How Much Does it Cost to go to Disney World?

One of the most common questions we receive is how much does Disney World cost? There are many factors that decide the cost of your Walt Disney World trip including ticket prices, special events, hotel categories, food budget, and more!

From hotels to dining, let's break down the true cost of a Walt Disney World Vacation.

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Walt Disney World Ticket Prices

When buying tickets to Disney World, prices can vary for multiple reasons. Busy seasons, special events, add ons, number of days, and park popularity can all influence how much you'll pay. As of right now, standard Disney World tickets start at $109. This is for a basic one park one day ticket and is the same price for both adults and kids three and older. Children under three years old do not need a ticket for the parks. Beware, while Disney World markets a $109 base cost, most days will already start at a higher price than that!

Disney World Busy Season

The time of year is extremely influential on the cost of Disney World tickets. While the parks have been quite busy since their reopening in 2021, there are still times throughout the year that will draw a significant amount of crowds. Crowd Calendars are great tools for determining the busier or lighter days.

Generally speaking, December is always a very busy time due to the holidays. Standard day tickets in December can usually be around $169 to $189 per day. Crowds are very high around this time and depending on what park you plan on visiting, prices will only go up.

Summer months can also be fairly busy due to both vacationers and locals being around the parks. Florida students get out of school earlier than some other states, so their breaks will begin in late May. Keep Fourth of July in mind as well, since it is a very popular time to visit. Magic Kingdom tends to be busy that day due to the fireworks shows. Standard tickets during the summer months can be around $139 to $149.

RunDisney race weekends and any sporting events that may be happening on-site will also cause bigger crowds and way higher prices. Keep this in mind if you are planning to travel mid-February or weekends in April. Tickets may be upwards of $149-$159.

Any small holiday that grants a three-day-weekend will also cause prices to go up. This includes Columbus Day, Labor Day, MLK Day, Memorial Day, and more. Many families like to make quick trips for those school-free days, which hikes up the prices.

Walt Disney World Off Season

Again, while Disney World has seen pretty steady crowds each month now that everyone is able to visit again, there are still some weeks or months that are generally crowd-free, making for cheaper park tickets!

Late January to early February is an amazing time to go to Disney World if you're looking to save money. The weather is fantastic, the crowds are low, and the prices are better than other months. Standard tickets for around this time are usually $119 to $149.

Another good time to go is late August to early September. Since everyone is back to school, crowds are lower and prices are usually around $109 to $139 depending on the day.

For a full list of standard day ticket pricing, head to Disney World's official website and check out the calendar!

Walt Disney World Tier Costs

Tying in with busy seasons, Disney World recently started charging different prices for each day…But also each park. When buying tickets, guest can expect a different price tag on each park instead of one equal price. For example, Magic Kingdom is a popular park to visit on Memorial Day, so tickets can come with a steep price tag for that day. However, on that same day at Animal Kingdom, tickets might be cheaper.

On average, Magic Kingdom tickets will fluctuate between $124 and $199 depending on the day. Epcot can be between $114 and $179. Animal Kingdom moves anywhere between $109 and $159. Hollywood Studios can be $124 to $179. Again, this depends on popularity and season.

Let's talk about another factor in ticket costs; Add-ons. Add-ons include abilities to travel to multiple parks, special events, or parties.

Walt Disney World Park Hopping

Traveling to multiple parks (or water parks) in the same day is called park-hopping. Park-hopping is useful for shorter trips, special dining, or water park trips. When using park-hopper, guests must visit their reserved park first, and are able to move somewhere else at 2pm as long as that park has not hit capacity. For example, if your party has chosen to reserve Hollywood Studios, you all must scan into that park in order to move to another park at two. Parks do not usually hit maximum capacity unless it is a very busy day of the year.

The basic park-hopper add-on can run from $60 to $80 per day. Just like with a standard park ticket, the fluctuation in price depends on crowds and park popularity. Park-hopper will include the opportunity to move between any of the four parks (capacity-willing) after 2pm. There is no limit on how many parks you can hop to, or how many times you can hop back and forth, after that 2pm timeframe.

Waterpark and Sports add-on is another thing to put on your park ticket. The cost is $70, and it includes the entry to a water park, golf course, or the ESPN center along with your regular park admission. This option is different than park-hopper because you can only choose one destination offered with your park entry.

Lastly, Disney World offers the Park Hopper Plus add-on. Costing around $85 to $105, this is the ultimate addition to your standard ticket. With this add-on, guests are able to hop to all four parks and visit any of the places in the ‘Waterparks and Sports' add-on as well. Keep in mind, the parks are accessible to hop to endlessly while the other places are only once per day.

Walt Disney World Special Events

Numerous times a year, Disney World will have special events going on. This may include holiday parties and after-hours events. Tickets for these events are a separate add-on from a regular park ticket and guests are able to purchase them before their trip.

Currently, Hollywood Studios and Epcot are both holding after-hours events on certain nights. This is a great add-on to purchase since the park is no where near full capacity and wait times are low. For Hollywood Studios, after-hours pricing starts at $145 for adults and $139 for children. After-hours at Epcot start at $129 for adults and children.

Holiday parties also require a separate ticket to attend and vary in cost. Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party runs from August to Halloween and takes place at Magic Kingdom. No prices for 2023 have been announced yet, but in 2022 tickets started at $109 for adults and $99 for children. Prices can go up to $199 for busier days and tickets will sell out fast. Halloween parties include exclusive shows, characters, and trick-or-treating!

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is Disney World's other holiday party event. This party is held from November to December and also takes place at Magic Kingdom. Looking back at 2022, prices for the party started at $149 for adults and $139 for children. The tickets for this party can also max out at $199 for more popular days. Christmas parties include exclusive shows, complimentary hot cocoa and cookies, and fake snow on Main Street.

Memory Maker Cost

My personal favorite ticket add-on is Memory Maker. Costing $69 per day or $169 for the length of your trip, this ticket addition grants access to any pictures taken on your trip. This includes Magic shots, character meet and greets, ride photos, and just any picture taken by a photo-pass photographer. Photo-pass photographers are stationed around popular picture spots throughout the parks and take beautiful, professional, fun photos of you and your party. With Memory Maker, guests can access and download every picture with no watermark blocking them. This add-on is beneficial to anyone and everyone, but especially great for first-timers.

How Many Disney World Park Days?

The cost of Disney World park tickets will also vary depending on how many days of park tickets you plan on purchasing. For example, if you are buying a standard one-day park ticket, the price starts at $109. However, if you plan on buying seven days worth of tickets, the price drops to around $70 per day. This makes longer length vacations a bit easier on your pockets.

Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes Price

Genie+ is one of Disney World's newer offerings, debuting back in October of 2021. It came as a replacement for the old Fastpass system and is no longer a free amenity offered at the parks. With Genie+, guests can reserve times for participating rides where they can use a separate queue line to get into the ride faster. Genie+ starts at $15 a day, but is seen costing closer to $20-$22 on most days. You can read more on all costs of Genie Plus and FastPass at Disney Parks around the world.

Individual Lightning Lanes go hand in hand with Genie+, but you do not need to buy Genie+ to buy an ILL. Individual Lightning Lanes are purchasable access to a very popular attraction. In Magic Kingdom, the ILL would be Seven Dwarves Mine Train. Epcot is Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. In Animal Kingdom, guests can purchase a line jump for Flight of Passage. And last is Hollywood Studios with Rise of the Resistance. The Individual Lightning Lanes are great purchases if guests really want to see one of the bigger attractions and do not want to wait in a long line. This add-on also varies in price depending on the day, but also depending on the ride itself. Usually, Individual Lightning Lanes start at $7 and can go to around $17.

Remember, both of these add-ons can only be purchased on the day you are visiting the parks and is not offered for purchase when booking your trip. However, it is good to know about them ahead of time to be aware of how much spending money you might need.

Hotels, Parking, and Packages…Oh My!

Disney World offers over twenty different hotels for guests to stay in. These hotels range in price, amenities, and luxury. With booking a hotel comes the possibility of a package. Packages are combined hotel and park ticket pricing, which usually makes booking your trip easier and a bit cheaper. When staying on-site, hotels offer free parking, but not all Disney World locations will.

Disney World Hotel Costs

Disney World markets their hotels based on three categories; Value, Moderate, and Deluxe. The resorts have their own pros and cons when it comes to the costs. All hotels will have the options for standard and preferred rooms as well, adding into the price mixture.

Value Resorts

Value resorts tend to have smaller rooms, less of a luxurious feeling, and the least of the amenities offered by Disney World. There are five value resorts; All Star Movies, All Star Sports, All Star Music, Art of Animation, and Pop Century. The rooms at these resorts range from around $120 to $390 a night. Pop Century and Art of Animation have a port for Disney's Skyliner, a new way to travel to the parks, which make them desirable and a bit pricier for a value resort. Art of Animation and All Star Music offer family suites which will bump their nightly pricing to around $330 – $820.

Value resorts participate in the early entry that Disney World offers, but that is one of the only perks of staying at one of these hotels besides for the price. That being said, when not much of your time will be spent in a hotel room, value resorts are always tried and true.

Moderate Resorts

Moderate resorts sit in the middle of the offerings. There are five moderate resorts; Fort Wilderness Cabins, Coronado Springs, both Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter, and Caribbean Beach. They can cost about $250 to $450 per night and are much more upgraded than the value resorts. There is much more space in the rooms at the moderate resorts with more amenities in the rooms plus pools often include slides, hot tubs, and there's usually a sit down restaurant. As for park amenities, moderate resorts also offer early entry.

Deluxe Resorts

Deluxe resorts are marketed as the best of the best. They come with the most amenities, but you are also going to pay a pretty penny for them. There are eight deluxe resorts. The Contemporary Resort, the Grand Floridian resort, and the Polynesian are all near Magic Kingdom. These three sit on the monorail loop, making them prime locations. Disney's Boardwalk Inn, the Yacht Club, and the Beach Club are located right outside of Epcot and are walking distance from Hollywood Studios. The Boardwalk is very popular and is known for catering to the nightlife. Wilderness Lodge is also near Magic Kingdom. Animal Kingdom Lodge is a short ride away from Animal Kingdom.

These hotels can cost anywhere from $450 to over $1,000 a night. With a hefty price tag and sitting pretty in prime locations, these resorts are very luxurious and come with plenty of wanted amenities. Deluxe resorts offer ‘Club Level' rooms, where guests can have a personal receptionist, concierge, and food/drink lounge for their floor. Along with early entry to the parks, deluxe resorts also offer select nights of extended evening hours. This perk is not accessible to moderate or value resort guests, so it is definitely an exclusive one. However, it might not always be worth the big price point.

How Much is Walt Disney World Parking?

Parking at the resorts is complimentary to guests no matter what level of resort you are staying at. This is a new change that started in January of 2023. If you need valet parking, it is offered at deluxe resorts as well as Coronado Springs for a fee of $33 a night.

For the theme parks, parking is free for guests staying on-site, but not guests staying elsewhere. Parking for non-resort guests varies by desired spots and vehicle types. For a full list of parking information, check out Disney's official website.

Walt Disney World Packages

Disney World costs can also vary if a package is being booked. Packages include hotel stay and park tickets all in one. Guests can choose whichever level resort they would like to, along with however many days of park tickets they want. Being that day tickets lower in price the more days you add, a package is a great way to save a bit of money. Booking a package makes planning a bit easier as well because everything you could possibly add onto your vacation is laid out for you. In my personal opinion, I will always book a package when staying on-site!

Let's break down some examples of packages! While everyone's experience, travel party, budget, and needs may vary, we can get a good idea of pricing for packages.

Disney World Value Resort Package Cost

A seven day, six night package with two adults and two children (over three years old) at Pop Century Resort with five days of park tickets in July would cost $3,982.08. This includes a standard room and base park tickets. Amenities at the resort include a poolside bar for the adults, an arcade, three pools, a food court, access to the Skyliner, and more. Guests can also enjoy early entry into the parks. This early entry tends to be about a half hour to an hour earlier than non-resort guests can enter in. Of course, if you were to add park-hopping, memory maker or any upgrades, prices would go up for that package.

A seven day, six night package with two adults and one child (over three) at All-Star Movies with five days of park tickets in early September would cost $2,875.28. This is with a standard room and park hopper tickets. This resort has similar amenities to the other value resorts, but no Skyliner access. This resort also participates in early entry. Any upgrades aside from park hopper would cause that package to increase.

Value resorts are great for the money, but can definitely vary in experience based on your travel party. As someone who does not have children yet, I tend to visit Disney World with my friends or fiancé, and none of us spend much time at the hotel besides for sleeping. That being said, rooms can feel cramped with bigger families or get boring if you plan on having off days spent at the resort. However, every party is different!

Disney World Moderate Resort Package Cost

A five day, four night package with two adults and no children at Coronado Springs with four days of park tickets mid-December would cost $3,428.40. This is with a standard king-bed room, park hopper tickets, and memory maker. This resort offers ten dining and bar locations, movies and games, pools, and a spa. There are also club-level type suites offered. This hotel does participate in early entry as well!

A six day, five night package with one adult and one child (over three) at Port Orleans French Quarter with four day park tickets in early August would cost $2924.29. This is with a standard room, base park tickets, and memory maker. This resort is absolutely gorgeous with the theming, offers unique dining and bars, and similar amenities to other moderate resorts. This hotel participates in early entry.

Moderate resorts are great places to find something for everyone. Unique dining, amazing bars for the adults, fun activities, and spacious rooms without breaking the bank. These resorts would be great for parties that want to explore the hotel on off days since there is always something to do or see!

Disney World Deluxe Resort Package Cost

A seven day, six night package with two adults, two children over three, and one child under three at Animal Kingdom Lodge with five day park tickets in late May would cost $5,586.26. This is with a standard room, base park tickets, and memory maker. This resort offers different dining locations varying from grab and go to sit-down dining, various bars and lounges, and a beautiful land full of animals! This resort participates in both early entry and extended evening hours! When adding more to this package, the price will increase.

A four day, three night package for four adults and no children at Boardwalk Inn with three day park tickets mid-April would cost $4,967.48. This includes a Garden Room with a preferred view and a balcony and park hopper tickets. This resort is in walking distance from Epcot, offers a number of dining and entertainment, and has a beautiful lakeside view. The resort grants access to early park entry and extended evening hours.

Deluxe resorts are beautiful, but depending on the length of your stay or plans during your trip, the price might not always be worth it. These resorts are top of the line with the best customer service, the most dining and activities, and the most amenities. If your party is celebrating something fun or just looking to splurge, deluxe resorts might be for you.

Discounted Packages

Let's talk about some money-saving options! Disney World tends to release various deals on packages and hotel stays. These discounts can vary by season or events happening. You can book these discounts through our favorite travel partner, Get Away Today, and they will monitor your trip dates for any additional discounts that come available and automatically add them!

Get a free Walt Disney World quote to help you start pricing your trip!

The Cost of Drinking and Dining at Disney World

If you're like me, then food is the way to your heart. I get so engulfed in dining options at Disney World due to their fantastic options, the amazing quality, and the unique theming. And as someone who is over the drinking age, I love experiencing the bars and lounges that immerse you into any story. However, all of that comes at a bit of a price.

While all theme parks tend to have higher pricing on food and beverage, Disney World costs tend to be a little much sometimes. A single water bottle can be upwards of four dollars. That being said, no one can really give anyone an exact amount of money to bring and use toward dining and drinks, but we can definitely get an idea!

Table Service Dining

Table service dining pricing can vary based on special offerings, popularity, characters, and style of meal. For example, one of Disney World's most popular dining locations is Cinderella's Royal Table in the castle at Magic Kingdom. Not only is this location popular for being inside of Cinderella's castle, but guests are also greeted by a number of princesses while they enjoy their food. Reservations for this location are not easy to come by, and even when you acquire one, you could be paying a lot. The restaurant operates between 8am and 10:15am for breakfast. Adults are $65 and children are $39 and the meal includes pastries, one entree and sides, and one beverage. Lunch and dinner run $79 for adults and $47 for children. This includes one appetizer, one entree and sides, and one dessert. I have dined here before and honestly, the cost comes with the location and the characters. The food is good, but not good enough to justify the price point. However, for the experience, this might be worth it for your party.

Another table service offering is Cape May Cafe in the Beach Club resort. This is a buffet that operates for breakfast and dinner. There are no characters at this dining location. Breakfast runs from 7:30am to 11:30am and is $45 per adult and $29 for children. The buffet offers standard breakfast offerings like eggs, bacon, sausage, yogurt, pastries, and more. Dinner runs from 5pm to 9pm and costs $46 for adults and $27 for children. The dinner buffet includes vegetables, soups, carving stations, seafood, and more. For $29 a pound, guests can also add on crab legs to their meal. As with any dining location, soft drinks are included while alcohol is not.

Quick-Service Dining

This option of dining is less formal than a sit-down service and will save a lot of money. These locations can be kiosks or smaller eateries around the resorts and parks. The food at these locations can be hidden gems and keep your party happy and full!

A popular quick-service dining location is Casey's Corner in Magic Kingdom. With insanely enjoyable food at a good price, this is one of my personal favorites as well. Casey's offers corn dogs, hot dogs, chili cheese fries, and more. A standard meal at Casey's Corner would only cost about $13. This makes for a quicker yet filling option for less money!

Another star quick-service location is Woody's Lunch Box in Hollywood Studios. The theming that Disney put into this small eatery is so well done and the food is amazing. This location has breakfast, lunch, and dinner options which doesn't happen often with quick-service dining. Woody's Lunch Box offers light barbecue options like brisket melts, grilled cheese, and loaded tater tot ‘Totchos'. Everything here can be purchased for around $10-$15. The dining here is unique, comforting, and a real bang for your buck.

As a whole, quick service locations offer great bites for a low price and are great for families that have a busy park day without time to spend possible hours at a restaurant. Full lists of dining locations can be accessed on Disney World's official website.

Snacks

Disney World allows guests to bring outside food and snacks into the parks. That being said, consider bringing sandwiches, fruit, small snack bags, and more.

When purchasing snacks, prices tend to average at about $5 to $12 each item depending on what you are buying. Festival foods at Epcot could run a bit over that, but are closer to small bites than simple snacks.

Full Food Breakdown

I would definitely say to allot at least $250-$300 a day for a family of three or four. As someone who visits with one or two other adults and shares food and drinks, I usually allot $75-100 per day depending on where I want to dine or snack on. Budgeting and looking into all possible dining options are two great ways to figure out exactly what your party needs.

Specifically talking beverages, alcohol for adults can get expensive and even non-alcoholic drinks can add up. Disney World lets guests bring unopened water bottles into the parks and also offers free water cups at various locations. Alcoholic beverages will vary by type and size, but generally cost around $6 to upwards of $25 on average.

Tip: When staying at a Disney World Resort, there are refillable plastic mugs available for purchase. These mugs are sixteen ounces and are fillable with either hot or cold liquids. They are $21.99 each and can be refilled endless amounts of times throughout your stay. However, the mugs can usually only be refilled at resorts and not in the parks. These mugs are definitely worth the purchase, especially for coffee drinkers!

Total Disney World Cost

While every trip is different depending on length, time, guests, and more, generally your Disney World vacation is going to be a few thousand dollars. Almost anything you add to your Disney World trip will up the costs, even by a small amount.

For park tickets, guests can expect to pay anywhere between $109 and $800 on average depending on amount of days and length of stay.

For hotels, guests might pay $124 a night, but could also wind up paying almost $1,000 a night. This all depends on what type of resort your party wants, what room you get, and more.

Resort packages will extremely vary based on your family, but expect to spend at least $2,500 and above.

Food and drinks in Disney World can run a tab quickly, so be sure to budget and keep in mind what meals are most important for your party to see. Expect to spend anywhere between $75 to $100 a day with two people, $250-$300 a day with three or four people, and $400 or more a day with five or more people.

Good luck, happy planning, and budget, budget, budget!

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