Are Disney parks no longer for the Middle class?

[mrodgers]

This depends entirely on where you live. In a low cost of living area like where we live, a family of 4 making 75k can live in a decent house, drive a couple of safe, basic cars, send their kids to public school, and save for a Disney trip.

Also, as a PP noted this is really lower middle class. Middle class would extend to twice that income, and at that level Disney every year is easy for a family that is not over spending.

I am supposedly in a low cost of living area. Last I looked at numbers, we were at about $65k dual income in an area of $42k median. Tiny stepping on one another 1000 sq. ft. house, $600 mortgage, one 5-10 year old car with payment and one 10-15 year old car paid off.

Went to Disney in 2010 at about $10k less income and paid $2200 for 6 days value resort, dining, discount, and no travel expenses added (drive). Beach in a 2 room oceanfront suite was about $1500 no travel expenses.

Looking at those same 2 trips, admittingly I looked about 2 years ago just out of curiosity as a coworker talked about it, with discounts Disney would have been $5500 and the beach (Myrtle) would have been less than $2400. There is no way I could have come up with $5500 to go to Disney and I don't believe people are booking higher resorts for 2-3 weeks for less money.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

I am supposedly in a low cost of living area. Last I looked at numbers, we were at about $65k dual income in an area of $42k median. Tiny stepping on one another 1000 sq. ft. house, $600 mortgage, one 5-10 year old car with payment and one 10-15 year old car paid off.

Went to Disney in 2010 at about $10k less income and paid $2200 for 6 days value resort, dining, discount, and no travel expenses added (drive). Beach in a 2 room oceanfront suite was about $1500 no travel expenses.

Looking at those same 2 trips, admittingly I looked about 2 years ago just out of curiosity as a coworker talked about it, with discounts Disney would have been $5500 and the beach (Myrtle) would have been less than $2400. There is no way I could have come up with $5500 to go to Disney and I don't believe people are booking higher resorts for 2-3 weeks for less money.

I don't know what time of year you were looking at, but 6 nights value with QSDP over thanksgiving 2020, no discount came to about $3700 when I priced it for our family of 3. There is potential for free dining for those dates (it was offered this year if you check in the Sat before thanksgiving) so that would bring it to $2700. That was about what we paid when we first started doing Disney on about $70k combined income. We live in a 1500 sqf house and had one care paid for and one payment at the time. We had to save for about 18 months for that trip, but it wasn't uncomfortable to do so. We live very simply though. We eat at home most of the time, pack lunches, and our biggest entertainment expense is the bargain matinee.

 

[BadPinkTink]

debates like this amuse me. Ive always either been on minimum wage or low income and Ive travelled alot more than my peers including multiple times to Disneyland Paris and Disneyland California.

To me its about HOW you prioritise your income.

It always amazes me that when I was on minimum wage, my peers would spend each weekend in bars and clubs, buy all the latest fashions, have the latest technology, expensive phones etc, and then complain they cant go on holiday.

I would be earning the same amount as them, go to the bars ad clubs at weekends BUT not drink alcohol, my clothes were not designer and I just had a middle range phone and I didnt have all the latest technology. As a result I had money to travel and would be planning my next adventure while they looked on in envy.

No matter what your income is, you CAN go on a Disney parks holiday, you just need to economise and sacrifice in your day to day life. The problem arises when people are not willing to economise and sacrifice in their day to day life. For example, going to the grocery store and buying a weeks worth of food, compared to ordering take out every day. Or not even that, changing from big brand names to own brand names for grocery items. Or not having a Netflix or Hula subscription, or not having the latest model of phone.

There are so so many ways to redistribute your income and save money so that you CAN go on a Disney parks holiday.

I never understand how people say oh thats me priced out. No matter what your income is, if you want something bad enough and it means that much to you, you will find a way to afford it.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

debates like this amuse me. Ive always either been on minimum wage or low income and Ive travelled alot more than my peers including multiple times to Disneyland Paris and Disneyland California.

To me its about HOW you prioritise your income.

It always amazes me that when I was on minimum wage, my peers would spend each weekend in bars and clubs, buy all the latest fashions, have the latest technology, expensive phones etc, and then complain they cant go on holiday.

I would be earning the same amount as them, go to the bars ad clubs at weekends BUT not drink alcohol, my clothes were not designer and I just had a middle range phone and I didnt have all the latest technology. As a result I had money to travel and would be planning my next adventure while they looked on in envy.

No matter what your income is, you CAN go on a Disney parks holiday, you just need to economise and sacrifice in your day to day life. The problem arises when people are not willing to economise and sacrifice in their day to day life. For example, going to the grocery store and buying a weeks worth of food, compared to ordering take out every day. Or not even that, changing from big brand names to own brand names for grocery items. Or not having a Netflix or Hula subscription, or not having the latest model of phone.

There are so so many ways to redistribute your income and save money so that you CAN go on a Disney parks holiday.

I never understand how people say oh thats me priced out. No matter what your income is, if you want something bad enough and it means that much to you, you will find a way to afford it.

You’re in a country that has free college and healthcare, correct? And employees are guaranteed paid annual leave by law? People here are sometimes struggling to stay afloat due to burdens you’re fortunate enough not to have to contend with. They truly can’t afford to go to Disney and the reasons are not nearly as simple as them wasting their money on the latest fashions and technologies.

 

[BadPinkTink]

You’re in a country that has free college and healthcare, correct? And employees are guaranteed paid annual leave by law? People here are sometimes struggling to stay afloat due to burdens you’re fortunate enough not to have to contend with. They truly can’t afford to go to Disney and the reasons are not nearly as simple as them wasting their money on the latest fashions and technologies.

Nope, my country does not have free college and free healthcare. Yes to the guaranteed paid annual leave by law. However, Im comparing like with like, my peers, work colleagues in my country. The comparisons about latest fashions and technologies was with my peers when I was in my 20's.

There are many many families struggling in my country, we have a housing crisis right now in my city, thousands on the official homeless list, in temporary accommodation in hostels and hotels. I live in a low income neighbourhood and I see alot day in day out. Right now for my area there is about 10,000 families registered homeless in temporary accommodation waiting for social housing. So I do know about the huge financial struggles many people face.

However, like I said before its all about how you prioritise your income. Even on a low income, people in my area still manage to take their families to Disneyland Paris and yes even to Walt Disney World Florida. There are multiple travel agents in my local mall, and they are continually advertising Disney parks.

 

[RedHeadedMomma81]

Im middle class, but I am also a single parent, single income household.
I will probably be taking from my 401k to make up what I can't save.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Nope, my country does not have free college and free healthcare. Yes to the guaranteed paid annual leave by law. However, Im comparing like with like, my peers, work colleagues in my country. The comparisons about latest fashions and technologies was with my peers when I was in my 20's.

There are many many families struggling in my country, we have a housing crisis right now in my city, thousands on the official homeless list, in temporary accommodation in hostels and hotels. I live in a low income neighbourhood and I see alot day in day out. Right now for my area there is about 10,000 families registered homeless in temporary accommodation waiting for social housing. So I do know about the huge financial struggles many people face.

However, like I said before its all about how you prioritise your income. Even on a low income, people in my area still manage to take their families to Disneyland Paris and yes even to Walt Disney World Florida. There are multiple travel agents in my local mall, and they are continually advertising Disney parks.

Sorry, I thought you were in Ireland.

I don’t know if you’re saying even homeless people living in hostels can scrape together the money to go to Disney if only they’d make it a priority, but I would certainly argue that they shouldn’t.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Sorry, I thought you were in Ireland.

I don’t know if you’re saying even homeless people living in hostels can scrape together the money to go to Disney if only they’d make it a priority, but I would certainly argue that they shouldn’t.

I am in Ireland. Its the UK that has free healthcare - NHS. In the Republic of Ireland we dont have that, we have to pay for doctors visits, prescriptions and hospitals, BUT we do have affordable health insurance.

We have to pay for college, average university / college fees are €3000 per year.

And why shouldnt low income people take holidays and go to Disney? If a low income family is good at managing their money and can save, and take their kids to Disney, then why shouldnt they? Is it one rule for middle class and one rule for low income? Are low income people not allowed to take holidays?

The homeless situation here is due to an exploding population and a housing system unable to keep up. There is literally too many people and too few housing options.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I am in Ireland. Its the UK that has free healthcare - NHS. In the Republic of Ireland we dont have that, we have to pay for doctors visits, prescriptions and hospitals, BUT we do have affordable health insurance.

We have to pay for college, average university / college fees are €3000 per year.

And why shouldnt low income people take holidays and go to Disney? If a low income family is good at managing their money and can save, and take their kids to Disney, then why shouldnt they? Is it one rule for middle class and one rule for low income? Are low income people not allowed to take holidays?

The homeless situation here is due to an exploding population and a housing system unable to keep up. There is literally too many people and too few housing options.

I’m referring to the Republic of Ireland. Maybe my google is broken, but every time I search I get info that says you have a public health care system which, based on income, covers all or most of your medical costs. While there may be some charges for certain services, these charges are minimal and capped. It does not sound like anyone there is at risk of being pushed into bankruptcy and/or home foreclosure over medical debt.

A 3k fee does not compare to the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars a college education will cost here.

Finally, don’t twist my words. I said homeless people have better things to spend their limited money on than Disney vacations.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I’m referring to the Republic of Ireland. Maybe my google is broken, but every time I search I get info that says you have a public health care system which, based on income, covers all or most of your medical costs. While there may be some charges for certain services, these charges are minimal and capped. It does not sound like anyone there is at risk of being pushed into bankruptcy and/or home foreclosure over medical debt.

A 3k fee does not compare to the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars a college education will cost here.

Finally, don’t twist my words. I said homeless people have better things to spend their limited money on than Disney vacations.

what you are talking about is called the medical card system and is based on income. And while yes it sounds great on paper, people do not automatically just get a medical card, many people do not qualify for the medical card. And you are wrong, many Irish people do have huge medical bills, many people have lost their homes.

and here in Ireland, homeless people does not just mean people living on the streets. People who are registered as homeless may be placed by local authorities into homeless hubs, hostels and hotels.

Im done with this peaing contest over whose low income population is in a worse position.

Anyways my point still stands, its about income distribution, and prioritising, economising, downsizing and sacrifice in your day to day life. If you have been visiting Disney Parks over many years, there is no need to be priced out, you can still go and walk down Main Street and ride Splash Mountain, if you are willing to think outside the box.

 

[rotlex]

That's some impressive bargain-hunting. I assume you live relatively nearby?

I don't see how we could do Disney even for a week for that money. A quick search gives me a price of $4951 for a 6-night moderate-resort package with 5 day hoppers, under the current discount offer. Add in airfare and we're at $6000+ before figuring in a single bite to eat, much less souvenirs or other extras. We can and do go a LOT of places cheaper than that, from Michigan beach towns to major cities. WDW got a boost in cost-competitiveness for a while because Orlando is one of the cheapest possible places to fly from Detroit for much of the year, but the resort price increases have consumed that advantage and then some over the last few years. But outside of WDW, I'm not necessarily looking for an all-inclusive resort experience; that tends to be something we do at Disney out of the inconvenience of going off-property but not a priority at "real world" destinations.

We spent five weeks on the road this summer for less than the cost of our last five-night Disney stay, and while that isn't apples to apples because we did camp for a lot of that time, we still spent 9 nights in decent hotels, including 2 days at Disneyland, and went to a lot of local attractions along the way.

Not bargain hunting at all. We don't live nearby either, but we do drive from PA. (Been doing so for 10+ years now). As we generally book a free dining bounce back, we are even paying full rate for the room. Again, just this past August, 13 night stay at CBR including the dining, 9 day hoppers and waterpark, $5500 or so. Even if I add the gas\travel cost, we only spent like $300 total for that so still a good bargain plus we have our car on site.

Now, we booked the same thing for next August, also at CBR and the price has gone up yet again. However, I still hold that Disney is a deal. We look at what we are getting for the money. Room, parks, food, entertainment. Next year my total bill is $7200, BUT, that's going with 5 rather than 4 people in a 5th sleeper room. (take it back down to 4 people in a standard room and it's like 6K or so).

Again, I can't price out a vacation anywhere else for that length of time that's going to be cheaper, and give me the same amount of things to do. Especially with that many people. That was really my whole initial point. Disney, while expensive, is giving you a lot of vacation for the money.

 

[luvsJack]

what you are talking about is called the medical card system and is based on income. And while yes it sounds great on paper, people do not automatically just get a medical card, many people do not qualify for the medical card. And you are wrong, many Irish people do have huge medical bills, many people have lost their homes.

and here in Ireland, homeless people does not just mean people living on the streets. People who are registered as homeless may be placed by local authorities into homeless hubs, hostels and hotels.

Im done with this peaing contest over whose low income population is in a worse position.

Anyways my point still stands, its about income distribution, and prioritising, economising, downsizing and sacrifice in your day to day life. If you have been visiting Disney Parks over many years, there is no need to be priced out, you can still go and walk down Main Street and ride Splash Mountain, if you are willing to think outside the box.

I don't think the PP intended to get in a contest with you about whose low income population have it worse. I think they were trying to point out that you can't make a blanket statement that ANYONE should be able to go to Disney.

You are willing to sacrifice to visit a theme park. That is YOUR choice. But for some people having clothes or food they enjoy or even Hulu or Netflix is not something they are willing to sacrifice. You seem very judgmental about what they spend their money on.

I would love to do a big trip with my grandchildren like we did with dd when she was little--a full week on site, ddp, lots of character meals, park hoppers and all of that. But it has more than doubled in price for the weeks we can all go. And, for the money I would save each month for such a trip, I choose to pay for dance lessons, art lessons and gymnastics for the three of them. Yes, its a choice BUT if prices had not gone as high as they have, I would be able to do both.

I, for one am not willing to stop living to pay for a vacation when there are many places I can go and enjoy and still enjoy day to day life.

 

[LSUmiss]

I don't think the PP intended to get in a contest with you about whose low income population have it worse. I think they were trying to point out that you can't make a blanket statement that ANYONE should be able to go to Disney.

You are willing to sacrifice to visit a theme park. That is YOUR choice. But for some people having clothes or food they enjoy or even Hulu or Netflix is not something they are willing to sacrifice. You seem very judgmental about what they spend their money on.

I would love to do a big trip with my grandchildren like we did with dd when she was little--a full week on site, ddp, lots of character meals, park hoppers and all of that. But it has more than doubled in price for the weeks we can all go. And, for the money I would save each month for such a trip, I choose to pay for dance lessons, art lessons and gymnastics for the three of them. Yes, its a choice BUT if prices had not gone as high as they have, I would be able to do both.

I, for one am not willing to stop living to pay for a vacation when there are many places I can go and enjoy and still enjoy day to day life.

While I can appreciate that, that doesn’t mean that wdw had priced out the middle class. That means you don’t think it’s worth it. That’s different.

 

[Cadiewampus]

I’m referring to the Republic of Ireland. Maybe my google is broken, but every time I search I get info that says you have a public health care system which, based on income, covers all or most of your medical costs. While there may be some charges for certain services, these charges are minimal and capped. It does not sound like anyone there is at risk of being pushed into bankruptcy and/or home foreclosure over medical debt.

A 3k fee does not compare to the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars a college education will cost here.

Finally, don’t twist my words. I said homeless people have better things to spend their limited money on than Disney vacations.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I think I'm probably as low income as it gets around here, because I subsist on a monthly SSI check. Half of my check goes to my housing and food expenses. I also pay for life insurance and my phone (prepaid $37/mo). I am fortunate in that I live with relatives, but it's still a close thing for me to be able to do Disney. I budget to the last penny, and make decisions based on what I can afford. October I am not putting any money away for Disney because I need an eye exam and new glasses, which will cost me roughly $200. So I just take October and December (Christmas Shopping) out of the budget instead of putting it towards Disney. This still leaves me a *little* wiggle room in my WDW budget in case anything comes up that I need to pay for. At this point, I'm still able to sock away $200 per month for the trip, which is going to be in 2021.

I *choose* to make Disney a priority, and luckily I still can...but as I said in this thread before, it's a near thing. I'm almost priced out, no matter how diligently I save.

 

[Minniesgal]

To me the middle class is exactly their target audience.

 

[Eeyore daily]

It's just priorities of what you want for your life. Personally I'm going to spend $5000 on a trip to Disney for the same time of spending $5000 on a trip to Europe. The only difference to most people is one is a different culture and continent whereas the other is an amusement park so the value is interpreted differently. If I wanted to vacation back home in Arkansas it would probably cost the same as going to either of those places because flights are ridiculously priced yet I don't want to because that's not a valuable use of my time/money.

 

[RamblingMad]

I think, it’s really about value for your money. Is it worth the price?

My national park trips are nowhere near as expensive. I enjoy both experiences. And they are both very different experiences.

Why are folks willing to spend so much to go to Disney? Disney’s pricing power is mind boggling.

 

[luvsJack]

While I can appreciate that, that doesn’t mean that wdw had priced out the middle class. That means you don’t think it’s worth it. That’s different.

The choice for me is paying for extras for my granddaughters. The choices that the pp was talking about was how much on groceries and clothes. Those are needs. Should one really have to eat rice and beans every day to go to a theme park? Should one have to buy second hand clothes (nothing wrong with it if you want to do that) to go to Disney?

And kids want to do these extra curricular activities so should they have to sacrifice those for a theme park?

If the answer to any of those is yes, then yes they have priced out the middle class.

Disney is a vacation. It’s special and it’s magical and all of that. But the prices are ridiculous.

 

[Hikergirl]

The choice for me is paying for extras for my granddaughters. The choices that the pp was talking about was how much on groceries and clothes. Those are needs. Should one really have to eat rice and beans every day to go to a theme park? Should one have to buy second hand clothes (nothing wrong with it if you want to do that) to go to Disney?

And kids want to do these extra curricular activities so should they have to sacrifice those for a theme park?

If the answer to any of those is yes, then yes they have priced out the middle class.

Disney is a vacation. It’s special and it’s magical and all of that. But the prices are ridiculous.

And yet middle class families from all over pay those prices to go.