this post was submitted on 09 May 2025
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If we want to break it down, a trip to Disney costs between $2,000 for a short solo trip up to $15,000 for a family vacation.
For most Americans, that's out of reach financially. It would be irresponsible to spend that much on a vacation, and they will never have the means to do it. They will watch people on TV and social media take trips to Disney, and resent that such things are possible while they struggle to pay rent and medical expenses. In a room of 100 people, this category is like 60 of them.
Then you have the next group up, the rapidly vanishing upper middle class for whom a Disney vacation has always been a dream. They also cannot afford the trip, but they are willing to sacrifice and go into debt to make a magical memory. It is still irresponsible to spend so much on a vacation, but for those four happy days of childhood bliss and nostalgia, they will make it happen. These people are most likely to hate the experience because they don't have the cash to pay for all the extra bullshit like fastpasses and magic bands, the on-property hotel rooms, or the overpriced souvenirs. They will push the limits of their credit cards, only to fall short and go home tired and spiteful. The top half of this group might enjoy the trip, but they will be looking for more cost-effective vacations next year.
And on top you have the elites for whom spending $5,000 - $20,000* is no big deal. Visiting Disney is a status symbol, and making the annual schlep is about checking out the latest rides and obtaining the newest swag. These people will experience the best the parks have to offer, and will appreciate it the least. In that room with 100 people, this is one person.
It doesn't have to be Disney, that's just an easy example that most Americans can relate to. It could be any vacation destination, or buying a boat, or skiing, or practically any luxury activity or hobby you can name. Tickets to a sporting event or concert, taking a cruise, going to college, saving for retirement, orthodontia, treatment for chronic diseases, these are all modern luxuries that Americans have learned go part and parcel with the circumstances of your birth, fortunate or otherwise.
Most people cannot afford it, some people can indulge at great cost, and a very select few revel in the experience in a way that makes it seem desirable to all.
And then you have the people that live there and have a pass to go year round and go all the time. Like, after work. I only know of them tangentially from podcast chatter, but they apparently exist.
Also, many of the young people who live in the Anaheim area work the Disney parks as their summer jobs. Not sure how that fits into the hierarchy. And of course the people who make Disney movies get free entry if they reserve it ahead.
That's the podcast chatter that made me aware of the locals who go constantly. One of the hosts lived there growing up and worked there, so free access all the time.