What does Disneyland have to do with personal finance?
For one thing, there are many folks that are out there in some kind of fantasy world when it comes to their money. People who totally ignore why it’s important to have an emergency fund are a part of that group. But hey, since we’re talking about Disneyland here, I’ll go back to the positive side of things 🙂
Earlier this summer we visited Disneyland, flying from Chicago to Southern California and meeting up with another family who we hadn’t seen in a few years. It was great to see them, and was fun to visit the park. It had been over 2 decades (yes, I’m getting old!) since I was last there, so I was curious how much fun it would be for me to visit at this age. Of course, I was more interested in how much fun my daughter would have there instead of me! This was one of those trips that I wanted her to experience once during childhood.
Well, it turned out to be a great time for all! Of course she enjoyed it, but I have to say that I enjoyed myself too. While much of that fun was seeing her happy and spending time with the other family I mentioned, the park itself was fun for me as well.
Was it cheap? No. I don’t even want to get into the costs, as needless to say the trip wasn’t inexpensive summer fun (though the fun part sure did apply!). Hotels in the area cost an arm and a leg too, as evidenced by how I got gouged spent a pretty penny for the stay. Souvenirs at the park cost a fair amount too.
All this being said, it was totally worth it. For a one-time trip, it was fun to not think about costs all that much and just make it a fun experience for kids and everyone. Along those lines, here are 5 reasons why visiting Disneyland is worth visiting:
- Memories can be made. Yes, that might seem like a corny thing for me to say. But for kids, it’s a ton of fun to see the characters, the parades, and be a part of the whole environment. I remember visiting as a kid, and know my daughter will remember too. That’s the other thing: as a grown-up, seeing your kid having a fun time is memorable as well.
- It’s timeless. I mentioned earlier that I hadn’t been there in decades. Well, it took me a short while to get re-acclimated! However, visiting the Haunted House and Pirates of the Caribbean totally made me feel like it was decades ago. That’s a good thing, in this case. The rides might have been updated in some ways for all I know, but they felt just like they did way back when.
- Customer service is very good. Now, nothing compares to the my best customer service experience ever. However, the service at Disneyland was really good. Everyone I dealt with was attentive and – not surprisingly – cheerful. It was almost funny how happy some of the people seemed to act, but it was refreshing in a way.
- Emphasis on quality. Things seem kept up, and the experience is a solid one. Whether we’re talking about rides, other attractions, souvenirs, or even the food – things are of really good quality by theme park standards.
- It’s fun for the whole family. It’s truly a place where people of most ages can have fun. I’m not sure I would have been crazy about it when I was in my late teens or even much of my twenties, but it’s funny how getting older can allow us to have fun in a place like Disneyland. Kids have fun, and so can parents or grandparents. There are rides and attractions for everyone.
Ironically, I had previously posted about ways to save money at theme parks – and didn’t completely follow all my own advice. However, one part I absolutely did follow was eating a good breakfast before going to the park. We had two days of park visits, and having a full stomach was a great way to save some money on food during the day. Of course, as I mentioned above, the food we did get at the park was actually pretty decent by theme park standards.
Bottom line: Disneyland was a fun place to visit, pricey or not! It’s a classic, All-American experience.
My Questions for You:
Have you ever been to one of the Disney parks?
Did you find it to be worth it like I did?
What is your favorite part of a visit to the park?
I’ve been to Disney (both California and Florida) a handful of times. It is a great experience as a child or adult. I don’t have any plans for the near future, but will surely be back.
I always prefer to spend on a life experience over anything else.
I’m planning on going to Disney World later this summer. Should be fun but definitely won’t be cheap. It will almost cost as much as a 5 day cruise for 3 days of Disney World.
I visited Disney world so many times being living in Florida.Each time I feel something new there.
I was at Disney Land as a child (before Disney World was built), but don’t remember much about it. We took our kids and my Mom to Magic Kingdom in the early nineties. It was so crowded (think elbow to elbow on all the paths – every where) that we all got disgusted and just left – even though we spent a bundle to get in.
How do people have fun when it is so crowded?
I went to DisneyLand in 2005, and the Disney California park next to DisneyLand. I LOVED it and want to go back. It is hideously expensive as I am in Australia, but when I went in 2005 I did it for free. We stayed with friends, we were already over there for a family reunion, so a stop over in LA was nothing. The friends we were staying with had friends high up in Disney so they got us in for free. I would totally pay though to go as it is fantastic.
And theme parks in Aus are expensive, but nowhere near as good.