Monday 23 May 2022 11:31 PM The priciest place on earth: Family of four hit with $8,480 tab for five-day ... trends now
A Disney World vacation was once seen as the tradition getaway for the American middle class family, but it is increasingly slipping out of reach.
Over the past few years, the prices of tickets for the amusement park have skyrocketed as executives continue to raise the price of food and begin catering to higher-paying clientele.
To make matters worse, Disney executives are eliminate cost-saving features at the theme parks, like a free shuttle from the airport and free parking for those staying on the premises.
It has also done away with a free option to help people skip the ever-growing lines at certain rides - replacing it instead with a pay service.
All this is increasing squeezing budget-conscious families as the US Census shows the average family making $67,521 a year in 2020.
The cost of a one-day ticket at Disney World has increased more than 3,000 percent since it first opened in 1971
A family of four reported shelling out $8,480 on the trip - and when counting airfare, that number increased to over $10,000.
In February, the entertainment conglomerate raised ticket prices with a four-day standard ticket costing a minimum of $447.70, according to Disney World blog Inside the Magic. The cheapest four-day ticket used to be $434.83.
A four-day Park Hopper Ticket - which lets park goers travel from one section of the amusement park empire to another - costs a minimum of $540.89, up from $525.35.
And a four-day Park Hopper Plus ticket - which allows Disney enthusiasts to visit every park in one day - jumped from a low of $546.65 to a low of $559.53.
On average, Inside the Magic reports, the ticket prices are about $20 or 2 to 6 percent higher than they were just the year before.
At the same time, Disney World is phasing out some of its cost-saving options, reports Frommers.
Prices at Walt Disney World are now 2 to 6 percent higher than they were just one year ago, as the theme park eliminates free parking options for those staying at its resorts
The Orlando theme park was once considered an average American vacation
The free bus service from Orlando's main airport is gone - adding about $30 to $60 per person to get to and from the resort.
Additionally parking fees that apply on the resort-owned land could add $15 to $25 per day.
Menu prices have also increased across the board - with a single cup of coffee costing $3.49 and a single churro $6.39.
And the cheapest resorts on the premises cost more than $200 a day.
At nearby Universal Orlando, meanwhile, executives are lowering the costs of their four-day passes to Universal Studios and Universal's Islands of Adventure.
Through September 30, it announced last week, guests could purchase a four-day ticket for $79 per person, per day - down about $40. Guests can also stay at its beach resort for about 20 percent less from June 3 to August 13, according to WPTV.
Disney's exorbitant prices are nothing new, though.
When Magic Kingdom first opened in 1971, the cost to enter was $3.50 for adults and $1 for children, according to Market Watch.
When accounting for inflation, that would amount to just $24.98 for adults today, and $7.14 for children - about $100 less than an adult ticket costs
