The amount of people going into debt for a trip to Walt Disney World is increasing, according to a new Lending Tree survey.
Nearly a quarter of all Disney visitors have gone into debt to afford a trip to the Florida theme park, the survey of over 2000 U.S. consumers revealed — a 33% increase from 2022.
That figure is even higher for Disney-going parents with children younger than 18, 45% of whom have gone into debt for a Disney trip. That’s a 50% increase from 2022 when less than a third of parents said they took on debt for a trip.
On average, people who went into Disney-related debt took on nearly $1,700 in debt, while parents of young children took on nearly $2,000. Men were twice as likely to take on debt than women.
Concessions were the biggest unexpected expense, according to the survey. Sixty-five percent of those with Disney debt said that in-park food and beverage cost significantly more than they had originally thought. General transportation costs, lodging, and admission tickets were next on the list, with nearly half of people saying they hadn’t budgeted enough for those expenses.
However, the trip to Disney World was worth the financial strain for most people. Sixty-four percent of those with Disney debt said they don’t regret going into debt for the trip.
“For so many people, taking their kids to Disney is a rite of passage, something they remember fondly from their youth and want to experience with their kids,” said Matt Schulz, Lending Tree’s chief credit analyst. “Because of those feelings, they’re often willing to take on debt to get there.”
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Only a quarter of people who have been to a theme park haven’t visited a Disney park, the survey revealed. Forty percent of people said their willingness to go to Disney has been affected by its political views, with 22% less interested and 19% more interested in visiting the Florida theme park.
Disney’s feud with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) came to an end Wednesday with the approval of a $17 billion expansion agreement for Disney World.