Disneyland guests have lashed out at the popular theme park for its exorbitant ticket prices and long ride lines, with many warning it will burn a hole in your wallet.
A furious guest took to Reddit to vent that they spent $300 on a day pass only to spend most of their time waiting in queues of up to an hour for things that weren’t even rides, like souvenir stores, food kiosks, and even the bathroom.
“The rides themselves are just atrocious. Minimum wait times of two hours to go on a ride that lasts three minutes?” they wrote.
“Now on top of paying nearly $300 for one day at the park (Park Hopper pass), you have to also purchase $US20+ passes to get on rides, otherwise you’re going to waste your entire day sitting in a 3-hour line.”
The guest of the Californian theme park explained they then purchased a genie+ pass that was enough to get them on a few rides.
“[But] the one attempt we made to get on a ride without the genie pass, we waited in line for two hours only to have the ride break down,” they said, adding, “Of course, Disneyland doesn’t do rainchecks unless you have a fast pass.”
It comes as Disney revealed it had raised the price of some of its theme park tickets by 10 percent, with guests at Disneyland in California now to pay $194 (from $178) — an 8.9 percent hike.
The cost of annual passes has also increased anywhere from $40 to $50, with the parks’ premium Incredi-Pass now costing $1,449, up from $1,399.
The latest increases were announced and went into effect on Wednesday, October 11.
“We are constantly adding new, innovative attractions and entertainment to our parks and, with our broad array of pricing options, the value of a theme park visit is reflected in the unique experiences that only Disney can offer,” Disney spokesperson Jessica Good told CNN Travel.
Meanwhile, the furious guest also took aim at the quality of the rides at the theme park that they did go on.
“The nail in the coffin is that Disneyland doesn’t really offer things that other amusement parks don’t offer anymore. Their ride technology and themed areas are on par with places like Universal Studios (which is less than half the cost),” they wrote.
“Any edge they have on quality is completely diminished by the sheer amount of people and lines you have to compete with constantly.”
The guest said it was hard to notice all the details and work that was put into the park “when you are just constantly in a sea of people”.
“I just don’t see the money or effort being worth it anymore. It’s pretty apparent that Disney’s popularity just continues to soar and ticket prices continue to rise. So the park will only continue to become more expensive and more crowded.”
Reddit users were quick to agree with the guest, pointing out that prices and crowds were “out of control”.
“I took my kids last year, and the crowds were unbearable,” one person wrote.
”Even if it’s not as crowded on a day you go, no one even has any interest in stopping and enjoying things or admiring the details and stuff anyway so all of the ambiance that makes Disney stand out just goes completely ignored,” another wrote, adding, “It’s inherently frustrating”.
However, others were quick to defend the beloved theme park, saying it depends on when you go.
“Avoid during summer break when all the kids are out of school, probably holidays too,” they wrote, advising to go on a Monday instead of Saturday.
“The time consumption makes some of it not worth the price,” another wrote.
“They already have computers tracking how many people are in the park. They should be able to limit the daily population to where things don’t get overwhelmed by crowds,” to which one person responded: “They do have a limit. The problem is the limit is too high.”
Longtime Disney observer Munsil told CNN Travel the price increases at Disneyland point to a pattern of trying to manage park crowds, steering visitors away from high-attendance dates and toward days when crowds are usually lower.
“The broader message for the past several years is that Disney is trying to optimize park attendance to get a better experience for people paying full prices for a ticket and to maximize revenue,” Munsil told the publication.
Meanwhile, others acknowledged that although it’s an expensive – and sometimes — long day out, it’s worth it.
“It’s for sure too expensive. But I was just there last week and we still had a blast,” one guest wrote.
In September, Canadian dad Mario Zelaya went viral after he shared a TikTok on how much he spent on tickets for his family of four during a recent visit to Disneyland Paris, slamming it as a “money grabbing machine”.
“Just the tickets alone, that’s 1,100 euros, for Americans, that’s 1,200 bucks, for Canadians, that’s 1,600 dollars,” he said while revealing the bill in the background of a clip.
“Why the hell would I do that?”
Mario had first bought the standard $120 per-person ticket but forked out an extra $173 per person to upgrade to premier passes, which allow guests to join the fast lane for each ride.
“It’s crazy how overflowing Disney is. It doesn’t matter if it’s in Paris, Orlando, or California, it’s like this all the time,” he said as he showed a video of a long line for a ride with a wait time of an hour and 15 minutes without the premier pass.
He noted the “crowds are just endless” before admitting he “made a huge mistake”.
“I went to Disneyland in Paris. I’m almost embarrassed at how much money I spent.”
He noted that if he didn’t buy the premier passes, he and his family would have been waiting “over 25 hours” to get on the various rides.
