Just how much should a trip to Walt Disney World trip be “worth”?
Cinderella Castle
It’s no secret that a Disney vacation is an expensive proposition, and seems to become more and more of one every year. Unfortunately, that means that for many people, a Walt Disney World vacation isn’t in the cards… or at least maybe shouldn’t be.
According to a recent study by the financial services website Lending Tree, “45% of parents taking their children under 18 to the theme park resort have taken on Disney-related debt.” For comparison’s sake, that’s a 33% increase from 2022, when 18% of survey respondents said they’d acquired such debt.
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On average, parents of young children took on $1,983 in Disney-related debt. About 65% said the debt came from unplanned food-related expenses, while 48% cited transportation expenses and 47% attributed the debt to accommodation costs.
Despite these numbers, most people told Lending tree that had no regrets about taking the trip. LendingTree Chief Credit Analyst Matt Schulz attributed this to the fact that taking their kids to Disney is a “rite of passage, something they remember fondly from their youth and want to experience with their kids. Because of those feelings, they’re often willing to take on debt to get there.”
One sliver lining? According to the study, most these debts are relatively short-lived, with 75% of those who carried Disney debt saying it takes six months or less to pay it off, with 32% specifically citing 3-6 months.
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There are ways to lessen the costs of going on a Disney vacation. Some of our favorite tricks include:
Stay in a hotel outside of Disney World. While their are definitely some advantages to staying on Disney property, cost definitely isn’t one of them. Weigh your options and decided whether said benefits – – Disney transportation, early and late park hours, etc. are “worth” the extra cost.
Choose your hotel wisely. If you DO decide to stay in a Disney World hotel, look into what level of hotel you wish to stay at, and think about how much time you and your party plan to stay in the room. If you’re an out in the morning for rope drop, in late night after closing type of family, there’s likely no reason to go above a value or at most moderate resort.
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Keep an eye out for discounts. Whether from organizations you belong to like AAA or Disney themselves, keep an eye out for any kind of airfare/room rate/park ticket/or dining discounts… just make sure they’re actually something that will work for your vacation before committing.
Use gift cards. Plan beforehand how much money you want to spend on each day on souvenirs, snacks, and etc. and purchase that a amount on Disney gift cards for each day. Use that as your spending money for each day, and – – outside of an emergency – – don’t go over once the gift card expires.
Disney Gift Cards at Target
Going into a large amount of doubt for anything – – including a Disney vacation – – isn’t a wise idea. A small short-term debt isn’t quite as bad, but make sure you’re taking advantage of every kind of money saving hack and discount to avoid it. Stay tuned to DFB for further Disney tips.
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One big thing I have noticed over the years; the demographics of those visiting the parks.
Folks, get yourself a Disney Visa credit card and start working towards a free trip, or at least a huge dent into the cost. Bucks add up and keeps your trip cost lower. If you must, stay in a value resort. If you must, share meals. If you must, 1 souvenir per kid. If you must, go when resorts have been reduced. If you must, for Christmas, ask for Disney gift cards to use towards trip. If you must, go for only amount of days that you can afford. If you must drive, do it althought that could be a bit [redacted] if you’re like 1000 miles or more away.