Going to Disney is an experience to be celebrated. The parks are filled with excitement, happiness, and memories — so it’s no wonder people dream of visiting the house of mouse.
But, Disney’s been through some changes recently. Costs have been going up, and every piece of the experience has been hit by inflation. In fall 2022, Disneyland saw price hikes on tickets and its Genie+ service.
In a 2022 study by time2play, 68.3% of people feel Disney World has lost its magic and 92.6% of people feel a Disney World vacation is out of reach for the average family. Well, access to the park is going to become less accessible: Disney World prices are going up on Dec. 8, 2022.
Obviously, money plays a big role in your experience, but what if money wasn’t an object? How much would you need to pay to have a truly magical Disney experience? Or, is the idea really becoming obsolete?
So, What Is Disney Magic
To see if Disney magic still exists, you need to have a clear idea of what it really is.
If you watch the company’s movies — particularly the animated ones— there seems to be a supernatural force woven into the plots. It’s usually pivotal in reaching the happy ending and often results in happy moments throughout films.
In real life, the magic is less mystifying, but Disney puts a lot of effort into making it feel real. The parks will manipulate each element to fill the air with happiness and hide anything negative. This includes pumping the air full of synthetic scents, painting objects neutral colors to hide them from view, and continuously maintaining the properties. And the staff — or “cast members” — are part of the act. They’ll engage in spur of the moment acts of kindness, and use specific language that disguises daily operations.
The magic is no joke, but once you know the tricks, it’s kind of hard to unsee them. A good way to pull back the curtain: Make customers pay for it. Even if they buy these premium experience, they know the magic doesn’t “just happen” at Disney — it’s comprised of elements designed for profit.
The Cost of Magic
How much does the perfect Disney experience cost? There’s no definitive way to know, especially because there are thousands of different ways to buy entry into the parks. So, we’re going to look at single-day admission for one person in a Disney park.
The verdict: Be prepared to spend at least $248 in Florida and $266 in California for a taste of magic.
Single park entry
Of course, you need to get into the park to get a taste of the magic. Regardless of which park you go to, prices vary depending on the day — so prices can fluctuate by as much as $75. Plus, these fees routinely increase. Disneyland saw an increase in February 2022, and Disney World parks will see a price hike on Dec. 8, 2022.
- Disneyland: $104-$179 (Magic Kingdom or California Adventure)
- Disney World: Animal Kingdom- $109-$159, Hollywood Studios- $124-$179, EPCOT- $114-$179, Magic Kingdom Park- $124-$189
Park Hopper Add-On
If you’re super ambitious, you can buy access to multiple parks in one day. This isn’t necessary for a magical trip, especially if you don’t visit often. There’s more than enough to do in one day at any Disney park, especially when you’re dealing with lines and crowds, but it’s an important add-on to note.
- Disneyland: $65
- Disney World: $65
Parking
Fairy godmother busy? You’ll need to drive to the park, and the convenience comes at a cost, and it’s not just the gas. It’s a fixed price for a full day, assuming you’re driving a “standard-size car.”
- Disneyland: $30
- Disney World: $25
Genie+
Disney used to have a free Lightning Pass system where guests could book reservations for rides so they could bypass lines by coming back during their time slots. Not only did this make the park experience more enjoyable, but people who aren’t in line can roam the park and spend money on food and gifts.
This has been rebranded as Genie+, a paid service that allows people to reserve times for rides and get a fast pass for the attraction.
- Disneyland: $25
- Disney World: variable pricing from $16-$29
Necessary Extras
Mouse Ears: $29.99, generally. Prices have been known to vary by design, and recently, classic Minnie Ears shot up by $5 to $34.99.
Churro: $5 for an original one — specialty flavors + dips are extra. Based on my experiences, this snack is well worth it, but you can find endless sweets to indulge in.
Bottled Water: $3.50, or $5 for a bottle of soda (generally).
Of course, there are plenty of treats you can buy inside a Disney park. You could get a turkey leg (which will run you about $13), a Mickey Mouse pretzel ($7.50 with a dipping sauce), or a slice of notoriously unremarkable Pizza Planet cheese pizza ($7.99).
Is the Magic Worth the Cost?
Practically everyone who’s been to Disney has fond memories of the trip. But if you’ve never been before — and $400 is a feasible expense, even if it requires some saving — I’d say it’s worth the trip. Why? Because the customer experience is remarkable with its friendly staff, attention to detail, and emphasis on perfection. After your first trip, you know what to expect and the initial luster fades.
Even after trying to quote a price of the magic, I can’t advise anyone to go without highballing the expense. Disney intentionally makes prices vary every day, so people can never accurately prepare for the financial impact. In doing this, the brand is making a trip to its parks a luxury experience, and if you can’t accept the fact that you’ll hemorrhage money for a day, you better not go.
But it wasn’t always like this. When Disneyland opened in July 1955, it cost $1 for an adult to enter ($11.12 adjusted for inflation). Now, tickets range from $104-$179 (the equivalent of $9.35-$16.10 in 1955). Of course, the parks have received many more attractions, and guests pay for them all, regardless of whether or not they have time to experience them.
While you can never fully prepare for the financial burden, you’ll need to prepare for every other aspect of your trip. With all of the changes in the customer journey, the spontaneity is gone. You can’t walk to the gates and buy a ticket — rather, you have to do it on an app months in advance. You can book time slots for rides (via Genie+), and order food on the app. Once you’re at Disney, you should expect to hear the word “reservation” more than the name “Mickey Mouse.”
What Does This Mean For Disney?
With all of the efforts Disney puts into its customer experience, its goal is to have that magical feeling of happiness outweigh any other emotion. But, at an expensive park where money flows like water, it can be challenging to divert attention away from the endless spending (at least for adults).
It’s no surprise that visitors feel the parks are too expensive and complicated to feel magical, to the point that it will prohibit people from ever going. So, if the trend continues, families will skip the Disney vacations for something more reasonable.
If you’re trying to take a Disney trip and stay within a budget — forget about it. Prices fluctuate daily and people can pay money for more premium experiences. If you’re not willing to spend extra money to fully immerse yourself in the Disney magic and bypass wait times, you’ll feel like a second-class citizen in the “Happiest Place on Earth.”
Despite all of the complaints, people are still going to Disney. Parks are rebounding from pandemic closures, and guests in 2022 spend 40% more on average than they did in 2019. Perhaps the company used closures as a chance to hit the reset button and imagineer parks with more paywalls. The cost of Disney magic is going up, entry is more confusing than ever, but despite these flaws, guests are still paying big bucks for the experience. So long as that’s a constant, the price of magic will keep going up.
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