Disney accused of 'scamming' family for 'obnoxiously expensive' $12K vacation

A Detroit-based businessman looking to take his family on a Disney World vacation suffered sticker shock over the cost of the stay at a resort and passes to the theme parks: $12,000.

JT Singh, an accountant, investment banker and franchise owner who advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, took to the social media platform X to wonder whether he was being “scammed” by Disney for a vacation that appeared “obnoxiously expensive.”

“Wife is planning a Disney trip for the fam,” Singh wrote on his X account on Wednesday.

Wife is planning a Disney trip for the fam

Travel agent is saying its going to be over $12,000+

2 Rooms at the Polynesian plus passes, etc.

Am I being scammed or is Disney really this obnoxiously expensive?

According to Singh, a travel agent informed the family that it would cost more than $12,000 for two rooms at the Polynesian Village Resort, which can charge around $600 a night per room depending on availability.

“Am I being scammed or is Disney really this obnoxiously expensive?” Singh wondered on X.

The X post by Singh amassed more than 4,100 responses, 400 reposts, 4,700 likes and 639 bookmarks as of Thursday.

The replies to Singh’s post were highly critical of Disney and its exorbitant prices.

“Wait till you see the food bill staying at a Disney hotel…” one X user wrote in reply.

Singh wrote back: “Might as well hand them the login to my bank accounts.”

Another commenter wrote: “Disney is a legit scam…it’s truly insane.” The same commenter noted that Disney guests are “paying to stand in line for 80% of the time.”

Other commenters on X remarked that the Polynesian Village Resort was among the more expensive hotel offerings at the theme park.

According to Touringplans.com, the Polynesian, which boasts three white-sand beaches, a pool complex and other amenities including easy access to Magic Kingdom and EPCOT, is indeed among the pricier options for a Disney World stay.

The site lists the price range for a stay at the Polynesian at between $691 and $5,825.

Other Disney on-site resorts that charge a hefty sum for a stay include the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa (where a stay ranges from $816 per night to $5,808 per night) and Bay Lake Tower ($672 — $5,681).

The Post has sought comment from Disney and Singh.

The soaring rate of inflation in recent years coupled with price hikes have made a Disney World vacation increasingly unaffordable for a growing number of cost-conscious Americans.

Last fall, an analysis by Bloomberg News found that a family of four looking to take a week-long trip to Disney in Orlando can expect to pay between $4,280 on the low end to a whopping $42,460 — depending on the hotel they choose to stay in as well as which experiences they pay for at the park.

An entry ticket to the Magic Kingdom could cost as much as $189 per person. Visitors are also charged as much as $252 per person if they wish to gain access to all four of the Orlando-area parks in a single day.

Disney has also instituted a line-skipping system whereby visitors who wish to cut down on waiting times on line would pay in order to get to their rides quicker on busy days.

Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported on a growing trend in which millennials are opting to take their families to smaller regional amusement parks like Great Wolf Lodge rather than splurge on expensive trips to Disney or Universal.

The personal finance site FinanceBuzz released a study last month claiming that food prices at Disney World have risen by an average of 61% over the past decade — or nearly twice the rate of inflation over that same period of time.

Social media influencers with large followings online have posted viral videos in which they recount having to pay as much as $70 for a bowl of frosted flakes at a Disney restaurant.

Frustrated Disney fans have even vented on Reddit about having to spend $500 on food and drinks after just three days at Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and EPCOT.

The exorbitant pricing was one reason cited as a possible explanation for why visits to Disney theme parks fell last year after a robust 2022.

The finance site LendingTree recently did a survey which found that 45% of parents with kids have been put into debt from their recent Disney trip the average amount landing them $1,983 in the red.