A Florida man looks up the price of one afternoon for his family at Disney World. He quickly shifts his plans and books at Universal Studios, sharing the stark price difference that might make other vacationers reconsider.
In a video with over 226,000 views, TikToker Roadside Chris (@roadside.chris) says he planned a “big park day” for his family before they had a busy schedule that would prevent them from going. He looked up the price of a day at Magic Kingdom in Disney World and couldn’t believe how much it costs.
“We were going to do Premier Pass. And after pricing it out for one afternoon at Hollywood Studios, it’s really crazy,” he says. The TikToker doesn’t share the exact figure he would have had to pay for the upgraded pass, which lets visitors skip lines for attractions.
He decides to “pivot” and books a room at the Royal Pacific at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
“That comes with unlimited express pass for both Islands of Adventure and Studios,” he continues. “We got it for Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday.”
He reveals that three nights at the hotel, a “cabana day at the pool” and the express pass all cost “less than what we would have spent for one good afternoon of premier pass.” Premier pass can cost around $450 per person at Disney World.
Is Disney Pricing Out Families?
In a follow-up video, Chris points out that Disney plans to increase its prices even more in 2027 in a move that he says “is pricing out most families.”
According to USA Today, Disney World plans to increase its prices by 10% over 2025’s peak prices. Currently, a one-day pass to Animal Kingdom costs $119 for anyone over 9 years old. Magic Kingdom tickets go for over $200 on select dates.
So, when families need to purchase multiple tickets for both parents and all of their children, one afternoon can easily run them over $1,000—not including other accommodations.
Other park goers on the r/disneyparks subreddit worry that increasing prices will make the attraction inaccessible for the low and middle class.
“It looks like they’re squeezing out the low- and middle-income classes with these prices,” one commenter remarks.
Another suggests, “Disney seems to be missing the mark because if they want less people in the park with higher revenue per guest, they’ll need to cater to the audience who likes premium experiences.”
Will Other Families Opt For Universal Studios?
In the comments of the viral video, viewers debate whether Universal Studios and Disney World are even comparable.
“Florida resident here, comparing Universal to Disney is like comparing a trailer to a mansion. Yeah, the trailers gonna be way cheaper,” one remarks.
“Universal used to be dumpier than Disney but not now! Customer service and cleanliness has been just as good as Disney the last several times I went,” a second suggests.
However, others agree that Disney World prices feel inaccessible and Universal Studios may be a better choice for their budgets.
“The most overrated and overpriced place on Earth. Waiting for the day when Disney prices itself out of business,” a commenter says.
“Universal is way better than Disney!!!” another exclaims.
@roadside.chris Disney be trippin #premierpass #disneyworld #universalorlando #wdw
BroBible reached out to Chris via TikTok direct message and comment and to Disney and Universal via email.