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Disney trips have a lot of parents frustrated, and it shows why parents are so burnt out.

"The good old days" may be a tired cliche, but that doesn't mean the phrase doesn't hold a kernel of truth. Some things really used to be better. Different isn't always just different, and it's definitely not always better. Sometimes different is objectively worse!

Take a "simple" theme park vacation with your family and kids, for example. In the 1990s, you could go to Disneyland or The Magic Kingdom relatively on a whim, show up at the park, wait in line to get a ticket, grab a map, walk in, and have a good time. However, these days, things are a lot more complicated. In 2025, the price of the park changes with demand, and you have to make reservations for the day you hope to visit. Want to eat dinner at a sit-down restaurant? Better reserve your table a few days (or even weeks) ahead of time. Want to get on the newest ride? Better hop in the virtual queue when the park opens at 9 am, and that's assuming you remembered to book and pay for enough Lightning Lane passes.


disney, disney world, disneyland, theme park, family vacation, parenting, parents, moms, dads, working parents, millennial parents This image strikes fear into the hearts of many parents. Photo by Kitera Dent on Unsplash

Further, the entire time you’re at the park, you’re staring at your phone, following instructions on where to go based on the app. And there aren’t any days when the park isn’t crowded—it’s always crowded. It’s a wonder people have any fun at the park when things are so complicated and expensive. Planning the trip is a months-long equivalent of a part-time job for many parents, and being in the parks is a grueling rat-race. Fun, yes, but absolutely exhausting!

Why is it so hard to be a parent in 2025?

Sarah Biggers-Stewart, founder of CLOVE + HALLOW, a clean cosmetics line, believes the stress of going to Disney mirrors what everything is like for parents in 2025. “The hardest thing about parenting in 2025 is that the parenting part isn't really that hard. It's everything else,” she said in a post with over 70,000 views. “The amount of participation and engagement expected of parents in literally everything related to raising kids is insane.”

Warning: Strong language.

@thebiggersthebetter

Like the parenting is ofc hard but it’s literally everything else that sucks 😂 #parenthood #momlife #raisinglittles #realtalk #girltalk #motherhood #disneyworld #parentlife

“And nothing perfectly illustrates this better than this Disney trip we're going on next week and the multi-month booking process I've had to go through in order to make sure that we can have a normal Disney trip. Sixty days ago, I had to pre-book at six am, restaurants, activities,” she continued.

Indeed, many Disney experiences open for booking at odd hours long before the actual dates of your trip, like first thing in the morning or even at midnight months beforehand. If it seems crazy to you that you'd have to wake up in the middle of the night to book a meeting with your kid's favorite cartoon princess or risk disappointing them when all the spots are booked up, you're not the only one.

Biggers-Stewart adds that it makes her mad because "it doesn't have to be this way.”

Why are children's sports so intense these days?

Biggers-Stewart says the same thing is happening in children’s sports. “We're treating these seven-year-olds like they're all gonna go pro. They can't even go with their families for a week vacation during the summer break because if they miss a week, they're like shunned and benched,” she told her 602,000 followers. "The seven-year-olds are talking about their protein intake, and the parents are being lectured by the coaches about their protein intake. These kids are seven.”

disney, disney world, disneyland, theme park, family vacation, parenting, parents, moms, dads, working parents, millennial parents Youth sports are supposed to be fun, but they've gotten way too intense. Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

And it goes beyond sports! Want to take your kids to a free storytime at the library? Better hope you remembered to reserve a spot three months ago. And speaking of which, better remember to block your work calendar for the parties your child's daycare throws every week in the middle of the day, which parents are "strongly encouraged" to attend. If your kids are old enough to walk and bike around themselves, well, you'd better be sure you accompany them every step of the way or you might get arrested — seriously.

Many moms in the comments could totally relate to Biggers-Stewart’s frustration.

"The 1st time we did Disney, I did nothing, and it was a nightmare. The 2nd time, I had spreadsheets & binder & it was F-ing magical for my family and satisfied me like I had planned a corporate summit," Booishlady wrote. "I was SWEATING BULLETS trying to get my kid into various summer camps the moment registration opened in JANUARY. And you're right, even basic activities have to be planned and purchased way in advance."

Anastasia agreed, writing "Having to meticulously plan summer camps in January or else there’s no childcare options available."

Another user wrote, "I saw something that said working moms now spend more time with their kids than SAHMs in the 70s." Unbelievably, this is true, despite the nearly impossible math.

"We decided early on that we weren’t going to overbook our kids with a bunch of extracurriculars. We prioritize family time, which is great, and yet I still feel so much external pressure to do more," Katie wrote.

disney, disney world, disneyland, theme park, family vacation, parenting, parents, moms, dads, working parents, millennial parents There's a reason all parents feel like this in 2025. Giphy

At the conclusion of her video, Biggers-Stewart boiled the problem down to what parenting is like in 2025: Intense. “Everything is the most intense version that requires the most effort and participation,” she said. “That is why parents in 2025 are burnt the f**k out.”

This article originally appeared in March. It has been updated.


An old Disney World ticket.

Matthew Ables’ family had a Magic Kingdom coupon book from 1978 sitting in a desk drawer. He thought it was just an old souvenir.

"It's been collecting dust since before I was born and I always assumed it was an old family keepsake until I realized that it's never been used and there's no expiration date," he said while inspecting the ticket book with a magnifying glass, in a TikTok with over 9 million views.

“Which means I've either found the golden ticket here, or I'm delusional thinking that the Mouse is going to let me use it to get inside nearly half a century later,” he continued.


So, he flew to Orlando, Florida to see if it would work. As you do.

@matthewables

I tried getting into Disney World using a 46 year old ticket #disneyworld #disney #themepark #funny #fyp

Upon arriving at a ticket booth at the Magic Kingdom, Matthew got nervous because the woman who worked there began "aggressively" stamping “VOID” on his coupon book and then left. Luckily, she returned with a yellow ticket he could use to get into the park.

It’s fantastic that Disney honored the ticket even though it was 46 years old. Especially because today, that would have cost $164, which shows that Disney World prices have risen much, much higher than inflation.

If ticket prices rose with inflation, it would only cost $37.64 to get into the Magic Kingdom in 2024.

Some of the commenters on the video noted that people showing up with extremely old tickets isn’t uncommon at Disney parks. "I used to work Magic Kingdom Guest Relations. This exact scenario would happen a few times a week!" Allison wrote.


This article originally appeared February.

The doorway to Disney's exclusive private restaurant, Club 33, is painted in "Go Away Green" so as to be inconspicuous.

The masterminds at Disney are known for creating eye-catching spectacles you can't turn away from, but did you know they're also adept at concealing things they don't want you to see? According to a number of online reports, Disney uses a few clever shades of paint to disguise things like trash cans, fences and administrative buildings that don't otherwise fit into the mise en scene. The hues are informally called "Go Away Green" (or "No See Um Green"), "Bye Bye Blue" (or "Blending Blue") and "No See Um Grey."

Disney won’t give away their formula, but crafty parkgoers claim to have matched the shades to some easy-to-procure paint store varieties, should you also want to use this visual trickery.

"The goal of this [Go Away Green] shade is to cause the object to fade into your color spectrum so that your eye will miss it completely," Gavin Doyle, Disney expert who writes the website Disney Dose (and hosts podcast of the same name) told Business Insider.


"The best example can be found on the outdoor lift hill of Big Thunder Mountain, where you can easily see backstage by turning your head to the right," says Doyle. "Most guests simply don’t see this backstage area as everything is covered in Disney’s special green-colored paint.”

If you are thinking, “Wait, what? I’ve never seen that!” you are not alone! Dang sneaky paint!

Another example, says Doyle, is the exterior door to the secret private restaurant, Club 33, cloaked in Go Away Green.

Not to mention trash bins, fences, light posts, and entrances to the “utilidors” (Disney’s vast network of underground tunnels, which are technically ground level and used for everything behind-the-scenes) and basically anything that might detract from the magic.

Haunted Mansion, Disneyland, color theory

Disneyland's Haunted Mansion stands out while fences, trash bins, umbrellas and more are disguised.

Theme Park Tourist/ WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

In addition to Go Away Green, Disney uses a shade of blue to camouflage things above the tree line so the object they’re trying to conceal will blend into the skyline. They also use a drab grey color for concealing things in areas of the park where there is more concrete and less foliage (like Tomorrowland).

This kind of trompe l'oeil can be used outside the park boundaries. While Disney implements a level of design between obsessive detail and mind control, using color to make certain things come to the foreground and others recede isn’t pure witchcraft. 

It’s what people do with eyeshadow and highlights, with stripes and dark, slimming colors. Why not conceal your unsightly fence or utility box? According to an article on Simplemost, the recommendation is to “look at the prevalent hues close by to find the best camouflaging color for your home.”

Main Street, Go Away Green, Disney

Main Street at Walt Disney World conceals benches, fences and lamp posts with a drab green color.

Jedi94/ WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

​“So if I were to paint the family in this camouflage, perhaps we could sneak into Disney World without paying, and they’d never see us,” quipped u/Simba7 on a Today I Learned Reddit thread about Disney’s use of color.

“Finally, the perfect color to dress when I’m forced to go to parties,” joked u/SuperStrawbear.

“This is the color of the front door of my house and people always leave fliers around the back lol,” shared u/iwishiwereagiraffe.

It's definitely something to keep in mind when incorporating these colors at home!


An incredibly busy off ramp in America and a monster truck that looks like a school bus.

America and European countries share many similarities in culture and governmental structures. They are democracies with similar legal systems, innovative in science and technology and have a significant influence on the world through art and culture.

That being said, there are some glaring cultural differences that are fun to point out. The broad generalization is that Europeans have refined cultural tastes, whereas Americans are a bit more brash and believe that bigger is always better. These are stereotypes, of course, and there are plenty of brash Europeans and Americans with refined tastes.

One of the biggest differences is America’s embrace of consumer culture, which Europeans see as excessive and tacky. Americans have an unquenchable love for processed foods and portions that make most Europeans shudder.


The sheer size of America is also hard for many Europeans to comprehend. During an 8-hour drive, Europeans can visit multiple countries with different languages and cultures. However, you probably won’t make it through some of America’s larger states in that short of a time.

I'm sorry, Europeans. Los Angeles and San Francisco are not an hour away, and you probably don’t want to drive from New York City to Disney World.

People have pointed out some of the significant differences between Americans and Europeans through memes with the simple caption, “The European mind cannot comprehend this.” It’s a fun way for Americans to point out the excesses that make America unlike any other place in the world. 

A lot of the memes are centered around America’s love for chain restaurants and how they often are found in clusters dotting the American landscape. The downside of chain restaurant ubiquity is that it makes the country’s cuisine feel a bit homogenous. One can drive all the way from Des Moines, Iowa, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and still find the same 10 places to eat.

Americans eat huge portions compared to the average European. When Europeans travel to America, they most frequently point out this. Americans also enjoy processed foods that feel more like they came out of a laboratory or off an assembly line than if they occurred randomly in nature. This stands in stark contrast to the European diet which often features smaller portions, less processed food, and a greater emphasis on fresh, seasonal ingredients.

America is also huge.

Americans have their very particular brand of unique crazy, whether it’s monster truck rallies, the tacky beauty of Las Vegas or our very vocal support for gun rights.

To keep the rivalry going, Europeans have been fighting back by sharing elements of their culture that would boggle the average American’s mind. Some memes include the interesting ways that A/C-phobic Europeans cool their homes. They also railed at Americans for being unable to drive cars with manual transmissions and for having really terrible taste in bread.

The Europeans also mocked the incredible price of healthcare in the U.S. and how everyone has their hand out for a tip.