Parents With Young Children Are Taking on 'Disney-Related' Debt for Trips to Theme Parks, According to a New Report Despite the debt, 59% of parents surveyed said they have no regrets.
By Emily Rella Edited by Melissa Malamut
Key Takeaways
- A new study by LendingTree examined the potential costs associated with visiting the Happiest Place on Earth.
- Parents of young children reported an average of $1,983 in Disney-related debt.
- 90% of the parents surveyed said the trip was a treat.
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The Happiest Place on Earth is far from the cheapest when looking for a family vacation, but a new report from LendingTree found that families are going anyway — and breaking their budgets.
The report surveyed over 2,000 Disney parkgoers, and 24% cited they had gone into some debt paying for the trip. That number jumps to 45% for parents who have children under the age of 18.
LendingTree noted that the average amount of debt parents with young children have taken on is $1,983 per family with concessions being the main source of overspending — 65% of respondents said that food and beverages inside the parks cost significantly more than planned.
Related: A Fifth Walt Disney World Theme Park Could Be Coming Soon — Here's What We Know
"Looking more broadly at the 75% of theme park-going Americans who've been to Disney, 24% have gone into debt for at least one trip," LendingTree wrote in the report. "That's up 33% from 18% in our 2022 survey. Of this 24%, 74% took on their debt in the past five years, with 29% doing so in the past year."
According to Walt Disney World's official website, a standard one-day ticket to the park for those aged 10 and up is currently $109.
The new report coincides with data released last week by FinanceBuzz, which found that concession prices at Disney World have increased nearly 60% in 10 years, including the fan-favorite Dole Whip dessert which has gone up 58% in the last decade.
The Walt Disney Co. was up over 13% year over year as of Friday afternoon.
