According to a new study, Britons are losing money by being able to live in the most magical place on Earth.
In a survey of Disney fans in the UK, 95 per cent believe a holiday to Disney World in Orlando, Florida, is out of reach for average families due to rising costs, and only 8.5 per cent said they could make it to the Sunshine State in a year by saving up.
The research, carried out by casinos-online.com And, illustrated with an infographic, he found that 70 percent of park fans feel Disney World has “lost its magic” due to “rampant price increases.”
Just over half (51 percent) of the 2,500 people surveyed say they have postponed or canceled their Disney World vacation in recent years due to rising prices. A quarter of families (25 percent) believe it would take them more than a decade to save up for a Disney World vacation.
The study found that rising prices mean Disney fans expect to pay 51 percent more for their next trip to Disney World, compared to their last.
An infographic reveals why Brits think a Disney World holiday is out of reach
A quarter of families (25 percent) believe it would take them more than a decade to save up for a Disney World vacation
So how much does an Orlando theme park vacation cost?
According to the study, the price of a one-day ticket to Disney World costs between $109 (£82) and $159 (£119), depending on the time of year (although MailOnline Travel found that this cost can actually rise to $193/£144).
In addition to the basic admission price, the research found that 69 percent of Disney fans would purchase a Lightning Lane Pass (a pay-per-ride, skip-the-line service) to get the “full Disney World” experience.
A Lightning Lane “Multi” pass can cost up to $25 (£18.81) per person, but does not include skip-the-line privileges at some of the most popular attractions. Disney fans will need to purchase a Lightning Lane “Single” pass for each of the most popular attractions, which can cost up to $27 (£20.30) per person.
The research found that a family of four, with two children over the age of 10, will pay almost £500 ($665) for a day at the park if they opt for the Lightning Lane passes.
Just over half (51 percent) of respondents say they have postponed or canceled their Disney World vacation in recent years due to rising prices.
But the costs don’t end there for British Disney fans, who will also have to fork out cash for plane tickets to Florida.
Using Skyscanner to search for the best deals, the research team found that the cheapest direct return flights from London to Orlando during off-peak season cost £422 ($561).
This means that a family taking their children out of school during term time will pay around £2,000 ($2,600) to enter the park for just one day, after taking into account the cost of flights but before the additional cost of accommodation or transfers.
The price of admission to the park is a far cry from the original prices. When Disney World first opened in 1971, a ticket to the theme park cost just $3.50 (£2.64). According to the team’s research, the US minimum wage at the time was $1.60 (£1.20) per hour. This means that a visit to the park in 1971 would have cost an American minimum wage worker just over two hours’ wages.
The cheapest one-day ticket currently costs $109 (£82), meaning US workers earning the country’s basic wage of $7.25 (£5.46) an hour would have to work 15 hours to afford a ticket. The study found that a peak-hour ticket ($159/£119) would require 21 hours of work, a 900 per cent increase on 1970s prices.
When we presented the results of the study to Disney, it was noted that daily ticket prices drop to £39 and £75 per day for seven- or fourteen-day tickets. Magic ticket Packages are booked from the UK.
Prices correct as of mid-September 2024.