Disney Parks Travel Survey 2021 – Is It Worth It? + Face Mask Opinion, Safety Thoughts & Travel Plans

Our Summer 2021 Travel Survey showed that 68% of people plan to travel this summer. In addition, 25% of people plan to “Revenge Travel”. That is, they plan to travel more post-COVID than they did prior in order to make up for lost time. Vaccines continue to be distributed across the United States and more places are opening. The data indicates people plan to get back to vacationing as soon as possible. One of the go to spots is certainly Disney. While Disney World has been open for some time, Disneyland will be opening this month. Disneyland and Disney California Adventure return for California residents on April 30. And, both could fully reopen to the general public on June 15.

The goal of this Disney Travel Survey is to see what the current feeling is towards traveling to an iconic spot like Disney. With COVID measures still in place, how do travelers feel? Do they think Disney is worth visiting if certain experiences like parades are canceled? Is it worth it if they cannot use FastPass+ services at their favorites parks like Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Animal Kingdom? When do they think they will visit next? Below you can find the results of our survey.

Do you think currently having to wear a face mask at all times (except when actively eating or swimming) at Disney World and Disneyland ruins the experience/magic?

Let’s take a look at the survey results:

• Yes. — 45.60%
• No. — 54.40%

Interesting Demographic Comparison — The East South Central region had the highest percentage of people say that Disney’s face mask policy ruined the experience at 53.57%. This region includes the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi. On the other hand, the New England region had the lowest percentage of people saying face masks ruined the magic at 35%. This region includes the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. These statistics are a perfect example of the political divide in the United States regarding face mask wearing.

Key Takeaway — Nearly 46% of all American adults believe the current face mask policy at Disney ruins the experience and magic. The 46% represents over 116 million Americans aged 18 or older based on census.gov. This is a substantial figure and undoubtedly will create a slow down in foot traffic at Disney World and at Disneyland. Disney is certainly hoping that the spread of COVID-19 continues to decrease so that they can loosen restrictions. It recently started allowing guests to temporarily remove face masks while taking photos outdoors with cast members. This was a welcome change by guests.

Do you think it is currently worth visiting (and paying for) Disney World or Disneyland with parades, fireworks, shows and other experiences being closed?

Let’s take a look at the survey results:

• Yes. — 30.86%
• No. — 69.14%

Interesting Demographic Comparison — More men than women currently believe that it is still worth going to Disney World or Disneyland. 34.18% of men said yes while only 27.86% of women of did. This sentiment runs similar to our Sustainable Travel survey. It showed a great deal more women than men believed cost was the most important factor when booking travel.

Key Takeaway — Almost seven out of every ten American adults say it is currently not worth visiting Disney World or Disneyland with parades, shows and other experiences closed. This makes sense based on the above statistic that showed 45.6% of people believed the experience is ruined by the face masks. Our COVID-19 Vaccine Survey also revealed nearly 72% of people would not feel comfortable traveling until they are vaccinated or we reached herd immunity. These two facts in addition to desirable experiences being closed makes it no surprise a large majority of people do not feel Disney is currently worth it.

Regardless of any plans, when would you feel safe visiting Disney World or Disneyland?

Let’s take a look at the survey results:

• I feel safe right now. — 38.72%
• Not until I am vaccinated. — 20.36%
• Not until herd immunity is achieved. — 40.92%

Interesting Demographic Comparison — People over 60 are overwhelmingly the most likely to not feel safe traveling until herd immunity is reached. 53.85% of adults over 60 said this. However, only 38.98% in the 45-60 category and 38.38% in the 30-44 range said this. Lastly, only 36.57% in the 18-29 age did. We also saw that people over 60 were the least likely to say they will feel safe when they are vaccinated. Only 8.79% over 60 said they’d feel safe at Disney right now even vaccinated.

Key Takeaway — Over 61% of adult Americans or 156 million people do not feel safe visiting Disney until they are vaccinated or herd immunity is reached. This further illuminates why only 30.86% of adults feel it is currently worth visiting Disney. Interestingly, comparing this data to the COVID-19 Vaccine Survey statistic above certainly shows we are making progress administering vaccines in the US. Previously, about 72% of people said they wouldn’t feel safe to travel in general. Now only 61% would not feel safe to travel specifically to Disney.

When do you think your next trip to Disney World or Disneyland will be?

Let’s take a look at the survey results:

• Within the Next 3 Months. — 5.41%
• 3 Months to 1 Year. — 18.44%
• 1 Year or More. — 59.92%
• Never because I do not like Disney. — 16.23%

Interesting Demographic Comparison — More men than women will visit Disney in the next year. 27.97% of men said they will visit Disney in the next year. However, only 20.15% of women said they will visit during that same timeframe. More men than women also said they will never visit Disney again. 19.07% of men said this while only 13.69% of women did.

Key Takeaway — Nearly 1 out of every 4 American adults will visit a Disney park within the next 12 months. This figure includes the 5.41% that will visit within the next 3 months. It also includes the 18.44% that will visit within the next 3 months to 1 year. This statistic truly shows Disney’s reach and it’s standing in American culture. Over 60 million American adults will visit this year despite a pandemic and safety concerns. The 60 million also does not include any children they may bring. Disney’s popularity makes us really wonder who the 16.23% of people are that said they will never visit again.

Survey Methodology

This Disney Travel Survey was conducted by SurveyMonkey on behalf of The Vacationer. In total, 504 Americans over the age of 18 were polled between April 21 and April 22. Of those surveyed, 47.42% were male and 52.58% were female. The age breakdown of participants included in this survey was 26.98% in the range 18-29, 19.64% in the range 30-44, 35.32% in the range 45-60, and 18.06% over 60. This survey has a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of ±4.454%. You can learn more about SurveyMonkey’s sampling method by clicking here.

The questions were chosen and the results were analyzed by the post author, Eric Jones, who is a Mathematics and Statistics Professor at Rowan College South Jersey.

Featured Image via Pixabay