How much does it cost for a family of 5 to go to Disney World? Short answer-it is not cheap. Let’s breakdown the cost of an average Disney World trip for families.
A Walt Disney World vacation is an expensive vacation. A Disney World vacation for a family of 5 is even more of a challenge.
Hotel costs are the trickiest piece of the puzzle because standard rooms are for 4 people. As a family of five who has been traveling to Disney World since 2013, when all 3 kids were under 5, we have learned where to save and where to splurge to budget for the trip.
The average cost of a Disney World vacation is anywhere between $5000.00 and up for 5 people. Typical range is $4500.00 to $9000.00. This includes flight, hotel, tickets, and dining.
It varies because everyone vacations differently. Some want to splurge, some are okay saving. It depends on your priorities.
Today I want to breakdown the costs to consider for your Disney trip to help you decide how to budget and how to make it work!
Overview Cost of a Disney World Vacation for 5
These are the basic Disney Vacation costs that all families will have to consider.
- Accommodations: Value, Moderate, Deluxe, Off-Site
- Park Tickets: Park hopper, non-hopper, water parks
- Transportation: airfare, rental car, uber
- Dining: Sit-Down Meals, Quick Service, Character Meals
- Extras: Genie+, souvenirs,
The average cost of a Disney World vacation continues to increase each year. I am not going to lie, that increase is making it much more difficult to plan a vacation to Disney World for a family of five.
With rising costs and my little kids growing into big kids, we need to save more and longer between our Disney trips.
Disney Vacation Cost for a Family of Five for 2024
Below are prices for a 6 night vacation, 4 day park tickets (Not Park Hopper), for a family of 5. Kids are all over 9 years old.
A 4 day park ticket will allow you to visit Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom for 1 day each. (Not the same day.)
The dates are February 17th-February 23rd 2024. Prices are subject to change and this is just an example.
| Resort | Walt Disney World Price | Undercover Tourist Price |
| All Star Movies (Value Resort) 2 Rooms | $6103.80 | $6244.63 (they were sold out of standard rooms.) |
| Art of Animation Family Suite (Value Resort) Read our Art of Animation Review | $7493.58 | $7108.95 |
| Caribbean Beach Resort (Moderate) This resort is on the Disney Skyliner if that is a priority. | $5651.96 | Not Available |
| Disney’s Riviera Resort (Deluxe) Read our Riviera Resort Review | $9771.70 | $8,430.41 |
Don’t be discouraged by initial costs. Disney World has been offering special deals and discounts. Always check the Walt Disney World website first to see the best discounts.
The best tips I can give you for saving on a Walt Disney World vacation is to prioritize where you want to spend your money.
If you will be at the theme parks most of your vacation don’t over spend on a resort. Consider choosing 1 or 2 table service meals and try quick service for most of your dining.
Things to Consider for Your Disney Trip
- Age of Everyone Traveling (at the time of the trip)
- Preferred Resort
- Time of Year You are Traveling
- How Many Parks You Will Visit
- What Type of Dining Do You Want to Include
- Transportation Costs
- Extra Costs, Souvenirs, etc.
Why Age of Your Traveling Party Matter, Especially With Dining Reservations
Anyone over the age of 10 is an “adult” when it comes to Disney pricing.
This means they will pay adult ticket pricing and adult pricing at Character Meals/buffet dining. If dining cost $59.99 a person for adults, it includes anyone over the age of 9 regardless of what they actually eat.
At quick service dining you can order kids meals for anyone, so this isn’t much of an issue. Sticking to quick service dining on our trips is a huge money saver and we don’t feel like we miss out. Check out our favorite quick-service dining at Disney World to see if this would work for your family.
What are the Ticket Costs at Disney World
Tickets costs at Disney World will be one of the biggest expenses of the entire vacation. Ticket prices start at $109.00 a day for 10 and up.
For our family, one day at a Disney park costs $658.88. This does not include dining or any extras we may purchase.
The more days you purchase the less expensive per day the Disney parks tickets costs. If you purchase a 5 day ticket the daily ticket price is $89.00 a day.
Keep in mind depending on the season you visit you can expect to pay up to $159.00 a ticket for busy season.
I checked December 25th ticket price for one day and it was $159.00 per person.
We find it beneficial from a cost perspective to plan multiple days during our Disney vacation because the per day price is less the more days you visit.
I always suggest starting with prices from the Disney World website and comparing them to Undercover Tourist Disney tickets. I have booked on both and always go with the best deal.
Disney World Hotel Average Cost
The cost of a Disney World hotel can range from $170.00 to $1000.00+ a night. Disney World resort categories are Disney Value Resorts, Moderate Resorts, and Deluxe Resorts.
When there are special offers I have seen value resorts at $120-$140 a night. It is really important to run your dates to see what the cost will be.
You may want to consider staying off-site but in my experience I don’t think it saves you a lot of money unless you are wanting more space.
Space vs. cost is always better off-site. I don’t really care about the size of our room, I am always “Team On-Site”. I like staying in the Disney bubble and not worrying about driving and traffic.
I really do think you can find an on-site at Disney World resort for any budget. If you are a family of 5 and want to stay at a value resort, consider booking connecting rooms. We are doing this for an upcoming trip and it is less expensive than upgrading to a moderate resort that fits 5.
Great Places to Stay During Your Disney World Vacation
It is a good idea to compare the prices of off-site and on-site accommodations. Be sure to consider rental car costs as well as parking and resort fees for off-site hotels.
- For the Star Wars Fan: Star Wars Themed Vacation Rental
- For large groups traveling to Disney: House that Sleeps 23
- Least Expensive Resort on Disney World Property: All-Star Movie Resort
- Luxury Resort on Disney World Property: Contemporary Resort
- Midrange Disney World Resort: Caribbean Beach Resort
Check out this post for our recommendations for where to stay as a family of 5: Best Disney World Accommodations for Large Families on a Budget
Most Expensive vs. Least Expensive Time to Visit Disney World
The most expensive time to visit Disney World is during the busiest times. This usually means July, end of December, and mid-March-April will be the most expensive times to visit.
The lease expensive time to visit Disney World is during low crowd times. This is September, January and early February, and the end of August. Read this for why I love a Disney trip in the summer!
If you can visit during the least busy times I would. When our kids were younger we would avoid school breaks and holidays.
What are the Transportation Costs to Visit Disney World
You will have to fly or drive to the Walt Disney Resort. This will be different for each family and I recommend comparing your options.
Once you arrive you have a few options for transportation.
- Book a car or Mears transportation to and from the airport. Mears cost $16.00 each way for adults and $13.00 for children. (As of 4/2024)
- Rent a car. Walt Disney World resorts do not charge a nightly parking fee.
Disney offers on-site transportation to and from your resort and the theme parks. These vary by resort but are either monorail, bus, boat, or the Disney Skyliner.
How Much Spending Money for Disney World
A once in a lifetime visit may require a larger spending budget on extras during your Disney World vacation.
We like to visit a few times a year and because of that we keep a very small limit on our daily extra spending.
If you plan to purchase souvenirs at every park or one item for the entire trip, consider the cost into your overall trip. Set your expectations on this before you start your vacation.
Is a Disney World Trip Worth the Money?
The cost of a trip to Disney is definitely high. We love it so it is worth it for us but, be sure it is something your family really wants to do.
Often I hear people say they “have” to take their kids to Disney World. That is not true.
I recommend not going to Disney World if you don’t like theme parks. It is not for everyone and that is okay. We love visiting the Disney theme parks. We have visited Disneyland California and Disneyland Paris.
For us it is worth the money. Only you can decided if it is worth the money for you.
Example Cost of Disney Vacations We Have Taken
I add to this as we take trips. It is interesting to see how much the trips have changed over the years and I will continue to update as we plan more trips.
7 Nights at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort (August 2021)
2 Adults, 3 Children (13, 11, and 9), 5 Day Non-Park Hopper
- Resort and Tickets: $4672.88
- Dining: $945.28
- Transportation(Flight): $1100.00
- Total: $6718.16
Disney is certainly a pricey vacation. There is no way getting around it. I will say we had to make a last minute change to our resort and didn’t get the best deal on our package.
Dining is where we really saved. We did all of our meals at quick service locations except for one table service brunch during a non-park rest day.
We also split meals at times or I often purchase a kids meal. It is worth looking over the menus before you arrive to help you plan the cost of your trip to Disney.
5 Nights at Disney’s Pop Century (February 2013)
2 Adults, 3 Children (5, 2, and 1), 4 Day Non-Park Hopper, Pop Century Resort
- Resorts and Tickets: $1695.15
- Dining: Included in Resort and Tickets Package
- Transportation (We Drove)
- Total: $1695.15
This trip was years ago and I don’t want to give the impression that cost is anywhere near this now BUT you can save a lot of money visiting Disney before your kids are over 3 years old.
Now if we want to book Pop Century we have to book 2 rooms but when they we had 2 under 3 we could use a crib.
A lot of people wait because they want the kids to remember it but if you want to go and see your kids experience the magic of visiting Disney World it will be the least expensive Disney trip you will ever take!
I will never forget dining with the princesses, watching the night parade, and eating a Mickey bar with my kids at that age. They may not remember but it is a memory I will cherish forever.
I hope this breakdown of a Disney vacation cost for a family of 5 has given you insight into how to plan an trip to the Walt Disney World resort.
Read Next: Best Disney World Itinerary Planning Guide for Families
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Leah has been traveling with her family of 5 since 2012 and sharing her expertise on planning family vacations and visiting theme parks since 2016. Leah has been featured in Visit Rochester, Undercover Tourist, and Home Publications. She has worked with brands like Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, Hersheypark, Toyota, and various Tourism boards and destinations. Leah creates family travel itineraries based on real trip experiences with her family. Her guides and tips help others plan great family vacations. Learn more about Leah and Five for the Road.