How much does it cost to go to Disney World? (2021)

When planning a trip to Disney World, the most popular question is – “how much does it cost to go to Disney World?”

And to be honest, there really isn’t a specific total trip price mainly because there are so many factors that go into it such as, hotel and accommodations, food, park tickets, activities, time of year, etc,

But to make your trip planning a little more clear, financially, I’ll do my best to give you the most accurate number possible.

In this updated Disney World trip planning guide, I’ll walk you step by step to truly figure out how much it’ll cost to go to Disney.

And as a baseline, I’ll use a family of 4 as an example throughout.

Just click on any of the topics below to jump right to them:

• Hotels and Resorts
• Park Tickets
• Food and Dining
• Transportation
• Example #1 Cheap Trip in 2021
• Example #2 Expensive Trip in 2021
• How to save money?

Total Cost (to save you some time)

This is how much a trip for a family of four should cost on average to Walt Disney World Resort with park tickets, hotel, food, and airfare.

• Cheap Summer Trip: For a family of four at a Value Disney Resort for 5 nights (Monday-Saturday), you’re looking at $3,752 in the summer.
• Cheap Off-Season Price: For a family of four at a Value Disney Resort for 5 nights (Monday-Friday), you’re looking at $3,703 in the fall/winter.
• Expensive Summer Trip: For a family of four at a Deluxe Disney Resort for 5 nights (Monday-Friday), you’re looking at $6,766 in the summer
• Expensive Off-Season Trip: For a family of four at a Deluxe Disney Resort for 5 nights (Monday-Friday), you’re looking at $5,722 in the fall/winter.

So how much does it really cost to go to Disney World?

Let’s break down your vacation cost by category. As an example, I will use 2 adults and 2 children, above the age of 3, to factor in the costs.

Hotel and Resorts

When it comes to choosing a hotel, there are about five different options:

1. Disney Value Resort
2. Disney Moderate Resort
3. Disney Deluxe Resort
4. Disney Deluxe Villas
5. Off-Property Resorts

Technically Airbnb is another option but the costs for that varies so much to even add it to this section. But just expect to pay around $100 per night for a home/condo near Disney World property.

Here are the price breakdowns for each property type for a 5-night stay.

Disney Value Resort

Disney Value Resorts are the cheapest accommodations available at Disney World. They have exterior corridors but are themed in the most unique, fun, kid-friendly ways possible.

Let’s use Disney All Star Movies Resort as an example.

The total price for a 5-night stay comes down to $964.77 for a Standard Room with 2 full-sized beds.

Disney Moderate Resort

Disney Moderate Resorts are more upscale than Value but still have exterior corridors. You’ll still get fun themed resorts but with slightly better resorts options. Plus, they are generally quieter and less hectic than Value Resorts.

Let’s use Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort as an example.

The total price for a 5-night stay comes down to $1,599.77 for a Standard Room with 2 queen beds.

Disney Deluxe Resort

Disney Deluxe Resorts are the best of the best and are by far the most luxurious resorts on property. But with that extra luxury and additional amenities also comes more expensive room rates.

Let’s use Disney’s Yacht Club Resort as an example.

The total price for a 5-night stay comes down to $2,850.75 for a standard room with 2 queen beds.

Disney Deluxe Villas

Disney Deluxe Villas are found at at Deluxe Resorts but they offer a couple additional room amenities such as a full kitchen and more bedrooms.

Let’s use Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village as a example.

The total price for a 5-night stay in a Savannah View 1 Bedroom Villa comes down to $4,714.88 which comes with one king, one queen sleeper sofa, and one twin sleeper chair.

Off-Property Resorts

There are so many resorts outside of Disney World property that it’s almost impossible to price them out mainly because there are a lot of factors that go into.

But the two biggest factors that you should consider when looking at off property resorts are location and hotel category.

There are also quite a few upscale resorts in the Bonnet Creek location on Disney Property and their pricing is closer to the Deluxe resorts.

However, when you look at properties in the Disney Springs area, their prices are closer to the Moderate resorts.

Honestly, for whatever hotel budget you have in mind, there’s a great hotel in the area.

Disney World Park Tickets

Disney Word park tickets are expensive and to be honest, there really aren’t any ways to truly save money here unless you go to an authorized Disney Ticket seller like Undercover Tourist.

Sure you can sometimes find some insane promotions for Florida residents on Disney’s official site, but there really isn’t much outside of that.

So with that being said, here are your park ticket options.

Four Day Base Ticket

• Choose one park a day with no park-hopping = $426.40

Four Day Park Hopper Ticket

• Visit multiple parks every day = $511.40

[I didn’t add the water park option only because at this time, there is no details about any water parks opening nor have any updated prices been released]

So to sum things up, for a family of four, park tickets with no Park Hopper will cost $1,705.60 (or $426.60 per person).

And park tickets with the Park Hopper option will cost $2,045.60 (or $511.40 per person).

My advice: With the ongoing pandemic, park hours have been cut drastically, plus FastPasess are no longer available. And because of that, I believe that you’ll need to spend more time at a park to truly get the full experience. That’s why I say you should skip the Park Hopper option at least until Walt Disney World gets back to “normal.”

Food and Dining

Now I’m going to be honest, the food and restaurants at Disney World is pretty expensive.

When comparing how much you’ll spend at Disney on food as compared to other vacation, the difference can be quite astonishing.

But there are a couple ways to save some money especially if you eat a lot.

My personal favorite is the Disney Dining Plan (DDP). But this is literally only for the families that eat a lot or for the families that have expensive palettes. Because honestly, you need to know how to maximize the DDP if you’re considering to get it.

But let’s say you don’t get the DDP, here’s how much it will typically cost to eat every day per person on average.

3 meals a day, 1 Table Service ($45), 2 Quick Service ($30), 1 snack ($7) = $82 per adult per day or $48 per kid per day.

For a grand total of $1,560 for 6 days for a family of four.

I do believe this is on the higher end price-wise because I truly find myself eating 2 meals a day and snacking A LOT throughout the day.

Transportation (Airfare, Rental Cars, and Uber)

Airfare this year is crazy affordable. So as of right now, there really isn’t a drastic increase in flight prices during the summer or holiday season.

In general, I would expect to pay around $200 per person for flights.

But that’s not the case right now.

Here’s some example prices for a family of four for flights right now from New York, Texas, and California.

• $164 ($41 per person) in economy from Newark to Orlando on Frontier
• $288 ($72 per person) in economy from New York City (LGA) to Orlando on Delta
• $649 ($162.25 per person) in economy from Dallas to Orlando on American Airlines
• $408 ($102 per person) in economy from Los Angeles to Orlando on Jet Blue
• $2,049 ($512.25 per person) in economy from London to Orlando on British Airways

Also, some families may prefer to drive which can normally be significantly cheaper than flying especially when flight prices return to normal.

But for this guide, I’m just going to assume you’re flying for your Disney vacation.

Now for rental cars, you can expect to pay around $365 for 6 days using Avis in an intermediate sized rental car without any discounts or promotions.

To be honest, you won’t need a rental car at Disney World thanks to their expansive bus, monorail, boat, and Skyliner network.

However, if you’re looking to explore the areas outside Disney or venture out to other parks like Universal Studios or Sea World, then a car is a more affordable way to get around town than using Uber or Lyft.

Speaking of Uber or Lyft, if you’re not looking to rent or car but still want to get to your Disney Resort with the Magical Express bus service (which is ending soon), then using a ride-share service is your best option.

Using UberX, it will cost around $45 on average to get to Disney World property from MCO.

But this 100% depends on the time of day and rush hour.

I’ve sometimes gotten to Disney World for $19 while other times it was pushing $60.

Example: Cheap Disney World Trip in 2021

This trip example is for the family of four that wants to save as much money as possible without skimping on any of the fun. For this example, I’m going to leave out flights and transportation. Dates chosen are in July for 5-nights.

Hotel – Disney’s All Star Movies Resort ($193 per night)

Disney’s All Star Movies is usually the cheapest Value resort at Disney. This title as the cheapest Disney World resort typically switches between Pop Century during the year, however.

So for five nights, your stay comes out to $964.77 for a standard room to 2 full-size beds.

Park Tickets ($426.40 per person)

I opted for the 4-Day Base ticket without Park Hopper.

So for a family of four, tickets comes out to $1,705.60.

Food and Restaurants ($58 per person per day)

To really save money, I recommend you skip any Table Service (sit-down restaurants) because they can be quite expensive. This hurts me so much to say since I love so many of the restaurants at Disney, but from a financial standpoint, it just doesn’t work.

In general, Quick Service meals cost around $17 each with a free cup of water.

I think you should however get 1 snack a day which is around $7 or less.

So with 3 Quick Service meals and a snack, you’re looking at $58 per person per day.

So that comes out to $1,392 for 6 days.

Additional Activities ($0)

Everything extra at Disney World costs extra so I’m going to skip it. That includes mini-golf, shopping, Firework Dessert parties, and other similar activities.

Total Price = $4,061.77

Example: Expensive Disney World Trip in 2021

This trip example is for the family of four that isn’t afraid to treat themselves and splurge a little. For this example, I’m going to leave out flights and transportation. Dates chosen are in July for 5-nights.

Hotel – Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort ($837 per night)

As one of my favorite resorts, the Polynesian is home to overwater bungalows and the best Disney restaurant.

For a five night stay, your total comes out to $3,346.90 in a Standard View room with two queen beds.

There are options to upgrade your room to better views or even to a Club Level room which offers lounges, private floors, and other perks but I’m not going to include those Club Levo rooms today since they aren’t currently available.

Park Tickets ($511.40 per person)

I opted for the 4-Day Ticket with Park Hopper.

So for a family of four, park ticket prices comes out $2,045.60.

Food and Restaurants ($511 per person)

To get the full Disney World experience, good food needs to be a part of your trip. That’s why I recommend you try at least one Table Service restaurant a day. This includes buffets, Character breakfasts, and even a Signature restaurant.

In general, a Table Service meal costs around $45 per person.

A Quick Service meal with drink will come out to around $21.

I say 2-3 snacks is perfect. So you’re looking at around $21 for snacks.

Add one Signature Restaurant which is around $80 per person.

You can expect to pay around $2,043 for 6 days of delicious eating.

Additional Activities ($500+)

At Disney World, one thing that should be factored into costs are souvenirs.

In general, I’m going to say $100 per person. And that’s on the low side only because shirts are like $25 and plush toys start at like $15.

Throw in maybe one night of mini-golf which is $14 per adult and $12 for children ages 3 to 9.

So for additional activities like shopping and mini-golf, you’re looking at around $452 on low side.

Total Price = $7,887.50

How to save money on your Disney World trip?

I do have an in-depth money-saving guide but to sum things up, here are some easy, surefire ways to help make your WDW trip more affordable.

1. Go offseason

I recommend you take a look at this crowd calendar to see just how busy and expensive Disney World during the time you’re looking to plan your visit.

Generally during Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Easter, Spring Break, and the summer, you can expect to pay premium prices for resorts and airfare.

I also forgot to mention to avoid planning your trip during marathon weekends since these days are usually packed and room rates tend to increase.

That’s why I recommend going to Disney during the off-season which is after New Years all the way to March as well as from October to Thanksgiving.

Parks are usually dead and prices are the lowest, at least from personal experiences.

2. Go as a couple instead of a whole family.

As crazy as it sounds, you don’t always have to bring your kids or all your kids to Disney World.

Disney World is just as fun for adults as it is kids.

Plus, the way I see if is that if half your family hates Disney and other half loves it, why not just take a father -son/daughter or mother-son/daughter trip.

3. Look at neighboring airports

If you’re renting a car, it might actually be cheaper to fly into Tampa or Jacksonville, or even Miami.

This isn’t always the case, but it doesn’t hurt to expand your airfare search to include neighboring airports.

4. Stay off-property

Disney Resorts are pretty expensive. That’s why it’s sometime a better option, financially, to stay off property at like a Homewood Suites or Hyatt.

Rates are usually a lot more affordable than Disney hotel prices.

5. Use credit card points (or even hotel loyalty points)

Did you know that you can actually stay on Disney World property at Marriott and Hilton owned properties.

It’s true! The Swan and Dolphin as well as the Waldorf Astoria, Wyndham Bonnet Creek, and J.W. Marriott, just to name a few are located on Disney property.

That’s why if you happen to have any loyalty points, these resorts may be a great value to redeem them.

6. If you have a Cast Member friend, as them to help you get a Friends and Family resort rate.

Friends and Family rates at Disney World are ridiculously good.

You can expect to save around 30-40% on your stay if a Cast Member that you know books a room on your behalf.

7. Don’t go during Food and Wine

This isn’t a knock on Food and Wine because I LOVE it, but the parks are usually busier during this time. Plus, the resorts in the Epcot area such as Disney’s Yacht Club, Beach Club, and Boardwalk Inn are usually very expensive during this time.

So if those hotels are on your list, I recommend you don’t plan your trip in the fall.

8. Skip the Park Hopper Option

Park hopper can add around $30 to your ticket price per person per day. And that price only gets higher the less days your park tickets are for.

That’s why I recommend that you skip the Park Hopper.

Park Hopping is very convenient and all but to be honest, you won’t really need it. That’s especially true if you expect to be at the parks all day because you want to ride everything, see everything, and eat everything.

Because, time is the biggest factor when it comes to Park Hopping.

9. Skip the Disney Dining Plan

If you’re someone that doesn’t want to be forced to eat or if you’re someone who eats light, then the Disney Dining Plan is a horrible value.

And it’s expensive.

Worse of all, if you don’t use all your dining meal credits, you don’t get your money back.

That’s why I think pre-paying for your meals is very risky and expensive especially for those who have small appetites.

10. Use a Disney Visa to book your trip

When you book your trip using Chase’s Disney Visa, you can get exclusive card member rates, discounts, perks, and even photo ops.

Discounts and promotions vary but in general, you can save a few dollars using a Disney Visa.

11. Avoid the wekends

Room rates are always higher during the weekend and crowds are extremely heavily, especially when the weather if beautiful.

12. Skip the Deluxe resorts

Don’t get me wrong, I love the Deluxe resorts but when I think about it, how often are you going to be in your room?

Personally, I feel that spending that extra money for a room that you’ll just pass out in as soon as you get back from the park isn’t ideal.

But if you are someone who prefers to chill at a resort, enjoy the pools, and dine at their amazing restaurants, then the Deluxe is worth it.

But if that doesn’t sound like you, then I recommend you downgrade to a Moderate or Value resort.

13. Get a Tables in Wonderland card

Now I only recommend this if you plan to visit Disney World often. To the point that you’ll get an annual pass.

With a Tables in Wonderland membership, you’ll get 20% off all food and beverages including alcohol along with numerous other perks.

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So in conclusion…

A typical Disney World Vacation for a family of four for 5-nights will cost on average around $3,800 which includes hotel, airfare, park tickets, and food.

Hopefully this guide has helped you truly figure out how much it would cost to go to Disney World.

🙂