TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – A new study shows that 18% of Disney World-goers have racked up debt for their theme park visit, but most have no regrets.
LendingTree, an online loan marketplace, surveyed nearly 1,550 consumers.
According to LendingTree, a one-day, one-park ticket to Disney World costs $141.74 on average, though Disney World recently announced plans to increase ticket prices varying on park and dependent on date.
One in five, or 18%, of Disney attendees surveyed, told LendingTree they went into debt for one or more trips to Disney World.
However the survey also found that 71% of those people said they didn’t regret it. LendingTree said four in five, or 80%, said they’ll pay off their debt in six months or less.
Those who went in to debt said food and beverage costs, as well as admission costs to the parks were “significantly more expensive than they originally thought or budgeted for.”
LendingTree cited an analysis conducted by Mouse Hacking, a website that found that the baseline Disney World vacation for a family of four (including two adults, one child 10 or older and one child 3 to 9) costs $5,731 in 2022.
That includes flights, transportation to and from Disney World, a five-night stay at Pop Century Resort, five day tickets without the park hopper option and line-skipping service Genie+ at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Meal costs were determined using roughly the cost of the standard Disney Dining Plan, which has remained suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to LendingTree, Mouse Hacking found that the baseline vacation for the same family will cost $6,320 in 2023.
The survey found that parents with children younger than 18 are the most likely to go into debt over at Disney trip, at 30%.
“A Disney trip can be an experience that you and your family remember for the rest of your lives, and those are the types of things people are willing to go into debt for,” said Matt Schulz, LendingTree chief credit analyst. “You shouldn’t take on a debilitating amount of debt and you shouldn’t do it very often, but if you need to take on a few months of debt to afford that once-in-a-lifetime Disney trip, it can be OK.”