If you have a kid who’s dying to go to a Disney theme park, you may want to persuade them otherwise — for your wallet and for your sanity.
Mario Zelaya recently posted a TikTok about the 1,100 euros (about $1,200) he spent on tickets for his family’s visit to Disneyland Paris.
“I made a huge mistake,” he says. “I’m almost embarrassed at how much money I spent.”Over 600,000 viewers tuned into the Canadian father explaining how he paid for “premier access” for his family, which allowed them to get into the fast lane for rides. This cost him an extra $50 per ticket (this was included in the total $1,200).
Even so, Zelaya says his family waited for well over an hour for “crappy” rides, like “it’s a small world.” He claims that his family would have spent over 25 hours in lines if he hadn’t bought premier access.
The TikTok’s overlay text says it all: “Disney is the biggest money-printing machine on Earth.”
With 800-plus comments mainly agreeing with Zelaya, he’s not the only one who overpaid for a Disney trip. But tickets aren’t the only costs that’ll make you madder than a hatter. Watch out for these other Disney park expenses.The food
A Disney travel specialist says that the food at the various parks can run you between $200 to $300 a day for a family of four. Between restaurants where you can lunch with Goofy or eat jacked-up fast food, this isn’t such a wild number. But in three or four days, that translates into nearly $1,000 spent on food.
However, Disney parks aren’t like movie theaters: you can bring your own food onto the grounds. Packing lunch and snacks for your family could save you hundreds of dollars.
Of course, there are the churros, funnel cakes and other sweet treats that are special to the theme parks. You don’t want to deprive yourself and your kids of trying those delicious and unique foods.
Before you go to Disney, allot a specific amount of money toward in-park food. You’ll not only protect your finances, but prevent your kids from sugar crashing throughout the day. A win for both your wallet and your mental health.
Read more: How can I stop the pain and make money in this nightmarish market? Here’s 1 simple way you can protect your nest egg
Souvenirs
Disney has no shortage of stuffed animals, T-shirts and mouse ears for purchase. But do you really need to spend $69 on an adult costume of Bruno from “Encanto”?
For some people, absolutely. For others, absolutely not.
This presents an excellent opportunity to talk to your kids about your money values. You can explain to your children that you want to fully immerse yourself in your Disney experience and bring home meaningful mementos from your trip (which, fairly, could be that Bruno costume). You just don’t want to borrow from their college fund to do so.
You can include your kids in the souvenir budgeting conversation. Go through the Disney merch website with them and show them the prices. Ask them what they think a good number is for an overall souvenir budget. If they suggest a number that’s too high or too low, explain to them why.
You can also give each person a personal souvenir budget on the trip so that nobody goes overboard. It could even become a game for each person to find the best deals for their favorite souvenirs.
There are savings to be found
Though there are lots of Disney costs, there are also savings. You have to look at each individual park to see the various seasonal and location-based discounts, but you can find some good deals.
For instance, Walt Disney World in Orlando offers discounts for military personnel, Florida residents and Disney+ subscribers.
But if you ask Zelaya, there’s just one way he’d suggest you save money on a family trip: “Don’t go to Disney.”
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