Many Americans will take on debt this summer for a family trip to a Disney theme park. So why is the happiest place on earth breaking their bank accounts? Teo takes Clare on a fantasy trip to Disneyworld to find out, and see if Clare can have a truly magical experience on a budget. 

We want to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org

Support the show by supporting our home, KUOW Public Radio in Seattle.

Sources in this episode:
Disney’s Magic Kingdom Raises Prices, CNN News Room, 2014
Disney and the Decline of America’s Middle Class, New York Times, 2025
Can America Afford Disney?, Disney Tourist Blog, 2025
How Much Disney Can America’s Middle Class Afford in 2025?, Touring Plans Blog, 2025
The U.S. Economy Depends More Than Ever on Rich People, Wall Street Journal, 2025
Even Disney Is Worried About the High Cost of a Disney Vacation, Wall Street Journal, 2025
Why do people keep coming back?, USA Today, 2026
Consumer Expenditure Surveys, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023
How Do People Afford Disney?, Reddit, 2026 
Earnings Report, Walt Disney Report, 2024
Summer Travel Survey, Bankrate, 2025
Disney Survey, LendingTree, 2024
Global Attractions Attendance Report, AECOM, 2023
The Walt Disney Company, 2026
What’s The Current Disney Commission Rate For Travel Agents?, Mainstreet Agency Travel, 2026

Many Americans will take on debt this summer for a family trip to a Disney theme park. So why is the happiest place on earth breaking their bank accounts? Teo takes Clare on a fantasy trip to Disneyworld to find out, and see if Clare can have a truly magical experience on a budget.&nbsp;
We want to answer your questions about how our world works!&nbsp;<a href="https://forms.office.com/r/4nGSfCuAML">Click here</a> to submit a question using our online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org
Support the show by supporting our home,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kuow.org/donate/control-f-notes">KUOW Public Radio</a> in Seattle.
Sources in this episode:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLl2S2Cx7is">Disney&rsquo;s Magic Kingdom Raises Prices</a>, CNN News Room, 2014</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/opinion/disney-world-economy-middle-class-rich.html">Disney and the Decline of America&rsquo;s Middle Class</a>, New York Times, 2025</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.disneytouristblog.com/disney-world-too-expensive-middle-class-americans/">Can America Afford Disney?</a>, Disney Tourist Blog, 2025</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://touringplans.com/blog/how-much-disney-can-americas-middle-class-afford-in-2025/">How Much Disney Can America&rsquo;s Middle Class Afford in 2025?</a>, Touring Plans Blog, 2025</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.wsj.com/economy/consumers/us-economy-strength-rich-spending-2c34a571">The U.S. Economy Depends More Than Ever on Rich People</a>, Wall Street Journal, 2025</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/disney-parks-price-hikes-consumers-0bf4dbd6?">Even Disney Is Worried About the High Cost of a Disney Vacation</a>, Wall Street Journal, 2025</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/2026/04/14/disney-world-disneyland-fans/89427065007/">Why do people keep coming back?</a>, USA Today, 2026</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bls.gov/cex/">Consumer Expenditure Surveys</a>, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Mommit/comments/1musn25/how_do_people_afford_disney/">How Do People Afford Disney?</a>, Reddit, 2026&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://investors.thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/news-details/2024/The-Walt-Disney-Company-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-Earnings-for-Fiscal-2024-11-14-2024/">Earnings Report</a>, Walt Disney Report, 2024</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bankrate.com/credit-cards/news/survey-summer-vacation/">Summer Travel Survey</a>, Bankrate, 2025</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.lendingtree.com/debt-consolidation/disney-goers-debt-survey/">Disney Survey</a>, LendingTree, 2024</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://aecom.com/wp-content/uploads/documents/reports/AECOM-Theme-Index-2023.pdf">Global Attractions Attendance Report</a>, AECOM, 2023</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/">The Walt Disney Company</a>, 2026</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://mainstreetagencytravel.com/news/whats-the-current-disney-commission-rates-for-travel-agents">What&rsquo;s The Current Disney Commission Rate For Travel Agents?</a>, Mainstreet Agency Travel, 2026</li>
</ul>

Control F is a podcast about data — hard, fuzzy, surprising, and sometimes unreliable data — and all the ways it influences our daily lives. In each episode, we dig deep on a topic and search through research, algorithms, and assumptions to bring you insights on how stuff works. In a world ruled by numbers, Control F reads between the (spreadsheet) lines to find the bigger story.

Control F is a podcast about data &mdash; hard, fuzzy, surprising, and sometimes unreliable data &mdash; and all the ways it influences our daily lives. In each episode, we dig deep on a topic and search through research, algorithms, and assumptions to bring you insights on how stuff works. In a world ruled by numbers, Control F reads between the (spreadsheet) lines to find the bigger story.

Control F is a podcast about data — hard, fuzzy, surprising, and sometimes unreliable data — and all the ways it influences our daily lives. 