Happiest Place or Priciest Place?

Disney's Magic Kingdom

Back in October, I wrote about Disney replacing its Maelstrom ride at Epcot with a new Frozen-themed attraction in order to make the Norway exhibit more profitable. After all, Frozen-themed merchandise has been earning Disney over $1 billion annually, leading Disney to have a record-breaking year in profit last year. After such a success, Disney is trying to earn even more money. In fact, Walt Disney World just hiked up its prices to $105 a day for admission to Magic Kingdom. This is the first time in history that prices have surpassed $100 at the theme park. For the average family, a trip to Walt Disney World would be extraordinarily expensive. Yet, when I was little, my siblings and I always loved Disney. My parents wanted us to have the Disney World experience, despite the park's priciness.

My parents were definitely not the only ones making the decision to take their children to the extremely expensive Orlando. According to Kay Hymowitz, author of Liberation’s Children: Parents and Kids in a Postmodern Age, "It’s become an American ritual...just about every kid, white, black, brown, rich and all but the poorest of the poor, go to Disney World.” It amazes me how Disney World has become such a "ritual" for American families. Parents are willing to sacrifice enormous amounts of money in order to provide their children the opportunity to go to the Happiest Place on Earth. The real "American" ritual may be for parents to spend tons on their children. Disney just brings out the true American money-spenders within us all.