Everything has gone up in price. Look at costs for going out for dinner. If it's in your budget, I think it's still worth it to do some fun frivolous things that give you joy. But pick and choose what those things are and what's worth it to you and what works with your budget.
I did two days at Epcot, a day at SeaWorld, and a day at Busch gardens over spring break in March (two resort days too). I thought Flower and Garden was beautiful (first time I ever did it) -- took my 85 year old dad, something he and I always wanted to see, so that was kind of cool. I did Genie Plus to get a few shorter lines (kind of a rip off). Didn't like that being offsite I was there for rope drop, but had to wait a 1/2 hour longer (but I get that -- I didn't want to pay onsite prices). Busch Gardens had so much closed and felt run down (wouldn't go again). SeaWorld was lovely as always (best value IMHO for parks in the area and a favorite of my family / extended family). We did two chill out / family visiting days too at the resort and at my nephew's house (he lives in Orlando.) Four of the 20 somethings did a day at Universal and I bought them those front of line passes (insanely expensive) - sort of necessary with the spring break crowds, but a rip off. The one time passes were less than a throw away hotel room at a deluxe universal resort when I did the math. Universal if you go multiple days doesn't seem so bad with price per day, but if you just want to do one day with a park to park ticket, they gouge you even more than Disney does.
I think this is more working from home now and getting older, but the Orlando traffic was more of a pain to me than it has been in the past (I hated driving in it). It didn't help that with our party of six, I was the only one on the rental contract and was doing a bunch of shuttling people around. I also have a cousin in Tampa and HATED HATED the drive there and back to do a day trip to see him. I ran across so many crazy drivers weaving in and out. They had been cleared so didn't slow me down too much, but I ran across four accidents on my way back to Orlando. My cousin is in assisted living, and I like to visit him once a year. Anyway for 2023 I am just flying right into Tampa (He is just 20 minutes from the airport). I'm spending three nights in a hotel there near his assisted living facility and taking him to the Lowery Park Zoo and Tampa Aquarium and skipping Orlando entirely and skipping Tampa theme parks, picking local activities instead. It just sounds better to me. My favorite nephew from Orlando is going to join me (I got a hotel room for him for one night, so he doesn't have to commute both days).
It felt overall like the March vacation was more hectic, more crowded, and less spontaneous than I would prefer. It just doesn't seem worth repeating something like that with a big group again to me.
For getting together with the big group in 2023 (10-14 of us), we are going to get three condos in Sedona, AZ (chill at the resort and see some nearby sites, with some of us doing some hiking and some doing a few little day trips.). I don't plan on planning or going to a big group get-together in Orlando again (I've done a ton of these over the years, but they are more work and less fun than in the past). And onsite would never be something I'd consider for a large group -- WAY WAY too pricey and totally not worth it to me when when I look at the dollars involved (not even in the realm of possibilities for dollars that we budget for travel and all those people - many who we pay expenses for). That's us though. Others have different budgets, priorities, disposable income.
I also am rescheduling a once in a lifetime trip to Europe (Well actually it's my third trip to Europe, but I'm in my 60s) -- This one is Paris and Belfast: (dream trip for DS in his 20s that we were supposed to do in 2019). With four years having passed DH who is in his late 60s is less interested than before and is skipping. DS's significant other won't be coming either, so it's just a mother / son trip. With just two of us it will be pretty darn easy and spontaneous and DS is so much fun to travel with. With DS's love of Disney, after four nights in Paris, we are going to do a
Disneyland Paris onsite package and do 2 1/2 days in the park. That should be pretty fun and relaxing with the extra time and a modest list of must do things. After that we head to Belfast for three nights. I think this will be my last overseas trip too. I plan to stick primarily to vacationing in the US I think after this one and will plan to go to less popular places at less popular times.
Happy travels. All is more expensive and crowded (less appealing to me in than in the past, but still kind of fun), so it's picking and choosing. And I'm personally inclined to travel less rather than more these days, but I still love doing a little traveling.
