I was thinking the same thing. And you’re right, the super rich can afford to do this kind of thing with a private jet and have the whole private VIP experience.
Good point! I know a couple of die hard Disney fans, and they are well off, but they certainly don’t have the money for this kind of trip, as least as far as I know. I get it, people are free to spend their money as they see fit, but it’s really not a good idea to empty out your savings or go into debt for this kind of trip. Are there Disney fans who are wealthy enough to afford this trip? It kind of seems like super rich people aren’t super into Disney…but I’m just assuming that…
So true! I think a lot of people like tours and package trips because it takes care of a lot of the legwork. Though there are much cheaper tours then this one.
Most homes appreciate over time. Right now cars are appreciating in value too, but even in a normal market they depreciate over many years. The trip has no asset value the instant it’s paid for. (Not disputing the personal emotional value.) Even art often appreciates in value. If someone over spent for a luxury good (watch, purse, etc.), it would usually have resale value. If someone has a net worth of $5M, this is an instant loss of 10% of their net worth and likely a loss of $25K+ a year in appreciation income from the funds used for the trip on top of that.
Don’t get me wrong, I have no doubt Disney will fill this trip.
Various people spend money on various things that other people find to be wasteful, beyond their means, etc. Some of that spending buys/creates an asset that may or may not appreciate (or may depreciate faster than others). Some doesn’t. People will spend where they find value and won’t where they don’t. Just how it works.
And at the end of the day when I tally up the things that concern me. that people with $50 million to $200 million in wealth may be spending beyond their means is incredibly low on the list.
I am not a Disney fan really. My kids are grown. I didn’t see it as I scanned it, but if you get VIP access at the parks then I would be interested. I just hate waiting in lines. One thing you would never do on this trip is wait in a line. We did a VIP at Universal back in '19. It was the best thing we did. It cost money but made the day so relaxing. Walked onto every ride. Got two good private meals. Then the other days we were at the parks were so relaxing because we had done all the time consuming things already. No going to the park early trying to be the first in line. Wonderful day.
Eons ago we got to do a VIP Universal tour (corporate thing). SO fun! We did everything in half a day. It was very expensive on the face of it but if you factored in time spent I could see where saving those vacation days, time, hotel days could actually make it cheaper in the long run.
I’d do a leisurely tour of Europe then Africa, then Australia and New Zealand. I’ve been to Kenya twice, but would go back in a heartbeat and would also like to visit Botswana and Namibia. I’ve only been to the UK and the Netherlands in Europe so there is much for me to see there.
I’m more interested in the outdoors than city experiences. I would focus on outdoor and countryside experiences and walkable small cities.
I would also like to have a birdwatching guide with me all along the way to maximize the birds I could add to my life list!
You can buy VIP access to the parks without this tour. They sell it as a regular product. The cost is variable based on anticipated crowd/demand that day. It costs $450-850/hour with a 7 hour minimum and that covers a party up to 10 people (it’s not per-person). It does not include your regular admission cost. For World – which has more parks and is more spread out than the other locations – that also includes unlimited use of their private vans to whisk you from park to park o demand ad they have various backstage points around each park to have the van meet and drop you to shorten the walk (and save time).
Actually, the VIP version you buy a la carte is better than this $110K tour because you control the itinerary more than the group experience.
True, but even if I loved Disney I wouldn’t spend my money on this trip. I can’t afford it. I do spend money on things I value, but I keep it within my means.
But again, different people find more/less value with respect to the same things. And have more/less ability to afford such things. But there aren’t necessarily bright/objective lines in terms of being able to afford something and keeping within your means.
Disney was fun – once (or maybe 2x), with the family, but I have no desire to return. If I won a lottery, I’d spend the money for someone else to do all the travel planning, taylored to our priorities. I’d take more trips to wonderful cities, and beautiful landscapes, and invite family or friends to join. Time is more valuable to me now than most travel luxuries.
Honestly having lurked on some Disney travel boards for years this doesn’t surprise me. There are enough people who drop $5000-$10,000 a couple of times a year or more to stay at luxury on-site hotels and spend two weeks at Disney parks, eat at the minimum $50/ one meal restaurants for multiple meals with multiple family members, get large staterooms on back to back to back Disney cruises, etc. that would jump at this. And I guess they did. And for many it’s not just the trip – it’s the bragging rights (social media and blogs). I like Disney enough but if I’m spending $$$$$$$$$$$ I’m not going with other people!
I am never surprised at what people spend their money on. So I’m not surprised given how small this trip enrollment is, that they filled it. Would be interesting to read about why they went on this trip rather than planning their own though.
I’d be fine if I never went to Disneyland or Disneyworld ever again. Nothing against Disney, but it just seems to be getting more expensive and more crowded.
For that kind of money ($110,000 per person!!!)…I’d go to New Zealand for at least a month, then to Antarctica, and probably have lots of $ left over to spend time in Europe (I want to B&B all over England and Ireland, go to Scandinavia, the Canadian Rockies, Switzerland and eastern Europe. Would break it up into 2-3 months at a time over a few years.
Would rather spend $ on being able to do longer trips and to more places than going full luxe. Haute cuisine and fine wine are pretty much lost on us. ExpatS likes the Bourdain way of food travel and we have picked up some of that advice as he has introduced us to his universe.
I’m a cold weather girl. Love the ocean, don’t love baking in the sun.
