Robert's Rant: Don't Blame Disney for Abandoning a Shrinking Middle Class

June 13, 2015 at 4:59 PM · Great rant, Robert!! And I agree 100%. I still want to blame Disney for chasing the money instead of the magic, but you're right that it makes perfect financial sense for them. Sad... and scary...

June 13, 2015 at 5:02 PM · Great article and your viewpoint is very true in my eyes. I also think that Disney is a mirror of what happens in this world, when a founder of a company dies who replaces them? Someone who cares about profits, period. What a world we would live in if companies had to dissolve or become not for profits after their founders pass. A bizarre concept but the distribution of wealth would go to people with ideas and the will to get by on their own steam. Disney doesn't appeal to a middle class because because the middle class has shrunk, but you also have to think how many people they employ, and they are a part of that epidemic as well. Squeeze water out of a rock is the economic trend these days, and just like every other business everyone's moneys green and they'll take every cent you have. Maybe it is an old fashion notion to believe in the wonder of the future but taking it away from a place of joy seems like a cruel punishment. Especially to replace it with a bleaker franchised future they're helping to create.

June 13, 2015 at 5:58 PM · Well, this doesn't certainly help my constant stress and anxiety concerned with the direction that humanity is headed.

Y'know, almost every day, I hear constant complaining about how this world and country are so screwed up. Yet no one really does anything about it. Anyone can open their mouths, but I want someone to finally put their money where there mouth is. Someone who'll go beyond talking on TV, typing on a keyboard or preaching to a group of friends. Someone who'll just shut up and try to fix the problems they claim to be plaguing our country. Now, some people have already done this. Some of them push for ideals that I agree with (the legalization of same-sex marriage) and some of them I don't (the idea that all cops hate black people.) But I feel like, if so many people truly want society to change for the better, that they should actually do it rather than wait for someone else to do it.

I'm sorry to get all political on a theme park forum, but I really needed to get that off my shoulders.

June 13, 2015 at 6:12 PM · The part about Disney not pricing out middle class families is pure crap. It shouldn't matter where the fault lies with families and income. The truth is that Walt's wish for a place that all could enjoy has been ignored by Disney execs for the bottom line. People are being priced out and Disney could choose not to do it. Walt is turning over in his grave and the Disney powers that be should be ashamed, but with no evident moral compass, thats unfortunately not the case.

June 13, 2015 at 6:36 PM · Robert, it sounds like we're on the same page politically. I'm equally frustrated with the income gap that continues to grow. I can totally understand why Disney is marketing to the upper class. That said, I do wish they would find more ways to offer alternatives to fans that can't afford the higher prices. And if they decide to spend money, why not push harder to make the parks feel like high-end places. They seem to be raising prices and going for the high-end guest, but what they offer doesn't always match it. It's getting less quality along with the prices that bothers me more. If I go to a fancy restaurant, I expect to get an amazing meal. Disney must remember that even people with money still want a good experience.

June 13, 2015 at 6:43 PM · Fantastic article! It's a hard truth, but a truth none the less. I'm not mad at Disney for acting like any other company would act. At the end of the day, Disney is just another business trying to maximize profits. I may not necessarily enjoy spending big bucks to take my family to a theme park, but you can't blame Disney for wanting to make more money.

June 13, 2015 at 7:41 PM · You haven't squared this with your previous articles on Epcot. Either you accept the reality or resigned to it. You said the optimistic vision no longer applies. Is that due to the declining middle class or the cynicism of the upper middle class? Disney's appeal is it's brand, not its politics as portrayed in Tomorrowland.

Disney had a hand in reducing the middle class with its layoff of its IT staff. It is harder to make it into the middle class and staying in it. No one truly has job security.

"The way to do that lies elsewhere."

Disney appears to be winning business from a larger percentage of the upper middle class. The way to do that is the upper middle class declines along with the middle class. The law profession has crashed. STEM careers are in jeopardy. This is just the beginning. Maybe Disneyland Paris is the example. One place that just doesn't get respect.

June 13, 2015 at 7:07 PM · Yep, it's true. We are doom. When the companies prefer the lesser people with more incomes instead of the more people with less money, they were right. They increase prices to reduce people in the parks, but with more money. For my family, it's been 7 years since our last (definitely our last) visit. I can't pay that prices for a family of 6 anymore. It's a shame but Universal is right behind them.

June 13, 2015 at 8:30 PM · Fantastic article Robert. I would just like to add it's important to remember the main reason why American families so prospered during the 50s and beyond, because most of the major world powers were left somewhat obliterated after WW2. America, thanks to its oceans, was unscathed unlike Germany, UK, France, Russia, Japan, China etc. This created a huge econimic vacuum that allowed America to boom.

June 13, 2015 at 10:27 PM · Sorry Robert I disagree and despite your disclaimer, this sure seems like a political rant about income inequality disguised as a defense of Disney's pricing policies.

I am 54 and growing up, my middle class family never went to Disney. One reason was that we lived in New Jersey and traveling across the country for a vacation made no sense for us. It had nothing to do with the price of a ticket. It was just inconvenient. By the time WDW was built most of my siblings were out of the house and had their own families so it was too late. Again it had nothing to do with the price of a ticket.

However my own middle class family has been going to Disney 3-4 times a year since 2001. We are not anywhere near the 1% yet we save and find a way to go to Orlando as often as we can. People want to complain about $100/day ticket? Please! Try going to an island or a resort or even a boardwalk for anything less than that. Yet according to your logic, only the wealthy can afford to go to these "pricey" venues. I don't know about you but whether it's Orlando or the Jersey Shore, I don't see any shortage of crowds. And when I walk around the parks I sure don't see this vast majority of "wealthy" people you cite. I mostly see working class families like my own having the time of their lives. The pricing? Supply and demand. Simple as that.

I am a small business owner and we are a middle class family who live in a middle class town. We ARE the middle class. This is your site and you do a hell of a job with it. But please, don't turn it into another political platform for either side to endlessly debate. IMO, in this friendly place, Disney versus Universal should be the only debate that matters...

June 14, 2015 at 12:56 AM · I think it's the main reason Disney stopped building new rides. They knew their new demographic hadden't seen the parks and needed years to take it in.
For their long time customers they designed the brand loyal idiot programm telling them they have a nostalgic past due to Disney and you have to spend your vacation dollars there because of that.
To devide these 2 groups they created first and second class experiances that only magicaly appear when you wave you magical wallet. The a magical 50 dollar breakfast gives you besides mediocer food a hand full of characters.

Every desision Disney makes now is feeded with magic band data mining and if the end result isn't more money it's not going to happen.
There was a time Disney was also a company and made proffit but not in this extend. Their focus was giving the best customer support, making the best rides and the most stunning theme's they could. If they did it right their gusests would love it and they would make more money. Today only the end results count and Disney nikkels and dimes the rest.
In the end this will hurt the brand. A movie like Fantasia would never been made because they only want hit movies. No artistic growth. The same for the parks, make a princess entrance for the meet and great of put a big tiara on too if a mediocer entrance to send the message you have to buy something for your daughter.
My Disney left the building about 15 years ago and like the boiling frog experiance where they boil a frog alive by slowley higher the themperature their guests hardly noticed the steady decline and changes and their brand loyalty makes them blind. As an ingrequent visiter I saw huge changes after 4 your and about 15 years ago it reached a point I didn't enjoy the abuse anymore.
It makes me sad. I loved Disney. He was an innovator and made beautiful things but above all the was an artist not a banker and although his company made him rich he Always gave back to his guests. Until that Disney spirit returns at the house of the mouse I moved over to the new Disney that builds for the fans, takes risks and has the guest experiance on number one and I'm glad to pull my wallet for that, it's ofcourse Universal Studios.

June 14, 2015 at 3:49 AM · Tom, the widening income gap is absolute fact and the rate is exponential. It's great that your family is better than the last generation, but that's just one case out of 100 million. And don't forget most middle class families in the 50s were single income homes, affording what nowadays requires 2 full time incomes.

June 14, 2015 at 4:34 AM · Good try, but the reasoning is flawed. Fallen into the classic "correllation study trap". If fact one is, that Disney is rising prices faster then inflation, and fact two is, that "middle class" (census) numbers are lowering, that is in no way delivering proof "it's the rich" who visit those parks now. That's a presumption, and nothing else then that. It's the same kind of flawed statement as "climate warms up and google grows, so clearly google takes profit from the warming climate"... Sorry, To know if "the rich" now visit Disney parks (more), one need to do a full year of statistical study interviews at the front gates of the parks. I don't buy it, even if it was a good try to tell something "around rising prices". Greets !(And therefore, I aggree fully with poster Thomas tskogg, and what I try to tell here is not even 'political' inspired, it's about scientifically flawed reasoning.

June 14, 2015 at 6:42 AM · Robert are you auditioning for MSNBC or something? Will you be on before or after Rachel Maddow or just taking over for "Rev" Al Sharpton?

June 14, 2015 at 7:51 AM · Great editorial! I have certainly felt the reality of your case in my lifetime. When I was growing up in the 1970's we were a struggling, but solidly middle class, family. We always had enough money for summer vacations and often went to Florida to spend a few days at Walt Disney World and another few days at the beach. When I reached college age, I would go to Universal Studios on vacation myself sometimes. Right out of college I worked as a journalist and freelance writer while working a day job in retail. Sadly, retail became more and more my job and the writing more and more a hobby. Finally, I had to leave the writing business behind because I needed to make enough money to survive and just didn't have time for it anymore. Fast forward to 2009 when I lost my job during the Great Recession and after nearly two years of desperate attempts to regain my footing, I suffered a nervous breakdown and began to believe I would never make a livable income again in my lifetime. I went back to what I was good at and trained to do as a freelance writer and journalist, even turning in a couple of pieces for Theme Park Insider while I tried to expand my monthly publishing goals, but reality set in. I can't afford to go to theme parks anymore. I can't spend hundreds of dollars to make a few bucks for an article. I'm fine, and even serve as Senior Editor of a growing and very promising website that I love, but I don't really believe in a "big, beautiful tomorrow" anymore.

June 14, 2015 at 8:01 AM · I wish it was the old days in 1995 when a Disneyland (one park) ticket was $23

June 14, 2015 at 8:26 AM · Robert hits the nail on the head. The disappearing middle class is a fact supported by government data. And I don't need to do a yearlong statistical analysis at Gucci's cash register to know who shops there ($100,000+ yearly incomes). Disney's not at Gucci's level of luxury yet, but it's getting there. And with the parks in the US still being packed, Disney can keep raising the prices to become the luxury brand of theme parks.

June 14, 2015 at 9:09 AM · This article is the reason why I keep a close watch on this site - intelligent, thoughtful, challenging and entirely relevant to the whole theme park industry. Very well written Robert.

I think some of the responders above have missed the point. Disney isn't assuming EVERYONE who visits their parks is a high-earner but look at where so much of the investment in recent years has gone and it's obvious they are chasing the serious money. The Bora-Bora DVC villas at the Polynesian resort, indeed the whole expansion of the DVC with luxury additions at the top-end Disney resort hotels, is one example. The development of Disney Springs which will be full of high-end retail and expensive dining opportunities and the chance to take a 20 minute boat ride in a car for $125 is another. And add onto that all the 'premium' experiences that are marketed so aggressively. I've just been looking at prices for a two week stay in November 2016, travelling from the UK, and we want to stay in one of higher-end places but I'm looking at over £3,000 room-only, (That's about $4,500!). I can get a luxury 2-week cruise for that, including flights!!! It's not a secret that Disney is a costly experience these days. Sure you can do it for a moderate outlay if you are careful, but the majority of offerings - from resort hotels to food outlets to premium experiences - are pitched firmly at those with above-average disposable income. And as long as people are queuing up to pay those prices and fill the parks, (and as long as numbers keep growing, irrespective of theme-park-fan reaction), then Disney will keep charging and adding more opportunities to charge even more. They're not a charity - they are a profit-seeking company - and they will chase the money. To expect otherwise is totally unrealistic.

June 14, 2015 at 9:23 AM · Pricing is not about what it costs or what people think it should cost, it's about what the market is willing to pay. With ever increasing record attendance, the market has decided it's willing to pay right now.

If they drop the price, then the parks become even more ridiculously crowded. They could add another gate in Florida,but that's, probably another billion dollars. this adds substantial risk during the next downturn (or complete theme park market crash like 2001-2002).

June 14, 2015 at 11:56 AM · Disney's arrogance today reminds me of General Motors in the 1960's: "What's good for GM is what's good for America." It's easy to make money when you have a monopoly. If Disney isn't the worst example of greed today, then what is?

June 14, 2015 at 11:59 AM · Hi David. (I know you pointed out to me :-) )
YES, I know the many techniques of Yield Management. (Including it myself in my own concept developments.)
Yet, still exactly the same "middle class", paying the higher ticket prices, they are not running away. Which is exactly also what Thomas tskogg is saying. Those who WANT to visit Disney, will do, and spend LESS during the year on f.i. local leasure. The deals for the different high spending niches at WDW have nothing to do with it.
But what actually is out of balance, is that overall experience quality (crowding, generic merchandising, HORRIBLE food quality levels on all "basic" eating places...) went gradually down, while the pricing went up. There, it blows my mind why visitors are picking this !? I know they do, but it's incomprehensible, and again, this has nothing to do with the newer high-priced niche activities. It's a lack of basic respect, grown bigger over the years, with Disney.

June 14, 2015 at 1:39 PM · This article seems to be more about politics and income inequality than theme parks. That said, Disney as well as Universal has raised their prices much more than the rate of inflation. Disney targets the rich, because, they have the most money to spend. But lots of middle income families still go to Disney. And it's because it's an amazing place unlike anywhere else. But it has gotten harder to afford it. The middle class is no longer growing and confidence has gone down due to realities such as the recession and terrorism. Transportation has gotten harder and more expensive too and I think that's a bigger issue than Disney's prices. Disney has the same number of locations in this country as it did it 1971 despite a much larger population. Sure they operate more parks but you have to get there first and that's a bigger hassle and more expensive than ever before. The reason Disney doesn't open a third resort is so they can raise prices as demand is still strong. But hopefully someday the mouse realizes this strategy will only work for so long. Evenctually they will become too expensive if they keep raising prices at the rate their going. A third resort would be better than filling up the two they have even if it means prices don't keep climbing. That won't happen anytime soon. But As we've seen before, the people in charge change over time, which changes how the buisness is run.

June 14, 2015 at 2:46 PM · Nah. Thats basically a use of middle class that uses middle class as an euphemism for working class, which i guess is typical for everyday US language use (where calling oneself working class appears to be a bad thing). A more sensible sociological use of middle class are somwhere around the 10%-25% percent below the upper 1%-5%. Those are not priced out. A theme park, even a resort one sure doenst work targeting the upper class only. I would think that the middle class society, where 50% or more of the population are middle class was always a fiction, at all times and all nations. Yes the good old times really were a lot better with regards to equality, but not quite that much.

June 14, 2015 at 5:18 PM · Great article Robert! I think you hit the nail on the head about the increased demand for fantasy when people feel stress. Even though people in the middle class can go to Disney sometimes, they probably need to budget for it and probably for a longer amount of time. If you spend a lot of time worrying about money, when you go on vacation you want it to be a vacation from the real world, and the further your vacation is from it, and the more distracting, the better. Super hero, fantasy, and now dinosaur movies are really popular. So people want more of that in the theme parks too. I don't think it is political at all to mention that many families feel monetary strains. Kids that go to college start out their life in huge debt if their families are not wealthy enough to pay for their education outright, which might be acceptable if they could find a really high paying job, but that isn't available for a lot of people. If you don't go to college you will have a very low paying job. Unlike buying a house (which was the first way that people in generations past went into debt) where you are able to earn a steady, fairly reliable return on your investment if you keep the house for about 30 years, an education is different. You also need to secure a well paying job, but if you don't get one there isn't any way to get money back out of that very expensive investment. Also, unfortunately many people very recently just saw their major/only asset (their house) loose money, and even though after 30 years it will be up again, that stresses people out. Without even considering an income gap, this is what most parents or grandparents with children ages 0-30 are concerned about. People may not really want to hear a "the future will be great" song and dance when they're worried about that. They may believe that even if that comes, their kids will not be able to be part of it. I was trying to come up with a reason why people didn't get so excited about the Tomorrowland movie, but I think this is a big part of it.
Don't loose complete hope for EPCOT as an educational park. Future world will probably end and fantasy will rule the the World Showcase (I don't think that is bad though because I think that helps serve the educational side of it), but STEM is "trending" right now. I hope they make EPCOT a great science education park. I just want to mention that I saw Inside Out this weekend (they have some early shows in Australia) and besides it being a great movie it illustrates a lot of scientific concepts about how the brain works. I thought that was great! I can see teachers playing clips of that in class to help students understand these concepts. I don't know on what level scientists were consulted for the old biology rides at EPCOT. They were either largely ignored/misunderstood or only very briefly contacted, but Pixar does their homework. They really should make some kind of ride that incorporates this information and the visuals from the movie in EPCOT.

June 14, 2015 at 6:47 PM · ............. The specific business model, Randy, needs to offer value for money, whatever the targeted spenditure segment is !
My point is, that the basic VALUE-FOR-MONEY scheme has been dropping continuously (since 30 years) and that still business is rising.
This is really an UNPRECEDENTED anomality.
If we try to understand it, most probably, the answers would come only from the side of the (US) consumers. FAST growing collective stupidity ??? ...
The intrinsic customer focussed totally respectfull "total-quality-experience-program" was something from the late 1970-ies, mid 1980-ies. After that period, "milking cows" became the true new buisiness model, and amazingly, the customers became...... cows ?
Still looking for an accademic sociologic research, on the topic...
;-)

June 14, 2015 at 7:55 PM · Robert, I'm glad you posted this article. but I have to disagree with a lot of it. I agree the American middle class is disappearing. There is lots of documentation on this.

But I disagree that Disney is willfully trying to become some kind of upscale luxury brand. Unless throwaway t-shirts with iron-on decals, Starbucks, and heated food served in a box is now upscale. I don't think Disney is trying to ignore the middle class. I think they are exploiting a nostalgic middle class that has few other family vacation options.

I have no problem with Disney raising prices, but just because something is suddenly more expensive doesn't mean it is suddenly a better product.

June 14, 2015 at 8:40 PM · I think ten years ago they tried much harder to be the amazing brand they claim to be as far as theme parks go. Yes, it is expensive, and, yes, the middle class is shrinking, but the crowds are still vast and the lines are long. If Disney truly marketed the parks for the ultra-rich, then the prices would be higher with less lines. Right now it is simple supply and demand. The demand is high due to the enormous crowd levels; therefore, they raise prices. What is different now is that they seem to be only maximizing profits and not making the experience better for the consumer. In 2000 you got the best customer service in the world and the attractions were great. Now you get enhanced pre-ride areas and armbands and a dead yeti. If they really wanted to appeal to the wealthiest, they would have the express pass system like they do at Universal. They will continue to raise prices as long as they people continue to arrive in droves. I think the points are valid, but I do not think Disney is appealing only to the rich. They have places for them to stay, but they are catering to the masses as long as they come.

June 14, 2015 at 9:09 PM · I agree with the above poster that this has nothing to do with becoming an upscale brand and catering to higher income families. Disney will take a lower income family that just decided to clean out little Billy's college fund as long as they buy a full price ticket. And THAT is what it is all about. They are facing an unwavering demand, they are a public company and therefore they are simply charging what they can get. I guarantee they could care less about any statistic other than what is the price point that will maximize their profit while not losing any market share. If it ever gets to a point where their price causes demand to drop and they see an effect on the bottom line, or if Universal decides to start a price war (again, affecting their bottom line), then and only then will you see a pricing strategy.

June 14, 2015 at 10:27 PM · I think the writing was on the wall. If the park is crowded, raise the price. What else?

June 14, 2015 at 11:05 PM · With this level of popularity, what would happen if Disney lowered their prices? Capacity crowds at all the parks, all year long. Unbearable parks instead of fun places to visit. The crowding is already bad enough as it is.

June 15, 2015 at 3:57 AM · Disney is a massive corporation employing nearly 200,000 people. Indirectly, they are likely responsible for the employment of hundreds of thousands more for the production of their goods in every sector; television programming, movie production, the creation of merchandise, construction, utilities, and so on. And as such, they have (like every other publicly owned company) chased reducing their operating costs to increase their profit margins without any regard to the increase of revenues, often to justify immense executive salaries and bonuses. Disney absolutely shoulders blame for the fall of middle class and, in turn the strategy they've been chasing of replacing those guests with upper middle class/rich tourists from outside the US.

June 15, 2015 at 7:56 AM · Hmm. Well I disagree a little but don't want to get into it. Good article non-the-less as always Robert....

June 15, 2015 at 7:58 AM · Supply and demand... I agree. Simple as that.
I believe Walt Disney World resort broke record attendances for 2014 and ticket prices were already creeping at $100/day!
No matter how much we complain about soaring ticket prices as long as there's enough people still willing to pack the parks and spend, then Disney knows it's still doing the best thing.

June 15, 2015 at 8:17 AM · It was a treat to sit down and read the Washington Post and see you quoted - hope it brings you a little extra sizzle.

June 15, 2015 at 8:50 AM · To me Disney, Universal and even Sea World all want you to do the Multi-days at their parks.

If you want to buy 1 day at MK for 4 people it will cost about $450 which is including tax.... But if you want 4 days at Disney, the cost per day is greatly reduced. It is competition in Florida that is driving up the prices.

Universal is the same way, buy 2 days, get 3rd day free. buy just one day and you are going to pay top dollar.. Then the average day is like $60.00 on the multi day passes.

They are almost forcing you (The average wage earner) to make a choice, pick a property and stick with that one...

June 15, 2015 at 11:14 AM · Excellent article, Robert! Timely, thoughtful and provocative. I don't want to get into a political diatribe; suffice it to say that as a writer for TPI I feel that I should visit a Disney park but frankly cannot afford to do so. Disney doesn't even offer a discount for seniors. This is in sharp contrast to a couple of the parks near me. At Hersheypark the regular price is $61.95 but only $38.95 for seniors; at Dorney Park, where I went yesterday, I paid $35 and change at the gate. OK, so neither of these offers the magic of Disney but the sad fact is that Disney is beyond the budget of many and the fact that those who can afford it are willing to pay the price does indeed conform to the law of supply and demand.

June 15, 2015 at 12:02 PM · I don't understand how people can say that Disney is pricing everyone out of their vacations. Based on their attendance, they are pricing no one out of their vacations. With attendance increases every year, what guests are telling the park is that they don't care how much it costs. The moment attendance flat-lines, you will stop seeing the cost increases.

Frankly, I think this a really good strategy. I'm so unbelievably sick and tired of waiting in long lines that pricing people out of a visit to the parks is exactly what I think they should be doing.

I'm a huge proponent of the rides-to-cost equation - which is why I buy a front of the line pass at nearly every park I go to - if it is twice as expensive and I get on three times more rides, then economically it makes sense to me. If Disney charged $20 admission and as a result it was so busy that I could only get on one ride, then that doesn't make any economic sense at all.

June 15, 2015 at 1:02 PM · Well said Jeff.

June 15, 2015 at 1:49 PM · Excellent article, Robert! In one succinct and well written piece, I find myself wholeheartedly agreeing and disagreeing with you.

You are spot on when you said,

“So don't blame Disney for its rising ticket prices, "charge now and think about the price later" MagicBands, or even replacing Epcot's Norway ride with a Frozen-themed overlay. Disney is doing what will make it more money, because what Disney is now doing appeals to those Americans who can afford to pay for what Disney is selling.”

That’s absolutely right. Over the decades, Disney has created an amazing entertainment conglomerate, and has established an almost unrivaled amount of goodwill with their customer base. Disney has every right to cash in on the industry that it built and dominates.

Just about everything else you said is way off base.

Herwig Delvaux and Thomas tskogg were absolutely right when they took you to task for applying flawed reasoning and using a thinly veiled political rant.

When you claimed that the middle class is gone – you’re wrong. The population of the United States grew 40% in the period between 1979 and 2012. Even though the percentage of middle class households has declined from 57% to 45% during that same period, the actual number of middle class households has grown by over 10%. Contrary to what the “income inequality” folks want you to believe, the middle class is still alive and healthy, and a lot of them are showing up at Disney parks and spending their “middle class” money.

I’m also very disappointed that you brought “Income Inequality” into the rant. Why should I care a whit what somebody else is making? What is important to me is what I am making as well as what I am able to do with the hard-earned proceeds of my endeavors. Whining that “It’s not fair!” that somebody is making more money than me is totally contrary to the American spirit. If it were not for the insidious end goal of the crowd pushing the “Income Inequality” concept (socialism and perhaps even communism) most of us would consider it a harmless diversion for the lunatic fringe left.

And then there’s this little nugget of optimism you laid on us:

"Which leads us to more uncomfortable truth: Disney stopping investing in the "old" Epcot because too few Americans believe in that optimistic vision anymore. And who can blame them? The reality of our economy and our environment today tells us that believing in the future and in the good of the world around us is about as logical as, well, believing in a fairy tale."

Ouch! I was under the mistaken assumption that Disney was being cheap and now I find out that improving and updating Epcot is kind of like how Santa’s sleigh is powered in the movie Elf. The real reason that Disney can’t update Epcot is because not enough of us believe in the American Dream anymore? I guess somebody needs to pass the word to the umpteen million illegal immigrants in this country that the American Dream is dead and they need to go home, and while they’re at it maybe they can tell the 500 IT workers from India that Disney just hired to replace American workers that Disney sold them a false bill of goods.

Cheer up, Robert! The Fourth of July is coming up. Put out your flag! Listen to some Lee Greenwood! Eat some barbeque! Heck, you can even load up the tribe in the Prius and head over to Disneyland to watch the fireworks. I can’t think of a better place to remember that the American Dream is alive and well.

June 15, 2015 at 5:03 PM · Hmmmm I have a universal pass. I paid 259 for a year and it includes parking. The lowest pass with parking is like 400 bucks. I never go to Disney unless I get a comp ticket....they are ridiculously priced. I mean cant you make a pass where I pick the two parks I go to and it's less...... I mean I know they offer more parks and that is there justification but $125 for one park..... INSANE.

June 15, 2015 at 11:23 PM · I suspect a lot of people heard about or read the Washington Post article, and agreed with it on some level, but it wasn't until I Robert's article that I thought about *why* Disney is looking to the very wealthy as a major source of revenue. Very insightful, and pretty depressing at the same time.

Two points: Disney makes a lot of money off people in the middle and working classes who buy Annual Passes to Disneyland, especially since Disney encourages people to be able to afford the passes using monthly payments. You can buy a monthly pass for as little as the cost of one day at the park ($99), plus $17 a month for the cheapest So Cal Select pass, or about $55 for the premium non-blackout pass. I know a handful of people who have some level of Disneyland pass, but are just barely paying it off each month.

The following aren't my observations, but once someone is committed to paying for an annual pass, they are LESS likely to go to some other park for which they have to pay out of pocket to visit, thus ensuring that they will spend their money at a Disney park instead of someplace else. I think most people would agree that the huge number of Disneyland annual passholders helps lead to chronic overcrowding in the parks which diminishes the park experience for most visitors, but Disney management prefers this situation to having uncrowded parks, even for what used to be non-peak periods.

June 15, 2015 at 11:37 PM · Here's my second point: I just saw the movie Tomorrowland for the first time over the weekend, which is dying a slow death and is projected to lose tens of millions of dollars for Disney on their motion picture side. Like the original vision of EPCOT, Tomorrowland is about hope for the future, as well as the individual's ability to make some sort of positive change in a world of pessimism.

If the loss of faith in America's future is tied up with the decline of the country's middle class, it's probably both symptomatic of Tomorrowland's weak box office that moviegoers don't want to see this kind of vision of the future (although a lot of bad reviews probably didn't help either), and also a little bit ironic that Disney greenlighted this movie which ties into nostalgia for the 1960s and the vision for the future at that time, when at the same time they no longer support the optimistic vision of the original EPCOT similar to that of the 1964 World's Fair depicted in the movie.

June 15, 2015 at 11:49 PM · Very interesting, well written and thought out article. Like it or hate it, this is reality. I do know life is all about choices. I have never visited a Disney park, ever. I would like to someday but I can say with confidence it has NOTHING to do with pricing. I simply make other choices as to how to utilize my vacation time and have found other ways to enjoy life without the Mouse. I live within 15 minutes of a Six Flags park. Ok, I know its not Disney, but I have chosen to get my theme park fix there instead. In fact, my favorite vacations are road trips, visiting areas of the country I have not yet seen, and I am thankful for the fact I have entered all 50 states at some point. As an added bonus, we sometimes visit other SF parks along the way.

Being a long-time visitor to TPI, I do know when the day comes I wish to visit a Disney Park, there are ways to deal with cost, like sharing the trip expenses with several friends, buying 5-day passes, and doing a little homework ahead of time. It does not really matter where on the socioeconomic spectrum one sits, with a little thought and planning, anyone can enjoy a Cadillac vacation on a Chevy budget.

June 16, 2015 at 1:58 PM · What I think is being lost in all of this is that, in the end, Disney is a business in a free market economy. They are not the keepers of dreams for everyone. They are entitled to do whatever they want to do as guided by their own stockholders and executives. If, and when, they overstep their bounds people will vote with their wallets and stop going or go less often, or stay elsewhere. The Disney Vacation Club provides excellent value and while it is a cash cow for them, it is, as a member myself, a great way to manage costs. Now that my kids have families of their own, I almost never go to the parks, but I do spend very excellent vacations at Vero Beach, Hilton Head, and Aulani, where I was fortunate to stay for two weeks, in a very large one bedroom suite two years ago for what amounted to my annual dues, far less than it cost us to spend ONE additional week on Maui. Get a grip folks, it's a business, and they should and will run it in a responsible fashion with an eye to making the revenue AND the business better...and for the record, I am a public school teacher and a registered Democrat and have very liberal leanings...

June 16, 2015 at 8:46 PM · I think people get too paranoid about the future ahead. Yes, bad things have happened recently, but were we any better in the good ol' days? Nowadays, if I were to ask out a black girl, no one would care. But if I asked out a black girl 50+ years ago, I'd probably get beaten (or worse) and no one would ever wanna associate themselves with me again. And didn't this country spend most of the 20th century watching the skies for Russian missiles? Look, there's always gonna be some sort of problem, some hurdle we're gonna have to get over. But you're not gonna get over them if you just spend your time whining about how much reality sucks. With that, I'm not gonna deny that Disney is another big name corporation trying to make money, but they're not abandoning the middle class. Not because they care about the middle class, but because if they did, people would see them as monsters and stop buyinng their products and services. I also know that DVC and a lot of the other luxuries the resort provides are clearly targeted towards the rich. However, I've never used a single one of them and I have the time of my life at Disney! I don't need any special reservations or fancy hotel rooms to enjoy the magic of Disney, nor does anyone else.