Are Disney World & Disneyland Good Per-Hour Values Compared to Other Entertainment?
Like clockwork, when Walt Disney World or Disneyland raise ticket prices, overzealous fans come out of the woodwork to defend the decision and explain why even at the higher costs, Disney theme parks are a great value as compared to other entertainment options. Others do the exact opposite, complaining about any and all higher prices.
I hate all of that. So naturally, I’m going to join them and do the very thing I decry! But instead of engaging in some free PR for the big corporation or point out the obvious that paying more stinks, I’m going to dig a little deeper and provide context. I’m not starting this post with a preordained conclusion, or emphatic yes (or no!) to the titular question.
I fully expect Walt Disney World and Disneyland to outperform some forms of entertainment. (“It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me.” ~Taylor Swift) I’m also not going to cherry pick the choices or frame this analysis in the best possible light to reach the invariable conclusion that Walt Disney World and Disneyland offer great per-hour value for money. I know the parks are more expensive than a lot of things.
For the sake of this analysis, we’re going to look at a median single day ticket, which currently costs approximately $165 at Magic Kingdom or $169 at Disneyland. Note that we’re using the two castle parks for the ease of comparison. Admittedly, it’s also to discard the starting price of Walt Disney World tickets, which is a marketing gimmick that only applies to Animal Kingdom and would skew the numbers.
(It’s worth noting that Disneyland has a wider range for ticket prices: $104 to $194; Magic Kingdom’s range is $129 to $189. The numbers for each coast normally would be even closer, but Disneyland increased ticket prices in 2023 and Walt Disney World did not. Well, not yet. There’s still a week to go!)
Single day tickets for the castle parks are being chosen because it’s the cleanest comparison to most other entertainment, so it makes sense to do The Math™️ on this one. Although this may come as a surprise to Disney diehards who have Annual Passes or always purchase long multi-day tickets, 1-day tickets are an incredibly common ticket type. (Last I knew, it was the most popular ticket type…but my info is a few years old.) Most tourists still only do day-trips to Disney as part of all-encompassing Florida or California vacations.
With that in mind, we do think it’s also worth acknowledging the difference between a single day ticket and a 4-night vacation. The latter is usually significantly cheaper on a per-hour basis, but much more expensive as a whole. That would be a fair analysis because Walt Disney World has 4 theme parks and is a vacation destination, but it ceases to be an apples to apples one with other entertainment options.
Notwithstanding Ben Stiller, most people don’t sleep over at the museum…but that’s also more of a single day experience. I’m also not at a concert for several consecutive days, having to purchase an entire vacation package, multiple meals, flights, accommodations and who knows what else.
(Although from what I’ve read, a lot of people not only traveled to see Beyoncé or Taylor Swift this summer, but also did things like got pricey makeovers for the concert. That would add tremendous ancillary costs to the experience, but is probably the exception rather than the rule when it comes to concerts. Yet it’s common when it comes to vacation destinations, hence the name!)
If Walt Disney World and Disneyland fans want to play the multi-day comparison game, they really should do so with other vacation destinations and not entertainment. Of course, that doesn’t happen because the results suddenly aren’t nearly as favorable. If people knew just how (in)expensive it is to visit Paris or Tokyo or U.S. National Parks as compared to the Disney Parks…they might doing Disney!
Point being, Disney vacation packages are cheaper per hour but more expensive overall, making the comparison both more and less favorable depending upon your perspective. For more thorough analysis, we’ll refer you to How Much Does a Walt Disney World Vacation Cost in 2024? for the breakdown.
In any case, it’s impossible to do The Math™️ on a full vacation package on a per-hour basis. For the purposes of this post, it’s probably sufficient to point out the approximate cost of a vacation package and say “that’s a lot!”
Instead, we’ll simply determine the per-hour value of a single day in Walt Disney World or Disneyland. This might seem like a simple matter of taking the per day costs above and dividing that by the number of operating hours in a day, right?
I’m skeptical of such an approach for a couple of reasons. First, what percentage of guests are actually arriving at park opening and staying until park closing? Sure, that’s an option. And it might seem like this is the most “fair” approach since you might also leave a sporting event early if it’s a blowout or a concert if you want to beat traffic. I think that’s a bit different, though, as the average person experiences a sporting event or concert in full, whereas they spend X number of hours per visit at a place like a theme park or museum.
Second, this type of assessment conveniently overlooks the amount of time spent waiting in line at theme parks. If I go to a Taylor Swift concert, I’m going to encounter lines to buy merchandise, food, and for the restrooms or whatever. But the song “Anti-Hero” isn’t gated behind a 3-hour line. I stand in one spot, and the entertainment comes to me in succession with no appreciable, non-enjoyment downtime in between.
With Walt Disney World and Disneyland, the ‘enjoyable hours’ are a bit different. It’s not as if the only moments of entertainment come in 5-minute or so concentrations of each ride. Walking around soaking up the atmosphere counts. So too does eating, shopping, or “seeing stuff.” Standing in line isn’t all bad–but not all fun, either.
The problem is this makes it exceedingly difficult to calculate. If you just use how many hours the parks are open, that’s readily ascertainable. Enjoyable hours for the average person is more abstract and open for debate. Still, that’s the malleable metric I’m going to use, because it seems fairer.
I’m also going to say that number is 8 hours, on average, at Walt Disney World or Disneyland. If I wanted to complicate matters even further, I might muddy the water by claiming that the average for Walt Disney World is 7-8 hours whereas Disneyland is 8-9 hours. I think I could realistically make that assertion based on differences in weather and operations, but I won’t. (Even if it is probably true-ish!)
(Circling back to the whole vacation package vs. entertainment experience issue, I will say that this ‘enjoyable hours’ issue arguably makes Disney Cruise Line cheaper per hour than Walt Disney World or Disneyland even if it’s typically more expensive as a whole. But that’s beyond the scope of this post–another topic for another day!)
This means that the per hour cost of a Walt Disney World or Disneyland day is roughly $20. Here’s how that compares to other stuff that may or may not entertainment you:
- Books – The library gives me these for free. I routinely pay late fees due to, let’s call them scheduling issues. I also pay taxes that help support the library, but that’s true of a lot of things I don’t use. Nevertheless, the per hour cost for books is measured in cents, not dollars.
- Griffith Observatory – Free admission and access to a Terminator filming location. Infinity value at $0 per hour.
- The Getty/Villa – Two of the best museums in the United States are also free. Sadly, no Terminator tie-ins, but still $0 per hour.
- The Ocean – In both Florida and California, you can visit the beach for free. If you want to do activities–and not just look at the ocean, enter it, or walk around it–figure that might cost you a few dollars per hour. (Much more if you do something like whale watching, but that’s technically not “the ocean,” but rather, “the whales.”)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Maybe I should be embarrassed to admit this, but I’ve logged over 100 hours saving the Kingdom of Hyrule over the last several months. (In my defense, Sarah was falling asleep at like 8 p.m. during the peak of my playing.) I cannot believe video game fans complain about prices, as they’re easily the best value in entertainment. Again, this is measured in cents, not dollars.
- Balboa Island – Technically, there’s always money in the banana stand, so if you play your cards right, visiting Balboa could be quite a profitable venture. If not, it’ll set you back a few bucks per hour.
- Average Museum – There are a lot of museums in Central Florida and Southern California that do charge for admission, with a rough per hour price of around $5.
- Joshua Tree National Park – The America the Beautiful AP costs eighty bucks and covers entrance fees at lands managed by the National Park Service and US Fish & Wildlife Service and day use fees at other alphabet soup agencies. It covers the passholder and all occupants of their vehicle. Or you can pay $30 per vehicle for 7 days. Either way, it’s a few bucks per hour, per person.
- Everglades National Park – Same deal at Everglades National Park in Florida. I guess it could cost more if you get attacked by an owl or gator and needed medical attention, but isn’t that just part of The Florida Experience™️?
- Movie Tickets – Our local theater is a Cinépolis, which is fancy. These can be found in both Orange Counties. But we go during matinee hours or half-priced Tuesdays when tickets are $10. Let’s say that the national average is closer to $18 and the typical movie is 2 hours. That’s $9 per hour. (No one is forcing you to buy popcorn. Popcorn is noisy and mediocre–it’s salt and butter that tastes good. Popcorn’s popularity is mystifying.)
- San Diego Zoo or Safari Park – This is the best zoo in America (nice try, Ohio!) and the park that Animal Kingdom was based on. Discounts here are abundant, but we’ll just go with regular ticket prices, which put the per hour cost around $10.
- Los Angeles Angels Game – Despite squandering two generational talents, the Angels are awful and no one wants to attend their games. $12 per hour is supposedly the average, but we’ve never paid that much to watch them–not even when Ohtani and Trout were both in the lineup.
- Los Angeles Dodgers Game – After dropping over $1 billion (!!!) to secure the best free agents on the market, I’m terrified about how much it’s going to cost to see the Angels’ crosstown (not really) counterparts in 2024. My guess is $50 per hour.
- Tampa Bay Rays Game – Despite actually being great, no one goes to Rays games because they’re “too far” away. As if Dodgers Stadium is easy to access. $12 per hour.
- Tampa Bay Lightning or Anaheim Ducks Game – The average cost of these two teams is nearly identical. It’s somehow below the Winnipeg Jets who play (and this is true) in Winnipeg. But that’s in Canada, and who knows what’s up with their currency. $25 per hour.
- Coachella – Because I’m so sure there’s considerable overlap between the target audience for Disney theme parks and the target audience for Coachella, I’m including this. I think the last act I recognized that performed at Coachella was Hologram Tupac. Every time I see the annual lineup release, I wonder whether it’s written in code (just what is a “070 Shake”) and realize I’m old. But I guess if you’re young and hip, this is a good way to burn $40 per hour.
- Orlando Magic Game – Despite growing up in Michigan at the tail end of the Bad Boys era, my favorite NBA team growing up was the Magic. Who didn’t love Shaq and Penny?! You won’t see them today, which is probably why the average per hour cost is “only” $35.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers Game – Admittedly, this is based on data from last year when the Bucs were a very different team. The average per hour cost might’ve been higher than today, at $53.
- Los Angeles Chargers Game – The moral of the story, unsurprisingly, should be that Hollywood entertainment is more expensive than Florida fun. $63 per hour.
- Los Angeles Lakers Game – Going to the Lake Show is much more expensive, but you’ll also get to see one of the game’s all-time greats in his final years. $66 per hour.
- Knott’s Berry Farm Day – A fun and old fashioned theme park, but arguably with less to do than Disneyland to fill a full day. Also, much cheaper admission. $10 per hour. (If you’re a local, you can buy a season pass for about the same cost!)
- Universal Orlando Day – There are slight differences in the ranges and dates, but Universal basically matches Disney ticket prices in their local markets, making the average here the same as Magic Kingdom: $20 per hour.
- Universal Studios Hollywood Day – I love USH and Super Nintendo World, but realistically, you’re getting less ‘enjoyable time’ per day at Universal Studios Hollywood without spending extra or visiting during the off-season. Nevertheless, the base price is the same at $20 per hour.
- Average Las Vegas Show – Everyone loves magic, singing and comedy. Enjoy all of that, plus two Disney alums in “Steve Martin & Martin Short: You Won’t Believe What They Look Like Today!” Average cost per hour is about $33.
- Average Broadway Show – Theater is a blind spot for me, but the internet says average ticket prices are $122-148. That works out to be around $75 per hour…and now I know why I have a Broadway blind spot! (Yeah yeah, I know stuff like TKTS exists.)
- Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour – The reported averages are all over the place–from much lower face value numbers to insane resale amounts–but the average of those averages of what fans actually paid to see Taylor Swift’s latest tour is (very) roughly $435. That’s the per hour cost, not the ticket total. (I know people who paid less than that for their tickets, but the point stands–Taylor Swift costs more than Disney.)
Which of the entries on this list are worth it? Which are not? That depends upon the person, but what all these things have in common is popularity. (Minus the Angels.) So enough people have voted with their wallets and deemed these things ‘worth it.’
For our part, we’ve done permutations of everything on this list except Broadway (meaning an expensive concert, but not Taylor Swift; pro sports, but only some of the teams mentioned). I don’t regret the money we spent attending a single one of the events. That’s right, even the Angels games!
The point is that all of this is incredibly subjective, and not just from person to person. Even as I sit here, there are experiences that I’d say were absolutely, unquestionably “worth it” to me at a variety of different price points. One of my all-time most memorable travel experiences was an all-day hike to a seldom-seen spot in Yosemite National Park, the Diving Board.
My photography buddy and I were literally the only ones there for one of the most epic sunsets I’ve ever seen. That vista is indelibly burned into my memory, and the per hour cost of that hike was probably a dollar or so given the cost of my AP. Should this experience be the benchmark against which everything else I do is judged?
On the other hand, Sarah and I paid nearly $140 each to attend Oogie Boogie Bash, an event we’ve attended before at a park to which we also have Annual Passes. The per hour cost of that worked out to about $30, and a decent amount of that time was spent waiting in lines. Yet, we also had an absolute blast.
Was that Halloween party not “worth it” because it cost more than the hike? (I might also add that the hike likely improved my health, whereas the candy I ate at the Halloween party probably did the opposite.) What if the exact same event a few years ago was significantly cheaper? Is anyone who pays the higher price a sucker?
Over the years, this blog has been quite critical of various upcharges offerings at Walt Disney World, save for my precious parties. (We’ve been only mildly critical of the price increases for those. Presumably because we enjoy them and are thus biased, whereas we don’t like most other upcharges. Hmmm.)
Anyway, there’s a pervasive sense of FOMO that drives many people to spend on unnecessary experiences at Walt Disney World. Consider it a form of keeping up with the online Joneses/Kardashians. That might even be why some people visit Disney in the first place–they see their “friends” do it on social media, feel pressured to take their kids on the rite-of-passage trip in order to be a “good” parent, wear ‘Most Expensive Day Ever’ shirts in quiet protest, and drop thousands of dollars on a vacation they maybe didn’t want in the first place.
When it comes to upcharges, the FOMO effect is also a driver of pricing. Experiences like fireworks dessert parties or dining packages have nightly capacities that number in the hundreds, whereas there are tens of thousands of people watching the nighttime spectaculars each night. You don’t need a math whiz to explain why these things booking up quickly is more a numbers game than it is a reflection of whether these things are “worth it.”
But just because there’s a FOMO effect or it’s limited capacity or priced highly doesn’t mean people can’t be happy with the experience and find it was worth it to them. It wouldn’t be worth it to me, but I’m not the ultimate arbiter of value. Others could be sincerely satisfied with the offering and even have been willing to pay more for it!
It probably goes without saying, but costs relative to enjoyment can also vary. In the case of the aforementioned Yosemite hike, I’d pay $1,000 right now to be instantly transported back to that moment. Heck, I’d give the same amount to watch SpectroMagic one more time! Value is nebulous, and probably the best way to assess it is not comparatively, but after the fact.
With the benefit of hindsight, would you pay that much to have done it for the first time? What would you pay to do it again? The answers are going to vary from person to person, and just because someone derives pleasure from a nearly-free book or hike doesn’t mean that a much more expensive concert or theme park visit is not worth it to them.
Variety is the spice of life, and that would seem to apply to leisure activities and value propositions, too!
Ultimately, it’s fair to say that Walt Disney World and Disneyland are neither the best nor the worst values in entertainment when you attempt an objective measure. As far as in-person experiences go, they’re about middle of the pack–more expensive than regular parks, movies, and museums.
Less expensive than most sporting events, regular concerts, Broadway shows, and Taylor Swift or Beyonce concerts. For the reasons discussed above, objective measures don’t even begin to tell the full story…to the point that they’re practically pointless! Not only that, but we haven’t factored in food, which is pretty much a necessity when visiting theme parks or attending a multihour experience. It might be a controversial opinion, but I’d argue Disney Parks offer better bang for buck when it comes to fast food as compared to almost anything else–stadiums, concert venues, museums, zoos (our local library doesn’t serve food).
It’s also fair to say that anyone preoccupied with per-hour value isn’t going to be paying the prices listed here. Honestly, I was shocked about a lot of the per-hour averages on entertainment we’ve done with some degree of regularity, because our costs are almost always significantly lower. The same could be true with Walt Disney World and Disneyland, both of which offer ticket deals or lower season prices.
In the end, I suspect that a lot of the complaints about Disney theme parks offering “poor value” come from longtime fans who have seen and felt the trajectory of Walt Disney World and Disneyland prices. I further suspect that the defenders who contend Disney offers “great value” are largely an overcorrection to the critics, or people wanting to justify their own Disney addictions. Honestly, I feel the same…as both groups.
In some cases, Walt Disney World and Disneyland cost twice as much today as they did a decade ago–and that’s after prices came close to doubling in the decade before that. That’s a tough pill to swallow, and while I can empathize with the critics, I also don’t have access to a time machine. There are a number of things that cost significantly more today than years ago, but the market has decided are ‘worth’ more now.
That includes both Walt Disney World and Disneyland, as their attendance today is higher than a decade ago when the parks were cheaper. I might add that this value assessment has been made by all of us who still visit Walt Disney World and Disneyland. Complain as we might about prices, the votes we’ve made with our wallets speak far louder than our words ever could.
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Your Thoughts
Do you think Walt Disney World and Disneyland are good values on a per-hour basis as compared to other entertainment? Is the amount that you’re paying to do Disney higher or lower than $20 per hour? What’s your balking point for a per-hour cost of Walt Disney World or Disneyland? What do you think of the value-proposition of the parks: good, bad or ugly? Any questions? We love hearing from readers, so please share any other thoughts or questions you have in the comments below!
Disney parks are designed like 3D versions of movies – they always are “the same” no matter how many times or when you see it. I think that fundamentally makes the perceived value of it lower than a concert or Broadway show where there are limited performances, differences day to day in the production, and celebrities.
I’d take a Broadway show on a per hour value over a theme park on pure ride and show time value.
Only calculating the ticket price into the equation of perceived value is faulty to me. The whole cost of the entire experience then broken down by number of days and number of people is where I get to a $400 per person per day value of my Feb 2022 WDW vacation for four. Now is that a “good” value, well that depends. For us Deluxe resorts wasn’t worth it, but moderate was in the Royal Rooms because this was likely the only WDW vacation that we were going to do with the kids. That’s also why we did do Genie+ and a couple ILLs to guarantee that we got to do certain rides (Rise). But we brought snacks and water bottles in our backpacks. For someone else they might choose the opposite. So really in order to have relative value instead of comparing apples to rutabagas, you need to weight each type of cost (lodging, tickets, food, add-ons, transportation to get to and on site, etc.) to how important it is to you. (My inner accountant with a love of spreadsheets is coming out.) Then do the math to show how ranking and cost turns into an actual value proposition. This way you can compare two completely different choice vacations with a similar basis. Almost a choose your own adventure vacation model. I’m happy with our choices for that but if I were to go again it would depend on the type of vacation that it would be (ex. with a friend going hard core = value resort, with my husband for a romantic meandering time = going to French Quarter) and it doesn’t have to just be around lodging. My brother-in-law is very proud of the fact that when they went, they didn’t do any sit-down meals and they brough their own snacks. I thought that was half of the experience going to some of those meals and my kids agree. I would love to see internal analytics of the amount of money that people spend. I have a feeling that it would compare really well to how Vegas operates with their give-aways.
Would love to see a graph of the ticket prices from opening til now on the same grid as inflation.
You can Google “Disney World ticket prices versus inflation,” but I’m not sure you want to. It’s so discouraging. Disney ticket prices have risen many times more than other major items such as housing, gas, groceries, etc. in the past 50 years. But, unlike housing, gasoline or groceries, Disney World tickets are not something you buy regularly, or even something you need. For the vast majority of people, Disney World tickets (and all the other high-costs items that come with the tickets) are not a factor in their regular budgets. I suspect that even many of the people who go to Disney World go one time, or very infrequently. So, the costs increases are most often affecting those who go often, or those who want to go, but are on tighter budgets and have other options.
Just want to thank you for a very entertaining read and a lot to consider, especially this season when there is so much value placed on getting the “right” gift and overspending. I consider every trip to Disney a “worth it” experience because of the people I take with me and because I’m related to one of the band members, so it’s a blast getting to see him live one of his childhood dreams. I just feel relaxed, at home, and like a kid again. At 47, that’s not a common experience, so I treasure that. Your article about Megatron’s first visit to Disneyland made me teary and helped me remember my own glorious “first day” with each of my daughters, who are now 18 and 20.
Also, I LOVE your photo of the sunset at Yosemite. Being a huge NP fan myself, I agree with you that for $1000, I would love to be transported back to the time when I first laid eyes on Bryce Canyon and was simply speechless.
So grateful for your blog and all of the wonderful tips, laughs and points to ponder that I have derived from it over the years. All the best to you and Sara and Megatron as you continue to travel the globe in search of new adventures. Thank you for taking us along with you!
You have another blog?! What else are you keeping from us??
Value is in the eye of the beholder 🙂
I’m probably not a good person to talk about value, but we’ve never spent that much at Disney, and certainly never over couple of thousand dollars. In a family raised on memories of childhood so poor, having the kid’s shoes repaired was the sole Christmas present; doing a typical Disney vacation is unthinkable.
Since the 90’s visiting WDW we paid only for plane tickets. Cast member friends would get us into both Disney and Universal for free, and it was free to stay with relatives, so with cheap $99 plane tickets we were only out the cost of food in the parks. We’d have a big breakfast at home, pack snacks in a backpack, and pay for a single fast-food meal in the park. Our total budget for a one-week vacation in Florida for a family of four, with two days at Disney and one day at Universal, was under $1,000.
Unfortunately, our contacts at Disney have retired long ago, and we’ve felt guilty taking advantage of our free Universal ticket source, so recent trips have included ticket prices. Even so, when visiting for a funeral this year, we were forced to find a place to stay and we found numerous cheap Air Bnb accommodations within 20 minutes of the park for in the $60-$80 a night range. We stayed in a nice little two-room apartment with kitchen and two beds for $80 a night only a 15 minute drive from the Magic Kingdom parking lot.
Between discount airlines, cheap Air Bnb accommodations, and minimal in-park food purchases you can still piece together a frugal Disney visit. With my first visit to Disney in ’69, it was just this year that I spent money on a churro, and the first time I’d tried Dole whip. For years our snack of choice was to simply bring apples with us. But it’s not just me. I tried to take my parents and aunt to the Skipper Canteen this year, and even with me paying the bill all three of them would only order the soup appetizer and that’s it.
Note that I’m not saying there’s anything wrong at all with spending more if you have it. Good for you! I have good friends who are DVC members and I’m happy they are able to enjoy the fruits of their hard work. My point is only that it’s possible to visit Disney on the cheap and still have a great time and there’s nothing wrong with that.
All excellent points!
For what it’s worth (and I know you weren’t saying otherwise), but even DVC doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive. (It absolutely often–probably usually–is, though.)
One of the reasons we got ‘hooked’ on WDW in the first place is thanks to Annual Passes reducing the per-visit cost, cheap airfare on Southwest (plus companion passes), and CM discounts on resort rooms. That last one eventually evolved to booking with PIN codes…and then DVC via resale.
Everything is obviously much more expensive than it was a decade ago, but for the Midwesterner who takes ~4 long weekend trips a year to WDW, flies a budget carrier, and stays at the Value Resorts or DVC via resale, WDW can still be done efficiently.
I don’t think about Disney World costs in comparison to the ‘value’ of other forms of entertainment. My family has been Disney fans for years and we visit Disney World about every two years. There really isn’t anything else we would compare it to in terms of ‘value’. Since we live in the Pacific Northwest, we have to fly and we always stay on site. We know up front that Disney is expensive and we accept that. What we can no longer accept is the rate of price increases, combined with charging for things that used to be free (especially for those of us staying on site) while delivering an inferior product. Sure, we can still suck it up, save a bit more, and just grin and bear it. But the arrogance with which Disney now treats its guests like ATM machines while delivering an inferior experience is simply breathtaking. Our last Disney World trip (this past April) was eight days and the total cost, including hotel, airfare, park tickets, and food, was a bit over $11,000. Admittedly, we stayed in Deluxe resorts (Contemporary and Boardwalk) and ate a lot of meals at sit down restaurants, but it was just me and my husband. Figuring 8 hours a day of entertainment, this works out to about $171 an hour! Again, we know this going in and plan for it. But it’s getting more and more difficult to accept that type of cost for an experience that is far worse than a few years ago. We may still return, although we are doing some serious soul searching as to if we want to continue to be kicked by Disney.
@Suzie: I am very sensitive to what you write, especially because it is well substantiated. But why is Disney arrogant? Can you give some examples of this breathtaking arrogance you are talking about when you say: “But the arrogance with which Disney now treats its guests like ATM machines while delivering an inferior experience is simply breathtaking.” Thank you.
I think it’s hard to assess a $171 per hour value because you are now taking into consideration your deluxe accommodations – which essentially bridge the gap of the entire day. Assuming you’re sleeping 8 hours a day you need to factor that into your math too. Because you made the choice to splurge on accommodations, doesn’t mean that should factor into your per hour value when others can get the same “8 hour experience” for half the price at a moderate resort.
This is in response to DonnaDonny’s question.
By arrogance, I mean the elimination of things previously included in the room rate, replacement of some of them with paid and seriously inferior products (think Genie+, Lightening Lanes, Virtual Queues, Magical Express, luggage handling, free wrist bands, free Fast Passes with advance reservations…and I could go on), and increasing prices pretty much across the board while lowering the experience. Have you ever seen any communications from Disney explaining why these changes were necessary and how they are better for guests? I haven’t. The forums are full of comments from people frustrated with the changes and yet Disney remains unmoved. Their expectation seems to be that people will merely accept higher prices and a worse experience because they are the only game in town that is “Disney”. To me, this is the definition of arrogance.
This response is for Greg.
Yes, we spent a lot for deluxe everything and that was our choice. However, the point I was trying to (unsuccessfully make) is that this experience four years ago would have been far less expensive, far less stressful, and would have included everything that has now been taken away or charged for. I’m certainly not saying we’re abandoning Disney, but we will probably not come as often nor stay as long and will very likely split our stays with Universal, something we’ve never considered before.
I agree with most of what you say Tom but I have been to Steve Martin and Martin Short’s show in Las Vegas in 2019 and I dont know if its worth it now but honestly then it was one of the best value entertainments ive had in Vegas. I went to the Grand Canyon by Helicopter Landing (better but more expensive per hour) and Aerosmith (worse on money). Although I think its relative value.
I think though you are trying to say is that relative value is what you make of it particularly for Disney. I think if you arrive early folloe a strategy (maybe genie plus if appropriate) and have a few godo meals Disney parks can be good value. Funnily enough ive had good and bad Disney days in the same trip at disneyland. Day 1 i tried for rise of the resistance and had to pivot day 2 i did space mountain even with the early entrants and got through everything twice through rope drop or genie and some cancelled experiences. I think i did 20 plus rides that day(might have been 25 ish) plus got reserved places at fantasmic and world of color.
“I have been to Steve Martin and Martin Short’s show in Las Vegas in 2019 and I dont know if its worth it now but honestly then it was one of the best value entertainments ive had in Vegas.”
Thanks for sharing that.
Honestly, a big part of the appeal of seeing Steve Martin and Martin Short would be witnessing two of the greatest comedians of all-time, together in person. I don’t really care about the length of the show or even the value. It’s just something I really want to experience firsthand, if that makes sense.
“100 hours saving the Kingdom of Hyrule”. lol. I never would have guessed, but I suppose even famous bloggers are human too.
That deserves about the biggest air quotes ever around “famous.”
Whatever I have definitely is not fame. And it’s not something I would want, anyway–fame is a cancerous and corrosive thing.
I’m just a dude with a blog who happened to play 100+ hours of Zelda while his pregnant wife fell asleep most nights around 8pm. 😉
“Famous” enough for one of my students to site an article you wrote on Splash Mountain. Concerning this article’s topic, our family of five did Disneyland and DCA this summer for about $13 per hour. We rope dropped and stayed until it closed. We purchased park hopper tickets and Genie+. We rode 31 rides: Cars ride 3x, Haunted Mansion 2x, plus everything else once, except Small World, which was torture for my children in Magic Kingdom, so we weren’t going to repeat that. If you count seeing the fireworks between the parks every night but one while we stayed in Anaheim, the cost is less.
Very thoughtful, well-reasoned analysis and article! Love the excellent content; it is hard to find these days! Happy holidays to you, Sarah, and Megatron (and the pets)!!
Thanks for the kind words–happy holidays to you and your family, too!
Tom,
I always enjoy reading your articles. They are always provide a ton of information, are interesting and funny. You mention the FOMO effect and this made me think about other factors to add to the cost of going to Disney; specifically travel and hotel costs. Unless you’re a local, you’ll have to stay in a hotel. Obviously that cost can vary widely based on the accommodations you choose. Also, many people will have to fly to one of the parks, or factor in time and “wear and tear” on their own vehicles if they choose to drive. A rental car may be required. Especially now that DME is no more (also for DLR). Car and hotel costs may also be incurred for other events, but if you live near a major city, .a lot of the entertainment will come to you; concert tours, sports teams all travel and may cut down those costs considerably compared to Disney. Anyway, I agree with you that it’s all subjective so it can all be “worth it”.
So happy for you and Sarah welcoming Megatron to your family!
You’re definitely right that major entertainment comes to you in a major city. It’s definitely not a perfect comparison in a number of regards!
In the end, it probably makes the most sense to compare Disney to other all-inclusive vacation destinations (and not cities, since it’s impossible to determine what components constitute a Paris trip beyond airfare and hotel). Perhaps another post for another time.
Fun post. For me where the wheels fall off is if you calculate the per hour entertainment cost of individual lightning lanes. As you’ve said a million times, Disney is more than just attractions- it’s a whole experience. The ILLs boil it down to just the attractions, and the per hour cost of those is pretty horrible.
“For me where the wheels fall off is if you calculate the per hour entertainment cost of individual lightning lanes.”
And that right there is why we still, to this day, have never purchased an Individual Lightning Lane. Masked via the bundle of Genie+? Sure, fine. But as an individual attraction…I just can’t bring myself to spend $X per minute on TRON Lightcycle Run or whichever attraction. I know Disney is expensive, but that high of a cost–and that degree of transparency about it–is just too much for me. I don’t need to do any individual attraction that badly.
To each their own, though! It’s a very different calculus for first-timers and one-and-done visitors, obviously.
I live roughly 60 miles from Citi Field. What used to be an hour and 15 minute drive is often now 2 hours with traffic, road work. NYC is a freaking mess. I arrive an hour before the game starts. I crossed two bridges used a couple of toll roads so with gas it’s $60 but parking is now $40. $100 just to get to the stadium. The game is delayed 2 hours before they call it. 100 bucks, 7 hours of my life lost for no game. Does that sound like great value? But I went with a friend, we laughed, told stories and solved most of the world’s problems. We hung out in a beautiful ballpark. Had good, if overpriced, food. So you tell me, was it worth it?
The answer is ATTITUDE!
Only you can make yourself happy or miserable. No one else can, though some may try. N9ever allow money, or the lack of it, interfere with being alive. if you wake up in the morning, take advantage of that and have a GREAT DAY. There’s NO VALUE in doing anything less.
…but on the plus side, at least you didn’t have to watch the Mets! 😉
Sorry, I just couldn’t resist. I know I shouldn’t have after you just lost the Yamamoto sweepstakes, but if you can’t laugh about it, you’ll just cry.
-signed, a long-suffering Detroit Lions fan
LOL!
Don’t know if you’ll see this Tom but….
Here’s the email I sent out to some of my fellow Met friends:
Well I guess we’re all disappointed that the Mets didn’t get Yamamoto.
On the bright side we won’t have to learn how to pronounce his last name.
AND the dreaded Yankees didn’t get him.
So I join in with the rest of the baseball world who didn’t sign him by hoping he turns out to be a BIG flop in LA. How great would that be?
All I ever want is for our team to be competitive. To be able to go to a game knowing we’ll be in it.
Post Season is a crapshoot since going to more than 4 teams making the playoffs. Now it really is who’s the healthiest and hottest at the end.
For me the World Series, although fun, doesn’t mean as much as it once did. Especially for those of us who remember two leagues with 8 teams each.
There was something special about the two leagues never meeting until the very end.
So now I go for the game, the season is still a good time for me. Baseball is with me every day, from spring training in March through the summer and into the fall. A soap opera that keeps me distracted just enough to enjoy life.
I follow my team through ups, downs, sickness and health. A marriage going on 64 years. Not bad, just don’t tell my wife, we’re only together 51 and a half years.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,
Let’s Go Mets,
I would lump all the time I spend reading this blog (and other Disney parks blogs) in with my time at the actual parks – they seem to feed off each other and could be considered Disney Park Entertainment as a whole. That per hour rate is pretty low!
That’s actually an interesting way of looking at it, and I completely agree. Obviously, it’s easy for me to be biased out of self-interest as someone who writes a blog.
However, I was also a heavy consumer of Disney Parks content online before starting this site, and continue to be one. Walt Disney World is one of the very few vacation destinations that has this whole ecosystem around it–fed by a rich history, interesting developments, corporate shenanigans, and nonstop news (even if a lot of it is minor stuff like menu updates).
Interesting analysis. I can see why people complain with price increases going up much higher than inflation (almost as bad as college tuition and fees). The “value” you get now (however you defined value), has to be less than the value you got years ago. You pay more for essentially the same experiences. I think most folks compare the value they get today from WDW to past WDW values, not to other current forms of vacations or entertainment.
I wonder about one comment you made: “That includes both Walt Disney World and Disneyland, as their attendance today is higher than a decade ago when the parks were cheaper.” The park attendance data you referred me to recently showed that total attendance at the four WDW parks in 2022 was about the same as in 2012.
I think another issue MIGHT be what I consider a distorted view of value. I see as lot of (most?) folks who spend thousands of dollars on material possessions (can you say bass boat or a WDW vacation?) but refuse to agree to pay a few hundred dollars a year in increased property taxes that could improve their children’s educations. For these folks, “value” is only about what it can do for me, and to heck with everyone else. Granted, this is not what Tom was writing about. But we have to consider how people value things. And I think a lot of people have very distorted concepts of value.
“The park attendance data you referred me to recently showed that total attendance at the four WDW parks in 2022 was about the same as in 2012.”
I meant to respond to the previous post where you pointed this out, but look back at 2019–it was much higher. I know that’s a few years ago rather than “today,” but it’s the last normal year at Walt Disney World without some artificial restriction on attendance.
Even though crowd levels have been down this year (effectively), I strongly suspect overall attendance increased due to the return of Annual Passes, increase in capacity, and removal of some reservation rules. 2023 still won’t come close to 2019, but it should be higher than last year or 2021, even though WDW outperformed overall during those years.
Good point. I had said in my previous post that a different range could produce different results, as you correctly noted. If the 2023 and 2024 attendance numbers don’t come up to, or near, 2019, then I think it’s safe to say that Disney is “losing” – whether it is Universal, perceived lower “value,” or both.
If you really enjoy something and can afford it then it is always good value for money!!
I have the weekday Disney pass ( I work on weekends so this pass is perfect for me!) and go at least twice a month on average . When you factor in the included parking and the fact that I don’t do >25 minute waits my hourly value is roughy $5/hour ( with the caveat that Maths was my worst subject at school)
I attend Tampa bay lightning hockey games also and my hourly rate is about $20-30/hour there –
But I enjoy both equally so my value is based on enjoyment not price ( if that makes sense)
“I enjoy both equally so my value is based on enjoyment not price ( if that makes sense)”
It makes complete sense. I think that’s how most people probably think about value, too.
Ultimately, I think all of this is an academic exercise people like to engage in to justify why Disney is or is not “worth it” for whatever reason.
In reality, people vote with their wallets. From that perspective, you could argue that everything on that list is priced exactly appropriately, as the market has dictated what it’s worth. I think that’s probably an oversimplification; inertia, hype, accessibility, supply constraints (or lack thereof), scale, and a ton of other factors also come into play. You’ll never convince me that any of the U.S. National Parks are “only” worth their cost, for example.
So it’s an academic exercise, but it can still be a fun one for the sake of discussion! 🙂