Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, US.

Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, US.

Photographer: Brian Carlson/Bloomberg
Living

At $40,000, Luxury Disney World Vacations Drain Wallets of Die-Hards

Higher prices and growing complexity dim the Magic Kingdom’s allure

Walt Disney Co. raked in record theme-park revenue last year, boosted by a strategy that puts a price tag on everything from dinner with Cinderella and lightsaber workshops to skipping the line to join the Guardians of the Galaxy.

That tactic is now being challenged, as the era of free-spending revenge travel fades away and inflation pinches the pocketbooks of US families.