Mom Shares How Family Spent Nearly $4k On A Day At Disney, Blaming Prices, Gets Called Out
It’s no surprise that a family vacation can become a pretty costly undertaking, especially in a location beloved by tourists. Needless to say, Disney is one of them.
Atlanta-based entrepreneur Summer Reign Henning shared the amount she spent on a family day at Disney in a video that went viral. The four-digit number shocked her fellow TikTokers, some of whom believed it didn’t have to be this expensive. Scroll down for the video and people’s reactions.
Below you will also find insight on unnecessary spending, shared with Bored Panda by the CEO of ‘Spring Planning’ and the co-author of “Women & Money”, Julia Chung.
Entrepreneur Summer Reign Henning revealed her spendings on a day at Disney in a TikTok video
Image credits: summerreignhenning
Tickets + Lighting Lane $870
Image credits: summerreignhenning
Headbands $130
Image credits: summerreignhenning
Breakfast $223
Image credits: summerreignhenning
“A mediocre breakfast at Hollywood & Vine cost us $223. Then we headed over to Toy Story Land, and even with Lightning Lane, we still only got to ride one ride.”
Image credits: summerreignhenning
Image credits: summerreignhenning
Ice Cream $25
Image credits: summerreignhenning
Popcorn $16
Image credits: summerreignhenning
Lightsabers $800
Image credits: summerreignhenning
“Ice cream was $25 and popcorn was $16. Then over at a Galaxy’s Edge, three lightsabers cost us a whopping $800.”
Shipping $40
Image credits: summerreignhenning
“They also no longer hold them for you until the end of the day. Plus different airlines have different restrictions when flying home, so we opted to ship them to us for an additional cost.”
Image credits: summerreignhenning
“Every ride had 120-minute wait times, so we only got to ride one ride in this section of the park as well.”
Milk $27
Image credits: summerreignhenning
“We tried the infamous blue and green milk and had lunch at Backlot and funnel cakes at Epic Eats.”
Lunch $80
Image credits: summerreignhenning
Funnel Cakes $44
Image credits: summerreignhenning
Photo Pass $170
Image credits: summerreignhenning
“PhotoPass was an extra $170 for cellphone-quality pictures.”
Treats $25
Image credits: summerreignhenning
Dinner $311
Image credits: summerreignhenning
“And finally, we had dinner at Planet Hollywood. Factoring in our nightly hotel rate of $997 brings our total to $3,758 for the day.”
Image credits: summerreignhenning
The video received over two million views on TikTok
@summerreignhenning Robbery in broad daylight 😮💨 And we still have 2 more parks to go 🥲 #disneyworld #disneyworld50 #howmuchispendinaday ♬ Storytelling – Nasrul
A visit to Disney can be quite an expensive one
Every year, millions of people flood the grounds of both Disney worlds and lands located all over the world in the hopes of having the greatest time. And they often do, but at what cost, you might wonder? Well, it’s difficult to calculate the exact amount, as it depends on personal preferences—be it food, housing, or entertainment they relate to—as well as numerous other factors that might be difficult to predict.
Yet, it seems that no matter the preferences, you might have to be ready to spend some cash; USA Today revealed that visiting Walt Disney World, for instance, has become more expensive than ever. Last year it pointed out that the price of one-day one-park tickets to Magic Kingdom, EPCOT has increased for the first time since 2019, reaching anywhere between $124 and $189.
USA Today’s analysis of Disney prices before their increase revealed that a long weekend at Disney for a family of four can add up to nearly $1,900; and that’s excluding the costs of getting there, which can make it a significantly larger amount. Yet, the number is still far from what Summer Reign spent for her family in one day, even though the commentators under her video believed that their costs didn’t have to be this high.
Image credits: Brian McGowan (not the actual photo)
Spending money can evoke feelings of guilt
To the people saying that the TikToker’s expenses could have been smaller or suggesting ideas on how to save money on a Disney trip, Summer Reign responded by saying she wasn’t sparing any expenses. Since it was a birthday weekend, she likely wanted to treat her family to an unforgettable time, which included activities, snacks, and souvenirs, even if overpriced.
Spending money on things that are not typically considered “necessary” is often viewed negatively; but if one can afford it, why not let them enjoy it? To be fair, sometimes it’s not even others stopping the individual from spending their hard-earned money, but them themselves.
In a piece for Forbes, the founder and CEO of the financial wellness app ‘OneEleven’, Dani Pascarella, pointed out that spending one’s money is often accompanied by the feeling of guilt. She suggested that one of the main reasons for that is the fear that the money “could be going towards something better or more important”.
According to Pascarella, such fear comes from lack of planning, as that’s what evokes the uncertainty about whether the “unnecessary” thing was a worthy investment. The expert suggested that having a plan for each dollar in your wallet can help combat such feelings of guilt and fear.
Image credits: Alexander Mils (not the actual photo)
“Unnecessary spending is the spending on things we don’t even want”
The co-founder and CEO of ‘Spring Planning’ and the co-author of “Women & Money”, Julia Chung, pointed out that the spending we regret is the things we do that aren’t aligned with our values. “It’s when we dropped money we didn’t have on a dinner we didn’t like with people we don’t like,” she gave an example to Bored Panda. “It’s when we took a week off to holiday in a place we didn’t even want to go. It’s when we bought a navy blue suit and we hate navy blue suits.”
The expert emphasized that, despite what other people might say, there is no “one right way” to spend your money other than a way that is aligned with your values and your goals for the future.
“We can easily be led astray when we don’t have a clue what those values and goals even are. Ramit Sethi talks about this kind of thing all the time, and I think he’s right. When we know what we really want and what feels like a rich life to us, it’s so easy to walk away from those other things that aren’t actually how we want to live, but we’ve been told we should want to live that way,” she added.
“Unnecessary spending is the spending on things we don’t even want,” says Julia, and it’s pretty safe to assume that family time at Disney was something Summer Reign sure wanted, arguably making it a worthy investment; even though some redditors might think otherwise.
Bored Panda has reached out to the OP via Instagram and will update the article once we’ve heard back from her.
People shared their opinions in the comments
Summer Reign addressed the TikTokers’ comments
First it is "robbery at broad daylight", then she says she "purposely wasn't sparing any expenses". - Sorry, this is just pathetic clickbait.
You reading this Bored Panda!!!!???? WE HATE THIS C**P CONTENT
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so she bought a huge breakfast (for 4 adults??), speeding light tickets, overly expensive souvenirs and cries how expensiv it is?
I agree. Also, the breakfast is neither huge nor appetizing. Any establishment like Waffle House (very popular in the South), IHOP or Denny's offers better breakfast for under $10. Same goes for ice cream. A hotel room rate for close to $1000 sounds ridiculous. There's always the option to stay at a hotel outside Disney World and eat outside of Disney World. Looks like they ate sun-of-the-mill hamburgers and fries at inflated prices.
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yeahhhh. She spoilt her kids and then complained about the price... gurl.
I didn't see anywhere that she was complaining. She was showing off how much she spent, then said she wasn't sparing any expense.
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Not so much complaining about the prices more showing off about how much money she has.
When you have the money to throw away like this, it ain't complaining. It's BRAGGING. For us normal folk, there are way cheaper ways to do Disney. (Starting with *not* eating every meal in the parks and not buying every shiny thing you see.) But go off, I guess.
You need reservations to make lightsabers, so had to know that cost beforehand. One reservation per lightsaber.
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No one forced her.to purchase those things. The headbands, lightsabers....not needed, but you bought em like you were forced to do so.
Robbery? No, OP, you were foolish for being so damned indulgent. No one forced you to spend that kind of money.
And saved 6-8 hours in waiting lines per day (or worse with the cheaper tickets) for maximum 60 minutes of fun. 4k is enough to buy enough LEGO for a kid's entire childhood. Or visit an exotic country for a month. Or buy a gaming PC with enough PC games for the child's entire teenage years and early 20s!!!
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BoredPanda is reaching the bottom of the barrel for content.
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Yeah, if you go someplace like Disney World without researching beforehand how expensive it's gonna be, that's on you.
Whatever. She voluntarily went to Disney, and knew how much it would cost. She bought stuff that was expensive voluntarily. It's almost like she did this to make a video for social media cred.
I spent 4 full days in Disneyland and spent 1 grand total over the 4 days. your an idiot.you chose to go crazy there so quit whining.
How were you able to make that happen with tickets + food + hotels? I need your tips!!
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Of course Disney is outrageously overpriced. Sadly, many families cannot afford it and I truly hate Disney for being so elitist and denying many families an opportunity to visit. However, this mother splurged on fast passes and incredibly expensive souvenirs like lightsabers. Nobody forced her to spend that insane kind of money. Also, who in the world is spending $223 for breakfast for four people? You can love your children and want to show them a great time, however, you have to set boundaries with them. There are entire websites and informative podcasts that educate people about visiting Disney on a budget. She truly has no right to complain in this case.
Last time I went to the parks...I had food, drinks, and alcoholic beverages...spent $50! It's called a backpack! When ever I went with my kids we ate breakfast on the way to the park. So many breakfast buffets with all the fixings for $8 a person. If you bring your own reusable bottle they will give you ice & water for free and I keep a little thing of Mio in my bag...free juice! Always avoided souvenirs, but for tourist I know they may want them...quick tip, stores outside the park (like Walmart) sell practically the same stuff for a fraction of the price so get your mouse ears there for $5. They sell White Claw for $10 a can...stop at the gas station before get 2 for $6 and put in your bag. Lunch, pack sandwiches and snacks.
How difficult can that be? But you know how some people are with brand names...
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My husband and I went to Disney World for our honeymoon. I guarantee you there are ways to not spend even half that much. We spent some money to get souvenir cups with kool-aid packets so that we could have a drink around the park at all times. Also, everything she listed could have definitely been either cheaped on or avoided entirely but it's her kid's birthday so...I can't tell if this is just her bragging about all this money she undoubtedly can afford or what.
New Headline: Woman discovers going to Disney is expensive. Whines about it on the internet
Disneyland and Disneyworld are so overrated and sooooo overpriced my family refuses to entertain that 💩
Would have been cheaper if she used her race card or victim card instead of her credit card. Regardless they should have charged her more for a name like Summer Reign.
Golly, the prices have gone through the roof since we visited, wow! Of course, that was in 1976, much cheaper then ;-)
That $800 receipt isn't for 3 light sabers- it's for 12! No wonder TikTok has such a bad reputation!
So I looked it up and the light sabers cost 249 each. The other items seem to be the specifications like the type of hilt that are included in the price.
Load More Replies... Disney World has always been expensive. It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.
Your user name is awesome. I am not surprised at the inflated price tags within the park gates and the long lines. The only way to not feel robbed is to not eat meals at Parks or on Property. And definitely zero souvenir purchases. The tickets are plenty enough to spend $$ on. Do your best to enjoy the actual cost of the ticket by taking it all in visually, seeing as much as you can, and getting to ride as much as you. Come Full, buy and share the cheapest biggest snack when inside. Make your money work for you!
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Y'all keep going and paying for all the expensive s**t, so of course the prices will stay astronomical. Stop going and paying exorbitant prices. Oh you won't? Well then stop acting surprised.....Disney has always been a hellish expensive trip, no clue how anyone enjoys themselves. You couldn't pay me to go.
3785 usd perr day, i usualy make a that money in two months, an i usulay make 3780 usd in savings (money to spend on fun) in swift two years... some pople are just delusional, first she soiled her brats, and then compaints its pricey, maybe stop buying lightsabers
We got to go to disney world in 2016. My daughter was 3 but I fudged her birthday so she was free for parks and dining plan. We stayed at Pop Century for 8 days and got 6 days of park hopper tickets. We went during the off season so there was a free meal plan promotion with our resort booking. We drove as well. Our total trip cost was $2700 plus $600 in travel (we stayed in a hotel once both ways to break up driving) and we did not pay for photo pass or any extras except basic park hopper tickets. It was fun, but hectic, especially with a child at that age, and the lines were so long. The best part was evening and we could walk onto any rides we wanted during the shows. I am so happy we did it because at least we have photos and memories. I have checked prices recently and it would cost over $5,000 for the same trip now if we did 4 days. Crazy. Disney has changed a lot but this family seems like they were blowing as much money as possible.
Even when we were living in NC going to Disney twice a year we never spend that much money in a day…( we move to about 30 minutes away from Disney 4 yrs ago).understandable it was your son’s birthday and all but there are really options to still lower costs and still do everything but cudos to you I been going to Disney and Disneyland for over 20 years but granted we invested our money in AP and DVC but still we take advantages of discounts for food, merchandise and early entry to get to ride the popular rides first, virtual cue etc .. what’s sad is the prices are still going up each year making it difficult for people to visit Disney
sounds like the entire day was spent eating. no wonder they had so little time to go on the rides.
Looks like the family had a great day on 4,k... I spend that much 1 trip to the ER and did not have a great 24 hours there soooo the real problem?
I, and my fellow classmates, built our own light saber for almost nothing as part of our Jedi training. Sadly, ours was the last class before the Sith massacre.
You did not plan accordingly. Character breakfasts run that cost. Plûs there are other ways to eat. Family of 5 plus 2 in-laws and we went 5days all parks plus souvenirs. With a budget of 10k and came back with 3k leftover. And we didn't skimp..
So first what is a "Bonus son" and she literally said after that she didn't care of the price. sooooo basically this is a brag not a legit complaint.. and honestly what is with the 800$ light sabers??? Honestly!?!?! You could have feed so many people with the money vs a toy that will sit and collect dust.
Bought expensive headbands (that weren't needed) to not wear them on the pictures? Bought expensive toys and then complained about it? Okay...
You don't need light sabers, the photo pass and lightning lane. $223 on breakfast?!? Bull.
People are missing the point. The person made the decision to spend that much money. Adults can't complain about prices if the are willing to pay those prices. That's like taking a vacation to Tahiti and complaing about the airfare or price of the hotel room on a private beach. If you want to be able to post on your narcissist social media accounts than you should be willing to pay those prices. Again this person chose to spend this money . And they could of made better choices but instead decided to over do it. Every person in the world knows that Disney land/world are expensive and at this time with inflation being effected by world events its foolish to spend and not save or invest. So the problem is of her own making. Don't feel sorry for her actions.
I know she was spoiling them on purpose, but she still needs to learn to say "no" to her kids and Disney. This is one of the main reasons I push back when my wife wants to go to the Disney parks. I really don't want to give thousands of dollars to a company that used to be pro family and rational to irrational, anti family, and growing more evil every day with their political BS involving children.
There are certain times of the year that are WAY more inexpensive, tickets, hotels and there's no one to wait in line behind. There's packages including 2 meals and if you go to AAA ahead with PLANNING can make payments throughout the year.
This is is not expensive. Try once Burj Khalifa food. Enjoyment can be expensive in many area, And Many area can be so low cost. It's your life what you are choosing and giving to your kids.
First it is "robbery at broad daylight", then she says she "purposely wasn't sparing any expenses". - Sorry, this is just pathetic clickbait.
You reading this Bored Panda!!!!???? WE HATE THIS C**P CONTENT
Load More Replies... so she bought a huge breakfast (for 4 adults??), speeding light tickets, overly expensive souvenirs and cries how expensiv it is?
I agree. Also, the breakfast is neither huge nor appetizing. Any establishment like Waffle House (very popular in the South), IHOP or Denny's offers better breakfast for under $10. Same goes for ice cream. A hotel room rate for close to $1000 sounds ridiculous. There's always the option to stay at a hotel outside Disney World and eat outside of Disney World. Looks like they ate sun-of-the-mill hamburgers and fries at inflated prices.
Load More Replies... yeahhhh. She spoilt her kids and then complained about the price... gurl.
I didn't see anywhere that she was complaining. She was showing off how much she spent, then said she wasn't sparing any expense.
Load More Replies... Not so much complaining about the prices more showing off about how much money she has.
When you have the money to throw away like this, it ain't complaining. It's BRAGGING. For us normal folk, there are way cheaper ways to do Disney. (Starting with *not* eating every meal in the parks and not buying every shiny thing you see.) But go off, I guess.
You need reservations to make lightsabers, so had to know that cost beforehand. One reservation per lightsaber.
Load More Replies... No one forced her.to purchase those things. The headbands, lightsabers....not needed, but you bought em like you were forced to do so.
Robbery? No, OP, you were foolish for being so damned indulgent. No one forced you to spend that kind of money.
And saved 6-8 hours in waiting lines per day (or worse with the cheaper tickets) for maximum 60 minutes of fun. 4k is enough to buy enough LEGO for a kid's entire childhood. Or visit an exotic country for a month. Or buy a gaming PC with enough PC games for the child's entire teenage years and early 20s!!!
Load More Replies... BoredPanda is reaching the bottom of the barrel for content.
Load More Replies... Yeah, if you go someplace like Disney World without researching beforehand how expensive it's gonna be, that's on you.
Whatever. She voluntarily went to Disney, and knew how much it would cost. She bought stuff that was expensive voluntarily. It's almost like she did this to make a video for social media cred.
I spent 4 full days in Disneyland and spent 1 grand total over the 4 days. your an idiot.you chose to go crazy there so quit whining.
How were you able to make that happen with tickets + food + hotels? I need your tips!!
Load More Replies... Of course Disney is outrageously overpriced. Sadly, many families cannot afford it and I truly hate Disney for being so elitist and denying many families an opportunity to visit. However, this mother splurged on fast passes and incredibly expensive souvenirs like lightsabers. Nobody forced her to spend that insane kind of money. Also, who in the world is spending $223 for breakfast for four people? You can love your children and want to show them a great time, however, you have to set boundaries with them. There are entire websites and informative podcasts that educate people about visiting Disney on a budget. She truly has no right to complain in this case.
Last time I went to the parks...I had food, drinks, and alcoholic beverages...spent $50! It's called a backpack! When ever I went with my kids we ate breakfast on the way to the park. So many breakfast buffets with all the fixings for $8 a person. If you bring your own reusable bottle they will give you ice & water for free and I keep a little thing of Mio in my bag...free juice! Always avoided souvenirs, but for tourist I know they may want them...quick tip, stores outside the park (like Walmart) sell practically the same stuff for a fraction of the price so get your mouse ears there for $5. They sell White Claw for $10 a can...stop at the gas station before get 2 for $6 and put in your bag. Lunch, pack sandwiches and snacks.
How difficult can that be? But you know how some people are with brand names...
Load More Replies... My husband and I went to Disney World for our honeymoon. I guarantee you there are ways to not spend even half that much. We spent some money to get souvenir cups with kool-aid packets so that we could have a drink around the park at all times. Also, everything she listed could have definitely been either cheaped on or avoided entirely but it's her kid's birthday so...I can't tell if this is just her bragging about all this money she undoubtedly can afford or what.
New Headline: Woman discovers going to Disney is expensive. Whines about it on the internet
Disneyland and Disneyworld are so overrated and sooooo overpriced my family refuses to entertain that 💩
Would have been cheaper if she used her race card or victim card instead of her credit card. Regardless they should have charged her more for a name like Summer Reign.
Golly, the prices have gone through the roof since we visited, wow! Of course, that was in 1976, much cheaper then ;-)
That $800 receipt isn't for 3 light sabers- it's for 12! No wonder TikTok has such a bad reputation!
So I looked it up and the light sabers cost 249 each. The other items seem to be the specifications like the type of hilt that are included in the price.
Load More Replies... Disney World has always been expensive. It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.
Your user name is awesome. I am not surprised at the inflated price tags within the park gates and the long lines. The only way to not feel robbed is to not eat meals at Parks or on Property. And definitely zero souvenir purchases. The tickets are plenty enough to spend $$ on. Do your best to enjoy the actual cost of the ticket by taking it all in visually, seeing as much as you can, and getting to ride as much as you. Come Full, buy and share the cheapest biggest snack when inside. Make your money work for you!
Load More Replies... Y'all keep going and paying for all the expensive s**t, so of course the prices will stay astronomical. Stop going and paying exorbitant prices. Oh you won't? Well then stop acting surprised.....Disney has always been a hellish expensive trip, no clue how anyone enjoys themselves. You couldn't pay me to go.
3785 usd perr day, i usualy make a that money in two months, an i usulay make 3780 usd in savings (money to spend on fun) in swift two years... some pople are just delusional, first she soiled her brats, and then compaints its pricey, maybe stop buying lightsabers
We got to go to disney world in 2016. My daughter was 3 but I fudged her birthday so she was free for parks and dining plan. We stayed at Pop Century for 8 days and got 6 days of park hopper tickets. We went during the off season so there was a free meal plan promotion with our resort booking. We drove as well. Our total trip cost was $2700 plus $600 in travel (we stayed in a hotel once both ways to break up driving) and we did not pay for photo pass or any extras except basic park hopper tickets. It was fun, but hectic, especially with a child at that age, and the lines were so long. The best part was evening and we could walk onto any rides we wanted during the shows. I am so happy we did it because at least we have photos and memories. I have checked prices recently and it would cost over $5,000 for the same trip now if we did 4 days. Crazy. Disney has changed a lot but this family seems like they were blowing as much money as possible.
Even when we were living in NC going to Disney twice a year we never spend that much money in a day…( we move to about 30 minutes away from Disney 4 yrs ago).understandable it was your son’s birthday and all but there are really options to still lower costs and still do everything but cudos to you I been going to Disney and Disneyland for over 20 years but granted we invested our money in AP and DVC but still we take advantages of discounts for food, merchandise and early entry to get to ride the popular rides first, virtual cue etc .. what’s sad is the prices are still going up each year making it difficult for people to visit Disney
sounds like the entire day was spent eating. no wonder they had so little time to go on the rides.
Looks like the family had a great day on 4,k... I spend that much 1 trip to the ER and did not have a great 24 hours there soooo the real problem?
I, and my fellow classmates, built our own light saber for almost nothing as part of our Jedi training. Sadly, ours was the last class before the Sith massacre.
You did not plan accordingly. Character breakfasts run that cost. Plûs there are other ways to eat. Family of 5 plus 2 in-laws and we went 5days all parks plus souvenirs. With a budget of 10k and came back with 3k leftover. And we didn't skimp..
So first what is a "Bonus son" and she literally said after that she didn't care of the price. sooooo basically this is a brag not a legit complaint.. and honestly what is with the 800$ light sabers??? Honestly!?!?! You could have feed so many people with the money vs a toy that will sit and collect dust.
Bought expensive headbands (that weren't needed) to not wear them on the pictures? Bought expensive toys and then complained about it? Okay...
You don't need light sabers, the photo pass and lightning lane. $223 on breakfast?!? Bull.
People are missing the point. The person made the decision to spend that much money. Adults can't complain about prices if the are willing to pay those prices. That's like taking a vacation to Tahiti and complaing about the airfare or price of the hotel room on a private beach. If you want to be able to post on your narcissist social media accounts than you should be willing to pay those prices. Again this person chose to spend this money . And they could of made better choices but instead decided to over do it. Every person in the world knows that Disney land/world are expensive and at this time with inflation being effected by world events its foolish to spend and not save or invest. So the problem is of her own making. Don't feel sorry for her actions.
I know she was spoiling them on purpose, but she still needs to learn to say "no" to her kids and Disney. This is one of the main reasons I push back when my wife wants to go to the Disney parks. I really don't want to give thousands of dollars to a company that used to be pro family and rational to irrational, anti family, and growing more evil every day with their political BS involving children.
There are certain times of the year that are WAY more inexpensive, tickets, hotels and there's no one to wait in line behind. There's packages including 2 meals and if you go to AAA ahead with PLANNING can make payments throughout the year.
This is is not expensive. Try once Burj Khalifa food. Enjoyment can be expensive in many area, And Many area can be so low cost. It's your life what you are choosing and giving to your kids.
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