For the purpose of this article I want to break down the cost of a Walt Disney World vacation and set up your expectations for what a typical Disney trip will cost.
– 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.
This may come as a shock to most people traveling to Disney World with a family of five but a child is considered 3-9. That means when your child turns 10 they are considered an adult at Disney World. If you have a child under 3, your child is free for tickets and dining at character meals. We took full advantage of this for our first visit in 2013.
The cost of a Disney World hotel can range from $170.00 to $1000.00+ a night. Disney World resort categories are Value, Moderate, and Deluxe. This will be a large cost of your Disney vacation and it depends what you are looking for. Staying on-site includes transportation to and from the parks, but you will pay more per night than staying off-site. Check out the perks of staying on-site at Disney World. Making the choice of where to stay depends on your prioritize. We like staying on-site even though it can cost more than off-site.
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.
Tickets costs at Disney World will be one of the biggest costs 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 25, 2021 ticket price for one day and it was $159.00 per person.
If you visit Disney World and want to sit down to a table service meal daily be prepared to spend a lot. Dining is not cheap at the parks and a sit down meal at Disney World will cost you over $100.00 a meal. On a recent visit we spent $136.00 for lunch at a resort restaurant for the five of us. If you want to sit down for a meal a day be sure to factor that into the cost of you vacation to Disney. I will say quick service meals at Disney World go well beyond the typical theme park food. Some of our favorite meals are at quick service locations and we prefer to spend less time eating and more time enjoying the attractions.
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 $13.50 for children. (As of 9/2021) Rent a car. Be sure to include cost of parking at the resort. Currently parking costs $15.00 (value), $20.00 (moderate), and $25.00 (deluxe) per day. Guests staying at the resort receive complimentary theme park parking if you choose to skip the Disney transportation. 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.
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 what the cost into your overall trip. Set your expectations on this before you start your vacation.
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
The average cost of a Disney World vacation can vary but expect to spend between $4,000.00-$7,500.00 including hotel accommodations for a week, 4 day park tickets (not including park hopper), and food. Transportation and extra spending will vary.