Planning a Disney Trip on a Budget

Wondering how much it costs to take a trip to Walt Disney World? While it’s changing, and usually increasing, all the time, we’re sharing the list of Disney World Vacation Costs to consider. From transportation to food, to stroller rental and ride passes, here is the list of everything you need to know about planning a Disney Trip on a Budget. Here’s our breakdown for each part of your Disney Vacation and all the costs to consider. Grab some paper and a pen, we’re going to show you how we make Disney possible on a tight budget.

A week long trip to Walt Disney World for a family of four typically costs around $6000. That said, we’ve gotten away with trips closer to $4000 on some occasions, and during the Free Disney Dining Plan offer, even $2000. So, how can you keep your Disney World Trip Cost low? In this post we’re sharing all the line items you’ll need to consider when planning a trip to Disney World. We’ll even give you free Disney Budget Printable so you can keep track of your numbers. And if you want to get really detailed, head to our shop for our printable Disney World Vacation Planner. This list includes all the Average Budget for a Disney World trip ranges.

Budget List

If you’re hoping to take a Disney Trip on a Budget then there are multiple areas that require your money! Here are all the areas of your Disney World Budget we’ll cover in this post.

• Duration: How many days is your trip? And what time of year are you visiting? These two things will make a HUGE difference if you’re planning a Cheap Disney Trip.
• Transportation: Are you flying or driving? What sort of rental car and rideshare transportation will you need to consider?
• Lodging: Are you staying on Disney property, or off?
• Meals: Will you purchase the Disney Dining Plan? Or plan to pay as go for 3 meals a day, for each person in your travel party?
• Tickets: Will you purchase a Disney Vacation Package? Or are you getting tickets separately from your resort?
• Extras: Not all extras are negotiable. You may need Lightning Lane Passes if you’re visiting during a busy time, and Magic Band costs are worth the convenience they provide.

Save Money on your Disney Trip with Discounted Disney Gift Cards

Whether you’re grabbing Disney Gift Cards at Target with your RedCard for 5% Off, 3% Cash Back on a Credit Card, or earing grocery and fuels perks at your local grocer, you can save some money when you buy gift cards to pay for your trip. Check out all the Disney Gift Card Deals to help you save money. 

Duration

So, how long should a Disney Vacation be? The best Disney World trips are typically between 7-9 days. This length of trip means that tickets are cheaper per day, which saves a little money. But, when you’re planning a Disney Trip on a Budget every little bit counts.

Save Money by Visiting During Off Peak Months

And the cheapest Disney World trips are in January, August and September. That said, nailing down your length of stay and when you’ll be visiting is the first step. A week at WDW allows you to visit all 4 theme parks, with 3 days allotted to either travel time, if you’re driving or other activities. Things like Disney Springs, the Water Parks, the Disney Boardwalk, Resorts and visiting Wizarding World of Harry Potter are all fun options. Check out our Cheapest and Most Expensive Times to Visit Walt Disney World post for all the details regarding the best times to visit if you want to save some money. 

Transportation

Your transportation options vary based on where you live, the distance to Disney World, and time of year you visit. Here’s a breakdown of all the costs to consider when figuring out how much of your Disney Trip on a Budget will go to your transportation.

• Flights: Check hopper.com to get a look at all the flight options across airlines for your travel dates. Remember it’s always cheaper to fly on a weekdays. Typically between $200- $500 Round Trip.
• Luggage and Seats: Plan to pay between $30- $50 per seat, and about $60 per suitcase, in addition to flight cost.
• Parking Fee at Airport: If you’re parking your car at the airport before flying out, plan an extra $10-$30 per day depending on whether you’re parked in a lot or garage.
• Car Rental: If you’re driving to Disney World, or renting a car when you get there, check carrentals.com for your best prices. Budget $200- $400 per week.
• Airport Shuttle: The Shuttle to Disney Resorts is currently run by Mears and costs about $17- $20 per person each way.
• Fuel: Your gas cost will depend on where you’re driving, you can get an idea of cost to drive to Disney World with this fuel calculator.
• Uber/ Minnie Vans: For last minute travel needs, and getting to and from the airport you can use rideshare. Typically, a drive from the Orlando International Airport to Disney World Resorts is about $60 for the 45 minute trip. But again this is depending on time of year, and time of day.
• Parking Fee at Parks ( Free for Disney Resort Guests). Parking fees at Disney Theme Parks run between $30- $55 per day, depending.
• Travel Insurance: If you want peace of mind, remember that Travel Insurance is available for almost everything, and if you have American Express, or the Capital One Venture card, it sometimes comes free.

Driving to Disney | $200-400/ per week

Many people think that planning a Disney Trip on a Budget means that you have to do everything on the cheap. But really, there are other perks to Driving to Disney that may actually make it your best choice. Just be sure to factor in things like fuel cost, car insurance and parking both at the hotels and parks.

Also consider if you’re driving across states that an EZ Pass may be a good idea, if you’re headed towards Toll roads of any kind. They can typically be grabbed online or at any state transportation center. Just load it with $25 to activate it and you won’t have to worry about paying tolls during your trip. 

Flying to Disney | $100-600 /per person ( U.S.)

It won’t matter if you got the cheapest ticket if you have extra costs to include per person. Things like Luggage, and Seat Selection are in addition to your flight cost. Add in airport parking, if you’re leaving your car, as well as a shuttle/rideshare to get to and from the airport to your Hotel, if you’re not renting a car in Orlando.

Lodging

We’ve written about the pros and cons of staying on and off-site at Disney World before. And when you’re planning a Disney Trip on a Budget, it may seem like it’s cheaper to stay off property, but that’s not always the case. Here are some average numbers of lodging options both on Disney property and in the Orlando area.

Save Money on Your Disney Resort

If you’re leaning towards a Disney Resort choosing a Value Resort at Walt Disney World will be your cheapest bet. While these can get pretty crowded, they do add a very Disney-esque feeling to your vacation. Here are the costs to consider staying on property.

On Property Stay

• Disney Package (Tickets and Lodging): $1500- $4500
• Disney Dining Plan – $1000- $2000
• Mousekeeping Tips- $3-$5 per day

Choosing a Disney Resort can be fun and simple. If going on cost alone, your choice of resorts from cheapest to most expensive are Value, Moderate, and Deluxe options. Here are the average price ranges.

• Value Resorts: $100-580/ per night
• Moderate Resorts: $190- 600/ per night
• Deluxe Resorts: $450- 3500/per night

Check out the differences between each Disney Resort Category Tier and what other things you should consider when choosing a Disney Resort for your Disney World Vacation. Or you can rent an RV from RVshare and stay at Fort Wilderness. It’s like staying for the price of an off-site hotel but in an on-site location! 

Off Property Stay

If you’re leaning towards an Orlando hotel off-site, we highly recommend aiming for one near Disney Springs. This will give you access to the Disney buses and the boat to Port Orleans Resort. While the buses do go to the resorts from Disney Springs you can easily transfer from a resort to the parks if your hotel doesn’t have a shuttle. Holiday Inn Express is usually our go-to choice because you get a free continental breakfast, wi-fi and parking. Depending on the season you can expect anything from 60-150 dollars a night off-site for the value hotel chains, depending on location.

• Hotel- $80- $300 per night
• Hotel Fees – $35- $50 per night
• Housekeeper Tips – $3-$5 per day
• Hotel Parking – $25 per day

Tickets and Events

Disney takes great pride in selling the Magic Your Way (MYW) resort plus tickets package. If you’re more concerned with convenience than budget, then the Disney vacation package is the way to go. If budget is still a top concern then try combining the resort and tickets options on the Disney site to see if a manageable amount can be reached.

• Disney Tickets– $119- $199 per person per day, based on ticket types, cheaper when you buy a package.
• Universal Tickets– $169- $230 per person per day, based on ticket types
• Water Park Tickets – $80 per person per day
• Golf/ Recreation– $40- $300 per person, depending
• Special Events – $100-$400 per person. Can include everything from Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween Party to After Hours, to Dessert Parties and Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.
• Tours – $35- $500 per person, depending on the tour

Save Money on Disney Tickets

The tickets for the parks go down the more days/people you have, so when the numbers are right, this would actually become cheaper than buying tickets outright. By choosing a Disney Vacation Package that combines lodging and tickets, the cost is less. That said, traveling during the cheapest months means you pay less for tickets.

Don’t Buy Tickets for every day of your trip. This is especially helpful for your arrival and departure days. The busiest days of your trip shouldn’t be about racing to the parks to make the most of what little time you have available. As such, add in some Non-Park Days so you can save money on your trip. 

Dining and Food

If you have the chance to get the Free Disney Dining Plan deal, then do it. Because even if food isn’t a big part of your trip experience, it will still save you thousands. So, how much money should you put aside for food at Disney World? Typically $100 per person per day, will get you a quick service breakfast, and lunch, and table service dinner, at the lowest end of the range. Here’s the average cost of food at Disney World for each meal. All these amounts are Per Person, Per Meal.

• Meals
  • Quick Service Meals – $15- $25 per person, per meal
  • Table Service Meals – $40- $100 per person, per meal
  • Snacks- $10- $15 per person, per snack
  • Tips ( 18%) – $20-$40 per table service meal, depending
  • Groceries – varies- available at the gift shops, and with delivery services.

Our daily Disney dining budget usually includes a breakfast at the less than 15 dollar level ( a yogurt, croissant, and coffee). A 10 dollar or less snack. A quick-service lunch for 15-20 dollars and a table service dinner around the 40 dollars a person range. Places like Garden Grill, Boma, Whispering Canyon Cafe, and Crystal Palace are usually priced around that 40 dollar mark, and are considered the budget-friendly table service restaurants.

Snacks and Treats $10- $15

We don’t know about you but we can’t say no to Starbucks at Disney and if we’re near Fife and Drum, we’ll be getting an American Dream. Plan $15 dollars per person in this category. For the adults, this will cover one coffee and a snack later. To cut costs, you can aim for just $10 dollars per person, but that is more difficult than you think.

Quick Service- $15-$25

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Quick Serve Dining at Walt Disney World is your typical walk-up counter and order meal dining experience. In addition to being found all over the parks, this is also the type of dining that happens at the resort cafeterias on property. Plan on $15- $20 dollars a person for a quick serve meal. We definitely have our favorite Disney Restaurants in each park, and you don’t need a reservation for quick service.

Table Service- $40- $100

Character Meals and Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner at a sit down restaurant always cost more. And most of those restaurants require a reservation. Whether they’re buffets, character dining, fine dining or immersion experiences, we’ve found some of the restaurants at the resorts to be cheaper and better than the ones in the parks.

Table service ranges per person from $15- $35 dollars per entree on the low end. The second tier of table service is $35-70 dollars per person and then $70-100 per person is the higher end. Keep in mind that you’ll have to add an 18% tip to your budget per table service meal. ( But as tips go, truthfully, you can leave as much as is comfortable) If your party is more than 6 people this tip will be applied automatically to your bill.

Festival Specialty Foods- Under $10

Festival foods are offered during the many Epcot festivals throughout the year. If you have a day where you’ll be at Epcot during one of the festivals you can forego any formal dining altogether on that day and just plan on eating around the world showcase. These mini-meals are usually pretty nice portion sizes and run about $8- $15 dollars each, so depending on what you combine for each meal, your cost of meals for the day may actually be cheaper across all the guests in your travel party.

Save Money on Food and Restaurants

There are a lot of different ways to manage meals at Disney World during your trip. To help save money on food, you have many options. From limiting your meals to only quick service meals, bringing granola and meal bars for light breakfasts, and even packing your own food are all options. Check out our Dining at Disney on a Budget post for even more options to save money on food at Disney World. 

Extras

Just like with any trip, there is always a slew of things you didn’t know you’d need that can really add up fast. As such, we’re sharing a few of the biggest offenders here, including daily charges you may not realize are a thing. Check out our Hidden Fees at Disney World post for even more things you may need to add to this list.

• Lighting Lane Multi-Pass – $30 per person, per day with Multi-Pass.
• Single Lightning Lane Passes- $20- $30 per person per day with Single Pass
• Stroller Fees – $15 per day
• ECV Fees- $65 per day
• Memory Maker- $185- $210 photo package
• MagicBands -$25- $50 per person, discounted for Resort Guests in the app
• Souvenirs – $40- $100 per person
• Special Experiences
• Emergencies- $50- $100
• Extra Transportation- $35- $50

Save Money on Lightning Lanes

Getting Lightning Lane Multi-Passes for Magic Kingdom is pretty much essential, due to the large amount of rides and crowds. However, Lightning Lanes at other Disney parks, could be skipped when you know the right Disney Ride Strategies. Things like planning popular rides during meal times, and showtimes can help you avoid lines.

Save Money with Free Disney Souvenirs

Did you know you can get Disney Souvenirs for FREE? Yes, you can, when you know where to look. Whether ordering the Mint Julep for the Mickey straw, or getting a collectible card at Space 220 there are even coloring postcards you can collect around the Epcot World Showcase. Check out the list of Free Disney Souvenirs you can get just from doing things you would be doing anyway!

Save Money with Free Disney Activities

Believe it or not there are tons of things to do at Disney World without a park ticket. From heading to Disney Springs, to browse the shops, to going to the Boardwalk for a sit on the beach. Check out our list of Things to do at Disney World without a Park Ticket.

Save Money on Unexpected Purchases

If you’re planning a Disney Trip on a Budget we suggest you buy a few things before your Disney vacation and bring it. No matter the trip there are times when you will need medicine, or band-aids or laundry detergent and regret having to buy it at the gift shops. Plan to set aside $20 dollars here for little things in this category. And be sure to pack your own poncho, otherwise, you’ll have to plan another $12 dollars per person to buy one at Disney when you get stuck in those Florida storms.

Printable

Hopefully, this post has given you an idea of all the things that need to be considered to get a good handle on what a Disney Trip on a Budget looks like. Grab our FREE Disney Trip Planning Budget Worksheets to calculate the cost of your trip. This planning is worth the time. Disney will easily be the most magical vacation ever if you are able to just show up and go through the motions your budget has allowed. Because the stress of trying to make money decisions ( and planning decisions) in the moment will take away from the magic, so do this ahead of time, it will be worth it. 🙂