It Costs 50 Million Won for a Family of Four to Enjoy an Amusement Park... Parents Strained by 'Disney World'

$40,000 Needed for One Week for Family of Four
Additional Fees Required to Skip Lines on Rides
Orlando Disney World Visitors Down 15% This Year

A recent analysis revealed that enjoying everything at the world-renowned theme park Disney World requires spending as much as $40,000 (about 50 million KRW) over six nights and seven days.

On the 26th (local time), Bloomberg analyzed that a family of four traveling for six days at Disney World in Orlando, USA, would need up to $40,000 in expenses.

Disney operates two theme parks: Disneyland located in Anaheim, California on the US West Coast, and Disney World located in Orlando, Florida. Disney World is larger in scale and more costly.

One reason for such high costs is that the basic admission ticket alone costs $3,600 (about 4.6 million KRW), and additional fees are required to reduce waiting times in lines.

The average wait time for popular attractions is about one hour, and under the “Dynamic Pricing” system, the longer the line, the more money you have to pay to skip it.

Paying $220 (about 300,000 KRW) to $340 (about 460,000 KRW) per day can save more than four hours. VIP tickets that allow immediate access to attractions without waiting cost $6,300 (about 8.53 million KRW) for a family to use for just one day. According to Disney, despite these high prices, about half of the visitors pay for these options.

Disneyland

Additionally, customizing a lightsaber from the “Star Wars” series costs $250 each, and costume and styling packages to dress up like a princess are priced between $100 and $180 per person. “Character Dining,” where guests can eat with Disney’s iconic characters such as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Chip and Dale, costs $35 to $60 per adult and $40 per child, with drinks charged separately.

The highest expense is the hotel. Choosing a premium room in a hotel located inside the Disney theme park costs $26,400 (about 35 million KRW) for a week’s stay. If meals are also taken care of within the theme park, the weekly food expenses reach $3,000 (about 4 million KRW).

Bloomberg stated, “$40,000 is the budget for the most luxurious travelers,” but also noted that “even in August, which is the off-season due to the heat, the minimum cost for six days (for four people) including food, accommodation, parking, and theme park admission fees totals $4,280 (5.78 million KRW).” Although about ten times lower, this is still not considered inexpensive.

Bloomberg introduced the story of a 44-year-old man who said, “Such high costs are a huge burden on American households,” and that despite saving money for two years to spend a vacation with his family at Disney World, he still had to take out a $5,000 (about 7 million KRW) loan.

The problem is that even after the COVID-19 pandemic subsided, customers are cutting back on spending due to high inflation. According to Bloomberg, visitors to the Orlando Disney theme park decreased by 15% this year. Travel agencies report that ticket prices for Disney theme parks during peak season have nearly doubled over the past decade.

Disney executives recently acknowledged in their earnings report that the company’s profits have been impacted by high costs and stated, “Since everyone vacations differently, we are considering offering more affordable options.”