A recent trip to Disneyland in Paris turned into a costly and frustrating experience for Canadian father-of-two, Mario Zelaya, who expressed his dismay at the exorbitant expenses associated with the beloved theme park. In a viral TikTok video, Zelaya shared his perspective on the trip, deeming Disneyland a “money-grabbing machine” that left him with an eye-watering bill of $1,200.
Zelaya’s video shed light on his financial woes during the family excursion, highlighting the significant costs that added up quickly. He expressed regret for what he considered a “huge mistake” in choosing Disneyland as their destination. With the ticket prices alone amounting to 1,100 euros (equivalent to $1,200 for Americans or $1,600 for Canadians), Zelaya couldn’t help but question his decision, holding the bill in the background as evidence of the expenses.
Initially, the family purchased standard tickets priced at $120 per person. However, Zelaya decided to upgrade to premier passes, each costing an additional $173 per person. These premier passes provided the advantage of accessing fast lanes for rides, reducing wait times considerably.
Zelaya’s frustration with the overcrowding at Disneyland was evident as he stated, “It’s crazy how overflowing Disney is. It doesn’t matter if it’s in Paris, Orlando, or California; it’s like this all the time.” He shared a video of long queues for a “crappy ride” with a wait time of one hour and 15 minutes for those without the premier pass. He asserted that, without the premier passes, he and his family would have endured “over 25 hours” of waiting for rides. His unequivocal advice to others was succinct: “Don’t go to Disney.”
Here’s the Disney rules: 1) Expect crazy long wait times 2) if you dont want to wait in line, expect a huge bill to upgrade to a Premier Pass. 3) if you decide to wait in line instead because the Premier pass doesnt cover ALL the rides, expect a huge bill regardless 😭 #disney #disneylandparis #paris #longlineup #expensive
♬ original sound – Mario Zelaya
The video, captioned with Zelaya’s insights into the “Disney rules,” garnered over 362,000 views on TikTok. He summarized the Disney experience as follows: “Expect crazy long wait times. If you don’t want to wait in line, expect a huge bill to upgrade to a Premier Pass. If you decide to wait in line instead because the Premier pass doesn’t cover all the rides, expect a huge bill regardless.”
Zelaya’s sentiments resonated with many TikTok users who shared their own frustrations with the high costs associated with Disneyland. One user recounted their own expensive trip, noting that it cost their family of five approximately $5,000 and concluding that it wasn’t worth the expense. Others chimed in, expressing dissatisfaction with long wait times for relatively short rides and stating that they never understood the hype surrounding Disneyland.
Notably, both Disneyland and Disney World in the United States have faced decreased demand due to high prices. In response, Disney CEO Bob Iger rolled back some of the price increases implemented by his predecessor, Bob Chapek, earlier in the year. However, despite these adjustments, Disneyland in Anaheim, California, and Disney World in Orlando, Florida have seen declining attendance as the overall costs remain a barrier for many families.
