People can’t believe how much money one dad says he spent on just one day at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. In a video shared on X, the dad explained that his family of five spent a shocking amount of money on their tickets alone. As the day went on, the dad found himself forking over even more money.
The dad started his video, which was shared by Financial Dystopia on X, by sharing how much his family spent before they even entered the park. To park their car, they paid $30. Then, even as Florida residents with one child under the age of 10, they still spent $974 on their tickets for just one day.
The family seemed to spend a lot on food.
In the video, the dad shared that his family bought ice cream and bottles of water for $29.50 after going on their first ride. After their second ride, they bought more snacks. The kids wanted a pretzel and the dad wanted a beer, which amounted to $19. Later, the family enjoyed lunch together and spent $44.35 on personal pizzas.
The dad said “it had been a long day,” so later, they ended up buying other snacks and beverages, like Star Wars drinks, churros, water, and margaritas (for the parents, of course).
Souvenirs were too expensive for the family.
One of the dad’s kids wanted to buy a light saber from a souvenir shop. After seeing the price tag, the dad decided that the purchase was “a hard no.” It was priced at $44.99.
After a day at the park, they went to dinner at Disney Springs.
This guy shows how much it costs for a day at Disney for a family of 5 pic.twitter.com/VfVhbVL2dP
— Financial Dystopia (@financedystop) May 3, 2025
The dad didn’t seem super enthusiastic about finding a restaurant at Disney Springs, but the rest of his family was eager to do so. They ended up at a Mexican restaurant – and spent $245.27 total on dinner.
“There was some sticker shock here,” the dad admitted. He added that his family wanted to go shopping after that, but luckily, it was already quite late and they didn’t end up going to any stores. By the end of the day, the family had spent $1391.91 – mostly on their tickets and food.
Some people who watched the video were shocked by the cost.
“I’ve been fighting with my wife on this,” one parent reacted. “She wants to take the kids to Disney when they get older and I’m trying to tell her that it’s outrageous and it will NOT be fun.”
Another seemed to agree with this sentiment, writing, “$1400 for one day, not counting travel and hotel. You need to spend at least 2 to 3 days to make it worth it. Disney is for the rich people now. Need to do six flags or something else for the regular folks.”
A third person called Disney World a “priceless experience for the kids” but said the cost is “ridiculous and so unaffordable for so many families.”
Many people called the trip a “rip-off” and suggested that people’s money would be better spent elsewhere.
However, some blamed the dad’s approach.
According to some social media users, going to Disney World for one day doesn’t have to be quite that expensive if you’re strategic about it. This dad was not, they argue, largely because his family bought so much food.
“If this guy was trying to go to Disney cheap he did it horribly wrong,” one critic commented. “Yes food inside the park is outrageous. You can bring your own food.” Others suggested that, because the family is local, they could eat at home before going to the park and pack some snacks for later.
Another critic added, “When you don’t plan or take advantage of any of the packages and stay at their resorts, etc. then everything like this will be overpriced/ a la carte. For a bit more he could stay there for 4-5 days and actually budget plan.”
