When a mother posted a video in which she “gripes” about an experience she had at Disney World, she likely never thought she’d be met with backlash, but that’s exactly what happened. Rather than take the criticism, she clapped back, setting the record straight and schooling the internet.
When Kaitlin LeBeouf, who happens to be a travel agent and a mother of two, decided to “gripe” about an experience she had at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, she had no idea her short video would garner so much attention, but that was exactly what happened when a clip was posted to TikTok, featuring the mom dining with her 4-year-old daughter at the Cinderella’s Royal Table resort restaurant.
“Tell me what your kid got for $70?” a friend is heard asking LeBeouf in the footage as they poked fun at the amusement park’s soaring prices. In response, the mom gave a sarcastic and surprised look—as if she was thrilled as she revealed her daughter’s pricey breakfast—as she answered “Frosted Flakes,” joking, “It tastes better in Disney.”
At first, LeBeouf’s daughter is reluctant to show off the alleged $70 bowl of frosted flakes, which her mom refers to as “Cinderella cereal.” However, she eventually lets viewers take a look at her small bowl as she holds it up in front of the camera and a grin starts to spread across her face. Of course, there is nothing magical about the bowl or the flakes inside. It’s just your typical bowl of cereal that you can get anywhere, so it comes as no surprise that comments flooded in, criticizing the insane price.
But perhaps more shocking than the alleged on a bowl of CEREAL for her daughter at a Cinderella breakfast” by the Daily Mail and “Mom gripes she’s ‘forced’ to shell out $70 just for daughter’s cereal at Disney World” by the New York Post. It was so bad that LeBeouf’s friend set the original video to private, but eventually, the mom decided it was time to clap back at her critics.
It would seem that the criticisms LeBeouf received hinged mostly on the inaccurate price revealed in the video since the cereal wasn’t ”70.Instead,accordingtoCinderella’sRoyalTablepriceslistedonWaltDisney’swebsiteatthetimeLeBeouf’svideowasposted,thecostwasactually“only”69 per adult and “only” $42 per child, with gratuity included for both. Additionally, the breakfast menu reportedly “has a wide variety of options, ranging from Traditional Breakfast to Caramel Apple-stuffed French Toast, Mickey-shaped Waffle, and more.”
Apparently, some people didn’t catch the sarcasm in LeBeouf’s facial expression and voice, deciding instead to lambaste the mother, saying she fabricated the story. “So you just made a video that’s a giant lie? What a clout chaser. Maybe make a factual video next time not scolding Disney?” one such viewer wrote, lashing out at the mom. Others decided to call her child a brat. The backlash was so intense that LeBeouf clapped back a second time with yet another follow-up video, and this one schooled the internet.
Clapping back at the critics, Kaitlin LeBeouf revealed she’s not only a travel agent, but she’s a travel agent for Disney, so she was well aware of the prices. She also made it clear—for those who seemingly missed the obvious sarcasm in the first clip—that the original video was simply a joke between her and her friend. “I’m a travel agent, well aware of the prices; my friend was well aware of the prices,” she said. “The entire thing was posted as a complete joke and an exaggeration.” More importantly, however, LeBeouf reminded everyone to be kind because you really don’t know someone from a few seconds of video.
If anything, this is yet another “beware the media spin” example and a reminder not to jump to conclusions based on a short clip. Yes, the meal was expensive, and she remarked about it in a clip that was posted to TikTok without realizing that it might just go viral. Whether it’s 70,70,69, or $42, it was expensive, even if the child could have chosen more than just cereal—and that was the point for those who obviously missed it. Honestly, some people need to learn to lighten up and not take everything they see on the internet as gospel. Before you become a voluntary social media “fact-checker,” it might be wise to make sure that a joke didn’t just fly right over your head.
