Disney primarily for the wealthy? NYT Article

[Anonymous]

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/opinion/disney-world-economy-middle-class-rich.html?unlocked_article_code=1.hk8.F_tG.sVWX9WZOpUYk&smid=url-share

I found this article quite relevant. As someone who has been to Disney four times, but is by no means a Disney person, I have no desire to do Disney again. The cost is part of it.

These issues are relevant to Universal's Epic Universe as well. Between the Express Pass that costs as much as your park ticket (yet doesn't include the most popular rides), the Power Up Bands, all the wands for the Harry Potter crowd, and the fact that the Helios costs $800 a night and DOESN'T include the benefits you get at other top tier Universal Hotels, the top Orlando amusement parks are starting to look like a trip for the global elite, and the global elite alone.

[Anonymous]

And for those who are going to criticize: yes, I know it's an opinion piece and not an informative article. I find its points quite salient.

[Anonymous]

The cost is outrageous. We are in the “wealthy” tier but it’s too much for us. However, the market tells us that it is not for the wealthy. Or, not just for the wealthy. That place is busting at the seams.

We went last summer for a wedding. The bride and groom weren’t wealthy and they go every year. Same with many of the guests. As long as people are making it work and pay those insane prices, Disney will keep charging them. For us? It’s too high and we’re not going back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And for those who are going to criticize: yes, I know it's an opinion piece and not an informative article. I find its points quite salient.

There's actually a lot of great info and data points in there- it's a very good example of the bifurcation of the economy. So many people here are in that upper 10% that it feels fine to us.

"in 1992 there were 88,000 households worth $20 million or more in 2022 dollars; by 2022, there were 644,000"

"Ms. Cressel figures that her seven days in Orlando cost about $8,000 for two adults and three kids — around 15 percent of what she and her daughter earn each year after taxes"

I think the basic way it works is that for those in the upper 10%, they go every year or every other year if they are big fans. If you are a huge fan and poorer, it's a once every 5 or 7 year thing.

[Anonymous]

It’s sobering to think of everything becoming skewed to the wealthy. I wonder though if this is just extracting money from the wealthy as opposed to giving them value. I am a recent convert to Disney but my understanding was that everyone liked the Fastpass system; but Disney has effectively created classes now whereby “economy class” (no Lightening Lane) significantly deteriorates the experience as opposed to just being “not luxury.” But maybe all of us would be better off with the median.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The cost is outrageous. We are in the “wealthy” tier but it’s too much for us. However, the market tells us that it is not for the wealthy. Or, not just for the wealthy. That place is busting at the seams.

We went last summer for a wedding. The bride and groom weren’t wealthy and they go every year. Same with many of the guests. As long as people are making it work and pay those insane prices, Disney will keep charging them. For us? It’s too high and we’re not going back.

Flights to Orlando and hotels are relatively cheaper than a lot of other vacations. Even food at Disney is comparatively affordable. It’s really the tickets that are the added cost; but a lot of people can save up annually for the he ticket.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And for those who are going to criticize: yes, I know it's an opinion piece and not an informative article. I find its points quite salient.

There's actually a lot of great info and data points in there- it's a very good example of the bifurcation of the economy. So many people here are in that upper 10% that it feels fine to us.

"in 1992 there were 88,000 households worth $20 million or more in 2022 dollars; by 2022, there were 644,000"

"Ms. Cressel figures that her seven days in Orlando cost about $8,000 for two adults and three kids — around 15 percent of what she and her daughter earn each year after taxes"

I think the basic way it works is that for those in the upper 10%, they go every year or every other year if they are big fans. If you are a huge fan and poorer, it's a once every 5 or 7 year thing.

Ms Cressel’s hassles seemed to come mostly from her scooter. But, her visit was compared to a father and daughter who spent 4 days and about $7K (before premier pass). If the Cressel family spent fewer days and invested more in the upgrades for 4 instead of 7 days, they might have had a better time. For a time the premier pass was only for hotel guests but I think it has expanded given that the family stayed off property. Full disclosure, my family used the premier pass at our last visit and it was amazing. Hardly any waits, rode everything we wanted. But we have no desire to go multiple times a year, it was a one and done or maybe in a few years we’ll go back.

[Anonymous]

For the wealthy AND for those who just put it on their credit card because they feel it is a rite of passage for the kids or something.

[Anonymous]

Some of the issues for Disney
-annual passes for FL residents are cheap and there are some very heavy users who live locally.
-DAS passes were using lightning lanes and it wasn't just the disabled person, it was their entire party. Obviously it wasn't every DAS person, but there were some heavy users who rode 20 rides + a day. It caused an increase in ride times for everyone.

We are pretty wealthy and would love to go multiple times a year, staying at premium resorts, but I can't convince DH to return. His #1 beef is with how crowded it is. Even though you're paying $$$, you get an insanely crowded park with obnoxious wait times. 60-90 minutes for my 3 year old to ride Ariel during the lowest month of the year, during a week day? It's so unenjoyable because of the wait times. And we also spent most of the day on our phones trying to book lightning lanes. It wasn't like this before with Fast pass.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And for those who are going to criticize: yes, I know it's an opinion piece and not an informative article. I find its points quite salient.

There's actually a lot of great info and data points in there- it's a very good example of the bifurcation of the economy. So many people here are in that upper 10% that it feels fine to us.

"in 1992 there were 88,000 households worth $20 million or more in 2022 dollars; by 2022, there were 644,000"

"Ms. Cressel figures that her seven days in Orlando cost about $8,000 for two adults and three kids — around 15 percent of what she and her daughter earn each year after taxes"

I think the basic way it works is that for those in the upper 10%, they go every year or every other year if they are big fans. If you are a huge fan and poorer, it's a once every 5 or 7 year thing.

Ms Cressel’s hassles seemed to come mostly from her scooter. But, her visit was compared to a father and daughter who spent 4 days and about $7K (before premier pass). If the Cressel family spent fewer days and invested more in the upgrades for 4 instead of 7 days, they might have had a better time. For a time the premier pass was only for hotel guests but I think it has expanded given that the family stayed off property. Full disclosure, my family used the premier pass at our last visit and it was amazing. Hardly any waits, rode everything we wanted. But we have no desire to go multiple times a year, it was a one and done or maybe in a few years we’ll go back.

The premier pass seems like a giant waste of money - we’ve been twice and have done just fine with lightening lanes. I have no doubt it is a nice luxury but I’d rather stay extra days than that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The cost is outrageous. We are in the “wealthy” tier but it’s too much for us. However, the market tells us that it is not for the wealthy. Or, not just for the wealthy. That place is busting at the seams.

We went last summer for a wedding. The bride and groom weren’t wealthy and they go every year. Same with many of the guests. As long as people are making it work and pay those insane prices, Disney will keep charging them. For us? It’s too high and we’re not going back.

Flights to Orlando and hotels are relatively cheaper than a lot of other vacations. Even food at Disney is comparatively affordable. It’s really the tickets that are the added cost; but a lot of people can save up annually for the he ticket.

The money isn't what's keeping people away, it's the crowding and wait times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The cost is outrageous. We are in the “wealthy” tier but it’s too much for us. However, the market tells us that it is not for the wealthy. Or, not just for the wealthy. That place is busting at the seams.

We went last summer for a wedding. The bride and groom weren’t wealthy and they go every year. Same with many of the guests. As long as people are making it work and pay those insane prices, Disney will keep charging them. For us? It’s too high and we’re not going back.

Yes, we would definitely be considered wealthy and I've never been able to justify the cost. I went a few times as a kid back in the 80s, and I loved it, but when I hear about the insane crowds plus the ridiculous prices, it's just not appealing.

[Anonymous]

I think Disney is too elaborate now and a poor value.

I haven't felt the "magic" since 6th grade.

I was happy that my kids got their Disney trip with the high school band so my husband and I could skip it. That probably saved money overall for my family despite the school markup per person.

I enjoy traveling to foreign countries instead. This can be cheaper than Disney in pleasant weather season and more novel.

[Anonymous]

Income growth and and the increase in income inequality, and the resulting change in marketing, matter. But also, there is still only one Disneyworld, while the US population has gone up (from about 230 million in 1980, for example, to about 340 million today), and travel has made it cheaper to travel, so there are just more people who can go.

We could afford to go if we really wanted but never considered it both because it doesn't appeal that much and because it's so expensive. A family trip to Europe is a similar price.

[Anonymous]

The issue we have is not necessarily the cost. We can afford a week a Disney. But we would prefer to spend the same amount of money going to Europe, or some other destination that has a comparable cost. We did the Disney trip once. We might get to it once again when we have teenagers... but doubtful. We would just prefer to spend our vacation dollars on other places.

Alternatively, my sister and her family go multiple times a year. They bought season tickets this year and plan to spend Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break, Summer- all their holidays in Disney. They don't travel anywhere else... except maybe a Disney cruise.