We’ll be honest — going to Disney World isn’t exactly cheap!
Theme park tickets START at over $100 per person, and Disney Resorts are often hundreds of dollars (sometimes thousands) per night. Planning a full multi-day vacation often means that your checkbook takes a big hit, and that can be particularly disappointing if you don’t have the perfect trip.
Casino.org recently did a study on America’s biggest rip-offs, looking to TripAdvisor for ideas and surveying 5000 people. The list of rip-offs included everything from college textbooks to credit scores to movie theater snacks, but one beloved attraction also made the list.
In the category of US Attractions, Disney World ranked as the #1 rip-off among those included in the survey. Casino.com pulled the top 10 attractions list from TripAdvisor and then had participants rank them to see which was the biggest rip-off, according to their experience. 60% of respondents put Disney World in the top spot.
Following Disney World at the #2 and #3 spots were the National Mall and the Alamo, respectively. There’s some pretty significant variety in the types of attractions on the list!
Disney World was also the “biggest rip-off” for the state of Florida, and Disneyland Resort took the top spot for the state of California.
Ultimately, the best way to get your money’s worth is to fully do your research ahead of a Disney World vacation. Know what you’re getting yourself into! We’re visiting the parks daily and we’re constantly supplying our readers with tips on how to navigate their trips so they can make the most of their time in the parks.
If you go into your vacation without a plan, you could be left confused and overwhelmed. (Disney World is the size of San Francisco, after all!) Stick around here, and we’ll help you make sure you get your value out of your Disney World vacation!
Stay tuned to AllEars for more news and updates from Disney World.
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Have you ever felt ripped off in Disney World? Let us know in the comments!
First off, I am not at all sure that people who regularly visit a site called “Casino.org” are necessarily the best judges of what a rip-off is.
I’m sure, though, that WDW can seem like a rip-off IF you buy into the various “all-inclusive” plans. My perspective is that they don’t actually save you a lot of money. Their value is not in their savings but that they allow you to defer your decision-making until you arrive for your vacation.
To avoid this, PLAN AHEAD. WDW is a huge place. Do your homework. Decide how you are going to spend your time and how you are going to spend your money. Make wise tradeoffs before you go.
I once talked with a couple who were going to WDW for a weekend. “What are you going to do?” I asked. Everything, they said. “Everything” means they don’t want to plan ahead. Just show up. I once figured it out. To do “everything” at WDW takes at least 10 days. Without rest days.
All the money you spend is based on enjoying the parks. The moment you enter the gates of a park, the clock on your spending starts ticking.
Whether you get full value out of visit depends totally on whether you make the most of your time. If you haven’t planned, or planned poorly, you will waste both time and money.
And you don’t have to.
Disney was once the gold standard in family entertainment & that justified paying top dollar for the top of the line experience you received for your money. Been going to Disney World since 1972 & have watched the slow downward slide. The other parks, such as Universal, took their lessons from Disney and have met & passed Disney in many areas. I love going to Disney but I’m going for the 40th time, so my expectations & plans are very different from a family coming for maybe their one & only trip of a lifetime. They want to experience as much as possible. My first advise I’ve always given 1st time visitors is do not expect to do everything, do your research, determine what things are a must, then slot in other things once you have those settled. No one ever takes that advise, they spend all day in the parks, exhausting themselves and their kids, get angry, then complain about how awful the trip to Disney was. So, between too high expectations and Disney diluting their product, it does not surprise me it is considered a major ripiff.
A ripoff is when you do not get your money’s worth. Disney can be a ripoff. If you fall for every money trap. For my money it is the cleanest, safest, On of the most beautiful places to spend some time. It is the only place I have been where a child spends 90 minutes waiting in line for a two minute ride, gets off the ride, and says “That was fun. Let’s do it again.” It is expensive. No question. But if you are smart, do your homework, don’t try and do everything, and set limits, you can have a blast. And you can save a lot of money by not buying junk you will throw away in 3 months, eat at counter service rather than sit down (oh at least have a great sit down dinner on your last night, by all means). But do lots of walking. Sit by the pool. Enjoy all the stuff that is free like shows, parades, fireworks, the countries in Epcot, the animals in Animal Kingdom. Just don’t spend a lot to try and ride 3 or 4 rides in each park. We are going in 2 weeks and only got 3 day passes. But are very much looking forward to it.
The reason it is perceived as a ripoff is you have to be a near expert to take a family to WDW and have a successful vacation. Way too complicated for what it is and the Genie+/Lightning Lane ripoff is insulting. I would guess that a family of four staying at a WDW resort, eating there, and going to the park for 5 days is going to cost well north of $5K and could be pushing $10K. It’s a significant amount of money for most families to take so when they get there they immediately figure out they are screwed because they had no idea what they have gotten into. No amount of reading about what to expect will prepare a first time visitor. One look at the sensational head lines on this blog should scare most people off.
Why guess at the cost? You can easily get a rough idea simply by pricing out room, tickets, and possible meals on Disney’s site. Also there are often room discounts or dining promotions that can save a substantial amount. Finally, a Disney specialist travel agent can make sure you are getting the best deal at no extra cost. Been 36 times and still book through the same agency as they will watch for applicable discounts even after booking. Skip pricey sit down meals, bring a refillable water bottle and small snacks, and set a strict budget for souvenirs to a avoid overspending. Take photos and make an album when you get home for the cost of a single pair of Ears.
Nah, I have a blast every trip to Disney World, and can’t wait until my next trip this December!!!