Is there a "typical or average" WDW visitor/family?

[Patcheslee]

Disney doesn't release their demographic data. But you can glean a lot of it from other sources.

For example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has data that shows how much the average American household spends on vacations each year, broken out by quintile. Here's that data from 2017, summarized:

View attachment 365073

It's pretty clear that even a day at Disney World for a family of four is going to be beyond the annual budget for the bottom 40% of households. And from Disney's own travel agent media, it's pretty clear they're targeting the top 20%. They're almost certainly targeting the top 10%, 5%, and 1% specifically too.

One interesting thing we got from our (the Unofficial Guide/TouringPlans) surveys is that around 33% of our users' trips involve just adults. That's a higher number than I expected.

This is that part I can get out of this: I'm not spending enough on alcohol during vacation according to my income

 

[lentesta]

I dont see how. I have no kids (just a wife) and even with DVC being around 1K a year with annual due, we pay out at least 3K on a Disney Vacation. Heck, our North West 7 day train trip we are taking next year is above that. Unless people are taking short out of town vacations, that data is extremely low. That data has to be per person and not per family of 4. Plane tickets alone would cost a family of 4 $1000. A car rental will cost you 300 dollars a week and another 150 for gas.

Edit: Yeah, that has to be per day. That data seems right if you add it up per day.

It's definitely annual expenditures.

 

[bryanfze55]

All kinds of families go to Disney World, ranging from working class to rich. A lot of life is about choosing where to spend your money. Some people can’t fathom how any family making less than 100k could afford to go to Disney. But if you live in a low to medium cost of living area and keep your expenses low, it’s very possible. My wife is primarily a stay at home mom right now, so we are a little bit under six figures. But we live in the Midwest, drive modest cars, live in a modest house, and cook at home. These are things a lot of people wouldn’t want to do just to go to Disney. Because of this, though, we can easily afford to go to Disney twice a year at $3000-$3500 each time. And I don’t feel stretched at all. For the record, we do make the 14-hour drive. So we don’t have to pay for flights. We stay at Pop Century normally.

It’s not all about income. It’s about income minus expenses. That’s how plenty of lower income families can go to Disney.

 

[bigrigross]

It's definitely annual expenditures.

Thats not possible. The average vacation length in the US is 4 days so this data should reflect that. A standard Motel cost around 60 bucks a night in the middle of nowhere so both lower quintiles break that limit in 2 days and not the 4. This data is certainly for per day for a family of 4. Heck, even the food prices would not even cover 2 days if you brought and cooked your own food. The highest 20% would stay in a 4 seasons and such and those room are between 800 to 2000 a night (Chicago, not even New york). So that kicks it out of the park for them. This is per day. The data doesnt specify length. Find where it states its for the entire average of a US vacation, then what you said is true. I have found 2005 data that shows it for the average US vacation length and the numbers were significantly higher.

 

[lentesta]

Thats not possible. The average vacation length in the US is 4 days so this data should reflect that. A standard Motel cost around 60 bucks a night in the middle of nowhere so both lower quintiles break that limit in 2 days and not the 4. This data is certainly for per day for a family of 4. Heck, even the food prices would not even cover 2 days if you brought and cooked your own food. The highest 20% would stay in a 4 seasons and such and those room are between 800 to 2000 a night (Chicago, not even New york). So that kicks it out of the park for them. This is per day. The data doesnt specify length. Find where it states its for the entire average of a US vacation, then what you said is true. I have found 2005 data that shows it for the average US vacation length and the numbers were significantly higher.

Both sources are annual. Here's the quote from the 2010 survey:

In 2008, the most recent year for which expenditures data are available, U.S. households spent, on average, a total of $1,415 on transportation, lodging, food and beverage, entertainment, and gifts while on vacation and pleasure trips—representing 3 percent of total household expenditures.

And here's the title of the 2017 data:

Table 1101. Quintiles of income before taxes: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure
Survey, 2017 — Continued

 

[lentesta]

Coincidentally, here's an interesting survey question Disney is sending out to DCL guests, asking about their household net worth.

 

[bigrigross]

Both sources are annual. Here's the quote from the 2010 survey:

In 2008, the most recent year for which expenditures data are available, U.S. households spent, on average, a total of $1,415 on transportation, lodging, food and beverage, entertainment, and gifts while on vacation and pleasure trips—representing 3 percent of total household expenditures.

And here's the title of the 2017 data:

Table 1101. Quintiles of income before taxes: Average annual expenditures and characteristics, Consumer Expenditure
Survey, 2017 — Continued

Interesting. I guess a lot of people just are not taking vacations if its that low. Even my train trip and yellowstone/grand canyon trip next year blows those upper 20% quintile numbers out of the water for just two people and I am not in the top quintile. Weird.

 

[jaklgreen]

My guess is it's probably most likely to be families from the south and Midwest United States with low 6 figure family incomes and kids between 5 and 14. Also a significant amount of international tourists with similar demographics.

I wouldn't agree with the midwest families being priced out. I live right in the middle of the midwest and we get paid a decent amount and the cost of living is still on the lower end. Plenty here have a lot of disposable income and most people I know go to WDW regularly. I see AP and DVC bumper stickers all the time. Most of my daughter's friends go to WDW and other vacations annually.

 

[jaklgreen]

All kinds of families go to Disney World, ranging from working class to rich. A lot of life is about choosing where to spend your money. Some people can’t fathom how any family making less than 100k could afford to go to Disney. But if you live in a low to medium cost of living area and keep your expenses low, it’s very possible. My wife is primarily a stay at home mom right now, so we are a little bit under six figures. But we live in the Midwest, drive modest cars, live in a modest house, and cook at home. These are things a lot of people wouldn’t want to do just to go to Disney. Because of this, though, we can easily afford to go to Disney twice a year at $3000-$3500 each time. And I don’t feel stretched at all. For the record, we do make the 14-hour drive. So we don’t have to pay for flights. We stay at Pop Century normally.

It’s not all about income. It’s about income minus expenses. That’s how plenty of lower income families can go to Disney.

This is exactly right. We live in the midwest and live off of my hubby's income with a nice house and a couple of cars. I work 4 days a week as a baker in a small cafe and that money is our vacation money. I go twice a year to WDW and throw in a Disney cruise every other year. It is also about how you choose to spend your money. We don't smoke, vape, drink, party, eat out a lot, etc. I know plenty of people who say they can not afford to go but go and get their BS coffee every morning and have to buy the new I-phone as soon as it comes out. The small things really do add up.

 

[eliza61nyc]

Coincidentally, here's an interesting survey question Disney is sending out to DCL guests, asking about their household net worth.

View attachment 365249

RCL sends out one similar also. I wonder if it's a marketing thing, where they will send you out information based on your answer.

 

[Dr. Ludwig von Drake]

We live in Florida, 250 miles from the resort. When I look around town (Tallahassee) I see AP magnets everywhere! So, I think Florida residents are typical visitors. Half a day's drive, Florida discounts on hotels and passes. The money threshold for a Floridian to visit is much less than for those discussed in the above posts.

 

[eliza61nyc]

Interesting. I guess a lot of people just are not taking vacations if its that low. Even my train trip and yellowstone/grand canyon trip next year blows those upper 20% quintile numbers out of the water for just two people and I am not in the top quintile. Weird.

Unfortunately Americans are notorious for not taking vacations. I have managers here that have earned 6 weeks of vacation and are hard pressed to take 2. a lot of them sell their vacation back. we have a lousy ingrained sense of work=worth, so a guy who actually takes all his vacation is seen as a 'slacker"

 

[eliza61nyc]

So basically "average" Americans are finding a way to go to wdw

 

[lentesta]

This is that part I can get out of this: I'm not spending enough on alcohol during vacation according to my income

Between the two of us, we're average at least.

RCL sends out one similar also. I wonder if it's a marketing thing, where they will send you out information based on your answer.

I'd love to see what gets sent out for the high net worth individuals.

 

[jaklgreen]

Unfortunately Americans are notorious for not taking vacations. I have managers here that have earned 6 weeks of vacation and are hard pressed to take 2. a lot of them sell their vacation back. we have a lousy ingrained sense of work=worth, so a guy who actually takes all his vacation is seen as a 'slacker"

And for some reason people now think that the company will collapse without them for a week. I see way too many people at WDW on business calls. You should be able to have someone manage the job without you like they have been doing up until about a decade ago. I am so glad that neither my hubby or myself have jobs like that. My husband is a programmer and someone else just deals with it if an issue comes up while someone is on vacation. They are all very cooperative with each other. And, of course, there is nothing I can do from any distance as a baker so my vacations and time off are truly mine.

 

[bigrigross]

And for some reason people now think that the company will collapse without them for a week. I see way too many people at WDW on business calls. You should be able to have someone manage the job without you like they have been doing up until about a decade ago. I am so glad that neither my hubby or myself have jobs like that. My husband is a programmer and someone else just deals with it if an issue comes up while someone is on vacation. They are all very cooperative with each other. And, of course, there is nothing I can do from any distance as a baker so my vacations and time off are truly mine.

I keep my phone on do not disturb when on vacation. It only lets my favorites in and I have two co-workers on it that I will answer for as they will only call if something terrible happens at my site. And they only call once they have exhausted all of their options as sometimes knowledgebases dont cover the really crazy issues. All of the older people on my site (40's to 60's) cash in all of their PTO and dont take PTO other than when they are sick.

I took a 3 week vacation back in September and one of the older guys said if I can leave for 3 weeks then my job shouldnt exist. Apparently he doesn't know about the 16 other people in my work-group that help cover each others sites when we are out and the fact it was approved by my manager.

 

[bigrigross]

Unfortunately Americans are notorious for not taking vacations. I have managers here that have earned 6 weeks of vacation and are hard pressed to take 2. a lot of them sell their vacation back. we have a lousy ingrained sense of work=worth, so a guy who actually takes all his vacation is seen as a 'slacker"

Yeah I dont understand that mentality. I use all of my vacation time. I need to unwind from work. I know several people who take a day here or there and I have no idea how they keep going. I need weeks off at a time to de-stress. Healthcare IT environments are taxing as is.

 

[Roakor]

I wouldn't agree with the midwest families being priced out. I live right in the middle of the midwest and we get paid a decent amount and the cost of living is still on the lower end. Plenty here have a lot of disposable income and most people I know go to WDW regularly. I see AP and DVC bumper stickers all the time. Most of my daughter's friends go to WDW and other vacations annually.

Is that urban or rural midwest? I live on the edge of urban midwest and have friends in both worlds. There are tons of people who live in the suburbs that go to Disney regularly. 20 - 30 miles out from the city, in the country, not so much. Its about cost of living, not wealth. To make a comparison, for what my house is worth in suburbs I could buy one twice the size with several acres of land about 40 miles away from the city.(been looking into it for retirement) In NY, LA, Seattle the price of my house would barley make the down payment on a house of similar size. Some people spend more on a 1 week stay at Disney then rural area people make in a year, and yet they still live comfortably where they are because the cost of living is so much lower. So if the "Average" family is one that lives in suburbia then Disney, while still expensive, is affordable. But if the "Average" family is from rural america Disney is a once in a lifetime dream, maybe. Disney is just too expensive, not because they are poor, they just have a much lower cost of living and Disney is priced for those who live in the higher cost of living areas.

Disney is both way to expensive and not really that bad, it all depends on where you live. Suburbanites and city follk tend to forget that there is a vast country out there beyond the end of the subdivision. One where you don't pay $7 for a cup of coffee.

 

[jaklgreen]

Is that urban or rural midwest? I live on the edge of urban midwest and have friends in both worlds. There are tons of people who live in the suburbs that go to Disney regularly. 20 - 30 miles out from the city, in the country, not so much. Its about cost of living, not wealth. To make a comparison, for what my house is worth in suburbs I could buy one twice the size with several acres of land about 40 miles away from the city.(been looking into it for retirement) In NY, LA, Seattle the price of my house would barley make the down payment on a house of similar size. Some people spend more on a 1 week stay at Disney then rural area people make in a year, and yet they still live comfortably where they are because the cost of living is so much lower. So if the "Average" family is one that lives in suburbia then Disney, while still expensive, is affordable. But if the "Average" family is from rural america Disney is a once in a lifetime dream, maybe. Disney is just too expensive, not because they are poor, they just have a much lower cost of living and Disney is priced for those who live in the higher cost of living areas.

Disney is both way to expensive and not really that bad, it all depends on where you live. Suburbanites and city follk tend to forget that there is a vast country out there beyond the end of the subdivision. One where you don't pay $7 for a cup of coffee.

There will always be people that just don't make that much money and can not afford even basic items let alone vacations. Poverty rate in this country is about 14%. We are talking about averages here. My response was to kap91 who thought that mostly midwest and southern people were priced out. I don't believe that is true because not all of the midwest is rural and poor. That is just how the people on the coast see us. We have thriving(albeit smaller) cities with all kinds of demographics. It is just like there are plenty in the big cities that would never be able to afford a Disney vacation. I don't think that being poor is localized to any one specific area in the country. That is what I am saying.

 

[bryanfze55]

Is that urban or rural midwest? I live on the edge of urban midwest and have friends in both worlds. There are tons of people who live in the suburbs that go to Disney regularly. 20 - 30 miles out from the city, in the country, not so much. Its about cost of living, not wealth. To make a comparison, for what my house is worth in suburbs I could buy one twice the size with several acres of land about 40 miles away from the city.(been looking into it for retirement) In NY, LA, Seattle the price of my house would barley make the down payment on a house of similar size. Some people spend more on a 1 week stay at Disney then rural area people make in a year, and yet they still live comfortably where they are because the cost of living is so much lower. So if the "Average" family is one that lives in suburbia then Disney, while still expensive, is affordable. But if the "Average" family is from rural america Disney is a once in a lifetime dream, maybe. Disney is just too expensive, not because they are poor, they just have a much lower cost of living and Disney is priced for those who live in the higher cost of living areas.

Disney is both way to expensive and not really that bad, it all depends on where you live. Suburbanites and city follk tend to forget that there is a vast country out there beyond the end of the subdivision. One where you don't pay $7 for a cup of coffee.

I’m not sure if that’s true. The Southeast is quite rural but also within driving distance of Disney World. I’m sure plenty of rural families in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, etc. can afford to take the road trip down to Orlando and stay offsite or at a Disney value for a week. Of course not all of them could swing it, but a lot could. I don’t think rural people are any more or less priced out than urban or suburban folk. Again, it all just comes down to income minus expenses. Some families make well into the six figures and are in debt up to their eyeballs. That’s very common in higher cost of living areas.