Dear Crabby,
I want to take my family to Disney World this year, but it is just so expensive. Why do they need to charge so much? I mean they are the biggest name in entertainment; it seems like just rubbing salt in the wound to charge so much for their theme parks and hotels.
Sincerely Mickey Needaloan
Dear Mickey Needaloan,
I certainly understand firsthand that Disney World knows how to charge for their commodities! Having recently returned from a trip with grand kids in tow, we made some hefty deposits into the Disney trust fund! My mother always used to say, “If Walt Disney was able to see what they charge, he would roll over in his grave!” I don’t know if that is true or not, but it seems like he would be making a lot of money, so maybe he would be fine with it. Either way, to spend nearly $200 per person, per day – it is just mind-blowing. For example, when the kids are dehydrated and starving and you go to get them each a hot dog and soda, it is about $10 per kid! I will say though, this year we did notice that they offered free water. That was a huge move in the right direction. The water was not very good, but it was free nonetheless. However, we used to purchase tickets in advance and use them up over
a span of a few years. For example, we would buy a five or seven day park hopper and only use a couple days this year and couple the next and so on. Now they have changed their policy and you have like 14 days to use all your passes as soon as you use the first day! I’m sure this is so they can raise the price every year and get each and every person to pay the increased amount. Sometimes I cannot help but picture Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck sitting around a board room counting my money! I will say though that no one can out-“Disney” the team at Disney World! The parks are always first class. The kids are enchanted with the characters and the princesses walking around and saying hello. My granddaughter even got to meet Tinkerbell and afterwards she turned to Mrs. Crabby and I and said, “That was the real Tinkerbell!” I guess that is why we pay the big bucks – that priceless little smile on our granddaughter’s face. This year I was especially amazed with the nighttime show on Cinderella’s Castle too! They did an awe-inspiring job with projectors and animation to make the castle come alive. There were characters walking around and they changed the color of the castle several times, and even made it look like it collapsed with Wreck it Ralph once! It was very much up to Disney standards, I would say. So, although the pocket book gets lighter, the experience is always one worth having. My friends all remind me that you cannot take the money with you when you die, so spend it while you can. Good luck.
Sincerely, Dear Crabby
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