How Much a Disney Trip Really Costs

As a Florida resident who has lived within 3 hours of Disney World at each point in my life, I have been to Disney more times than I can count. My life has involved visiting Disney since my earliest memories. I can officially say that I have been there to witness each change and turning point going on in the Disney bubble. I have watched a magical place packed with families turn into a place packed with only the affluent and the lucky. I’ve seen the breakdowns of rides, the takeaways of free services, and the return of old traditions. It is safe to say there have been many changes at Disney World for many years. Specifically in recent years, we have all seen a significant change in how much a Disney trip costs. 

There have been price increases in each section of the park, food, souvenirs, and lodging. In the news, you may have witnessed changes in CEO and have been hoping for a change in prices. With all the increases, the dramatic videos, and twitter complaints, you may be wondering how much a Disney trip really costs. Today we will explore the average cost of a Disney trip so we can find out how much a Disney trip really costs. 

For this example, we’ll be calculating a Family of 4 visiting each park. Feel free to change the total if you have additional family members.

Tickets

To start with the most essential and finite, the tickets. Depending on the day you visit, ticket prices at Disney will fluctuate. This is because Disney calculates crowd levels, demand levels, and season levels. On the official Disney website, you’ll find ticket costs listed as between $109 per day to $189 per day. As someone who visits regularly without an annual pass, I have never seen tickets cheaper than $129. Similarly, I have never seen tickets above $179. I assume this price and above is for holidays and specific holidays such as Christmas and New Year’s. So it is safe to assume the average cost of most days at Disney will be $149 per person. 

With 4 parks, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios at the same prices, a 4-day ticket per person would be $596 per person. This is also for a simple one park per day ticket. A park hopper ticket is another expense that I wouldn’t recommend. Most of the parks will take all day, so I won’t calculate park-hopper costs. For a family of 4 with a 4-day ticket each, it will run you about $2,384 plus tax.

Hotel

Next when calculating how much a Disney trip really costs, is a hotel. When vacationing, unless you have family in the city, you will need a place to stay. Though there are a plethora of Airbnbs in the Orlando area, most families will opt to stay at a hotel. If you are one of these families, you’ll find an influx of hotels near Disney to satisfy all your needs. Price-wise, is a different story. 

If you’re looking to stay on Disney property for the benefits and proximity to the park, you’ll find four hotels. These Disney value resorts are Art of Animation, All-Star Music, Art of Animation, and Pop Century Resort. Each standard room sleeps 4, whether with two queen beds or one queen bed with a Murphy bed. Like the cost of tickets, the price of the rooms at the Disney value resort is determined by the date, holiday, and/or season. The average costs range from $200 to $300 per night, $400 if staying during a holiday. 

If you’d like to avoid the high costs of Disney hotels or feel like the benefits don’t outweigh the price, stay at local Orlando hotels instead. These local hotels, depending on the quality and, again, time of your visit, range from $115 to $200 a night. 

For the sake of averaging between both the Disney hotel and local hotels, we’ll add the cost of a hotel to $200 per night for a family of 4. For a 4-night stay, that would be $800.

Food

Then when calculating how much a Disney trip really costs, you’ll want to factor in food. This is relatively straightforward and personally, Disney food is not much more expensive than average dining out food. Assuming you eat breakfast at your hotel or elsewhere, you’ll only need two meals in the Disney parks and a snack to get yourself through the day. 

Most quick-service lunch stands at all 4 parks cost an average of $18.99 per plate. Most snacks such as popcorn, cupcakes, pretzels, and ice cream cost $12.99 each. Then most sit-down dining locations in the Disney parks and hotels cost $29.99 per plate. In total, dining would cost around $62 per person. For a total of 4 people, it will run you $248 per day and 4 days will be $992. 

Wondering if it would be better to purchase the dining plan? I’ve found that the quick-service dining plan is around the same cost. For $57 per person, you’ll get 2 quick service meals, 1 snack, and 1 refillable mug. Though it may appear $5 cheaper than the average cost, I wouldn’t recommend the dining plan. This is because it is only for meals at quick service stands, not a meal at a sit-down dining restaurant. By the end of the day, you’ll want to sit down and rest at a restaurant with a large plate of food. Along with that, quick-service dining might not give you enough food to fill you up for the evening, leaving you to want to spend more on more food. 

I’d stick with my average calculations, that way you can get more food for the cost and fewer restrictions on where you can eat. 

Souvenirs and Extras

Next when calculating how much a Disney trip really costs, is souvenirs. You will want souvenirs. Though you’re reading this guide and vowing not to spend any more than you have to, it will all change once you are in the park. I have done it many times. I have spent an endless amount on tickets and food. After doing so, I promised I wouldn’t buy a single souvenir. Then two minutes later I leave the main street gift shop with two giant mickey plushies.

It is human nature at this point. Even more than human nature, it is children nature. Sure, you might have self control to not buy for yourself, but you will want to buy for your children. After all, the trip is for them, and you’d love to see their face light up as they carry around their favorite souvenir home. Also, it is also best to avoid gift shop meltdowns caused by telling them “no” in what is supposed to be the most magical place on earth. 

That being said, set a budget for souvenir shopping. Know that average Disney souvenirs run between $14.99 and $50.99. Most reasonable items will run about $29.99 so we will go with that number. For a family of 4, one souvenir per person will cost $120 in total for your trip. 

Transportation

I am only including this section so you can remember to calculate it when budgeting your trip. Do not leave this part out, it is important to factor in the cost of gas, flights, or public transportation. However, because Disney World receives visitors from all over the world, there is no way for me to tell you how much an average flight or drive would cost. I will leave this section blank for you to calculate from where you are. 

Total

Ok! So we have run down all the basic costs associated with a 4-day trip to Disney for a family of 4. The numbers separately mean nothing, but put together is where it is really important. Without further ado, the total 4-day Disney vacation cost for a family of 4 averages around $4,296 (excluding taxes, flights, and transportation). That is $1074 per person (if you are looking to divide it that way or have more family members to add to the budget). This cost includes everything you will pay for food, souvenirs, park tickets, and a hotel stay. 

Many love to guess high outrageous prices without breaking down what they are paying for. Here we have broken down everything you’ll have to pay for and simplified it piece by piece. Now that you know how much a Disney trip really costs, all that is left to do is decide if it is worth it and start saving. 

Have you decided to take that Disney trip you’ve been saving for? Here are 5 mistakes that ruin your Disney trip to make sure you have a great trip!