I totally agree with
@Beer Me . It's tough to compare a Disney vacation to pretty much any other destination. Also, like others have said, we'd have to figure out how to define "middle class". Where I grew up, my family would have been considered upper middle class. Where I live, now, my family would be considered firmly middle class at best. Finally, it can even be tough to define what being "priced out" means. Some people have mentioned here and in conversations like this in the past that they feel priced out because they can no longer go every year. Even though I currently DO go every year, I wouldn't consider not being able to "priced out". I don't think any vacation destination that includes as much as Disney does would be considered something most truly middle class families would be able to do every year without making some significant sacrifices.
On the other hand, I certainly see why people feel this way. Disney used to be more affordable for middle class families, there's no denying that. But it's also become more and more popular year after year, and even with tickets over $100 they hit capacity in the parks during the holidays. To be honest, I'm not sure there's any easy solution either way.
Edit: As far as how I compensate for the price increases, I do a few things. We have never had cable, don't go out to eat much, I make a lot of things myself (such as laundry detergent), and I am learning to can food. Most of this is things I'd do anyways because of my lifestyle, but they have the added benefit of helping me save a lot of money, which helps me save for Disney. I also use a LOT of coupons and I always use my credit cards and pay them off each month to get rewards, and I try to maximize these rewards by paying attention to cashback categories.
