First off I would like to start off by apologizing for being a neglectful blogger! I’ve been away for a little while and could not access any Internet so therefore I couldn’t blog!

This week, I went to Orlando, Florida and went to Disney for a day. Now, don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore Disney. I think Walt Disney was an amazing man with an even more amazing imagination and visions. The foundation of Disney that he started is timeless and classic and I truly believe it will live on to be part of every generation’s childhoods. What little girl doesn’t love the famous Disney Princesses and what little boy doesn’t love the magic Disney movies create? And let’s be honest, but what adult doesn’t like Disney? Something about Disney brings everyone back to their childhoods. I honestly think that I was just as excited as the little children in Disney, it is just a magical place!

So the wonder and fascination of Disney is not what I have to discuss. However, the rising prices is what is bothering me. An adult ticket costs about $95 and a child ticket costs $88. What average family can afford that? A family of four would need to spend about $366 on tickets alone! That is not including memorabilia, food, hotel, transportation, parking, or flights. And on top of it, that ticket is for one park only. I do not know Walt Disney, but I feel as if he wanted Disney world to be something for all. There are middle/lower class people who have children who are probably dying to go to Disney World. Bringing your young children to Disney is probably one of the staple vacations of every American family’s lives.

When I handed over $95 of my hard working money for a ticket it made me a little anxious. So, I cannot imagine when I have children and I need to work hard and save up for a while to be able to do this. I don’t think that vacations such as these should be a luxury but instead something that all families could enjoy. Why does one ticket for one park need to be priced that high? Wouldn’t $50 suffice? I doubt that would really make a huge impact on Disney but instead may even help Disney because more families would be able to afford to go. And those that do go, can go more!

Now how about going to a baseball game? The old American classic song of “Take me Out to The Ball Game” describes a time when baseball games were fun, affordable, and a family event. Now if you want to buy “me some peanuts and cracker jacks” you will probably be spending close to $15. Buying tickets for yourself is expensive, let alone a family. This also leads to the movies. A ticket to a movie theatre is usually around $12. So therefore to go with a family of four you are spending around $40 in tickets! Just to see one hour and a half movie! Not including popcorn and a soda or candy, of course. These “family” activities are going up and up.

People complain about children being “bad”, spending too much time on the streets, and not spending enough time with their families. However, how long can someone just sit in a house? Going to the movies, going to a sporting event, and going on vacation/theme parks is almost out of the question for most families. We shouldn’t have to save up to treat our families to a movie. I agree family time should be more important to some people and of course there are more affordable things to do with your families, but at the same time events that people actually want to do are getting more expensive and families just can’t do it anymore.

The American Dream of having a white picket fence around a home and having a happy family that can go on vacations or see a ball game is slowly dying out. Nowadays, people cannot afford to do these things. Is a trip worth going into debt over? That question alone can go into debate because as people say, you cannot put a price on happiness, but at the same time, how much is too much? We all want our children to have happy memories and go places, but sometimes it is just not possible. So, what will the new American Dream be?