Budgeting for a vacation is an important piece of planning but budgeting for a Disney World vacation can be a bit more complex and confusing than your regular vacation. How do you break things down? What is important to you? Here I will try to break things down to help you know what to add to your budget so you aren’t surprised by any added cost.
Tickets: Example 4 day ticket
I like to first consider how many park days we want to enjoy and then plan from there. If you have never been to a the Disney World I highly recomend having a few non-park days built into your schedule the amount of walking is quite overwhelming. Also consider if you want to get the park hopper ticket so that you can go to more than one park in a day. Keep in mind this does raise the cost per day.
There are four parks Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom so a lot of people will choose a 4 day ticket and spend a full day at each park. Each park is unique and has a ton to offer, rides, shows, characters and so much magic. Price can vary at different times of the year but for a lot of families they have to go when kids are out of school or they can take time off work so it doesn’t always line up with the cheapest time of year. That is ok we can work the budget to save in other areas. Kids 10 and older will be considered adults when it comes to tickets. Kids 2 and under are free.
Transportation: Disney Transportation is free but if flying account for transportation to the resort at about $100 each way vs. Rental car estimate about $350 for a week and if staying off property another $30 per day for parking at the parks (also look for possible resort fees for parking)
How you get to and from the parks is important to understand before booking a resort. If you are driving down to Disney World then having your personal car is a bonus but if you aren’t staying on property you will have to pay for parking at each park for the days you are enjoying the parks. So account for that in your budget.
Each park is $30 dollars per day to park but if you do choose to park hop and want to drive between parks, just show your receipt and get in later parks for free.
Are you flying? Then you have a few options you will want to consider. If you stay on Disney property you will save on parking at the parks. Under the current policies if you’re staying on property parking at the parks in included.
Using Disney transportation to get around is a great option but be sure you understand what types of transportation are available from your hotel. The Skyliner hotels are a wonderful option if you are ok with flying over the tree tops in your gondola to get to Epcot or Hollywood Studios. The Monorail is a nice option for getting to Magic Kingdom and Epcot. There are also Friendship boats that go between several of the parks and resorts and lastly are the buses.
If you choose to use Disney transportation I will give this one note: be patient and be prepared for it to take a bit for you to get to where you are going. If you aren’t renting a car you will also need to find transportation to and from the airport if you are flying to and from. If you choose to catch a ride from Lyft, Uber just know if carseats are needed for little ones so this may not be your best option. There are buses through other outside companies that will take you to the Disney resorts.
Renting a car for the week can be a few hundred dollars but comes with a few nice conveniences like being able to leave property for things like food, which can save you money. At the end of all of this the key is for you to understand is how much time you are willing to spend using Disney Transportation. There are advantages to having a car while you are on your vacation. I have friends who love to leave the outside world and just be in the Disney bubble for the week. It is all about you and works for your family.
Resort: On property or off property
The other big expense of going to Disney World is where you stay. I can tell you there are so many options here and this is one of the biggest ways you can make or break your budget. I encourage you to reach out to a Travel Planner. They will be able to help you sift through all of the options!
You know your family best so the decision on where to stay can vary from family to family. Are you the family that is ok getting up early and heading to the parks all day? Are you the family who takes it a bit slow in the morning and gets to the parks when you can? Does your family need a mid-day break? All of these things can play a role in the decision of where you stay. So lets try to break this down a bit to find a good balance.
There are so many hotel and resort options it can be a bit overwhelming. Staying on Disney property there are three categories, Value, Moderate and Deluxe. Please also keep in mind that most rooms are meant for up to 4 people, a few resorts do offer a 5th pull down sleeper (kids size). Value resorts are Pop Century, Art of Animation and The All Star resorts. Moderate resorts include Caribbean Beach, Port Orleans, The Cabins at Fort Wilderness and Coronado Springs. The Deluxe resorts include Animal Kingdom Lodge, Yacht and Beach club, Boardwalk Inn, Grand Floridian, Wilderness Lodge, and the Contemporary Resort. As category increases the offer for slightly more ammonites increases. Each resort offers different types of Disney transportation be sure to know before you book. If you need a mid day break it may be to an advantage to stay on property. There are also a few perks that come with staying on property like booking advanced dinning reservations, early entry.
Offsite properties will range from being able to rent a whole house all the way to just a very simple standard hotel room. There are so many options, I will just briefly touch on a few properties that we have stayed at.
Our family of 5 loved the Orange Lake Resort, we were able to get a two bed room two bath which offered a lot of space for about $200 per night. We have also stayed at the Holiday Inn Resort: Orlando Suites – Waterpark this one only has one bathroom but has a separate bedroom and another bedroom area connected to the main living area that has a queen size bed on the bottom and twin on top. The couch also folds out to a queen size bed. This one was around $110 per night. The Holiday Inn Orlando-Disney Springs® Area was really close to Disney Springs, I walked over which was nice since. that time I did not have a car, it was just about a mile and was able to catch Disney Buses to go everywhere I wanted. Per night this one was $136 but will only sleep 4. The Crowne Plaza Orlando – Lake Buena Vista was ok, just a bit further from Disney Springs, but a bit cheaper for about $95 per night. We did have a rental car this trip, and spent most of our time at the parks as it was a pretty short trip.
We have also rented a condo through AirBNB this was a three bedroom two bath just minutes from the theme parks this was during the Christmas Holidays but ended up being cheaper than a hotel for us. At about $150 per night it was nice to have the extra space for our family.
One thing to be sure you know about are resort fees most hotels charge some type of resort fee sometimes up to $25 per day! So just be aware so you don’t go over budget. Some you will also have to pay for parking, be sure to know what is and is not included for the price you are paying.
Dinning Options/Snacks
Food is another item where you really have to look at your vacation style. If you do choose to have a rental car you may be able to save some money on food by eating off property. Food in the Disney World resorts and parks area can get expensive. There is a lot to keep up with when if comes to food at Disney!
ADR (Advanced Dinning Reservation)
If you have never been to the parks you will want to be sure to do a bit of research on whether you want to get Advanced Dinning Reservations for specific restaurants.
If you are choosing to stay on property the window to book Advanced Dinning Reservations is at the 60 day mark for your whole duration of your trip. So 60 days out from your arrival at the resort you can book reservations for any time during your trip. This is important to note because depending on the time of year some reservations are hard to get at popular restaurants.
If you are staying off property you can book Advanced Dinning Reservation at 60 day out but not for the entire duration. So to get the best reservations, this does mean you have to log in each day to try to get the reservation you want. Keep in mind you can enjoy the parks and resorts without having a dining reservation at all.
If your kids want to meet characters you could try booking a Character Dinning meal. There are a few to choose from and not all of them are located inside the parks (many are at the resorts) so you could choose to do this on a non-park day.
My recommendation for ADR’s are to have a few spread out throughout your trip. They can be a nice break from the heat in the summer and give your feet a break from all the walking. Typically plan for at least an hour and a half for each reservation.
Pricing for reservations can vary so be sure you are aware of the menu and pricing before you choose it! Be sure to note that restaurants with Buffetts or Family Style will charge each person the same regardless of how much they actual eat. And yes I have had my 11 year old was charged as an adult. So if you have picky eaters or those that don’t eat big meals, these may not be the most cost effective for your family.
One more side note for ADR’s that are standard restaurants (not buffets, character meals) you can always share a meal or just order an appetiser to help save. Disney brought back the Dinning Plan in early 2024 so pre-purchasing the plan may be something to consider. From a cost perspective the dinning plan may not save you money, but it may help with budgeting since you can pre-pay.
Lastly if you book an ADR and decide that you are not going to go, be sure to cancel the reservation thru the My Disney Experience App. If you forget to cancel before a 2 hour time frame of the reservation a $10 per person cancelation fee will be applied automatically. There are a few reservations that require that you cancel 1 to 5 days in advance or be charged up to the full price meal. Pro tip: set an alarm on your phone so you don’t forget to cancel reservations you don’t need.
Quick Service
There are tons of quick service locations throughout the Disney parks as well as Resorts. Mobile ordering has been a game changer for the quick service restaurants! With that, if you know you are going to want your food at a specific time frame, order early! Then when its time to eat let them know you are there and the food will be prepared fresh and be waiting for you.
Quick service has its advantages if you are trying to save some money as the costs are generally cheaper plus you don’t have to account for things like tips. If going during the summer months sometimes we find ourselves just not as hungry because of the heat. Ordering through quick service can allow you to order the right amount of food for your family. If that means you split a meal or don’t need to buy drink (because you have your water bottle) all of those things can help save money. We have shared meals to be able to have a few more snacks.
Snacks
Oh the snacks! I am pretty sure you could go without ever getting an ADR or a quick service meal during your whole trip if you really wanted to! So many snacks to choose from!
Epcot is one of our favourite places to snack. Because of wonderful Festivals there are so many things to try at the food booths. It is a great chance to try new things! While they are small portions, they can be cost effective.
There are always the classics as well like the Mickey Pretzel or the Mickey Cream Bar. I would account for purchasing at least one snack per person, per day which is estimated at about $7 per snack.
I highly recommend taking a look at the menu’s at a few of the places you are thinking about going to make sure they fit your families needs. Disney is wonderful with food allergies so if this is a concern for you I can assure you they will help you in every way possible! When making ADR’s there is a section that you can fill out with any allergies so they know in advance your party may need accommodations. We have also had them ask several times when seated if we have any allergies. When looking at the menu you will also see several restaurants will have alternatives listed for some of the most common allergies. Being failure with where things are located in the parks will help you navigate your way.
Final Budget:
- Choose type of Disney Tickets
- Airfare/Car Rental/Transportation- parking fee
- Resort – any added resort fee
- Food
