More Families Going Into Debt to Visit Disneyland

People enter Disneyland on April 24, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. Mario Tama/Getty Images

For many American families, the only way to make that fantasy trip to Disneyland into a reality is to wave the magic credit card.

In Lending Tree’s recent survey of more than 2,000 American consumers, the online lending marketplace found that a trip to Disneyland was putting a serious dent in family finances.

“Across the 77 percent of theme park-going parents with kids younger than 18 who’ve been to Disney, 45 percent have gone into debt for a Disney trip,” according to the survey.

In 2022, Lending Tree found that only 30 percent of parents with children went into debt for the same trip. The average Disneyland debt for parents with children was nearly $2,000.

Despite the bills, 59 percent of parents don’t regret taking on the debt. “For so many parents, taking their kids to Disney is a rite of passage, something they remember fondly from their youth and want to experience with their kids,” LendingTree chief credit analyst Matt Schulz said in a statement. “Because of those feelings, they’re often willing to take on debt to get there.”

The survey finds parents spend most of their money at Disneyland on food, transportation, and accommodation. Sixty-five percent of respondents with Disneyland debt were surprised by just how high the theme park’s food and beverage prices were. An average cheeseburger is priced at $12.79, a churro ranges from $6.99 to $11.99, and a lemonade is $6.50 to $9.99 depending on type and location.

On X, some users expressed astonishment at how many parents are going into debt for their Disneyland trips.

“This is an insane statistic that so many people go into debt for a fleeting experience,” said Charles Andriesen. “Debt should only be taken on for direct production or to indirectly help facilitate production. Debt should never be used for pure consumption like a trip to Disneyland.”

Disney’s prices have long been on the rise, with Disneyland most recently raising prices in 2023 and Disney World planning price hikes for 2025. Since 2000, Disneyland quadrupled its most expensive tickets and raised annual premium passes over 700 percent. It kept the lowest price admission steady for the first decade. Over the past decade, the lowest-priced tickets for least-expensive dates have increased 13 percent. In 2000, admission was $41, now tickets start at $112.

The park closed for a year during the pandemic, and when it reopened, admission increased. The highest ticket prices pre-COVID (based on which day you visit, with weekends and holidays being more expensive) was $159. After COVID, the highest ticket price was $164—an increase of more than 8 percent.

The latest increases came in October when Disney raised ticket prices by $5 to $15 per day. The theme park kept lowest-priced tickets steady at $104 and $109.

News about just how much debt families are going into to enjoy Disneyland comes as U.S. consumer debt rose to a record $17.3 trillion at the end of last year and consumers are falling behind on their payments. Experian finds that the average total consumer household debt last year was $104,215, up 11 percent from 2022.

Disneyland visitors can still find deals, however, such as the three-day, one-park per day summer ticket offer.