Disney visitors tend not to shy away from voicing their frustrations with the parks' exorbitant prices—especially those at Orlando’s Walt Disney World, where tickets, annual passes, and parking prices all went up in 2023. Given that the price hike coincided with record national inflation, the park saw a significant decrease in attendance last year, which seemed like a bit of a saving grace to some park-goers since fewer crowds typically mean overall shorter wait times.
However, new data reveals that most visitors claim the investment isn’t worth it, and some went as far as to dub Disney World the biggest tourist attraction rip-off in the U.S.
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In a new study conducted by Casino.org, experts sifted through Google Trends and Tripadvisor reviews about U.S. tourist attractions to determine the biggest “rip-offs” Americans were complaining about.
These findings were then categorized on a national, state, and local level. Once the lists of common “rip-offs” were gathered, the company polled over 5,000 American adults, ranging from ages 18 to 65, on whether they found these attractions worth the price of admission.
Sixty percent of participants voted Disney World as the biggest rip-off in the U.S. tourist attraction category. This group included national parks, Seattle’s Space Needle, the National Mall in Washington D.C., as well as other famous amusement parks like Disneyland.
“The happiest place on Earth turns out to be the ‘most scammy’ place on Earth too as this top attraction ranks #1 for rip-offs,” Casino.org announced in its release. "Starting at $109 per person for the most basic ticket, we start to see why Disney makes the top rip-off ranks."
The company noted that Disney World’s recent uptick in prices is evidence as to why “some Americans are feeling scored by visiting their nation’s most popular places.”
In Oct. 2023, Disney World raised the prices of all four of its annual passes. The Disney Incredi-Pass—which is not only the most expensive option but the only one available to all guests to purchase—saw a price increase of $50. It now runs $1,449 per pass, local NBC-affiliate WFLA reported at the time.
If you’re a Florida resident or Disney Vacation Club member, you could qualify for the Disney Sorcerer Pass, which increased to $999 from $969. Other Florida resident-only passes such as the Disney Pirate Pass and Disney Pixie Pass went up $50 and $40 to $799 and $439, respectively.
According to Disney, price hikes should be expected as the parks continue to innovate and uphold their magic.
"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," a Disney spokesperson told Fox Business at the time.
While Disney World was crowned the biggest rip-off attraction in the U.S. and the state of Florida, participants said Disneyland is the biggest attraction rip-off in California.
