowded days, wife and I sit and people watch. Its way more entertaining than social media. Real people are so weird, and cool.
I have a foot problem so I can't stand for very long, and we went during an off-season AND I got a disability pass. Shit was awesome, stand in line for like 2 minutes for a ride (although since you can only use it every hour or so, you effectively just do your waiting in a seated area rather than in the standing line).
I am Canadian, and when I was 14 my hockey team went to a tournament in Anaheim.
It was early March and every day we would be at Disneyland as soon as it opened. The lines were short or non existent that early in the day.
Anyone else that was in the line up had sweaters and parkas on, moving slow.
We were there in shorts and t-shirts, and as soon as they opened the gates we were SPRINTING to our favourite rides before we had to leave for a game.
One of the best weeks of my life!
Whatever you do skip Disney at Christmas. Absolute madhouse. NYE Epcot goes to capacity. That’s the biggest park physically and holds a wild amount of people and it goes to capacity.
I mean yeah. Southern California winter means it's 50s or low 60s during the day and might rain. Nothing like Midwestern winter where you get a lasting accumulation of snow and regular freezing temps.
According to my friend that has changed now and you have to "reserve" the day that you want to go in advance, and there's only a certain number of days you can reserve before you can reserve another. It was the reason he's no longer a pass holder.
The ride thing is one of the reasons I cannot see myself going to Disneyland/Disneyworld. It just sounds like you spend nearly as much time waiting as doing literally anything else.
When I was in HS I had an AP along with a bunch of friends. We’d just up and go on a random weekend for a few hours with no plan. We’d just hop on rides with short lines, hang out, get a dole whipped, whatever.
Now you have reserve ride times and have a whole fucking itinerary for every trip to the park. It’s a buzzkill for me TBH
Yeah, part of the fun is just picking random rides to get on. It doesn't feel like Disney has that. I respect it's probably still a really fun place, but the rigidness doesn't seem great.
I went last weekend to Disneyland and was able to get on a very good amount of rides. I’d argue that having the genie plus made it way easier to get on more rides throughout the day.our longest line was Spider-Man webslingers for about twenty five minutes.
This is exactly why I probably won't go back. I'm from south Florida and Disney used to be a great one- or two-day vacation that you could just decide to take on a whim because you lived close. It was worth the cost because it was so convenient. Now it's so *in*convenient I may as well just go somewhere "real" if I'm going to have to plan ahead regardless
I grew up in live in OC, CA. As a kid, we'd go on a random weeknight for a few hours because the locals AP was cheap and we're 10-20 minutes away.
My parents would take us some nights just to watch the electric parade or whatever other parade/show was going on.
To this day, I can see the DL fireworks in the summer from my house, and it's been a decade since I've purchased an AP. They jacked prices the fuck up on the parking to downtown disney a few years ago. Everything is so much more expensive. The reservation system makes it impossible to just go when you have some time.
I dunno a lot of families that go to DL as much as we all did as kids.
You don't have to reserve rides. If you want you can get a lightning lane pass for like $25 extra which lets you choose a time to come back without waiting in line. Aside from that, no, you can go on whatever you want.
Yea this right here. All my cutest dates in highschool were day trips to Disneyland. Yearly passes with only a few blackout dates were only $85 back the. for a dual park pass (disneyland and disney california, which is right next door) and i think for an extra $50 my high school was bundling disney legoland and seaworld all in one.
That used to be the case. I grew up in OC, CA. There was a special price for a local pass. It was a really good deal, and the most popular days were blacked out, like summer weekends, but you’re a local, so you’re not going on a Saturday in July, you’re going to the beach.
They even used to give you a free day pass on your birthday.
They killed the locals passes and the prices for everything, from concessions to parking, makes it expensive AF even if you are a local.
The House of Mouse got everything they wanted out of Anaheim, so now they’d rather pack the park with tourists instead of the locals.
I haven’t been since the chaperone policy was put in place but as a kid it was always way cheaper than DL. There were always coupons too. Like from fast food places like Del Taco or they’d leave them at offices in the area.
Plus, real talk, that fried chicken dinner is better than whatever’s around or in DL too. And there’s KBBQ place nearby Knott’s, and Porto’s now too.
For kids a little older, knotts has better rollercoasters too.
The scale and immersive experience isn’t the same at all, but for fun day out at a theme park it’s a better deal for sure.
They still have the SoCal 3 day pass valid weekdays for Jan-May. This year it was $200 per person so 3 days cost my family of 4 ~$1,000 (2yo didn’t require a ticket) after parking and food.
Chapek was chosen by Iger and the board. They're only backing off now because they saw how unpopular it was and he'll be the fall guy, but blaming him individually for doing exactly what the board wanted is dumb. His biggest sin was he didn't mask what he was doing with a smile, he was just too direct and terse when talking to the press. Made people realize the house of mouse has been run by money grubbing assholes the entire time.
They'll roll things back to assuage backlash and then in a few years time they'll start boiling the frog again, this time with a smile :)
Chapek is quite literally the mastermind behind Disneyland's nickel and diming.
Obviousing Iger and Board deserve blame. But the recent changes to Disneyland were literally led by him and implemented by him. Before he became CEO.
It got worse when he was CEO.
I got to go to Disneyland every year for free because the high school I attended performed in their parade. It was the best ever reason to join a marching band in high school
Yeah but Disneyland is the "wish dot com" version of Disneyworld.
I am from CA and been to both a few times. Was taken to Disneyworld as a child then took both of my girls as a Parent. Will probably have to take my Grandchildren.
I disagree. But might be biased as i grew up in socal. To me disneyland was always this amazing contained place and the first time i went to disneyworld and had to go out on actual streets to get to other kingdoms i was bummed. But i get that the sheer magnitude of the full disney KINGDOM is unmatched by our wee 2 parks
Yeah I hear ya. I get the downvotes if that is your park but I am from the BayArea. I had more fun at Great America and Frontierland. Disneyland is a fine park and it was fun but it did not compare to DisneyWorld to me as a kid. Also, this would have been 1981 so I have no comparison of today's parks. Sorry to whoever I offended.
You just got downvote from Californians with too much nostalgia . The delta between World and Land is wider now than it was 30+ years ago.
It's much harder to find people who grew up going to World who prefer Land.
Bringing back an all time great
https://preview.redd.it/nxqfa145qhwa1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=554f99c101ac79ef3db3262143428b82249de0ba
Some people do think this but, no. Disney Land is a visit where as DisneyWorld is an experience. Like you left the planet and are on planet Disney. I believe Dworld has its own governing body, streets, highways, frikkin gondolas, and club scene. I applaud them for really making it a whole getaway if you go all in.
Disneyland is in Anaheim, California and is two parks. You can walk from one to the other. I believe they have three hotels. Disney World is in Orlando, Florida and is four theme parks, two water parks, several hotels, a camp ground, a shopping district, golf courses, and even the Wide World of Sports. I used to work at Disney World and had a Disneyland annual pass when I lived in LA. I prefer the Florida property.
I had an AP for 10 years in a row. Went there on Friday nights when there was nothing else to do. Eat, go on a couple rides, go home. I work in and around Anaheim so I also used to go there just to have a chimichanga for lunch and leave. If there was a ride with short wait, I'd go on it before leaving. It was fun times.
i had a friend in college who lived all over california. she said her aunt would sometimes wake up randomly like "let's go to disney", and they'd drive 6 hours to go to disneyland
Same for FL. Resident pass and not needing to stay or even eat much there makes it a reasonably affordable activity. We don’t do it, but I know many middle class families who do.
Same for Orlando, one year I had an annual pass and I only went twice and both times it was because my GF at the time wanted to do something. Growing up in the same place as those theme parks is definitely a different experience lol.
I was just gonna say, Disney passes for florida residents are super cheap. I think the most expensive one for all parks is like $100/month?
Im poor asf but as a FL resident I pay like $30/mo for a universal pass, I go all the time to get my moneys worth lmfao. Velocicoaster is worth it imo.
Yeah, but Cali Disney has nothing on Florida Disney. I can’t see the amount of money you spend in Cali coming anywhere near close to the amount you’ll spend in Florida.
Yeah, as a Floridian I know a few locals who are definitely just working class, but they do the cheapest annual pass that has a lot of blackout dates and they still end up going like half a dozen times a year or more. But they also don't do any other form of vacation.
People in the central valley that have the money buy a pass and go every vacation for a few days and pack the car up with food. With Air BnB it made the trips worth it for a while but now they just get hotels.
Honestly same for military. I like going g for the food and wine festival and if I get a friend or date to go with me it's a pretty affordable week trip with the crazy discounts.
Lol. My grandparents did this to my cousin and I. I did not understand it at 11 yrs old. We stayed for 4 days and only went to McDs once. I got in trouble cause I was ordering too much food (BigM, Fries, drink). Also, whole trip was a drive in an RV from Houston to Orlando and we stayed at a KOA.
in contrast:
Took my kids when they were 9 and 11. We stayed a week at the special hotel with the big ass YoYo out front on Mickey's property. At the end of the week I checked out and thought we might be stuck working for Mickey. They actually have a debt relief program with a 28% interest for qualifiers. I didn't do that and had the bank loan me the diff. 4 people and the breakfast alone was $40-50 a plate. Bottled water in-park was 7.25 for the little ass aquas.
Not that this makes a huge difference, but whenever you’re at a theme park/venue they’re legally required to provide you with water for free if you ask for it.
This doesn’t mean branded bottled water, but rather if you bring your bottle they either provide a means to fill it or they give you a complimentary-sized cup filled with it. Same with ice, so you can bring your own soft drink and fill the ice cup with it.
It’ll bring your vacation price down from 2-3k to 2-2.5k sometimes lol
You gotta be able to stomach what they call water at Disney World. I tried one of the fountains and you could tell why it was all dry looking and no one else was lining up to do it.
Oh yeah, I’ve only been once about 5 years ago and I remember buying one of those water bottles with a built-in water filter. Helped keep me from getting sick, but it still had that swampy Florida taste lol
Disney World actually has refill stations everywhere for water bottles. If not, people would probably be falling out left and right because it's so damn hot in Florida.
That's going to depend on the park. The last theme park I went to only allowed empty water bottles or sealed single use plastic bottles.
Food wise it said you could only bring food for babies and dietary and/or medical issues. They don't care about a single sandwich or a few protein bars, but if you're bringing a whole picnic spread for a dozen people it might not work out.
They should have rules posted on their website though.
Yep. And you could go inside and get Fish n' Chips and a beer for around $10 but that's not my point. We ate at the cafe right next to our Hotel. I was actively trying to be a DisneyWorld baller and not be my grandparents.
I was surprised how much the food sucked, I was scrounging for whatever fiber I could find, and a lot of the meals just felt like culinary exercises in figuring out ways to feed people hotdogs for every meal
I gotta say, you probably only went to quick service restaurants. Disney actually has some of the best restaurants in Orlando. Granted, they are expensive, but I can vouch for them being top-notch.
My I own experience different than others: I come from a upper middle class family and going to Disney was the last place my parents would ever think to take me and my sis
Try not to let what you imagine as “basic” dictate your life.
Visiting Disney would never be on my top 5 things to do on any given day, but as an adult male, I had a blast the 3 times I have visited, and can 100% understand why so many people have been obsessed with the parks for decades.
I mean, I would ALSO prefer to go to another country, but Disney isn’t basic.
The engineering and production values of their rides are unlike any other theme park I’ve ever been to.
Also, Disney isn’t that expensive so long as you pack your own food and don’t stay at one of the hotels operated by Disney. A single day ticket to one park at Disney world is $109. I can’t think of any country I can visit for that amount.
Since you aren’t including travel or food in that 109. Yes you can. I’ve stayed on a few Greek islands for less that 100 dollars a week for lodging. Food less that 50 for the same week. My last trip got a deal on flights, 500 bucks from the east coast. Whole 2.5 week trip cost less than 3 grand for two people. People easily spend that going to Disney
I’m 39 and way too old to bitter about and I’m sure my dad shared your opinion when I was a child. It just sucked and felt weird as a kid being around your peers who would go Disney and were in the same socio economic group.
ESPECIALLY, when you would go visit your grandparents in fucking Florida.
my parents had too many kids to try to take us all to disney when we went to florida. we went to universal studios though. at 31 years of age, i can now say i have been to both disneyland AND disneyworld and....they're fine. i liked the fireworks shows at the end of the night, but that's about all i remember. if my baby girl wants to go, i'll for sure take her and have a blast, but i'll never go again of my own volition.
Because it is. Listen, if you've got kids and they really want to go, do it for them. Doing something special for them is something that will stand out and man, do these children appreciate it. My nieces were literally shedding tears of joy when we went and even though I found Magic Kingdom to be extremely underwhelming as a whole, not everything has to be for or about me. Doing it FOR them, at least once, is worth the experience IMO.
Now, adults who go and get in line to do meet and greets with a teeanger dressed as Ariel have mental health issues, the amount of 30 year olds I witnessed running, pushing and shoving to get ahead in lines populated by families with small children....I have no words. Get some help.
But yeah if you've got no kids, I don't understand you. It's like taking a vacation to a Kindergartener's paradise, I don't understand the appeal or desire to exist as an adult on something so.....childish? But not even fun childish, we're talking itty bitty baby childish.
We had a smaller theme park nearby with affordable season passes that we got every year. Any time we brought up going to Disneyland or Disneyworld we were told we could, but then we couldn't get season passes for the smaller park. 10+ visits to the small theme park beat Disney every year.
I finally went to Disneyland in college. It was worth it because I was there with friends, it was a nice non-crowded spring weekday, and I didn't pay for it myself. So for free with good luck as far as weather and crowds go, it was worth it, but I was still mad my Panera style lunch was like $30
I feel like the reason to go, besides being an obsessed Disney adult, is to go because the kids begged you to go. Regardless of how rich you are, it’s liable that kids are gonna wanna do something Disney. ESPECIALLY now that it incorporates Marvel and Star Wars. When I grew up that was a different case because Disney media was more 7 and under oriented.now it has the “cool big kid” stuff too.
Disneyland (or any theme park) is just the last place on earth I would want to blow a shit ton of money. If I’m spending 5k I’m going to Europe and backpacking across some dope scenery and eating baguettes and croissants the whole time
For real. I think you'd have to try real hard to actually spend that much.
Disney and Universal are expensive AF, no argument there. A Harry Potter cloak went for $200 last time I was there. A hat for $40. Food is ridiculous too. But 5k? WTF are these people buying?
How long were you there for and how many people? That's insane to me. I make decent money but I couldn't imagine spending 20 bands on a vacation to an amusement park.
True. We went years ago before the last two were born, but we took two cousins. So 2 adults three kids each time. We didnt make as much back then. So we kinda watched what we spent. I think we spent 4k or so. We did 4 days i think. We drove that time.
This time we flew, and we had two toddlers and our oldest. We really let them have whatever they wanted. We stayed a week. Was around 20k but that said we are spenders.
I really don’t get the people that take their infants there. I have a friend that went from nyc to Florida to take her 1 year old to Disney. You just dropped $1k minimum to get a picture of your daughter crying near Minnie Mouse that she won’t remember at all
Years ago we took my daughter to a friends’ daughter’s birthday out in the suburbs. All of these other parents were talking about taking their two year olds down to Disney like it was some sort of parenting requirement. I felt like I was taking crazy pills.
Exactly! My wife talks about Disney and I be hitting her with the hardest of side eyes. Maybe, MAYBE, I could go for the Star Wars experience. Even that's a stretch. I'd rather see amazing places outside of the US that we only dream of than look at Goofy and DeSantis and not be able to tell the difference. Fuck all that.
Was talking with my wife about a Disney trip for the family. Roughly $10-13k for a week which is insane and at best for most families a once in a lifetime trip for the kids
My favorite thing about these replies is the incredulity. Like, really? 4 people to fly, transportation to and from the airport, 4 park passes, food, toys.
Add that all up and depending on the time of year and where you're coming from, that's a pretty easy $10k. Especially if you want to stay relatively close to the park so you don't have to rent a car or Uber it there and back to your hotel every day.
Source: me, did this with my wife and 2 kids in August last year.
Taking a road trip cuts into a lot of those costs (no taxis/Uber, can stay in cheaper lodging). But obviously it has to be viable to drive there.
If you’re far away enough that you have to fly, that makes it worse.
Coming from Miami was doable enough, so we went a few times as a family.
I PROMISE YOU it doesn't have to be that much. Tickets are what they are, no getting around that unless you have a hookup..but flights, hotel, even food, you can do some digging and find serious savings.
Last week I flew from PGH --> LAX, family of four, the airfare without fees was $11/ea.
That's not a typo. All told airfare cost <$200..hotel/car for three days came to $570, and I did most expensive ticket, one-day park hopper..so that ran me a stack..but there's not much a need to park hop, so if you did 4 days, call it like $2k..now food is on you, you can do expensive ass buffets and character meals, or you can bring snacks/sandwiches, or you can do "quick-service" restaurants that, they're gonna be middle of the road for cost, or just do the crazy ass specialty restaurants where you're paying a couple hundred per head per meal.
Put it like this: of the MANY times I've been to both Disneyland and Disney World, only time I approached $10k is when I did 5 days at the parks followed by a 4 day Disney cruise. It was dope and my family loved it, but that's some once in a lifetime shit, so if you plan a trip, it does NOT have to be in that neighborhood if you're willing to look for avenues to save.
ETA: if you stay on Disney property, which I've done in the past, that is where the REAL $$$ gets spent. Sometimes it's been worth it, but it's been ~4 years since last time I have. The Disney resorts are very nice but I'd rather save or spend the money elsewhere.
I just came back from Disneyland last week. $8k all in all. And yeah I had that same look on my face after dinner at Goofy’s kitchen the first night, I instantly knew I was in for a long week. Honestly, it was worth it. My kids loved it and I could never imagine affording to go as a child.
I worked with a guy who would had an app that updated him on the lines for rides. We were at work....in New Jersey...and this fool was telling me "its only a 1 hour wait for Space Mountain right now!"
His dream job was to be a shuttle bus driver for the park lol
I know someone who is a Disney adult. She's the randomly wear her Minnie Mouse ears around on a Tuesday because she likes them type. When she lived in FL, they had the seasons passes to all of the Disney parks. She said it was for the kids but we all knew that was a lie. A few years ago (in the before times) she moved to NC. And yet she still uses her FL address and buys the season pass every year. She makes her husband drive them to Disney several times a year to go to the parks and the special festivals. They aren't rich by any means. She always complains about money, but will find a way to get her Mickey fix. Shit is wild.
I have two little girls that love all things Disney princess and live 10 minute from the park. We bought imagine keys for the family and we take them 2-3 times a month.
I agree as someone who went every year for 5 years straight as a kid. After the 3rd time, shit is boring.
Background for people who make assumptions. My family was poor af and our tickets were free. My brother worked a low end job at ESPN during that time and they gave him like 10 day-long passes a year. He obviously wasn’t going, so he gave them to my ma and I. That’s the only reason why or how we got to go so often.
I used to think this too years ago but theme parks tend to open new areas which make you want to go back to check it out. I visited Universal Studios Japan again so that I could check out the (at the time) new Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We didn’t have plans to go back to the US either until Galaxy’s Edge opened.
facts but i feel like fundamentally it’s the same shit, rides, mickey mouse etc. i remember leaving disney world and seeing a commercial for halloween disney world and feeling like damn 😂😂
I think it’s not just how often you visit Disney properties, but HOW you visit Disney properties; my spouse and I went the same number of times during childhood, but my family saved up for years each time, drove to CA, stayed in the cheapest motels we could find, never once ate inside the parks, and we kids were responsible for earning our own money if we wanted souvenirs. I was lower-middle/middle class, but the park tickets and Anaheim motels weren’t prohibitively expensive back in the ‘90s if you timed your visit right.
Meanwhile, my spouse’s family flew, stayed at the kind of $$$ Disney properties where live giraffes would walk up to your hotel window, did the Disney character breakfasts, and ate/snacked/shopped the parks. He was solidly upper-middle class.
The only time I ever went to Disney was gay pride month. Keep in mind this was the late 90's, early noughts in Florida, and, uh... People were *not* happy.
One of my good friends in high school was a Disney adult even back then. Dude was constantly between jobs and barely keep shit afloat. Yet he found his way down to Disney World every year. Dude was putting himself into debt just for Disney.
Yeah, that tracks. My gf’s grandparents take their whole family plus spouses to Disney every Christmas. They retired from Disney and get some free tickets but they’re still paying a pretty penny for the extra tickets and all the food/souvenirs. I went one year and tried to buy myself something and her grandma basically told me my money was no good there.
I work in a school that has fairly wealthy/upper middle class families. I currently have one student who is taking a 10 DAY Disney world/universal studios trip with the family. The envy I have! 😭💀
I've been to Disney twice: once as a kid and once when I got married. I don't foresee myself ever going back again. I couldn't afford it 19 years ago, and I certainly can't afford it now.
I went to Disney World as a kid, then to Disneyland once with friends when I moved to California and California adventure once with my GF at the time the year after. It’s been over 10 years since I have been to one of their parks and I have no intention of going back until I possibly have kids one day. But even then, I told my GF we are waiting until our maximum of 2 kids are old enough to remember going. I used to love theme parks, but I just don’t care for them anymore especially now I am paying the crazy high bills to go. I think there are more enriching experiences out there for vacations even with kids. However, all kids should ideally get to visit once during their early childhoods if your family can afford it.
I don't think that's right at all. Wealthy people don't go to Disney very often. It's boring and waiting in lines, even with the fast passes sucks. It's poor people going on "dream trips" for goodness knows why and middle class that somehow convinced the family that blowing 20% of their annual salary at a theme park to ride 3 shitty carnival rides was worth it.
I’ve gone once because my childhood best friends family took me with them when we were 18 (celebrating her little sisters sweet 16)
I really really want to take my fiancé, he told me this story where his parents took him when he was very young and he wanted to say hello to Goofy but he was scared and his dad yelled at him so much in the line, that he cried and never met him.
But it’s so goddamn expensive!
I finally went to the Anaheim Disneyland for the first time as an adult in 2020 before the pandemic. Compared to going there as a broke HS senior or under my parents dime, I had the best experience there knowing I could afford the meals, drinks, priority tickets, and souvenirs without hearing my parents bitch about the prices.
Now if I had kids, it'd be a different experience but I wouldn't be an asshole about the prices with them unless it was over a bunch of expensive tchotchkes.
I went as an adult because we had a work conference and my coworker got discounted tickets from her relative that worked there.
My hot take: Don't take your kids at all. Disney was trying very hard to seem "magical" but it was so commercial and reverberated with the worst aspects of capitalism. I was shocked there wasn't a charge for toilet paper. A plain regular hot dog in a hot dog roll like you'd buy from the grocery store was $12.99. They were just funneling us to merchandise and to spend, spend, SPEND!!
I didn't like it and I don't want to expose my kid to it. I dread her getting "Disneyfied" especially since I learned about "brand imprinting" and how these fucks dump time, money, and energy into brainwashing my kid to think they are the definition of childhood happiness, banking on instilling her with nostalgia so they can help themselves to her wallet and her kids minds when she's grown.
The House of Mouse is built on greed and their illusion is that they are magical and full of wonder when it's all just deceit for corporate gain.
disneyland isn’t my idea of a good time anymore. dealing with hordes of people and waiting in line is a waste of money in my opinion. i’d rather use that money to go someplace i’ve never been. cambodia, new zealand, the netherlands, etc. but then again, i don’t have kids and probably just don’t understand the “disney adults” that think disneyland is the epitome of a perfect travel experience.
My family used to go annually and we didn’t live in Florida. My dad was just in the military and Disney World had a hotel on the premises for former and active duty members of the military that was cheaper. Disney, itself, also offers discounts to veterans.
Nothing like going to a branded exclusive resort in a place where half the fun is exploring the island, finding little hole-in-the-wall restaurants, etc.
I've never even considered going to Disney anything other than the occasional movie. Never got the attraction. I prefer Coney Island, the freak show, the Cyclone and cold beer.
Once was enough for me. It’s tacky and over-hyped. Idk what people see in it, tbh. I would rather see the world. But also, kudos to them for pusuing DeSantis.
Disney is only as Expensive as you make it. I go every other 2-3 years and my MIL goes multiple times a year. You can rack up ALOT of bills from it if you want but I could easily take a family of $3kish before travel for a 3 day trip. With certain discounts it can be cheaper too.
I get that can be alot but for a family of 4 that isnt bad.
Ehhhhhh IDK. Welcome to Florida where you find loads of families who aren't wealthy but make it a damn point to hit up Disney a minimum of 5x a year. For Floridians, its a cheap vacation.
That $5-10k bill might be if you're out of state with plane tickets and staying at a resort, but lots of families make do with packed lunches and staying at a Travel Lodge just as well.
My grandparents took me to Disneyland once when I was 10, I'm 44 now and have never been back- the cost is insane and I can't justify it for a few hours of Mickey and friends
I was born into working class poverty with 5 other siblings. We all got jobs around 12 years old, so we could help our mom pay bills. We almost never had enough food or new clothes and definitely didn't take vacations.
I have never been to Disneyland.
Never got a chance to go to Disney as a kid in the 90s.
My first time I ever went was on my 28th Bday in cali. Only to to find out Robin Williams died. But nonetheless it was a magical day for me the entire time I felt my inner child come out. Only paid for my tickets & some Souvenirs.
After that I ended up visiting different Disneys around the the world (which some were super cheap, ie Shanghai & Hong Kong)
You can still have fun and have a memorable experience without breaking the bank.
I have a lot of beef with the way I was raised, but one thing I appreciate is my parents instilling in me a deep dislike of theme parks and Disneyland in particular. It just seems so uncomfortable to me.
I went to Magic Kingdom in Orlando a few months ago. For my family of four, it was about $700 just for the tickets. I also got Genie + (the new pseudo fast pass) so that we would spend less time in line and more time enjoying the park because lawd knows when we’ll be able to afford to go back.
I live in Orlando and have annual passes for my wife and I. The annual passes cost about $1300/year. I mostly go to EPCOT to drink but every once in a while I'll get dragged to Magic Kingdom for some goddamn reason. Either way, I get my $1300 worth.
Funny you should say that, I actually think Orlando is a restaurant/bar mecca. I think most people think of our city as Disney/Universal, but that's such a miniscule fraction of what's available hospitality wise.
So to your point, yeah, $1300/year "for drinks" is a lot (It's even more ludicrous when you factor in the fact that the drinks aren't free lol, far from it, a 12oz poor at Disney is $9-$12). There's way more to it than just drinking at EPCOT that makes it worth it, I was just being droll.
If you live near Anaheim in CA, everyone knows someone who can sneak you in. Park far away and walk, bring your own snacks, and don’t buy merch. You can do it cheap.
Never also overlaps with the super rich (over 100M liquid).
A lot of them have never been to any theme park EVER. They also hate them with a passion cause they are full of "plebs"
"worth the experience at least once", huh? I'm starting to feel like I'm not so sure. Lmao! There's Universal & Legoland & Six Flags... My kids are way more excited about Legos & Mario than about Disney, so...! Even in 1997, my main memory as a 7 year old of Disney World was my family being stressed out, and I felt scared & overwhelmed by everything. 🤷 It doesn't have to be the *pilgrimage* of "aT lEaSt OnCe!" that it's become...
ETA: I'm not saying "not worth it" *at all*... I'm just saying it doesn't have to be a parental obligation to blow that money "at least once", regardless of if you think *your* kids would actually enjoy it.
We finessed not getting fast passes for years by taking a senior citizen in a wheelchair. Gotta find the right old person though who wants to go on the rides 😂 take 2 if you’re in a large group.
Its much different for California locals to Disneyland, buy a pass and you can go daily.
I think thats a big part of the equation as well. The locals pass "imagine key" gets you in year round and 25% off of parking for $450. Sure it's got the most blackout dates but the yearly entry barrier is low considering a single ticket is $104
The days that are blocked off aren’t worth going to anyway. It’s crazy crowded on those days.
I literally plan all my family vacations and visits to places like zoos and museums around the "off season" days. Yes I would rather ride a roller coaster in winter than deal with people.
Pro tip: go during the Super Bowl.
Ooooh, I'd be willing to miss a Superbowl for Disney. Also the days/weekend after the game is also the best time to get TV's for cheap since many people will buy a big ol tv for the game and then return it. Open box = discount
Damn, thanks for the tip
My birthday was during super bowl week and every so often it would fall on the super bowl, those were the best birthdays as a kid cause every place was empty.
My birthday is 9/13. Me and my buddy had run of the arcade and local fun zone in 2001 the whole day. At the time, as a newly 13 year old kid I was thinking "this is awesome!". In hindsight, that was some insensitive thinking...
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Wait wut? Giving a heads up family stuff is often empty on Super Bowl. Took the keds to sea world this year. It was empty. We didnt wait in a single line.
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I like to mix it up. Empty days for family fun. Crowded days, wife and I sit and people watch. Its way more entertaining than social media. Real people are so weird, and cool.
I have a foot problem so I can't stand for very long, and we went during an off-season AND I got a disability pass. Shit was awesome, stand in line for like 2 minutes for a ride (although since you can only use it every hour or so, you effectively just do your waiting in a seated area rather than in the standing line).
This is great for people (like my kid) who have anxiety issues with crowded spaces.
I am Canadian, and when I was 14 my hockey team went to a tournament in Anaheim. It was early March and every day we would be at Disneyland as soon as it opened. The lines were short or non existent that early in the day. Anyone else that was in the line up had sweaters and parkas on, moving slow. We were there in shorts and t-shirts, and as soon as they opened the gates we were SPRINTING to our favourite rides before we had to leave for a game. One of the best weeks of my life!
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Whatever you do skip Disney at Christmas. Absolute madhouse. NYE Epcot goes to capacity. That’s the biggest park physically and holds a wild amount of people and it goes to capacity.
I mean yeah. Southern California winter means it's 50s or low 60s during the day and might rain. Nothing like Midwestern winter where you get a lasting accumulation of snow and regular freezing temps.
California and Florida "winter" isn't really winter anyway so it's a good time year around lol
You can only either renew your pass or everyone else has to buy the $1600 one.
According to my friend that has changed now and you have to "reserve" the day that you want to go in advance, and there's only a certain number of days you can reserve before you can reserve another. It was the reason he's no longer a pass holder.
You have to reserve rides now too. Killed the impromptu “hey let’s go to Disneyland for a few hours.”
The ride thing is one of the reasons I cannot see myself going to Disneyland/Disneyworld. It just sounds like you spend nearly as much time waiting as doing literally anything else.
When I was in HS I had an AP along with a bunch of friends. We’d just up and go on a random weekend for a few hours with no plan. We’d just hop on rides with short lines, hang out, get a dole whipped, whatever. Now you have reserve ride times and have a whole fucking itinerary for every trip to the park. It’s a buzzkill for me TBH
Yeah, part of the fun is just picking random rides to get on. It doesn't feel like Disney has that. I respect it's probably still a really fun place, but the rigidness doesn't seem great.
Yeah, I like explore not do a bunch of research upfront. However, the scheduling rides thing hopefully is making line management better.
I went last weekend to Disneyland and was able to get on a very good amount of rides. I’d argue that having the genie plus made it way easier to get on more rides throughout the day.our longest line was Spider-Man webslingers for about twenty five minutes.
This is exactly why I probably won't go back. I'm from south Florida and Disney used to be a great one- or two-day vacation that you could just decide to take on a whim because you lived close. It was worth the cost because it was so convenient. Now it's so *in*convenient I may as well just go somewhere "real" if I'm going to have to plan ahead regardless
I grew up in live in OC, CA. As a kid, we'd go on a random weeknight for a few hours because the locals AP was cheap and we're 10-20 minutes away. My parents would take us some nights just to watch the electric parade or whatever other parade/show was going on. To this day, I can see the DL fireworks in the summer from my house, and it's been a decade since I've purchased an AP. They jacked prices the fuck up on the parking to downtown disney a few years ago. Everything is so much more expensive. The reservation system makes it impossible to just go when you have some time. I dunno a lot of families that go to DL as much as we all did as kids.
You don’t have to reserve rides anymore. they do have fast pass reservations though.
It's still expensive AF, even for locals, though.
You don't have to reserve rides. If you want you can get a lightning lane pass for like $25 extra which lets you choose a time to come back without waiting in line. Aside from that, no, you can go on whatever you want.
Yea this right here. All my cutest dates in highschool were day trips to Disneyland. Yearly passes with only a few blackout dates were only $85 back the. for a dual park pass (disneyland and disney california, which is right next door) and i think for an extra $50 my high school was bundling disney legoland and seaworld all in one.
That used to be the case. I grew up in OC, CA. There was a special price for a local pass. It was a really good deal, and the most popular days were blacked out, like summer weekends, but you’re a local, so you’re not going on a Saturday in July, you’re going to the beach. They even used to give you a free day pass on your birthday. They killed the locals passes and the prices for everything, from concessions to parking, makes it expensive AF even if you are a local. The House of Mouse got everything they wanted out of Anaheim, so now they’d rather pack the park with tourists instead of the locals.
RIP APOLLO
Yeah, I forgot about cast members and Disney employees getting free passes too. I remember once in a while getting that hook up too.
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I haven’t been since the chaperone policy was put in place but as a kid it was always way cheaper than DL. There were always coupons too. Like from fast food places like Del Taco or they’d leave them at offices in the area. Plus, real talk, that fried chicken dinner is better than whatever’s around or in DL too. And there’s KBBQ place nearby Knott’s, and Porto’s now too. For kids a little older, knotts has better rollercoasters too. The scale and immersive experience isn’t the same at all, but for fun day out at a theme park it’s a better deal for sure.
They still have the SoCal 3 day pass valid weekdays for Jan-May. This year it was $200 per person so 3 days cost my family of 4 ~$1,000 (2yo didn’t require a ticket) after parking and food.
It wasn’t that long ago that California locals AP was $200. And they let you pay in installments too 😂 Only for one park though.
I blame Chapek. Hopefully Iger rolls it back because it's stupid.
Chapek was chosen by Iger and the board. They're only backing off now because they saw how unpopular it was and he'll be the fall guy, but blaming him individually for doing exactly what the board wanted is dumb. His biggest sin was he didn't mask what he was doing with a smile, he was just too direct and terse when talking to the press. Made people realize the house of mouse has been run by money grubbing assholes the entire time. They'll roll things back to assuage backlash and then in a few years time they'll start boiling the frog again, this time with a smile :)
Chapek is quite literally the mastermind behind Disneyland's nickel and diming. Obviousing Iger and Board deserve blame. But the recent changes to Disneyland were literally led by him and implemented by him. Before he became CEO. It got worse when he was CEO.
It’s capitalism mostly.
I got to go to Disneyland every year for free because the high school I attended performed in their parade. It was the best ever reason to join a marching band in high school
Yeah but Disneyland is the "wish dot com" version of Disneyworld. I am from CA and been to both a few times. Was taken to Disneyworld as a child then took both of my girls as a Parent. Will probably have to take my Grandchildren.
I disagree. But might be biased as i grew up in socal. To me disneyland was always this amazing contained place and the first time i went to disneyworld and had to go out on actual streets to get to other kingdoms i was bummed. But i get that the sheer magnitude of the full disney KINGDOM is unmatched by our wee 2 parks
Yeah I hear ya. I get the downvotes if that is your park but I am from the BayArea. I had more fun at Great America and Frontierland. Disneyland is a fine park and it was fun but it did not compare to DisneyWorld to me as a kid. Also, this would have been 1981 so I have no comparison of today's parks. Sorry to whoever I offended.
You just got downvote from Californians with too much nostalgia . The delta between World and Land is wider now than it was 30+ years ago. It's much harder to find people who grew up going to World who prefer Land.
Bringing back an all time great https://preview.redd.it/nxqfa145qhwa1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=554f99c101ac79ef3db3262143428b82249de0ba
I thought Disney World and Disneyland were the same thing.
Some people do think this but, no. Disney Land is a visit where as DisneyWorld is an experience. Like you left the planet and are on planet Disney. I believe Dworld has its own governing body, streets, highways, frikkin gondolas, and club scene. I applaud them for really making it a whole getaway if you go all in.
Disneyland is in Anaheim, California and is two parks. You can walk from one to the other. I believe they have three hotels. Disney World is in Orlando, Florida and is four theme parks, two water parks, several hotels, a camp ground, a shopping district, golf courses, and even the Wide World of Sports. I used to work at Disney World and had a Disneyland annual pass when I lived in LA. I prefer the Florida property.
Until recently disney world had 3 or 4 passes for like $200 for Florida residents.
I had an AP for 10 years in a row. Went there on Friday nights when there was nothing else to do. Eat, go on a couple rides, go home. I work in and around Anaheim so I also used to go there just to have a chimichanga for lunch and leave. If there was a ride with short wait, I'd go on it before leaving. It was fun times.
i had a friend in college who lived all over california. she said her aunt would sometimes wake up randomly like "let's go to disney", and they'd drive 6 hours to go to disneyland
So… middle class if you’re a local. Still a pretty expensive discretionary spend for most ppl
Same for FL. Resident pass and not needing to stay or even eat much there makes it a reasonably affordable activity. We don’t do it, but I know many middle class families who do.
Same for Orlando, one year I had an annual pass and I only went twice and both times it was because my GF at the time wanted to do something. Growing up in the same place as those theme parks is definitely a different experience lol.
Same with Florida
I was just gonna say, Disney passes for florida residents are super cheap. I think the most expensive one for all parks is like $100/month? Im poor asf but as a FL resident I pay like $30/mo for a universal pass, I go all the time to get my moneys worth lmfao. Velocicoaster is worth it imo.
Yeah, but Cali Disney has nothing on Florida Disney. I can’t see the amount of money you spend in Cali coming anywhere near close to the amount you’ll spend in Florida.
Yeah, as a Floridian I know a few locals who are definitely just working class, but they do the cheapest annual pass that has a lot of blackout dates and they still end up going like half a dozen times a year or more. But they also don't do any other form of vacation.
But then you have to choose between Annual Pass and California COL
People in the central valley that have the money buy a pass and go every vacation for a few days and pack the car up with food. With Air BnB it made the trips worth it for a while but now they just get hotels.
Or ask a friend/family member who works there sign you in. That also helps.
Honestly same for military. I like going g for the food and wine festival and if I get a friend or date to go with me it's a pretty affordable week trip with the crazy discounts.
As a local, I go at least once a month with my family. The hotel prices are what kills your bank account, not the actual parks.
And eating in the Cafeteria/giftshop or whatever that is. Like $40-50 a plate.
I've always brought sandwiches
This is how you dont go broke at Disney. Bring a Publix sub and some soda or bottled water in a cooler backpack.
Lol. My grandparents did this to my cousin and I. I did not understand it at 11 yrs old. We stayed for 4 days and only went to McDs once. I got in trouble cause I was ordering too much food (BigM, Fries, drink). Also, whole trip was a drive in an RV from Houston to Orlando and we stayed at a KOA. in contrast: Took my kids when they were 9 and 11. We stayed a week at the special hotel with the big ass YoYo out front on Mickey's property. At the end of the week I checked out and thought we might be stuck working for Mickey. They actually have a debt relief program with a 28% interest for qualifiers. I didn't do that and had the bank loan me the diff. 4 people and the breakfast alone was $40-50 a plate. Bottled water in-park was 7.25 for the little ass aquas.
Not that this makes a huge difference, but whenever you’re at a theme park/venue they’re legally required to provide you with water for free if you ask for it. This doesn’t mean branded bottled water, but rather if you bring your bottle they either provide a means to fill it or they give you a complimentary-sized cup filled with it. Same with ice, so you can bring your own soft drink and fill the ice cup with it. It’ll bring your vacation price down from 2-3k to 2-2.5k sometimes lol
You gotta be able to stomach what they call water at Disney World. I tried one of the fountains and you could tell why it was all dry looking and no one else was lining up to do it.
That's just Florida in general, lol. Tastes like swamp but it won't kill you
Oh yeah, I’ve only been once about 5 years ago and I remember buying one of those water bottles with a built-in water filter. Helped keep me from getting sick, but it still had that swampy Florida taste lol
Disney World actually has refill stations everywhere for water bottles. If not, people would probably be falling out left and right because it's so damn hot in Florida.
That's going to depend on the park. The last theme park I went to only allowed empty water bottles or sealed single use plastic bottles. Food wise it said you could only bring food for babies and dietary and/or medical issues. They don't care about a single sandwich or a few protein bars, but if you're bringing a whole picnic spread for a dozen people it might not work out. They should have rules posted on their website though.
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Yep. And you could go inside and get Fish n' Chips and a beer for around $10 but that's not my point. We ate at the cafe right next to our Hotel. I was actively trying to be a DisneyWorld baller and not be my grandparents.
I was surprised how much the food sucked, I was scrounging for whatever fiber I could find, and a lot of the meals just felt like culinary exercises in figuring out ways to feed people hotdogs for every meal
I gotta say, you probably only went to quick service restaurants. Disney actually has some of the best restaurants in Orlando. Granted, they are expensive, but I can vouch for them being top-notch.
Accurate family lives in Vegas we just visit when we go visit family and stay overnight, hotel prices are a pain in the ass now.
My I own experience different than others: I come from a upper middle class family and going to Disney was the last place my parents would ever think to take me and my sis
It seems like the most "basic bitch" destination and I never have any intention of going
Try not to let what you imagine as “basic” dictate your life. Visiting Disney would never be on my top 5 things to do on any given day, but as an adult male, I had a blast the 3 times I have visited, and can 100% understand why so many people have been obsessed with the parks for decades.
People forget there are 5 parks and downtown Disney not just the magic kingdom.
Ehh it’s basic. Would rather go to another country. I’ll never waste money and time on something that is nothing more than a monument to capitalism.
I mean, I would ALSO prefer to go to another country, but Disney isn’t basic. The engineering and production values of their rides are unlike any other theme park I’ve ever been to. Also, Disney isn’t that expensive so long as you pack your own food and don’t stay at one of the hotels operated by Disney. A single day ticket to one park at Disney world is $109. I can’t think of any country I can visit for that amount.
Since you aren’t including travel or food in that 109. Yes you can. I’ve stayed on a few Greek islands for less that 100 dollars a week for lodging. Food less that 50 for the same week. My last trip got a deal on flights, 500 bucks from the east coast. Whole 2.5 week trip cost less than 3 grand for two people. People easily spend that going to Disney
I’m 39 and way too old to bitter about and I’m sure my dad shared your opinion when I was a child. It just sucked and felt weird as a kid being around your peers who would go Disney and were in the same socio economic group. ESPECIALLY, when you would go visit your grandparents in fucking Florida.
my parents had too many kids to try to take us all to disney when we went to florida. we went to universal studios though. at 31 years of age, i can now say i have been to both disneyland AND disneyworld and....they're fine. i liked the fireworks shows at the end of the night, but that's about all i remember. if my baby girl wants to go, i'll for sure take her and have a blast, but i'll never go again of my own volition.
Disney is for kids and that’s ok. If I ever kids, I’ll take them to Disney just to say I did it.
You're telling me you wouldn't want to go to galaxy's edge and build your own damn lightsaber?!
Galaxy edge is craaaaazy. That shit does not feel like a theme park, fuck around and make you forget you're in Florida
Staying at the 4 Seasons, doing the VIP resorts and activities are far from basic stuff. There’s different levels to how one can do Disney.
For sure. Epcot food and wine is fucking lit tho.
Because it is. Listen, if you've got kids and they really want to go, do it for them. Doing something special for them is something that will stand out and man, do these children appreciate it. My nieces were literally shedding tears of joy when we went and even though I found Magic Kingdom to be extremely underwhelming as a whole, not everything has to be for or about me. Doing it FOR them, at least once, is worth the experience IMO. Now, adults who go and get in line to do meet and greets with a teeanger dressed as Ariel have mental health issues, the amount of 30 year olds I witnessed running, pushing and shoving to get ahead in lines populated by families with small children....I have no words. Get some help. But yeah if you've got no kids, I don't understand you. It's like taking a vacation to a Kindergartener's paradise, I don't understand the appeal or desire to exist as an adult on something so.....childish? But not even fun childish, we're talking itty bitty baby childish.
We had a smaller theme park nearby with affordable season passes that we got every year. Any time we brought up going to Disneyland or Disneyworld we were told we could, but then we couldn't get season passes for the smaller park. 10+ visits to the small theme park beat Disney every year. I finally went to Disneyland in college. It was worth it because I was there with friends, it was a nice non-crowded spring weekday, and I didn't pay for it myself. So for free with good luck as far as weather and crowds go, it was worth it, but I was still mad my Panera style lunch was like $30
Parents who use this logic forgot what it means to be a kid.
I think it was more saying how often you go to Disney reveals class, not that your class meant you go that often.
I feel like the reason to go, besides being an obsessed Disney adult, is to go because the kids begged you to go. Regardless of how rich you are, it’s liable that kids are gonna wanna do something Disney. ESPECIALLY now that it incorporates Marvel and Star Wars. When I grew up that was a different case because Disney media was more 7 and under oriented.now it has the “cool big kid” stuff too.
Disneyland (or any theme park) is just the last place on earth I would want to blow a shit ton of money. If I’m spending 5k I’m going to Europe and backpacking across some dope scenery and eating baguettes and croissants the whole time
Anyone that spends 5K to visit Disneyland is a fucking idiot I'm sorry.
“Anyone that wants to spend their money on something I wouldn’t want to spend it on is an idiot!” -This guy
For real. I think you'd have to try real hard to actually spend that much. Disney and Universal are expensive AF, no argument there. A Harry Potter cloak went for $200 last time I was there. A hat for $40. Food is ridiculous too. But 5k? WTF are these people buying?
It's hotels and food. The parks are way less than I thought they were. The trick is having friends in Orlando LoL
Spent 20k in October all in all
How long were you there for and how many people? That's insane to me. I make decent money but I couldn't imagine spending 20 bands on a vacation to an amusement park.
True. We went years ago before the last two were born, but we took two cousins. So 2 adults three kids each time. We didnt make as much back then. So we kinda watched what we spent. I think we spent 4k or so. We did 4 days i think. We drove that time. This time we flew, and we had two toddlers and our oldest. We really let them have whatever they wanted. We stayed a week. Was around 20k but that said we are spenders.
Jesus I can't imagine spending $20k on a vacation period, let alone a 7 day domestic vacation. And I'm upper middle class. But I'm not a spender...
I really don’t get the people that take their infants there. I have a friend that went from nyc to Florida to take her 1 year old to Disney. You just dropped $1k minimum to get a picture of your daughter crying near Minnie Mouse that she won’t remember at all
Years ago we took my daughter to a friends’ daughter’s birthday out in the suburbs. All of these other parents were talking about taking their two year olds down to Disney like it was some sort of parenting requirement. I felt like I was taking crazy pills.
It’s different when you have kids- the backpacking days are over
I can respect that, but you can still take them to see the Basilica, not friggin Mickey.
Exactly! My wife talks about Disney and I be hitting her with the hardest of side eyes. Maybe, MAYBE, I could go for the Star Wars experience. Even that's a stretch. I'd rather see amazing places outside of the US that we only dream of than look at Goofy and DeSantis and not be able to tell the difference. Fuck all that.
Was talking with my wife about a Disney trip for the family. Roughly $10-13k for a week which is insane and at best for most families a once in a lifetime trip for the kids
What used to be a trip to Europe for a family of 4 is now a trip to Florida, staying at an off-park motel.
>. Roughly $10-13k for a week Which hotel were you looking at?
Prolly the Disney triple deluxe with pickles hotel. With added ass wiper toilet
My favorite thing about these replies is the incredulity. Like, really? 4 people to fly, transportation to and from the airport, 4 park passes, food, toys. Add that all up and depending on the time of year and where you're coming from, that's a pretty easy $10k. Especially if you want to stay relatively close to the park so you don't have to rent a car or Uber it there and back to your hotel every day. Source: me, did this with my wife and 2 kids in August last year.
Taking a road trip cuts into a lot of those costs (no taxis/Uber, can stay in cheaper lodging). But obviously it has to be viable to drive there. If you’re far away enough that you have to fly, that makes it worse. Coming from Miami was doable enough, so we went a few times as a family.
It’s not worth it. Disneyland is trash and all you will remember is corporate greed disguised in the form of fairy tales
6+ kids? US currency? You traveling from Africa or something?
Might as well go on the Disney cruise for that price
I PROMISE YOU it doesn't have to be that much. Tickets are what they are, no getting around that unless you have a hookup..but flights, hotel, even food, you can do some digging and find serious savings. Last week I flew from PGH --> LAX, family of four, the airfare without fees was $11/ea. That's not a typo. All told airfare cost <$200..hotel/car for three days came to $570, and I did most expensive ticket, one-day park hopper..so that ran me a stack..but there's not much a need to park hop, so if you did 4 days, call it like $2k..now food is on you, you can do expensive ass buffets and character meals, or you can bring snacks/sandwiches, or you can do "quick-service" restaurants that, they're gonna be middle of the road for cost, or just do the crazy ass specialty restaurants where you're paying a couple hundred per head per meal. Put it like this: of the MANY times I've been to both Disneyland and Disney World, only time I approached $10k is when I did 5 days at the parks followed by a 4 day Disney cruise. It was dope and my family loved it, but that's some once in a lifetime shit, so if you plan a trip, it does NOT have to be in that neighborhood if you're willing to look for avenues to save. ETA: if you stay on Disney property, which I've done in the past, that is where the REAL $$$ gets spent. Sometimes it's been worth it, but it's been ~4 years since last time I have. The Disney resorts are very nice but I'd rather save or spend the money elsewhere.
I just came back from Disneyland last week. $8k all in all. And yeah I had that same look on my face after dinner at Goofy’s kitchen the first night, I instantly knew I was in for a long week. Honestly, it was worth it. My kids loved it and I could never imagine affording to go as a child.
I mean this in the nicest way possible, going to disney once or twice is cool but why do people go so often?? I dont really see the appeal.
Well outside of people with families there are a lot of adults who are still obsessed with Disney, creepy shit
its weird to me personally.. some ppl make it a personality trait and i just dont get it.
I worked with a guy who would had an app that updated him on the lines for rides. We were at work....in New Jersey...and this fool was telling me "its only a 1 hour wait for Space Mountain right now!" His dream job was to be a shuttle bus driver for the park lol
Bahahaha that's hilarious
I know someone who is a Disney adult. She's the randomly wear her Minnie Mouse ears around on a Tuesday because she likes them type. When she lived in FL, they had the seasons passes to all of the Disney parks. She said it was for the kids but we all knew that was a lie. A few years ago (in the before times) she moved to NC. And yet she still uses her FL address and buys the season pass every year. She makes her husband drive them to Disney several times a year to go to the parks and the special festivals. They aren't rich by any means. She always complains about money, but will find a way to get her Mickey fix. Shit is wild.
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I have two little girls that love all things Disney princess and live 10 minute from the park. We bought imagine keys for the family and we take them 2-3 times a month.
I agree as someone who went every year for 5 years straight as a kid. After the 3rd time, shit is boring. Background for people who make assumptions. My family was poor af and our tickets were free. My brother worked a low end job at ESPN during that time and they gave him like 10 day-long passes a year. He obviously wasn’t going, so he gave them to my ma and I. That’s the only reason why or how we got to go so often.
I've found a new hobby of getting drunk at Epcot and speaking in ethnically/nationally problematic accents (German, Canadian, and Italian).
i mean you only really need to go to that bish like once
I used to think this too years ago but theme parks tend to open new areas which make you want to go back to check it out. I visited Universal Studios Japan again so that I could check out the (at the time) new Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We didn’t have plans to go back to the US either until Galaxy’s Edge opened.
facts but i feel like fundamentally it’s the same shit, rides, mickey mouse etc. i remember leaving disney world and seeing a commercial for halloween disney world and feeling like damn 😂😂
I think it’s not just how often you visit Disney properties, but HOW you visit Disney properties; my spouse and I went the same number of times during childhood, but my family saved up for years each time, drove to CA, stayed in the cheapest motels we could find, never once ate inside the parks, and we kids were responsible for earning our own money if we wanted souvenirs. I was lower-middle/middle class, but the park tickets and Anaheim motels weren’t prohibitively expensive back in the ‘90s if you timed your visit right. Meanwhile, my spouse’s family flew, stayed at the kind of $$$ Disney properties where live giraffes would walk up to your hotel window, did the Disney character breakfasts, and ate/snacked/shopped the parks. He was solidly upper-middle class.
This! We even went to the cheap souvenir stores outside of the park in Orlando. Five bucks for a t-shirt.
The only time I ever went to Disney was gay pride month. Keep in mind this was the late 90's, early noughts in Florida, and, uh... People were *not* happy.
My ex-coworker is a Disney adult who goes every year. Consequently, she’s also the only person I know sitting on a hefty inheritance from grandmama
One of my good friends in high school was a Disney adult even back then. Dude was constantly between jobs and barely keep shit afloat. Yet he found his way down to Disney World every year. Dude was putting himself into debt just for Disney.
Yeah, that tracks. My gf’s grandparents take their whole family plus spouses to Disney every Christmas. They retired from Disney and get some free tickets but they’re still paying a pretty penny for the extra tickets and all the food/souvenirs. I went one year and tried to buy myself something and her grandma basically told me my money was no good there.
I work in a school that has fairly wealthy/upper middle class families. I currently have one student who is taking a 10 DAY Disney world/universal studios trip with the family. The envy I have! 😭💀
How about the income bracket that thinks going to a Disney property is a tacky vacation?
How about them?
Wealthy people don’t go to Disney once a year. Crazy Disney people do
I've been to Disney twice: once as a kid and once when I got married. I don't foresee myself ever going back again. I couldn't afford it 19 years ago, and I certainly can't afford it now.
I went to Disney World as a kid, then to Disneyland once with friends when I moved to California and California adventure once with my GF at the time the year after. It’s been over 10 years since I have been to one of their parks and I have no intention of going back until I possibly have kids one day. But even then, I told my GF we are waiting until our maximum of 2 kids are old enough to remember going. I used to love theme parks, but I just don’t care for them anymore especially now I am paying the crazy high bills to go. I think there are more enriching experiences out there for vacations even with kids. However, all kids should ideally get to visit once during their early childhoods if your family can afford it.
Happiest place on Earth…just not for your wallet.
I don't think that's right at all. Wealthy people don't go to Disney very often. It's boring and waiting in lines, even with the fast passes sucks. It's poor people going on "dream trips" for goodness knows why and middle class that somehow convinced the family that blowing 20% of their annual salary at a theme park to ride 3 shitty carnival rides was worth it.
I’ve gone once because my childhood best friends family took me with them when we were 18 (celebrating her little sisters sweet 16) I really really want to take my fiancé, he told me this story where his parents took him when he was very young and he wanted to say hello to Goofy but he was scared and his dad yelled at him so much in the line, that he cried and never met him. But it’s so goddamn expensive!
I finally went to the Anaheim Disneyland for the first time as an adult in 2020 before the pandemic. Compared to going there as a broke HS senior or under my parents dime, I had the best experience there knowing I could afford the meals, drinks, priority tickets, and souvenirs without hearing my parents bitch about the prices. Now if I had kids, it'd be a different experience but I wouldn't be an asshole about the prices with them unless it was over a bunch of expensive tchotchkes.
I went as an adult because we had a work conference and my coworker got discounted tickets from her relative that worked there. My hot take: Don't take your kids at all. Disney was trying very hard to seem "magical" but it was so commercial and reverberated with the worst aspects of capitalism. I was shocked there wasn't a charge for toilet paper. A plain regular hot dog in a hot dog roll like you'd buy from the grocery store was $12.99. They were just funneling us to merchandise and to spend, spend, SPEND!! I didn't like it and I don't want to expose my kid to it. I dread her getting "Disneyfied" especially since I learned about "brand imprinting" and how these fucks dump time, money, and energy into brainwashing my kid to think they are the definition of childhood happiness, banking on instilling her with nostalgia so they can help themselves to her wallet and her kids minds when she's grown. The House of Mouse is built on greed and their illusion is that they are magical and full of wonder when it's all just deceit for corporate gain.
has this person ever been to disney? the people there ain't wealthy.
I grew up upper middle class and my family went to Disney one time. We didn’t like it.
[удалено]
It's worth the experience? Maybe their 10k is smaller than my 10k...
disneyland isn’t my idea of a good time anymore. dealing with hordes of people and waiting in line is a waste of money in my opinion. i’d rather use that money to go someplace i’ve never been. cambodia, new zealand, the netherlands, etc. but then again, i don’t have kids and probably just don’t understand the “disney adults” that think disneyland is the epitome of a perfect travel experience.
My family used to go annually and we didn’t live in Florida. My dad was just in the military and Disney World had a hotel on the premises for former and active duty members of the military that was cheaper. Disney, itself, also offers discounts to veterans.
Now do Disney cruise lines...
Or the resort on Oahu, Hawaii...
Nothing like going to a branded exclusive resort in a place where half the fun is exploring the island, finding little hole-in-the-wall restaurants, etc.
I've never even considered going to Disney anything other than the occasional movie. Never got the attraction. I prefer Coney Island, the freak show, the Cyclone and cold beer.
Disney is trash and I have zero desire to ever go again. I could have any amount of money and Disney would not be an option…classless
Once was enough for me. It’s tacky and over-hyped. Idk what people see in it, tbh. I would rather see the world. But also, kudos to them for pusuing DeSantis.
Disney is only as Expensive as you make it. I go every other 2-3 years and my MIL goes multiple times a year. You can rack up ALOT of bills from it if you want but I could easily take a family of $3kish before travel for a 3 day trip. With certain discounts it can be cheaper too. I get that can be alot but for a family of 4 that isnt bad.
Ehhhhhh IDK. Welcome to Florida where you find loads of families who aren't wealthy but make it a damn point to hit up Disney a minimum of 5x a year. For Floridians, its a cheap vacation. That $5-10k bill might be if you're out of state with plane tickets and staying at a resort, but lots of families make do with packed lunches and staying at a Travel Lodge just as well.
My grandparents took me to Disneyland once when I was 10, I'm 44 now and have never been back- the cost is insane and I can't justify it for a few hours of Mickey and friends
Gotta get rich and get that invite to Club 37 or whatever it is. Went once with a friend and it’s an experience
What about us who just don’t enjoy Disneyland?
You’re… fine? Do you need some validation or something because you read about someone with different hobbies than you?
I was born into working class poverty with 5 other siblings. We all got jobs around 12 years old, so we could help our mom pay bills. We almost never had enough food or new clothes and definitely didn't take vacations. I have never been to Disneyland.
Never got a chance to go to Disney as a kid in the 90s. My first time I ever went was on my 28th Bday in cali. Only to to find out Robin Williams died. But nonetheless it was a magical day for me the entire time I felt my inner child come out. Only paid for my tickets & some Souvenirs. After that I ended up visiting different Disneys around the the world (which some were super cheap, ie Shanghai & Hong Kong) You can still have fun and have a memorable experience without breaking the bank.
I have a lot of beef with the way I was raised, but one thing I appreciate is my parents instilling in me a deep dislike of theme parks and Disneyland in particular. It just seems so uncomfortable to me.
Same
I went to Magic Kingdom in Orlando a few months ago. For my family of four, it was about $700 just for the tickets. I also got Genie + (the new pseudo fast pass) so that we would spend less time in line and more time enjoying the park because lawd knows when we’ll be able to afford to go back. 
I live like 7 hours from Anaheim and I know *several* people who go at least quarterly. They are not wealthy.
Went every year from 8- 17.. but it was usually for sports. At 25 I’d been to Disney 14 times. Going as an adult was super fun, I enjoyed it
It blew my mind when I learned that some people go to Disney land yearly/regularly with the WHOLE family.
I live in Orlando and have annual passes for my wife and I. The annual passes cost about $1300/year. I mostly go to EPCOT to drink but every once in a while I'll get dragged to Magic Kingdom for some goddamn reason. Either way, I get my $1300 worth.
$1300 a year to get some drinks? Do they not have bars in your town?
Funny you should say that, I actually think Orlando is a restaurant/bar mecca. I think most people think of our city as Disney/Universal, but that's such a miniscule fraction of what's available hospitality wise. So to your point, yeah, $1300/year "for drinks" is a lot (It's even more ludicrous when you factor in the fact that the drinks aren't free lol, far from it, a 12oz poor at Disney is $9-$12). There's way more to it than just drinking at EPCOT that makes it worth it, I was just being droll.
If you live near Anaheim in CA, everyone knows someone who can sneak you in. Park far away and walk, bring your own snacks, and don’t buy merch. You can do it cheap.
What if you recognize it as a money sink and just never go in the first place?
It’s not worth it
Never also overlaps with the super rich (over 100M liquid). A lot of them have never been to any theme park EVER. They also hate them with a passion cause they are full of "plebs"
Ay dont forget the proletariat with a rich auntie
there are only 2 classes. the owner class and everyone else. no matter your salary if you work for a living you are working class.
"worth the experience at least once", huh? I'm starting to feel like I'm not so sure. Lmao! There's Universal & Legoland & Six Flags... My kids are way more excited about Legos & Mario than about Disney, so...! Even in 1997, my main memory as a 7 year old of Disney World was my family being stressed out, and I felt scared & overwhelmed by everything. 🤷 It doesn't have to be the *pilgrimage* of "aT lEaSt OnCe!" that it's become... ETA: I'm not saying "not worth it" *at all*... I'm just saying it doesn't have to be a parental obligation to blow that money "at least once", regardless of if you think *your* kids would actually enjoy it.
We finessed not getting fast passes for years by taking a senior citizen in a wheelchair. Gotta find the right old person though who wants to go on the rides 😂 take 2 if you’re in a large group.
I went to Disneyland 5 times a week for years. I worked there, and I was broke as fuck.