Mom's Hack For Avoiding Paying For Her Child’s Disneyland Ticket Sparks Debate
Round up your Mickey ears.
Konstantin Yolshin/ Shutterstock/ TikTok A mom on TikTok is sharing her hack for cutting costs on a trip to Disney World — but not everyone is impressed by her actions.
In a video that since garnered over 9 million views, the mom shared how she is coping with Disney's increased prices.
The TikToker put her child in an infant stroller to evade Disney World ticket prices.
“When Disney ticket prices go up,” the caption in the video read.
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In the first clip, the mom is seen pushing a stroller that her child is sitting in. The stroller looks best suited to an infant or a child under the age of three — children under the age of three can enter Disney World free of charge.
So, as the mom breezes past staff, no one bats an eyelid.
Although we’re not sure how old the child actually is, another frame of the video shows the mom pulling the kid out of the stroller. The child, dressed at Cinderella, is at least old enough to stand up by herself and carry a bag.
The mom's comments were flooded with mixed reactions.
“My parents used to make me do this,” wrote one user.
“I support her... why not. And I don't even have kids. DO IT parents. Disney wanna charge almost an adult tix for a toddler/child. PFTT as if,” another user wrote.
Former Disney World cast members are also sharing their thoughts on the viral video.
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“Worked the front gates, trust me we know we are told to just let it go,” one said.
Another mentioned how “they didn’t pay [ me ] enough to care THAT much.”
Although, not all the workers share this sentiment.
“As someone that worked park entry at Disney world for years before becoming a HC pro, I would always stop them and make them buy a ticket,” the user wrote.
Some people also agree that it’s about “morals and ethics” to pay your way to go to the most magical place on earth.
It’s no question that a Disney vacation is expensive.
For just a one-day park ticket, the price ranges from $109 (10+ years old) to $104 (3-9 years old).
This isn’t even including a park hopper option- which gives guests the freedom to go from one park to another in a single day- hotel costs, and even the price of food and merchandise purchases.
This also doesn’t include popular add-ons like the new Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane passes, which allow families to skip the line and tackle more rides on their vacation.
This also doesn’t reflect the price of holiday seasons like Halloween and Christmas, which a lot of families like to vacation during.
This is a significant change from the price of admission only 8 years ago; in February of 2014, the cost of admission was only $99.
A recent study hosted by Time2Play found that 92.6% of Disney World enthusiasts believe that the cost of a magical vacation is now unattainable for an average American family.
Additionally, 66.9% also felt if they didn;t purchase the add-ons, then they wouldn’t get the full Disney experience.
There’s also the issue of the park reservation system.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney adapted their park reservation system.
On top of having to pay for your ticket, you also have to make a reservation for the park. This means you could buy a ticket, forget to make a reservation, and still be denied access.
Many have voiced their frustration with the new system.
One Twitter user shared how they missed their dining reservations due to no reservations being available for Magic Kingdom.
The system is intended to help control crowds in response to the pandemic but it seems it’s only driving away loyal Mickey enthusiasts.
Victoria Soliz is a writer with YourTango who covers news and entertainment content. Her work explores pop culture trends, film and TV, and celebrity news.