If you don’t want to get blindsided by the hidden costs in Disney World, you’re in the right place! Let’s look at how much it really costs to go to Disney World.

One of the most stressful parts about planning any kind of Disney trip is figuring out how much you’ll need to save to feel like you can do everything you set out to accomplish during your big vacation. And that’s EXACTLY what we’re gonna help you achieve today. We’re gonna break down some different price points for different budgets so YOU can pick and choose how little or how much you will need for your trip.

Remember that many of the prices we’ll be discussing today are subject to change (which is why several will be discussed based on a RANGE rather than a specific price point). This is ESPECIALLY true when it comes to the travel section of the post (which — not to tease ya or anything — but that section is completely shocking. And, more than likely, it’s gonna shock you too).

But before we talk about TRAVEL, let’s ensure you know where you’re traveling TO.

Hotels

The hotel price ranges you’re gonna find around Disney property are VERY different. (Drastically different, really.) So it’s all gonna come down to what YOU want to prioritize. Do you plan on making your resort part of the vacation… or just a place to crash each night?

We looked into price ranges for ALL the Disney World Resort types — including values, moderates, deluxe, and villas — as well as some of the Good Neighbor hotels too (which work alongside Disney to give guests a cheaper price point for their rooms, while still providing similar benefits that you’d receive if you were staying at a Disney-owned resort instead).

Now, dates vary depending on when you stay. If you pick a date around back-to-school season (like August-September), room prices will be knocked down by a couple hundred bucks. BUT if you pick a date around the holiday season (like November-December), the exact OPPOSITE happens, and you’ll see room prices go up by a couple hundred bucks. So for this example, we’re trying to land somewhere in the middle-ish, and we’ll be booking rooms for a family of 2 adults and 2 kids around a season that’s starting to pick up in numbers (AKA: the start of summer vacation, from June 5th- June 11th — a weeklong vacation).

A Disney World Good Neighbor Hotel is Undergoing a $35 Million Renovation!

Value Resorts — The Most Affordable Option

Disney’s value resorts are…well…they’re actually pretty self-explanatory. They’re going to be your more affordable option when it comes to choosing a Disney Resort. For the most part.

The absolute CHEAPEST room option you’re gonna find across ALL the Disney World resorts will be over at Disney’s All-Star Sports. A standard room here will cost ya around $185 per night. Yup. That’s the CHEAPEST priced room right there.

Again, if you book a room during Disney’s down season, this price WILL drop. But no matter when you book this room, rest assured that just because you’re paying less for it than you would any other Disney room, AND you’ll still have access to the Disney resort guest benefit Early Theme Park Entry — which allows you to enter any of the parks on any day 30 minutes before they open for everyone else.

The other All-Star Resorts (Movies and Music) tend to be around the same price point, EXCEPT if you choose the All-Star Music Family Suite instead. Not only is this suite-type the CHEAPEST suite on property, BUT it’s also got SO MUCH SPACE to spread out! We’re talking a living room with two Murphy beds, two full bathrooms, a kitchen space, AND a master bedroom — all for around $408 per night.

Disney’s Art of Animation also has family suites — with different Disney animated movie themes featuring Cars, The Lion King, and Finding Nemo. But these suites are more expensive than the All-Star Music ones. A Lion King family suite, which can comfortably sleep up to six guests, will cost around $565 per night. Art of Animation also has standard Little Mermaid-themed room options, too, priced around $272 per night. But that cut cost will also cut a LOT of that roominess you’ll receive over at the suites.

One of the best reasons to stay at Art of Animation is that it sits directly on the Skyliner Route — which will give you an easy-going, sky gondola trip over to EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and the other Skyliner-area resorts (like Disney’s Riviera and Disney’s Caribbean Beach). But the CHEAPEST resort on the Skyliner route is actually over at Disney’s Pop Century. You can get a preferred room here— which will put you much closer to the Skyliner station OR the resort’s lobby— for around $245 per night.

All-Star Movies vs. Pop Century Disney World Resort Guide 2023

Moderates Resorts at Disney World

Moderate Resorts offer mid-level amenities at mid-level prices (sort of like the “Goldilocks” of Disney World hotels). But don’t let the “moderate” title fool you — moderate resorts can provide some of the BEST Disney hotel experiences at a much more affordable price than deluxe resorts can offer.

Some of the cheapest moderate resort rooms can be found at Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside — just a boat ride away from the Disney Springs shopping district. A standard French Quarter room will cost around $291 per night. (That’s right — a STANDARD room here is only a little bit MORE than a standard room at Art of Animation! And you’ll be within walking distance to BEIGNETS when you stay here!).

If you wanna get a little *fancy* and embrace your inner prince or princess, the Riverside resort has Royal Guest Rooms available for you to book. Royal guest rooms are Disney-royalty themed — with photos of Disney princesses on the wall and touches from their movies scattered throughout the room’s decor. One of our favorite touches? The headboards light up with fireworks! (Now, how’s THAT for a cherry on top?)
Royal Guest Rooms are priced around $370 per night, which, when you look at some of the OTHER highly-themed rooms on Disney World property, really isn’t too terrible of a price for Disney standards. You’ll see what I mean soon enough.

Jumping back over to the Skyliner Resorts again, Disney’s Caribbean Beach has standard rooms — with an added 5th sleeper Murphy bed — for around $309. AND later in 2023, you’ll ALSO get to book a rLittle Mermaid room here! But this isn’t the same type of Little Mermaid room you’ll find at Art of Animation.

These rooms replaced the former Pirate-themed rooms in the resort, and will add touches of new under-the-sea artwork, brighter decor, pastel colors, and a 5th sleeper bed that will allow each room to accommodate more guests. No price ranges out for this new-styled room YET, but we’ll let you know just as soon as we hear about a future price point.

If you’re looking for a LOT of room for your group and some extra privacy away from other resort guests, you can always choose to book a cabin at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. The cabins will help you “rough it” in the great outdoors (without really roughin’ it).

You’ll have an outdoor deck, a picnic table with a charcoal grill, a bedroom with a queen bed and bunk beds, a full bathroom with a tub/shower, a full kitchen, a living area with a pull-out sleeper sofa, and a dining table that seats up to six family members — all for around $478 per night.

Now let’s look at a moderate resorts with some major DELUXE features. Disney’s Coronado Springs houses the Gran Destino Tower — with upscale food options, rooftop views, and elegant rooms and suites. Other amenities include the building’s state-of-the-art fitness center, conference spaces, and connections to other areas of the Resort.

For a standard room here (with a view out across the water), prices average around $394. BUT Gran Destino is the ONLY moderate resort that offers a deluxe suite stay with club-level access. This means that guests staying in these rooms have access to the resort’s Chronos Club — which is an exclusive, relaxing space that serves complimentary refreshments like breakfast, snacks, drinks, and desserts all throughout the day.

But just because Gran Destino is a moderate resort doesn’t mean the Club Level rooms are gonna be a steal of a deal or anything. You’ll still have to pay around $815 per night to stay in ‘em.

If you want a MUCH cheaper Coronado Springs room option, step outside the tower and check out the casitas around the older section of the resort. A preferred room in this area will cost you about $356 per night.

Caribbean Beach vs. Coronado Springs Disney World Resort Guide 2023

Deluxe Resorts at Disney World

Deluxe hotels offer top-tier amenities for top-tier prices. They also offer perks such as awesome pools, top-rated dining, and easy access to the parks. Not to mention, these are the only Disney World resorts that’ll give you the Extended Evening Hours benefit — which will let you stay in select parks on select nights up to two hours after they close for everyone else.

Typically, you’ll find extending evening hours for EPCOT on Mondays, Magic Kingdom on Wednesdays, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Thursdays. Now, we’re not gonna go over EVERY deluxe resort on property (because there are a LOT of ‘em), but we will cover the vast majority so you can get a good idea of how pricey deluxe resorts can truly be. Some of these price ranges may surprise you. A few of them on this list ACTUALLY have some cheaper price points than some of the moderate options!

BUT let’s start with the bougiest resort of the bunch — Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.

Disney’s Grand Floridian has some of the most expensive room options on property, not just because of its Victorian-style atmosphere. Grand Floridian is located on the monorail loop — meaning you can easily get to other monorail resorts (like Disney’s Polynesian Village and Disney’s Contemporary Resort), as well as Magic Kingdom and EPCOT.

If you book a standard garden room here, expect to pay around $776 per night. But if you wanna make your stay just a little more grand — and have a view of the Magic Kingdom right outside your window (so you can watch the fireworks go off over Cinderella Castle each evening) — then you’re looking at paying $945 per night instead.

Keep in mind that Grand Floridian is currently working on updating their rooms and lobby to take on a subtle-yet-classy Mary Poppins theming. This is how they remodeled the Big Pine Key last year when transforming the rooms into Disney Vacation Club studios, which tend to range in price between $700-$1200+ per night.

Speaking of DVC studios, you can find MORE DVC studio rooms over at Disney’s Riviera — which is the most EXPENSIVE resort along the Skyliner route. A deluxe studio with a standard view here will cost you around $681 per night.

Okay, let’s look at some of the CHEAPER deluxe resort options now.

At Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, you can get a standard room for around $482 per night! That’s nearly $300 less per night than what you’ll get for a standard room at Grand Floridian! And, if you request a partial savanna room during your check-in, you might also be able to see over 30 species of African wildlife — including zebras, giraffes, and gazelles flamingos. Seriously — there’s a LOT to see here.

If you wanna guarantee a full savanna view room, you can always specifically book one of those instead for around $679. You pay top dollar for those animals, yo.

Fun fact: Did you know getting a CHEAPER club-level room at a deluxe resort is possible versus what you can get at Gran Destino Tower?

Over at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, you can get a standard-level club-level room for around $745 per night — which will grant you access to the private Old Faithful Club. However, if you just want a standard room at this resort, your price will drop down to around $490 per night instead.

And NOW for the most EXPENSIVE deluxe resort stay of them all — Disney’s Galactic STARCRUISER!

Okay, granted, it’s technically NOT a deluxe resort. Rather, Disney describes it as “part live immersive theater, part themed environment, part culinary extravaganza, part real-life role-playing game—and so much more.” So basically, you’re gonna be thrown into one big Star Wars choose-your-own-adventure over a 2-day, 2-night stay, complete with a “port-of-call” to the planet of Batuu — aka: Galaxy’s Edge in Hollywood Studios.

But this interactive experience is gonna cost ya the big bucks. Expect to fork over around $6,000 for this one. Now, this price IS similar to what you’d see for a Disney Cruise. In the same vein as a cruise, Starcruiser even has meals and meal vouchers included with that price tag.

You’ll also receive a Halcyon pin as your one-way ticket for skipping over the massive lines for Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.

BUT if you choose to go the Starcruiser route, those two days WILL be packed with Starcruiser activities and Starcruiser activities alone. So if you want to use this time to explore the parks, this may not be the route you want to take.

Learn More About Disney’s Star Wars Hotel

Disney World Deluxe Villas

What’s the difference between a Disney hotel room and a villa? Villa is the term that Disney uses for its timeshare (Disney Vacation Club – DVC) properties.

Deluxe villas give you furnishings that are generally a little bit more on the higher end. You’ll also get larger square footage in some of these rooms when compared to standard hotel rooms. PLUS, special amenities can make your trip easier and more convenient. In DVC villas with 1-2 bedrooms, you’ll find full kitchens, in-room laundry appliances, a large living room, and a dining area. All of these can be huge assets for a larger family.

Most DVC rental prices that you book directly through the Disney website will cost between $780-$2000 per night, depending on where you stay and what time of year you’re staying. But you don’t have to be a member to stay in these accommodations. Non-DVC members can book rooms straight through Disney (like you’d book a standard hotel room), or you can rent points from a DVC member to save a little money.

When we decide to go this route, we always use David’s DVC Rental site. That way, there’s a professional, 3rd party middleman between the renter and the rentee to ensure that both sides of the deal can benefit from the purchase, with no takesie-backsies.

Over at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, you’ll be able to find a 1-bedroom villa with a garden/pool view for around $786 per night. We also found similar price tags for villas over at Disney’s Beach Club!

That means you can get a HUGE DVC room at these EPCOT-area resorts for only a few dollars more than you’d pay for a STANDARD room at Grand Floridian! See — told you Grand Floridian was the bougiest of the bunch.

Much like the Grand Floridian, the BoardWalk Inn is also experiencing some major renovations and refurbishments throughout 2023. We’ve already seen the quick-service BoardWalk Deli added to the BoardWalk strip and the brand-new Carousel Coffee added to the resort lobby. Expect to see future additions here, like the table service Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers, as well as freshened-up room and lobby decor.

When you head back to the monorail resorts, you’ll find that the price for DVC rooms immediately increases again. Disney’s Bay Lake Tower, which is a part of Disney’s Contemporary Resort, has 1-bedroom villas (with a theme park view) priced at around $1,090 per night. If you pay for a 6-night stay here, you’ll pay MORE than you would for the entire Galactic Starcruiser immersive experience. But this isn’t an abnormal price range for DVC villas.

If you jump back over to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, and book a 2-bedroom villa (with, of course, a savanna view), expect to pay around $1,648 per night. For a slightly-cheaper 2-bedroom villa option, you can check out Disney’s Wilderness Lodge’s Copper Creek villas, priced around $1,391 per night.

Contemporary vs. Wilderness Lodge Disney World Resort Guide 2023

Good Neighbor Hotels near Disney World

Whew! That was quite the pricey endeavor, wasn’t it? Good thing Disney has partnered with some nearby Good Neighbor Hotels to give you some potentially cheaper places to stay and other extra Disney benefits — like complimentary transportation to the parks and, in some cases, Early Theme Park Entry.

A variety of hotel amenities including:

• Standard rooms, Suites, and Villas
• Transportation to-and-from the parks (though, in some cases, a fee may apply)
• Many locations provide complimentary breakfast each morning.

There are well over 40 different Good Neighbor Hotels that you can choose from — and each is listed on the Walt Disney World Good Neighbor Hotels website. But let’s give you a sample price range for a few of the more popular options available.

For example…at the BRAND NEW Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando — which is also in the Disney Springs Area — you can get a 2-bedroom suite (that’s right, a SUITE) for around $216 per night! And the Holiday Inn Orlando-Disney Springs Area has a 2 Queen Bedroom — with (get this) a Fireworks View from the room’s personal balcony — for around $173!

So if you want a much, much, MUCH cheaper option of seeing the Disney fireworks out your window each night, this very well could be the alternative you’re looking for.

Over at Walt Disney World’s Swan and Dolphin Hotels (and the Swan Reserve), you’ve got some major DELUXE perks at a moderate price point. These Marriott Bonvoy-owned rooms will not only give you Early Theme Park Entry, but ALSO Extended Evening Benefits, too!

You’ll also be within walking distance from two of the four parks — EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

• The Dolphin side of the hotel has room prices ranging between $530-$1,030
• The Swan side has prices between $560-$1,060
• And the Swan Reserve between $300-$1,000

If you see prices are running higher than you’d like them to be for any of these rooms during your upcoming stay, you can always knock down those price tags by using your Marriott Reward Points to save major bucks if you’re a Marriott Bonvoy member.

WOW. That hotel section was MONSTROUS. Let’s move on to a much smaller (but equally-as-important) topic: TICKET PRICES.

Tour a Room at the Swan Reserve Hotel in Disney World With Us!

Park Tickets

Much like Disney Resorts, park ticket prices ride a wave of changes throughout the year. Although you can check out the specifics for yourself on the ticket price calendar located on the Disney World website, we’ve done a chunk of the research for you already. What can I say except, “You’re Welcome!”

The ticket price ranges that we’ll be looking at today are based around a 4-day, single-park ticket for ages 10 and up. If you plan to go fewer days during your trip, this range will increase, but if you plan to go more days, this range will decrease. Disney likes to reward its guests who wanna stay in the parks for a LONGER amount of time.

Suppose you’re planning on only purchasing a one-day, one-park ticket for your upcoming trip because you’re planning on prioritizing other parts of Orlando instead of staying in the Disney bubble alone. In that case, pricing will look a little bit different for you.

If you book 2 or more park tickets, the price range you’ll see on the calendar will apply to every park. So if we see a certain day that’s priced at $142, know that — no matter what park you make park pass reservations for — it’s gonna be the same cost across the board. (Wait — you don’t know about Park Pass resservations? Yeah, you need tickets AND reservations to go to Disney World’s theme parks — more on that here.) However, if you book a 1 day, 1 park ticket, the prices will all be park-based. That means you could be paying more for, say, a visit to Magic Kingdom than you would for Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Okay — moving on from the disclaimer now! Let’s look into those 4-day, single-park ticket prices!

If you’re planning a trip early in the year, price ranges for January and February will be around $132-$146 per ticket. The $146 tickets pop up around the week of Valentine’s Day— because what’s more romantic than Cinderella Castle and a Mickey Premium Ice Cream bar??

When you enter into spring territory (March-May), prices range between $135-$142. Typically, prices start to drop back to the $130s again once May rolls around, but will peak once more for Memorial Day weekend.

Once summer vacation rolls around (June-August), prices range between $114-$142. Now THAT’S a bit more drastic! The $114 tickets that you see here are the CHEAPEST Disney World park tickets tend to get, and you’ll find them once school’s back in session, around mid-to-late August. The $142 prices, however, are what you can expect around the 4th of July.

Fall prices (between September-November) also have drastically-different ranges around $117-$155. You’ll find several days in September with the $117 price point, but once Thanksgiving week is here — prices shoot up to that peak of $155 per ticket.

And then there’s the holiday season — December — which sees the HIGHEST ticket prices of the year. On Christmas Day, ticket prices are currently marked at $159. If you want to see the parks all lit up and twinkling for the holidays but you wanna try to cut down on those surge prices too, try aiming to visit toward the beginning of December (when tickets get as low as $144).

If you plan to upgrade your ticket to a park hopper (which will allow you to visit multiple parks, starting after 2PM each day), park hopper prices start at $65 extra per ticket. But, park hoppers now also have the ability to fluctuate in price depending on what time of year you visit. So if you think you’re gonna want to park hop, because you only have a limited time in the parks as is, try factoring in at least an extra $70-$90 per daily ticket price, just in case.

Alright, You Want to Buy a Disney World Annual Pass. We’re Here to Help You Decide If It’s Worth It.

Travel

Alright — we can’t wait any longer. We’ve GOTTA talk about these travel prices you’ll gonna run into. Travel prices can vary quite a bit — and there are a lot of factors to consider when looking at transportation to and from Disney World. So let’s look at the difference between traveling to Disney World by car versus by plane.

Getting to Disney World By Car

Depending on where you live, it can be cheaper to drive to Disney World than it would cost to fly — especially if you have a larger family you’re toting along with ya. That being said, gas prices, which are averaging around the $3 per gallon range in Florida right now, and nights spent in a hotel along the way (which can be $100-$200 per night) may end up canceling out those savings.

Not to mention, you also need to factor in the $25 to $50 parking costs at Disney’s parks if you don’t stay at a Disney World hotel, and any parking fees for the hotel or resort you’re staying at.

In order to determine whether putting in the miles will pay off in the long run, it might help to think about how long it’ll take you to drive to and from Disney World from where you live. Spending more time in the car than in the parks may not be the best use of your vacation time (and funds).

Why Driving to Disney World Is a Gamble Right Now

By Plane

Here’s where things get WILD.

Flying to Disney World can be cheaper and more convenient for your group. Usually, it’ll get you there faster, and you’ll be able to skip over the extra cost of hotel stays during your travels. Unless, of course, there’s some sort of flight delay or cancellation. Which COULD happen, especially around busier— and stormier— times of the year.

But, in other instances, flights can actually be more expensive than you bargained for. We looked up a few specific examples for different roundtrip flights flying into the Orlando International Airport — heading out of Los Angeles’ LAX airport and Atlanta’s ATL airport — around the same travel time frame we were looking at for hotels — with a departing flight on June 5th and a return flight on June 11th.

Before we jump into these prices, keep in mind that:  A) flight prices change daily, and B) there are way more flights and airlines out there than what we’ll be giving you today. So it’s always a good idea to do your own research, compare different airlines and airport prices that are at least within a 100-mile radius of your home, and book your flights about 60 days in advance. So, not TOO late but not TOO early, either. You’ll see why here in just a second.

Let’s start with Delta flights.

At LAX, we found a nonstop flight to MCO for around $458. But then we found a much cheaper nonstop flight out of ATL for $288. This price dip is to be expected — since Atlanta, Georgia, is 440 miles from Orlando, while LA is a whopping 2,500 miles.

For American Airlines, prices were fairly similar. You can get a flight from ATL for $371, but that does include one stop at CLT in Charlotte, North Carolina. LAX, however, has a nonstop flight for $488. Again — not a huge difference in price between Delta and American. But you never know! That could change in an instant.

Frontier Airlines don’t appear at every airport, but when they DO show up, they can provide cheaper price points. If you use Frontier to fly out of ATL, you can book a nonstop flight for as low as $176! Unfortunately, you’re not gonna find Frontier planes around LAX — but you WILL find them in the San Francisco airport (SFO). But don’t get too excited YET. The Frontier flights out of SFO are significantly higher than you’ll find out of ATL — currently marked at $507. This flight includes one stop in Denver, and takes about 12 hours to finally get you to your destination.

Alright. Now here’s the BIG price shocker. Let’s look at… Spirit Airlines.

Let’s set the scene here. Let’s say instead of a June flight, we wanna book a flight for May 5-11th instead. Okay. Cool. So a flight out of LAX is gonna range around $148, while a flight out of ATL will be around $48. Yup, you heard that right. $48. Not too shabby! This is more of the price ranges you EXPECT to see from a budget airline.

But here’s where it gets wild. Jump ahead back to June 5th-11th. If we get a flight with Spirit out of ATL, then I’ll be paying — brace yourself — $814 for a nonstop flight. $814!!!!! And it gets even worse at LAX! A Spirit flight with one stop in Houston will cost a whopping $1,013! Um… did my computer glitch out on me? Are these prices for REAL?

We are seeing those MAJOR jumps happening around busier travel seasons. Does that mean these prices are set in stone? Not at all. Prices around these times could see a major dip for not just Spirit, but for ANY airlines. So here are some ways you can potentially save money on your future flights:

1. Stay Vigilant: Once you book your flights, keep an eye on airfare. If it goes down, you can sometimes call the airline or rebook online to apply for that new deal.
2. Use Your Toolbox: Find an online airline search tool that will do that hard work for you. There are many out there that can help you track flight prices and notify you when prices are low, or give you predictions on when flight costs could go down. Some of our favorites include Hopper, Google Flights, and Skyscanner.
3. Review the Point System: If you’re a frequent flyer with a certain airline — or you have a major airline credit card — check to see if you have any points you can redeem for free flights. Every little bit helps!
4. Minimize Your Baggage: Those fees can add up! For example, some airlines allow each passenger to bring one free personal item and one free carry-on bag — so if you can fit everything in the carry-on and personal item, you won’t have to pay extra for luggage!
5. Check out our 50 Simple Tricks That Make Travel So Much Easier video on our YouTube channel for more travel-saving tips and specific travel hacks that’ll help your journey go much smoother.

Hold on. We’re not done with MCO just yet. Now that you’ve landed, how do you get to your resort from the airport?

The most expensive option is the rental car route: A car rental through Alamo — for a standard SUV that can hold a family of 5 — is priced around $454 weekly. While a car rental through Hertz — for a Large Sedan that can ALSO hold a family of 5 — is priced around $400 weekly.

Granted, investing in a rental car will give your family the freedom to drive around property whenever you want, wherever you want — instead of relying solely on the schedules of Disney’s complimentary transportation services.

But a rental car isn’t your only option. Instead, you can reserve a seat on one of the airport shuttle services — the Sunshine Flyer OR the Mears Connect — that run regularly from the airport to Disney World.

The Sunshine Flyer costs $39 per adult and $24 per child for a standard roundtrip, while the Mears Connect costs $39.90 per adult and $28.35 per child for a standard roundtrip. You’ll need to book your seat on one of these shuttles after figuring out your resort stay and your flight by going to the Mears Connect or Sunshine Flyer website. Both of these services sometimes run sales, so keep following us here at DFB for more info on that. Or let us come straight to your inbox with Disney deals and discounts — sign up for our newsletter here!

And then there’s the rideshare option, where you can pay for an Uber or a Lyft to pick you up for a more private (and potentially quicker) ride to your resort.

Whether a rideshare is gonna be cheaper than a ride aboard the Sunshine Flyer or Mears Connect is about as predictable as the flip of a coin. Rideshares from the MCO and on into the Disney Bubble can be as low as $35, BUT if you time your pickup around lunch or rush hour, those prices could hike up to $75+.

The CHEAPEST Way to Get To Disney World From the Orlando Airport

Okay. Now, we’re done talking about flights and airports. Let’s move onto our FAVORITE topic of them all…

Food

Who’s HUNGRY? Talking about an average price range for a family to eat around Disney World is pretty tricky to pin down. And that’s because prices for each of the restaurants are really, REALLY different from one another. Good thing we can break them down into multiple categories!

Quick and Counter Service dining (AKA: the fast food of Disney World) will be your cheapest meal option. Usually, prices for meals here (for adults) range around $20 or less. Sometimes WAY less, even. A few unique quick service options that you’ll be able to find around the parks includes:

• Satuli Canteen in Disney’s Animal Kingdom
• Docking Bay 7 in Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Crepes A Emporter in EPCOT
• Sleepy Hollow Refreshments in Magic Kingdom
• Plus, many more. Many, MANY more.

Then you’ve got your sit-down, Table Service restaurants. The price ranges for these types of restaurants can vary SIGNIFICANTLY. On the one hand, you might be able to pay for items a la carte like you can at Skipper Canteen in Magic Kingdom or Sci-Fi Dine-In at Hollywood Studios. Or you might have to pay a prix-fixe menu price — which means you’ll pay for a multi-course meal (traditionally an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert) sold at one fixed price.

Sometimes, prix-fixe prices can give you a pretty sweet deal. However, SOME prix-fixe meals will cost ya a pretty penny. At Space 220 in EPCOT, a prix-fixe dinner consists of one appetizer, entree, and dessert for a grand total of $79 per adult. To be fair, you’re really paying more for the atmosphere here than anything else, but you can find a cheaper prix-fixe menu for lunch at $55 per adult — or you can book the Space 220 Lounge instead, and purchase cocktails and appetizers a la carte for a potentially even cheaper dining option during your space adventures.

Next, you’ve got Character Dining — which are dining experiences where Disney characters get to meet and greet with guests throughout the restaurant. If you book a character dining experience for dinner at a restaurant like Chef Mickey’s in the Contemporary Resort or Tusker House in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, expect to pay around $59 per adult. However, if you go the breakfast character dining route instead for either of these restaurants, the price drops down to $45.

This will give you a different assortment of food, BUT if your group is more concerned about meeting the Fab Five rather than what food’s gonna wind up on your plate, then breakfast might be a better way to go.

And now for the most EXPENSIVE dining venture of the bunch — Signature Dining. Signature dining can be boiled down to high-quality dining at a high price. Some signature dining, like the regular table services around property, have a la carte options that can help you cut costs — like Le Cellier Steakhouse in EPCOT and Hollywood Brown Derby in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

But if you run across a prix-fixe signature dining experience, expect to be paying the big bucks. This is ESPECIALLY true if you go the ultra-fancy dining experience route — for restaurants like Monsieur Paul and Takumi Tei in EPCOT.

Monsieur Paul, located in the France Pavilion of World Showcase, costs $195 per person. While Takumi Tei, located in the Japan pavilion, starts at $150 per person.

Victoria and Alberts, over in Disney’s Grand Floridian, REALLY takes the cake when it comes to fancy-pants dining. You have three dining options at Victoria and Albert’s. You can choose the main dining room — which features the Chef’s Tasting Menu and allows guests to choose anywhere between eight and 12 courses for a base price of $235 per guest. You can choose the Queen Victoria Room — a slightly more secluded option that only accommodates up to eight guests at a time, spread out over four tables of two — for a base price of $375 per guest. Or you can choose the Victoria and Albert’s Chef’s Table — an ultra-exclusive 3-hour dining experience where your party is seated in the kitchen. But this one’s gonna cost ya a base price of $425 per guest. Notice how we’re saying “base price.” You can further ENHANCE these already-enhanced dining experiences with extras like wine pairings (around $150-$200 extra, depending on your dining room experience), zero-proof cocktail pairings (priced at $110), extra courses/other enhancements that can range between $35-$200+ extra.

The way you dine in Disney World — and the amount you decide you wanna budget back for food — is all up to you. But, if you plan on being around property for the week, you’ll likely want to make 80-90% of your meals quick service-specific. You might even wanna go the extra mile and make all of them quick services to help save money.

Or you can save even MORE money by packing your own food and skipping the extra fast food price tag. Several guests like to pack easy-to-carry (and easy-to-preserve) lunch and dinner options in their park bags, such as: sandwiches, mixed veggies, trail mix, protein bars, and anything else that A) doesn’t need heated in a microwave, B) Doesn’t need to be kept frozen, and C) Isn’t being carried in a glass container.

You can either bring these foods from home if you pre-gamed with some grocery shopping before your big trip, or you can use a grocery delivery app, like Instacart, to deliver groceries to your resort when you arrive. Even with those grocery app delivery fees, ordering groceries for the week of your trip can be a much cheaper alternative to buying quick-service food daily for every single meal. Make sure — if you order any perishable items — that the hotel room you choose has a full-sized fridge.

With all that being said, we still recommend booking maybe 2-3 table services, just to try out some of the more elevated dining options in Disney, or if food is more than fuel to you —and you truly wanna experience the crème de la crème of Disney dining — a Signature restaurant could be the perfect way to celebrate a big occasion like an anniversary, engagement, graduation, honeymoon, or other celebration-worthy life event.

Best Disney World Snacks for Every Budget

How much you spend on food is truly up to you, but I wouldn’t go into it without a plan. And THAT’S why we wrote the 2023 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining!

Click here to order!

Extras

Who’s ready to tack on a little extra PIZZAZZ? Much like you can add *enhancements* to your signature dining meal to make the experience all the more extravagant, you can also add extra activities or premium planning options to sprinkle some extra spice (and convenience) onto your already-magical trip.

At Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, After Hours Events have returned to the parks for select nights, giving guests who feel like the parks are just WAY too crowded during the day the chance to experience them at night with much lower crowd levels and much shorter ride lines. After Hours Events range between $129-$159 per person. You can always double up and pay for both a regular single-day ticket and an After Hours ticket, but — since After Hours will still get you into the parks as early as 7PM, and the events themselves last from 12:30-1AM, you may JUST wanna go the After Hours route and skip the regular park ticket entirely (if you don’t mind NOT getting your picture in front of Cinderella Castle while the sun’s still up).

Ever since Disney Genie+ was introduced to the park scene in 2021, we’ve gone all-Hamlet in deciding whether this premium planning tool is worth it in the long run: “To Genie+… or not to Genie+… THAT is the question.”

Disney Genie+ is a PAID service, starting at $15 per person, per day, that lets you make 1 Lightning Lane selection at a time. Lightning Lanes give you a return time that allows you to SKIP a ride’s standby line. You can continue to select more return times, one at a time, throughout the day. But if you don’t find a Lightning Lane for the ride you want to skip the line for listed under the Genie+ options, you may be able to find it in the Individual Lightning Lane options instead.

Individual Lightning Lanes are reserved for the especially popular rides at Disney World. With this Pay-Per-Ride feature, you can pay to skip the standby line at ONE individual ride. Now, there are a LOT of different Disney Genie + and Individual Lightning Lane tips you can use to maximize your time and money (which you can check out on our Ultimate Genie+ Guide video). But, for now, let’s breakdown the questions you’re gonna want to ask yourself BEFORE investing in either (or both) of these My Disney Experience planning tools:

1. How busy will it be during your visit?

Suppose you’re planning on traveling during historically non-busy seasons for Disney. In that case, Lightning Lanes may not be as necessary as they would be if you were planning on traveling during a historically jam-packed season (like Christmas or Labor Day weekend or one of the runDisney race events). That being said, since both Genie + and ILLs have a surge price system, both services will cost LESS if you purchase them during non-peak times, and way MORE if you purchase them at super-peak times. At their highest, we’ve seen Genie + cost $35 per day, per person, around the holiday seasons.

2. Do you need BOTH services, or just one?

If you wanna buy Genie+, you do NOT have to pay for Individual Lightning Lanes — and vice-versa. For example, let’s say you’re visiting EPCOT, and you wanna prioritize getting on Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. This backward-launch coaster is listed as an ILL. So you can choose to get up around 7AM the day of your EPCOT visit and purchase an ILL for Cosmic Rewind and ONLY Cosmic Rewind — then choose to wait in the main lines for the other rides without forking over an extra $15-$29 per person for Genie+ access.

However, you’re more than welcome to purchase both, if you’d prefer to cut down your wait times for pretty much ALL the rides as much as you possibly can.

3. Which parks will you be visiting?

There’s a reason Disney hosts After Hours events — these are the BUSIEST Disney World parks, by far. But if you don’t wanna spend a good chunk of your park days waiting in line after line — and you really DO wanna see these parks during the day instead of just at night (when the shows won’t be going on), Genie + and Individual Lightning Lanes can be a major life/timesaver.

But — for the most part — using Genie+ for EPCOT and Disney’s Animal Kingdom may not be AS worth the cost. Unless you’re planning on visiting Disney World RIGHT after Christmas, when almost every ride line across all the parks can be a 60-180 minute wait. Which definitely isn’t the norm. Much like how you can pick and choose if you wanna pay for Genie+, or Individual Lightning Lanes, or BOTH — you can also choose how many days you wanna purchase Genie+ for. Even on a weeklong vacation, you can choose ONE day of Genie+ just to test the waters, and — if you decide it’s not your cup of tea — you can choose to NOT pay for it for the rest of your vacation.

4. Will you take the time to study up on this service before your trip?

Simply put — if you don’t want to invest the extra time in learning how to get the most out of this premium service, it could feel like a giant waste of money. That’s why we’ve got so many posts about all the different, constantly updated Lightning Lane tips and tricks — so you can make sure you’re ready to maximize this purchase and know how to work it before you get to the parks.

There are so many different Enhanced Extras for you to add-on to your trip — ranging from unique tours, to dessert parties, to culinary classes, to recreational activities… the list goes on, and you can find ‘em all — along with their price ranges — on the Enchanting Extras Collection webpage on the Disney World website. Some extras won’t break the bank for ya — like EPCOT’s Behind the Seeds Tour, that starts at $35 per person. But some will take a little more saving — like the Amorette’s Patisserie Cake Decorating Experience at Disney Springs that starts at $199.

Again — you don’t have to add any of these extras to your trip, but if you find one that tickles your fancy, you won’t wanna forget to make reservations and budget room for these tours or classes.

52 “Secret” Things To Do At Disney World

And since we’ve entered the Disney Springs scene, let’s talk SOUVENIRS! It’s hard to go to Disney without leaving your luggage feeling just a bit heavier than it did when you got there. But how much do some of the more popular souvenirs of Disney World cost?

Right now, the 100 Years of Wonder Merch, celebrating the Walt Disney Company’s 100-year anniversary, is all-the-rage. You’ve got:

• The Mickey Mouse and Friends Disney100 Spirit Jersey for $84.99
• The Minnie Mouse Disney100 Loungefly Mini Backpack for $78
• The Minnie Mouse Disney100 Ear Headband for $39.99
• The Disney100 Donald and Daisy Duck Pin for $14.99
• And SO MUCH MORE!

It’s all pretty pricey. Some of these items can be just as expensive as those Enhanced Extra experiences (if not more so). But you may be able to find Disney park-specific souvenirs (including Disney100 merch) before your trip on the shopDisney website for a discounted price — if one of their many, MANY online sales is going on while you’re browsing the online store.

OR if you want a more affordable (and more unique) Disney tee or sweatshirt to wear around the parks, you can always check out the DFBStore website for our designs — which highlight favorite Disney rides, snacks, lands, and holidays, and WON’T ever cost you up to $90 per swagger.

Click here to check out exclusive Disney-inspired souvenirs!

Miscellaneous Costs

And it feels weird to mention it, but budget for what’s not in your budget. Depending on your travel arrangements, there are some costs you’ll want to factor into that final bottom line. Here are some things to consider:

• Tipping. You’ll need to plan to tip for any table service restaurants you experience, luggage attendants, housekeeping, and other odds and ends that may require a tip.
• Parking Fees. If you’re going to have a car while in Orlando, you may have to pay to park at Disney World theme parks if you are staying at a non-Disney resort (and the resort could have a parking fee, too, so check on that!).
• Tolls. Again, if you have a car, Orlando has several toll roads on the route from the airport to Disney World, and you’ll have to consider that, or use non-toll navigation options while you get around Orlando.
• Ride Shares. Even if you’re going to use Disney’s free transportation, you may find yourself just too tired, or too hot, or running late for that dining reservation — and find yourself scrolling through the Uber or Lyft apps. Just be prepared and budget for at least 2 ride shares during your stay, just in case.

The Best Disney World Souvenirs For Every Budget

Average Cost for a Disney World Trip

So, let’s answer the question that’s more than likely been burnin’ a hole in your brain — how much, in total, should you be planning on saving back for your 2023 Disney World vacation?

Yikes. Kinda hard to pin that one down, since there are SO many variables at play here. And if you don’t believe us… scroll back up to the top and read through it again. But let’s see what we can conjure up for ya, just to give you the roughest of rough estimates.

Let’s jump back to the month of June. For a family of four traveling in June 2023 for a weeklong Disney World getaway… a vacation package — including a value resort and single-day theme park tickets for all four parks — is gonna cost ya around $3,900.

If you decide to fly instead of drive, airfare could cost around $1,010 for a roundtrip flight, depending on where you’re flying out of, — with a standard Mears Connect round trip ride to and from your resort costing an extra $130 or so. For food, you could plan on around $1,210 if you’re wanting to do mostly quick-service meals and maybe 2 table service options thrown in the mix. And if you decide to invest in Genie+ for all four park days, you’re looking at an estimated $240 extra for Lightning Lane access.

And THAT makes our rough grand total come out to be…….. Around $6,478.

Now, again, so many factors could decrease or increase this price exponentially. You could travel during a slower time of year and see value resort prices drop. Or you could decide to drive instead of fly. You could pack lunches for your park days or splurge on a rather gourmet meal. And you could decide to throw Genie+ out completely and rely, instead, on using Early Theme Park Entry to help get you in line for your favorite rides early on and (hopefully) skipping the bulk of the waiting using that method instead. Every trip budget is gonna look way different than someone else’s.

That being said, we can help you save money where it counts! So let’s look into some new ways to save in 2023 now!

Ways to Save

1.) Look for discounts

There are room discount offers for many dates during the summer season this year. We write posts about every Disney World discount that is released, and we keep all the current ones on our Disney Deals and Discounts page.

The best way to keep up with available discounts is to subscribe to our newsletter — you’ll get all of the latest deals directly in your inbox.

Subscribe to the DFB Newsletter!

2.) Reach Out To a Travel Agent

Tracking down discounts to make sure you’re ALWAYS getting the best deals on your vacation can be exhausting. But, you don’t have to take on all that responsibility yourself! Our travel agent friends over at Small World Vacations will actively seek out Disney World discounts for you and work alongside you to develop a budget that’ll work best for you and your group.

And their services are completely FREE to use! We’ll even make it easy for you — just CLICK HERE to get a FREE quote from them, no commitment required!

3.) Travel on Weekdays Instead of Weekends

This strategy isn’t always foolproof, but it can be a great way to find major surge-price decreases without strictly having to travel during a specific non-peak season that isn’t meshing with your schedule. Prices for hotels, tickets, Genie+, and even certain flights can dip during the weekdays. But, because weekends tend to be an easier time for people to get out there and vacation, the parks are the most crowded AND the most expensive.

Tuesday-Thursday pricing are normally cheaper than what you’ll find on Fridays-Sundays. And Monday’s kinda an oddball day. Prices can be cheaper, but they can also spike for airfare — since the start of the work week is a more popular time for business travelers to book flights.

Best and Worst Days To Visit Each Disney World Park

4.) Join Membership Programs

Disney Springs is all about the food and experience savings! Since many of the businesses in the shopping district are owned and operated by a third party, they’re able to use membership and rewards programs to help save you money on dining and activities. We have all the different Disney Springs savings listed on our 2023 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining if you’re looking for a complete list, but here’s a little teaser of savings to hold ya over for now:

• If you’re an AMC Stubs Member, their Discount Tuesdays are available every week for discounts on movie tickets!
• You can join the Earl of Sandwich loyalty program for rewards, a Birthday Brownie, and other potential discounts throughout the year.
• Patina Restaurant Group’s subscribers receive offers and deals and $30-50 offers for your birthday. Patina Restaurant Group includes locations such as Morimoto Asia, The Edison, Maria & Enzo’s Ristorante in Disney Springs, and — get this — Via Napoli and Tutto Italia in EPCOT!

Nice, right? Again, we’ve got the complete list of savings and membership in our 2023 dining guide.

5.) Stay Home

Um, excuse me? What kinda saving tip is THIS?

Honestly… the ULTIMATE savings tip. If those Disney World price tags will have you freaking out during the entire vacation, then every little blip and blunder that pops up during your trip will be 10 times more stressful. No vacation is perfect — and if you think it should be, judging by the thousands of dollars you’re shoveling into it — then you may wanna hold off on this hefty investment.

Now, your trip can still be amazing. You can still invest in a vacation of the lifetime — hiccups and all — and still have the best time ever.

But it’s not worth the extra worry if you’re already losing sleep over all those dollar signs. Take as much time as you need to save so that you can feel comfortable with an investment like this later on — even if that means holding off for a year or two before you hit up the “most Magical place on Earth.” In the meantime, you can always plan to take some vacations that aren’t thousand-dollar investments — like mountain hikes, beach days, and little Airbnb getaways near a hustling-and-bustling city.

Whether you want to travel on a budget or live in the lap of luxury during your upcoming Disney World vacation, both trip styles can still provide you with a ton of fun. Keep checking back with us as we continue to find NEW ways to save and uncover new enchanting extras that you may want to squeeze into your future itineraries.

The ULTIMATE Guide to Planning A Walt Disney World Vacation

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Don’t Miss Out on Any Disney Fun!

Order Your Copy of the 2023 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today!

With more than 900 pages, the 2023 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We’ve done the research for you, so you’ll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family’s needs!

You’ll get a Reference Guide, a 101 Plan, and a Printables and Resources Guide! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis; and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you’ll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet.

Click here to order your copy of the 2023 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2023 to save 25% off the cover price today!

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Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose.

Do you have any money-saving tips to share? Let us know in the comments below!

The post How Much Does It REALLY Cost To Go To Disney World? — The BRUTALLY HONEST Truth first appeared on the disney food blog.