Recently a friend got an ugly shock: The same Disney World vacation her family enjoyed last summer would cost her a whopping 56% more this year. And that didn’t include airfare or transportation from the airport (thanks, Disney).
Even knowing the overall inflation rate in December reached 7% hadn’t prepared her.
I wouldn’t have expected anything that dramatic, and I’ve been watching closely as Disney jacks up prices for tickets (hello, $200 Merriest After Hours party), food and beverages (buh-bye $2 popcorn refills, now $2.25) and Loungefly backpacks (from $80 to $95 almost overnight).
Of course, Disney is hardly alone. Travel destinations are trying to make up for devastating losses in 2020. And the demand is there — families who haven’t vacationed in two years are eager to get away this summer. The crowds last weekend for the opening of the Epcot International Festival of the Arts were wall-to-wall (and let’s not even talk about the 7-hour line for a $25 Figment popcorn bucket).
So what can you expect if you’re getting ready to book a summer vacation? While we can’t chart Disney’s prices, we can look at the categories you’ll spend money on while traveling. The chart below shows how prices for the main elements of a vacation have changed in each of the past five years. We’ve highlighted falling prices (green = good for you) and rising prices (red = more expensive for you).
Some observations:
- Room rates bounced back from a decline in 2020 — and then some. Since this is a big chunk of any vacation cost, this is going to hurt.
- Airfare and cruise prices fell steeply in 2020 but barely budged in 2021.
- The price of dining out has gone up more than usual, but you won’t see any double-digit sticker shock.
- Car rental is going to hurt this year. Plus, even before the pandemic, Disney had started charging for overnight parking at the resorts for most guests. So even paying for a bus or ride-sharing service will be cheaper.
- I included apparel and jewelry as a stand-in for souvenir prices, but anecdotally it seems Disney’s price increases in these categories are outstripping the national average.
So what did my friend do about her summer escape? The only thing a rational, vacation-starved person can do: After processing the shock, she adjusted her plans to stay at a different resort. And her family will have another magical Disney vacation!
