One of the first crucial steps in planning a Disney World vacation is determining the budget. How much does a Disney World vacation actually cost? In this article, we’ll go through the step-by-step process of the major expenses to price out first (flights, hotel, and park tickets), as well as the smaller but still important line items (food, add-ons, and so forth).
I highly suggest you get a pen and piece of paper ready to jot these numbers down. The average cost of a Disney World vacation varies greatly based on how many people are in your travel party, so get ready to do some math!
The Big Three: Flights, Hotel, and Tickets
Determining the average cost of a Disney World vacation comes down to three main components: travel, accommodations, and park admission. These will likely be the biggest expenses of the trip, as well as the three that will come out of your bank account before you arrive in Orlando.
THEME PARK TICKETS
I personally like to look at hotel and theme park tickets first. Disney World allows you to conveniently book a vacation package (meaning your room plus theme park tickets) on its website all at once. If you prefer to book separately, you can make a room-only reservation and purchase your tickets at a separate time.
Disney World has tiered pricing for its theme park tickets. For guests ages 10 and up, tickets start at $109 per day but can vary greatly. In general, ticket prices go up on weekends and during busy seasons, and they go down during the week and during slower seasons. Tickets can also be priced differently based on which park you’re visiting (Magic Kingdom costs more than the other three parks). As of this writing, the range of a single-day ticket cost is as follows:
- Magic Kingdom: $124-$189
- EPCOT: $114-$179
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: $124-$179
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom: $109-$159
The per-day price also fluctuates depending on how many days you’ll spend in the parks. In general, the more days you stay, the lower the per-day cost is. For the easiest and most up-to-date math on how much your theme park tickets will cost, use Disney World’s website to select the dates you’re considering visiting.
HOTEL
Your resort hotel may be the most significant cost when pricing out a Disney World vacation. By that same token, the cost of your trip can vary greatly based on where you choose to stay. Disney World’s resort hotels (commonly called “on-property hotels”) alone vary in price by hundreds of dollars per night. That’s not even including the savings if you choose to stay at a third-party hotel located off Disney World property (commonly called “off-property hotels”).
For the purposes of this article, let’s assume you’re considering a stay on Disney World property. Disney World hotels have three main price categories: Value, Moderate, and Deluxe.
- Value resorts range in price from $278-$403*
- Moderate resorts range in price from $432-$555**
- Deluxe resorts range in price from $746-$5,502***
*Suites at All-Star Music can cost up to $658 per night, and suites at Art of Animation can cost up to $912 per night
**Suites at Coronado Springs can cost up to $3,520 per night
***Select suites at resorts, including Polynesian Village Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, and Disney’s Contemporary Resort, can exceed $5,500 per night.
Source: Touring Plans
Note that these price ranges, especially in the Deluxe category, include two and three-bedroom suites, premium views, etc. Most of the rooms available at Disney World are going to fall on the lower end of those scales. It is safe to say that you should expect to pay ROUGHLY $300 per night at a Value Resort, $450 per night at a Moderate Resort, and $800 per night at a Deluxe Resort.
I cannot stress this enough – these are the averages! There are plenty of deals available and discounts on hotel rack rates throughout the year. Again, I highly suggest you use Disney World’s pricing tool to map out the cost of a hotel room and park ticket package if you know you want to stay on property.
FLIGHTS
Odds are you live further than a one-day drive from Orlando, Florida. Not to mention the fact that flying to Disney World is a much quicker mode of transportation. You can’t beat the convenience of flying, but that means airline tickets are another cost to consider.
If I’m not brand loyal to a specific airline, I find it easiest to use a website like Kayak to compare prices across companies. You can also shop around to see if you can save any money by flying in and out of a different airport near your home.
The price of airline tickets can vary greatly, from as low as $50 one way to ten times that amount depending on the airline, home airport, time of year you travel, etc. Living in the northeast, I try to aim to find a flight that lands somewhere in the $300 roundtrip range per person. That is totally personal to my budget; yours can look different!
Depending on how close you live to Orlando, you may want to consider driving. It could take longer, but you stand to save hundreds of dollars. That money can go towards your hotel, your park tickets, or spending money once you arrive. If you have a car, you will just need to factor in parking at your resort hotel, and/or at the theme parks if staying off-property.
Popular Add-Ons
PARK HOPPER
Perhaps the biggest add-on you will consider buying prior to your vacation is to upgrade your theme park tickets to a Park Hopper. The base cost of a Disney World ticket includes admission to one park per day. If you want to visit multiple parks in a single day, you need the Park Hopper add-on.
According to Touring Plans, the cost to upgrade a 1-day adult theme park ticket to a Park Hopper is $65 (that’s on top of the one-day base price). The cost to upgrade to a park hopper for a 2- or 3-day ticket is $75, and the cost to add Park Hopping privileges to a 4- to 10-day adult theme park ticket is $85.
PHOTOPASS MEMORY MAKER
Want to capture as many vacation moments as possible, but worried that the entire family won’t be in the photo? PhotoPass Memory Maker could be your solution. Disney Cast Members are stationed around the park to take photos with everyone in them near popular photo spots and with characters. That, plus on-ride photos, can easily make for the perfect family photo. For unlimited digital downloads of these photos, you can pre-purchase Memory Maker. The package can include all of your vacation photos for $209.99, or you can opt for a one-day Memory Maker for $74.99.
AFTER HOURS EVENTS
Depending on the time of year you visit Disney World, there may be an after-hours event worth considering. This is especially true if you visit during Halloween or the holiday season. After-hours events are hard-ticketed events that take place after normal park operating hours. Guests like them because lines for rides are typically shorter, plus there is usually a fun theme to the event, like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
The cost of these After Hour Events rivals the price of a one-day theme park ticket. In 2023, the price range for one adult ticket to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party was $109 – $199, with the price going up the closer you got to Halloween.
In addition to Park Hopper upgrades and After Hours tickets, you may want to consider other add-ons, such as the Water Park tickets, backstage tours, fireworks dessert parties, etc.
RENTAL CARS
While not specific to Disney World, another add-on you will want to consider is adding a rental car to your vacation. This will vary depending on your family’s specific needs and where you plan on spending your vacation time. If you know you’ll only be on Disney World property while on vacation, you may not need a rental car, as Disney provides multiple modes of complimentary transportation to and from the hotels and theme parks. Ride share service is an option, too.
Everything Else After You Arrive
GROUND TRANSPORTATION
There are a few types of ground transportation you need to consider. The first is the ground transportation to and from Orlando International Airport. Disney World used to offer complimentary charter bus service known as Magical Express for guests staying on-property, but that service was discontinued. These days, guests can book a similar service called Mears Connect. The current roundtrip cost of Mears Connect is $33.60 for adults and $27.30 for kids.
You will also need to figure out if you want to use ride share services like Uber and Lyft during your trip. You can use these services in lieu of Mears Connect to get to and from the airport, as well as between your hotel and the theme parks if you don’t want to use Disney’s transportation (or if you’re staying off-property and don’t have your own car).
FOOD
Without a doubt, the biggest expense after you arrive at Walt Disney World is going to be the food. For a quick idea of what that will cost, here’s an average price range of the different kinds of snacks and meals you can find in the parks and resorts:
- Quick-Service meals cost roughly $15-$20 per person (for a meal plus a non-alcoholic drink)
- Table-service meals (entree only) cost anywhere from $25-40 per person (don’t forget tip and gratuity)
- Snacks and non-alcoholic beverages cost roughly $6-$8 each
- Alcoholic beverages cost roughly $10-12 each (for beer and wine) or $15-18 each (for mixed drinks)
Multiply all of those times the number of people in your party and how many times you think you’ll eat each kind of snack or meal per day. Disney World also offers a Dining Plan that allows you to pre-pay for your food in exchange for meal credits that you use throughout your vacation. It gives your trip a more “all-inclusive” feel, though it is worth noting that this is not necessarily the best route if your goal is to save on food. If you want the Dining Plan, you would add it onto your room-only or vacation package reservation prior to arrival.
CLICK HERE TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOU SHOULD GET THE DINING PLAN FOR YOUR DISNEY WORLD VACATION
GENIE+
Gone are the days of complimentary skip-the-line passes, also known in years past as FastPasses. Nowadays, the ability to use a ride’s expedited queue comes with a price, and that price is called Genie+. The service functions similarly to FastPass, except it comes with a daily fee.
Genie+ costs roughly $20 per person per day. That fluctuates based on which park you visit (Magic Kingdom costs more) and what time of year you visit. During busy seasons, Genie+ can climb upwards of $30 per person per day. And, keep in mind, Genie+ does not include access to every attraction’s expedited queue. Popular rides like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance require an extra fee (purchasing Genie+ is not required to book these rides).
STROLLER AND ECV RENTALS
If you have anyone in your family that needs a stroller, wheelchair, or ECV (scooter), you can rent them directly through Disney. Rental locations are found near the entrance of each of the theme parks and are available for single-day and multi-day rentals. Current rental price are as follows:
- Single Stroller: $15 per day (single day) or $13 per day (multi-day)
- Double Stroller: $31 per day (single day) or $27 per day (multi-day)
- Wheelchair: $12 per day (single day) or $10 per day (multi-day)
- ECV (Scooters): $65 per day (single day) with a $20 refundable deposit required
Source: Touring Plans
MERCHANDISE
The final line item you should consider before arriving at Walt Disney World is shopping money. You can say all you want that you aren’t going to buy anything, but those Minnie Ears, mugs, and stuffed animals beg to differ.
One piece of merchandise you will need to make a decision about are MagicBands. Specifically, MagicBand+, the wearable technology that acts as your park ticket, room key, method for redeeming Genie+ Lightning Lane reservations, and payment method if staying on-property and you want to charge to your room. As of this writing, the average cost of a solid color MagicBand+ is $34.99, and the average cost of a pattern MagicBand+ is $44.99.
As of this writing, the average pair of Minnie Ears cost $34.99, with specialty designs costing as much as $39.99 to $44.99. Your average adult t-shirt will cost around the same. Mugs are one of my favorite things to collect when I visit Disney World, partly because they’re one of the more affordable souvenirs, coming in at around $20 a pop.
There you have it! Those are the major components of a Disney World budget. With your paper and pen, figure out the cost of the big three – flights, hotel, and park tickets – to get a solid idea of what the Disney World vacation is going to cost from the get-go. From there, calculate a daily spending budget when considering things like food, spending, etc. Then you can have a better idea of how much you need to save before leaving home!
