Disneyland Prices Out Families, Report Says

Disneyland Resort reportedly drove away families with rising ticket, parking, food, Disney Genie+/Individual Lightning Lane, and merchandise prices. Some guests claim the modern costs disregard Walt Disney’s vision for Disneyland Park, a place where adults and children could have fun together.

The Southern California Disney Resort includes Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park, the Downtown Disney shopping & dining district, Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel (soon to be Pixar Place Hotel), and Disney’s Grand Californian Resort & Spa. As the first Disney Park worldwide, it holds a special place in fans’ hearts – guests can stand where Walt stood!

These days, a single day at Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park can cost hundreds of dollars for a family of four. That doesn’t include meals, souvenirs, or paying to skip attraction lines with Disney Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes. The cheapest Magic Key Pass – only for Southern California residents – is $499 and has widespread blackout dates. The most expensive costs $1,649.

This week, Disney Parks fans on Reddit discussed the high price tag of a Disneyland Resort vacation. One claimed the Southern California theme parks were intentionally excluding families with children.

“The park [was] filled with 80% adults and 20% children,” u/Aggravating-Video928 wrote. “Do you think it could be because Disney’ prices out’ families? I wonder if families are choosing elsewhere to vacation that is more affordable.”

“It’s now much money to commit to when a child under 5-6 is so temperamental,” u/WanderingAroun replied. “I saw a post commenting on seeing sleeping kids in strollers and wondering why parents are staying so late…..cuz they just paid a months mortgage lol. Families are gonna stay til park security kicks them out.”

Others claimed it wasn’t a Disneyland Resort problem but an economic problem.

“I think they are just less kids in the world now,” said u/MechanicalPolly. “People aren’t having large families anymore. Most people have 1 or 2 children or are deciding to be childless. Kids cost a lot of money and resources these days and when given the choice people are just having fewer or waiting until later in life. This along with an aging population just means there are less children everywhere not just at Disneyland.”

Still, many Disney Parks fans felt that children were as prevalent as ever – especially as Disneyland Resort recently announced a $50 kids’ ticket offer.

“I see nothing but families at Disneyland,” u/opking argued. “Not sure what you are talking about.”

“The adults can come on their own and every kid needs adults with them,” u/PrincessofWales agreed. “Of course the adults outnumber the kids.”

Disneyland Resort doesn’t release official attendance statistics, so it’s not possible to verify the guests’ claim that adults vastly outnumber children at the Disney theme parks.

Are Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort’s prices too high?

Please note that the story outlined in this article is based on personal Disney Parks Guest experiences. No two Guest experiences are alike, and this article does not necessarily align with personal views on Disney Park operations.

This post originally appeared on Inside the Magic.