A father of five revealed that it cost hundreds of dollars to take his family to Disney world for just one day, appearing on Fox and Friends to weigh in on the experience after his video about the trip got millions of views on X and proved to be extremely relatable for American families everywhere.
For context, in an interview with Fox and Friends on May 7, 2025, Craig Stowell and his daughter Kendall expressed their resentment after dropping around $1400 on a one-day trip to Disney World, telling the host that they felt that the beloved theme park was taking advantage of families and speculating about Disney’s motivations for hiking up their prices.
Speaking to Fox and Friends host Ainsley Earhardt, Stowell explained the rationale behind creating his video, saying, “I kind of had a feeling it would go viral. It’s very relatable. It’s family-friendly. Disney is always a hot topic, and we’re all trying to pinch pennies.” He added, “So that video was probably my therapy.”
Continuing, Stowell implied that he felt taken advantage of by the egregious pricing at Disney World, saying, “As I was going through the day, the kids were smiling, sometimes fighting in between the lines, my wife was having a grand old time. Meanwhile, mine was just swipe the card over and over and over, and it started with the ticket purchase, and then it ran right into the parking, and then it just was like a cash cow for the rest of the day.” He added, “So I kind of had an idea that people would be able to relate to it, just maybe not so much yet.”
In addition, Stowell’s daughter, Kendall, shared her opinion on the experience in the interview. After she was asked whether going to Disney was “worth it,” she responded, “Yes, it’s worth it, but it was so packed just to be there for one day for all that money spent.” Stowell chimed in, “The lines were so long. So we’re already $1000 deep into the park. Now, we’re going to drop another $400 to get lightning passes.”
Responding to Stowell and his daughter, host Ainsley Earhardt expressed empathy for the families who have a hard time footing the bill for a Disney vacation, saying, “When you, when we do all these stories on people who can’t afford their groceries and or gasoline, or at least that was under the last administration. It’s gotten a little bit better, but when you hear those kinds of stories, it’s sad that most families can’t afford to do Disney.” Stowell replied, “They want you there for five days, and they want you to drop 10 grand. So I think that one day trip, I’m actually being punished for it.”
Moreover, Earhardt discussed the inflated prices of toys and souvenirs at the park with Stowell, zeroing in on a toy lightsaber that Stowell’s son wanted that cost a whopping $44.99. Earhardt said, “You had to tell your son you want to be able to say, ‘Look, this is a special trip. We’re in Disney World. I want to get my children each a toy,’ but unfortunately, it’s just that we’re not able to do that when we travel, and you’re spending $1,400 in one day.”
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Concluding the interview, Earhardt asked Kendall, “Did you have fun?” to which Kendall responded, “I did have a lot of fun.” She replied, “I liked waiting in the lines with all my family because I just got to talk with them the whole time.” Earhardt called this heartwarming response “so sweet,” and said, “You just love being with your family.”
Watch the interview:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video