The “Magic Kingdom” is certainly not as magical as it once was through my six-year-old eyes. Tinkerbell and Cinderella no longer occupy space in my dreams. Instead, I dream of acing finals and getting accepted to my dream college.

The long lines, overpriced tickets and kiddy rides seemed to overshadow the fun and “magic” the park so promisingly offers to park goers. On my last visit, when I was about 10 years old, I couldn’t wait to see all of the attractions, however, as the day went on, I found myself painfully underwhelmed. My previous visit when I was about six years old was much more exciting than the latest because as I quickly realized, that’s who many of the attractions are geared toward, elementary schoolers. Additionally, at age six, zeros on a receipt meant nothing to me, and I was easily distracted, so waiting in hours upon hours of lines didn’t phase me.

Like many other kids who have gone to Disney World before, I found the park to be underwhelming and somewhat boring. Once a child outgrows early elementary school, “Frozen”, “Toy Story”, and princesses aren’t exactly top picks for entertainment. For this reason, Disney World has added some new attractions, rides, parks and has revamped old ones. However, despite fun and exciting new themes and thrill rides that are more geared toward teens and adults, the inflating prices of Disney World call into question whether the experience is worth the hundreds of dollars a family must spend each day on tickets, food, parking and the hours spent waiting in massive lines.

Parking alone is $25 to $50 and the annual pass for non Florida residents was raised $50 in the past year. Additionally, a regular one day ticket into one park was raised from $117 to $129 in the past year. Disney World has a total of seven parks, so if a family is planning on going to more than one park, this increase in price adds up fairly quickly. Lines at the parks can take hours for rides that are only a few minutes long, which is both frustrating and a huge time drain if a family only has a day or two to visit the parks. When I went to Disney World, I spent upwards of two to three hours waiting in the lines for the popular attractions, which is both crazy and boring.

Despite all of its downfalls, Disney World does have many things going for it. There are also many original and exciting roller coasters and thrill rides that are definitely worth the wait. Disney World became popular because it was unique and one of the first large, family friendly themed parks. However, with there now being a multitude of entertainment options and theme parks in the U.S. and Disney World’s rising cost of admission and growing lines, it is worth it to research some cheaper, yet equally fun, choices of family entertainment. These attractions include, Universal Studios, Discovery Cove, International Drive, Gatorland, Mall at Millenia, and Harry Potter World. My family and I went to Universal Studios, Discovery Cove, and Gatorland on our trip, and these all were unforgettable experiences.

Disney World is a rollercoaster of pros and cons, but ultimately it leaves teens utterly underwhelmed and the cost and long lines rival the worth of the overall visit.