A video filmed outside Disneyland has ignited a huge online debate — not just about parenting choices, but about the soaring cost of visiting “the Happiest Place on Earth.”
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The now-viral video was captured by a Las Vegas-based blogger, with the footage showing a stroller waiting in line outside of one of the parks – but something doesn’t quite look right.
A child can be seen tucked into the back mesh compartment of the stroller, their face pressed against the material while quietly eating crackers. Another child sits in the front, seemingly helping to block the view. Many people have assumed that the video appears to show the family in question attempting to sneak one of their children into the park without paying for an additional ticket.
“Disney so expensive they smuggling kids in,” the TikTok video is captioned.
The man behind the clip, who runs the @sincitybornandraised account, said the moment immediately caught his attention — partly because of how calm the “hidden” child appeared.
“All my years of Disney visits [I’ve] never seen [a kid] stay this calm in a space so little so it made me think [it was] not his first rodeo,” he told the New York Post.
“At first I thought it was a pet because of the mesh,” he explained. “Then I realized it was a kid eating crackers being as quiet as can be.”
The unusual sight prompted him to record and share the clip online — though he didn’t expect the reaction it would receive, with his video now amassing more than 14 million views.
“So I decided to clip it and post on my TikTok,” he said. “Never thought it would go viral.”
As the video spread, it quickly sparked a wave of discussion — with many viewers focusing less on the alleged act itself and more on what might have driven it. Because behind the humour and shock lies a bigger issue: the cost of Disneyland.
Ticket prices have climbed significantly over the years. A one-day, one-park ticket for a family of two adults and two children can now cost anywhere between nearly $500 and more than $700 depending on the date.
And that’s before extras. Children’s tickets alone can range from $98 to as much as $224 per day, while add-ons like Park Hopper passes can cost an additional $70–$90.
It’s a far cry from Disneyland’s early days. Back in 1955, entry cost just $2.50. By comparison, a 2019 study found ticket prices had increased by a staggering 4,060% since the park first opened.
With numbers like that, it’s perhaps no surprise that some families are looking for ways — however questionable — to cut costs.
Online reactions reflected that divide, as some people couldn’t help but sympathise.
“Disney doesn’t realize how much money they could make by lowering prices,” one person commented, with another quipping: “That one $150 ticket saved will buy lunch for 2 people”.
Others took a more light-hearted approach – fully supporting the alleged act. “I saw nothing, heard nothing. Hope they have an amazing time at Disney,” a third wrote, with a fourth commenting: “Let’s normalize minding our business.”
|I paid $194 for my [3-year-old] last Friday. Let that parent be,” another wrote.
Now, it is important to note that there has been no confirmation that these parents were even trying to “smuggle” their kid into Disneyland, nor any word on if the alleged plan even worked.
What is clear, however, is that this isn’t the first time such a method has surfaced online. Over recent years, there have been multiple reports of families allegedly trying to hide older children in strollers to bypass ticket checks. Fox News highlights a 2022 TikTok video that showed a child being wheeled into the park in a car seat – only to be lifted out and walking around once inside the park.
And with prices continuing to climb, the conversation doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon. Disneyland is still marketed as a magical experience for families — but for many, that experience is becoming increasingly difficult to afford.
Featured image credit: TikTok/@sincitybornandraised (screenshots)
