Disney was a thing that my pretty average middle-class immigrant family was able to do. We would drive down from Northern California, stay at a cheap motel, and then go buy a general admission ticket. It was never a “for the rich” vacation.

In the last 10 years, Disneyland has become an activity for wealthy childless millennials, which is almost certainly driving up the costs and turning Disney from a middle class activity into a wealthy one. Disney, just like any other corporation is gladly taking their money.

I think that's mostly true. A middle-class family can still afford Disney, it just becomes a once-in-a-childhood thing instead of an every-year thing. Every year trips have become something for the wealthy.

Pretty similar for pro sports. Lots of my friends take their kids to minor league baseball - for the kid, it can be better, as they often have specific kid activities. I've always been shocked at the price for Redskins tickets/parking/etc. Nationals is a bit less expensive, but still not cheap.

Yes, my kids love our local AA baseball team. Tickets < $15, various bounce houses and generic carnival type things for the kids, but something to break up the game for a bit when they get tired of sitting. No idea what an equivalent MLB outing would cost, but I don't care either as the closest one is 3-3.5 hours away, vs. 20 minutes to our AA ballpark.

Orioles are dirt cheap if you want to take the MARC up for some baseball, though. And the MARC itself is 7 bucks

Do they still have the very cheap but surprisingly good hotdogs right outside the stadium that you can then bring in, which keeps prices inside somewhat in check?

(Reminiscing over the $5 student tickets available with college ID in the early 2000's)

Nats tickets aren't bad, it's parking/transit and then food/drink that are the killers. I guess you can skip the concessions, but that's part of the fun, IMO.

Word, baseball isn't the same without a nice cold beer.

Never been but the parks are apparently constantly fully booked out. And opening new parks is apparently a nightmare trying to secure land.

Not really sure what other options there are. People need to stop valuing Disney parks so highly. Or don’t and accept the price.

>Disneyland has become an activity for wealthy childless millennials

What on earth would be the appeal for people that do not have children? If I want rollercoasters I'll go to six flags.

Frankly it has nothing to do with “being a kid”. There is a shit-ton for adults with a keen eye:

Impeccably landscaped grounds. Heavily themed environments (not even the trash cans are left unthemed). Care and thought put into the immersive experience, sight lines, smell, music, etc. Christ some of the live musicians (Dixieland, barbershop, the Dapper Dans, etc) are worth it on their own. Its a fantastic place to just walk around (assuming not hot and crowded) and devour the sensory experience.

Not for the cynical of course. You have to just give in and let it all in.

If you’re the type to just trounce through an area without taking in the details that sit before you, it’s not the place for you. If you’re the type to admire the street lamps, flowers, insanely well-maintained painted woodwork, etc it’s the place for you.

Because adults are large children and experiences like Disney are way better when you have adult money, no parents to keep you in line, and no kids to be responsible for.

Like damn, people in this thread are acting like adults can’t like Star Wars and Frozen. Do you feel the same way about music festivals? Seeing your favorite bands and buying merch.

The prevailing line in this thread is that it’s seemingly childish, immature, #cringe to genuinely like and be excited for things.

IP-based nostalgia.

The people paying are really into Disney.

People will go to Epcot and “drink around the world” for example

A lot of adults are stuck in arrested development.

>never been to something like the State Fair,

Schools get a day off each year for Fair Day in the North Texas area. Obviously, you don't have to go to the fair, but each student gets a free ticket, and "most" people typically went at least once during their school years. The "most" people seems pretty broad brush in my experience.

It could just be my state's state fair, but with 2 kids, I could easily spend more money at the state fair to keep the, entertained all day compared to disney The only thing that would make disney more expensive is the hotel cost. By the time you pay 20 bucks for 10 tickets that the kids use up on rides and games in 30 minutes, because the carousel cost 3 tickets per rider. That game is 2 tickets per round and that ride over there is 4 tickets per rider.

That isn't to say Disney is cheap. It isn't cheap either.