Mom Spending Over $1,000 on Family Day Out at Theme Park Shocks Internet

A video highlighting the total cost of a family day trip to Florida's Universal Studios theme park, which amounted to $1,113, has gone viral on TikTok, where it had received 1.3 million views at the time of writing.

The video shared by TikToker Miranda Pearce (@mirandapearce), which has not been independently verified by Newsweek, began with a message overlaid on the video that read: "The cost of 1 day at Universal Studios [eyebrows raised, surprised face emoji]."

The clip went on to show how the family of four (a couple and their two sons) spent their money on the day out at the park, from admission and parking to different meals, snacks and more.

The video concluded with an itemized listing of the costs throughout the day, as outlined below, which amounted to a total of $1,113.40:

• $483.66 for tickets
• $396 for Fast passes (which allows you to skip the line at various rides)
• $62.79 for lunch
• $42.60 for souvenirs
• $36.39 for dinner
• $27 for parking
• $21.79 for breakfast
• $19.76 for ice cream
• $19.16 for drinks
• $4.25 for coffee

The post was captioned with the words: "That's not even including tips [eyebrows raised, surprised face and dollar sign emojis].#universalstudiosflorida #familydaysout #florida #vacationcosts #medicalaesthetics."

A 2022 survey of 30 parks across 19 U.S. states conducted by by the home rental company HomeToGo, which were ranked according to the total cost of a one-day adult ticket, parking and accommodation for the upcoming season, found that the most affordable American theme park in 2022 was Tropic Falls at OWA in Alabama. The ticket price at the Alabama park was reported to be $22.49, while accommodation per person per night was priced at $72.67 and parking was free.

Universal Studios in Florida ranked 22nd for affordability, with a ticket price of $129, $27 for parking and $48.14 for nightly accommodation. Florida's Magic Kingdom was the least affordable, charging $129 for admission, $25 for parking and $126.80 for accommodation.

According to research conducted by DealA, a free coupon codes website, the prices of certain attractions have reached their highest point since 2017, the ConsumerAffairs website reported in March 2022.

Families heading to Disney World could be footing a bill of $154 per day for each child, while the admission price for Florida's Fun Spot America theme park was found to be up by 34 percent but still affordable at $54.95.

Several TikTokers in the latest viral post were appalled but also not too surprised by the cost of a day out at Universal Studios park in Florida. Several posters, who appeared to be based in the U.K., claimed the family could have spent the same money on a multi-day trip abroad.

User Ennaojopo simply wrote: "Thank you for clarifying we will never go [to Universal Studios Florida, eyebrows raised, surprised face emoji].

Prezident Stevil noted the family "could have gone away to Portugal for a week and rented a villa for that [money]."

User bungle agreed, stating: "3 nights in Turkey flights and all inclusive hotel is £455 [around $518].

User DJJonBlower said: "But completely worth it! Universal is the best place on the planet!," and user6201541582331 agreed, stating: "Adding up all the cost is just shocking and depressing. We love Universal tho. [floating hearts smiley face emoji]."

Newsweek has asked the theme park's owner, Universal Parks & Resorts, for comment and has contacted the original poster for further comment.