Disney Is Expensive. Does That Mean It’s a Bad Value?

I've got a possibly unpopular thought about Disney prices.

And before anybody comes after me, let me get this out of the way:

Walt Disney World is expensive.

Taking a family to Disney can cost a lot of money. I completely understand why someone looks at the price of a resort room, park tickets, Lightning Lanes, food and everything else and thinks, "You've got to be kidding me."

I'm not going to try to convince you otherwise.

But I also hear people say Disney just keeps raising prices because all they care about is making money.

Well...

They're a publicly traded company. They do want to make money.

But I think there's another part of the conversation that gets overlooked.

Have You Seen How Crowded Disney Already Is?

Disney doesn't charge the same price for a park ticket every day of the year. Resort prices change throughout the year, too. Discounts appear during certain periods. All of that gives Disney ways to influence when people choose to visit.

In other words, price isn't just about how much someone is willing to pay. It can also affect demand.

Think about it this way:

What would Magic Kingdom look like if Disney could somehow offer essentially the same experience it offers today — but charge Six Flags prices?

Can you imagine?

Everybody who has ever said, "I'd go to Disney more often if it weren't so expensive," suddenly could.

And Disney already has days when there are more people in Magic Kingdom than I particularly want to share Magic Kingdom with.

I'm only partially joking.

Of course, I've joked before about my own idea for a solution. Maybe Disney should just bring back its original pricing model. Are you old enough to remember the ticket books?

Cheap admission!

Then you buy tickets for the rides you want -

Want to ride Space Mountain again? Better hope you've got another E-ticket!

On second thought, maybe we don't need to bring everything from the 1970s back.

Expensive and Bad Value Aren't the Same Thing

This is where I think the conversation about Disney prices gets more interesting.

Instead of simply asking:

"Is Disney expensive?"

I think the better question for a family planning a vacation is:

"Is the Disney vacation we're planning worth what it's going to cost our family?"

Those are very different questions.

Because maybe you don't need the Deluxe resort.

Maybe you don't need Park Hopper tickets.

Maybe you don't need seven park days.

Maybe you don't need Lightning Lane Multi Pass every single day.

Maybe moving your trip by a week or two changes the price considerably.

Or maybe you've been talking about taking your kids to Walt Disney World for five years. They're finally at the ages you've been waiting for, you've saved the money, and you've decided this is something your family really wants to experience together.

Then maybe it is worth it to you.

That's the part that can't be answered by somebody on Facebook telling you Disney costs too much — or by somebody else telling you every Disney vacation is worth every penny.

Neither person knows your family.

This Is Where Planning Matters

I'm never going to tell somebody:

"It's Disney! Just spend the money!"

That's not how I think people should plan a vacation.

I'd much rather help you figure out what actually matters to your family.

If you're going to spend more money somewhere, let's spend it on something that's going to make a difference to your trip.

And if you're about to spend hundreds of dollars on something your family doesn't really care about?

Let's talk about that, too.

That's one of the reasons I don't believe there's one "perfect" Disney vacation.

The family that wants to rope drop every morning and stay until the fireworks doesn't need the same vacation as the family that wants slow mornings, pool time and a few hours in the parks.

Neither one is doing Disney wrong.

They're just spending their vacation time — and their vacation dollars — on different things.

So, Yes. Disney Is Expensive.

I'm not going to argue with anyone about that.

But expensive doesn't automatically mean bad value.

Value is about what you're getting in return for what you're spending — and whether those things matter to you.

That's the conversation I'd rather have with a family planning their first Disney vacation.

Not "How much Disney can we possibly cram into this trip?"

But:

"What would make this trip feel worth it to your family?"

Once we know that, we can start building the vacation around the answer.

Ready to start planning your Walt Disney World vacation? I'd love to help you figure out the plan behind your family's magic.