For simplicity’s sake, all prices in this article are in Canadian dollars and do not include Florida sales taxes, which are approximately 6% extra.
The short answer is that the cost of a Disney vacation trip for a family of four with two adults and two children over 10 is around $3,000 per person, for one week.
This is an average, as a family might want to spend much more on park tickets and experiences, but settle for the bare minimum on the hotel. Or the opposite, they may want to treat themselves to restaurants and only pay the minimum for park tickets.
It is important to consider that school vacations are more expensive periods, therefor the budget needs to be increased accordingly.
A trip to Orlando to visit Walt Disney World varies according to how long you stay, options chosen, dates chosen, and the number of people going, it definitely ins’t a budget trip.
To save money, the best option is to drive there. We invite you to read our article and follow our tips for getting to Orlando by car. This is most cost-effective with three or more people in the car.
The cost is about $350 in gas each way for a sedan. Then add a hotel night or two on the road, costing around $150 each, meals, tolls, and snacks.
To buy plane tickets to Disney, expect to pay around $500 per person for a round trip. This may be more expensive during the holiday season or spring break.
Walt Disney World ticket prices depend on the time of year, the Disney park visited and the number of days selected.
One-day tickets, before taxes, for people aged 10 and over, start at $165 (from 1 to 10 days).
You’ll need to select a visit date when making your purchase, as well as your preferred park: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios or Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.
You’ll also be able to choose from a number of paid options, allowing you to visit more than one theme park on the same day and enjoy a certain number of visits to a water park.
Keep in mind that a trip to Walt Disney during the holidays, Halloween, Christmas or American Spring Break can cost much more than at other times of the year.
Keep your eyes peeled: promotions for Canadian residents are regularly posted on the Walt Disney World website.
To save on your Walt Disney World tickets, be sure to read our guide to Undercover Tourist:
These paid options are not mandatory. However, they can be a nice addition if your trip takes place during a busy period or if you want to keep a lasting souvenir.
Prices still vary according to the time of year, park traffic and high demand for the ride.
At the time, I paid $20 for the Fast Pass, which has now been replaced by the Individual Lightning Lane Pass, for Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind. It was totally worth it: the wait was 20 minutes instead of over 2 hours for the regular line!
Here are the prices:
To purchase a Lightning Lane pass, you’ll need to download the latest version of the My Disney Experience app.
They are highly variable and depend on the family.
To dine in any of Disney’s fine sit-down restaurants with character encounters, at the famous Space 220 or the luxurious Be Our Guest restaurant in the Beauty and the Beast castle, calculate around $250 per day, per person.
For thriftier meals, you can order groceries from a local Walmart and have them delivered to your hotel. Some hotels, such as the Residence Inn Orlando, Flamingo crossings Town center, even offer rooms with kitchenettes.
You can also opt for meals in fast-food restaurants. Staying in a hotel that offers free breakfast is also a great way to save money. This means you can get away with about $100 or less per person, per day.
Disney parks have irresistible snacks, like a tasty pineapple Dole Whip dessert, a Wookie Cookie or a marshmallow Mickey, that add to the budget.
Walt Disney World Resort hotels are divided into three categories according to their level of comfort: value, moderate and deluxe. Prices start from $240 a night at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort and Disney’s Pop Century Resort.
Another option is the Marriott chain, which offers a diverse range of hotels, including:
Fairfield Inn & Suites Orlando at Flamingo Crossings Town Center, from $150 per night, offering free breakfast and shuttles to the parks.
Delta Hotels Orlando Lake Buena Vista, from $113 per night, which also includes a free shuttle to the parks.
In fact, through the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program, you can stay here free of charge with the welcome bonus points from the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* card. With our ultimate Marriott Bonvoy guide, you’ll find out how to earn and use your points.
Another interesting Marriott location is the more upscale Walt Disney World Swan Reserve, from $500 per night, with free shuttle to the parks.
Finally, there’s also the option of staying in an Airbnb or independent hotel close to the parks. Here again, the magic of points will save you money on your overnight stays.
Taxes and resort fees, if applicable, must be added to the invoice.
To get from the airport to a Disney hotel and back, you can use:
Secondly, the shuttles and transport system between the parks are extremely well organized. Renting a car is usually not necessary between the hotel and the parks.
If you’ve used your own car to drive to Orlando, you’ll need to factor parking into your Disney budget. With a stay at a Disney hotel, parking is free at Disney theme parks for the duration of your stay at the hotel. However, you do have to pay for hotel parking. At least you won’t have to pay in both places.
The cost of parking at hotels around Disney varies widely, from $13 to $45 plus tax per night.
This is so variable because it’s hard to resist! Especially when a souvenir store seems to pop up every time you get off a ride.
A superb Loungefly purse for $100, a magnet for $12 or Minnie ears for $50 are available in all the Disney boutiques on the site. Of course, stores like Target, Walgreens or Walmart in the Orlando area offer much cheaper ones.
For the sake of argument, and to be realistic, let’s assume that an average of $50 per person will be set aside for souvenirs.
Don’t underestimate this portion of the budget! The temptations are great, and Disney is clever at finding ways to make us spend.
”While we’re at it,” or “We’re only here once, so we might as well make the most of it,” can lead to unexpected expenses in the family budget.
To be conservative, let’s allocate an average budget of $150 per person for these “just in case” items.
To avoid the headache and mental burden of researching and booking everything, a travel agency is a good solution.
Their service is free, and you’ll get an all-inclusive Disney vacation at a single price. The person at the agency will make all hotel, plane, restaurant, and ticket reservations.
Travel sites such as Costco Travel also offer Disney packages.
Many people have a lot of strategies and it’s mostly thanks to points! We invite you to read the testimonial of a reader who saved over $7,600 at Disney thanks to loyalty programs and credit card points.
On site, it can be easy to save money by paying with the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card to avoid the 2.5% conversion fee. In fact, Milesopedia voted this card the Best No Conversion Fee Credit Card of 2024. It also offers excellent travel insurance.
There are plenty of tricks you can use to save for a dream trip to Disney. Read our many guides on the subject:
You can go at any time, but April and early November are the best times! For more information, see our article on When is the best time to go to Disney without the crowds?
The cost of tickets is almost equal between Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World in Florida.
However, food costs a little less at Disneyland in California, but hotel prices in California are almost double those in Florida.
Savings are here:
