No joke about the "skimpflation" at Disney world. Obtaining food requires planning.
Warning, Disney World Rant ahead...
Our family has been to WDW a few times over the last decade, and after our most recent trip (a few months ago), I started making a list of how WDW has lost its value. Hiking ticket prices gets lots of attention, so it didn't happen a whole lot...until they introduced variable pricing, and now the old ticket price is the new minimum ticket price. They didn't charge for parking. Then it was $25/day unless you stayed at a Disney Resort. Then it was $25/day even if you
did stay at a Disney Resort. Shorter park hours. Less live entertainment. Reduced ride capacity. Laid off the Streetmosphere performers. Less consistent trash pickup and bathroom cleaning. The railroad at Magic Kingdom has been out of service for several years, and the parking lot trams were shut down for two years. Star Wars Land opens with only one (later two) attractions, but two restaurants, two
very expensive "experiences", and
six gift shops. Annual Pass prices have skyrocketed, but added blackout dates. The deluge of special (extra cost) "dessert parties" and "character breakfasts." The demise of the dining plan and other discounts. And the cherry on top, Disney Genie and Lightning Lane, two blatant cash grabs. Genie's predecessor, FastPass+, provided a greater benefit and was
free. Lightning Lane is a plain ol' "skip the line if you're rich" cash grab.
If we hadn't had the Disability Access Service, it would have been miserable. We wait several years between visits, and DS, who qualifies for the DAS, graduates next year. Even DW, who absolutely
loves WDW, freely admitted that we will likely never go again as a family, because the value simply isn't there any more. And that's
after you consider that, thanks to packing our own food, heavily discounted tickets, driving ourselves, and a bargain of an Airbnb, we spent probably 50% less than the typical visitor does. In other words, we stacked the deck very heavily in our favor, and it still came out marginal.
The sad thing is that the skimpflation doesn't seem to be hitting Disney's bottom line. Quite the opposite, in fact. Depending on the day and the crowd level, between 30 and 50% of park visitors are ponying up the $16/day/person for Genie, and/or the $7-20/person/ride Lightning Lane passes.