Thinking about a Disney World vacation for 2023? If so, you're probably wondering - how much does it cost to go to Disney World, right? Well, the cost varies depending on many factors. And trying to figure that out can be a budgeting nightmare. Relax. From theme park tickets to resorts and dining, we've gathered Disney experts to help you come up with a ballpark number.
First things first, if you haven't been on a Disney vacation in a few years, things have changed. Not reading up on the changes could lead to some VERY expensive mistakes. You now need a park reservation made through the Disney Park Pass System in addition to having an admission ticket. Everything's always changing, so our guide can help you, whether this is your first trip or you're a seasoned Disney pro. Read on for details about how much it costs to go to Disney World.
Be sure to read about all of the changes at Disney World.
One great change at Disney World is advance planning. You can now book a Disney World vacation up to 500 days in advance! That means you can book now for visits in 2024. All it takes is a $200 deposit if your trip is more than 31 days away. The remaining balance is due 30 days prior to arrival.
For more details, as well as help with your booking, reach out to our partners at Get Away Today.
Figuring out how much it costs to go to Disney World is a complex equation. With each expense, there is a wide variation in price range so your choices will impact your bottom line. It's easy to see why so many people choose to work with a Disney travel agent.
In list format, here are the components you'll need to plan for. Read on for a complete break down of each cost to help you figure our your family's answer to the question: How much does it cost to go to Disney World?
Editor's note: All ticket prices mentioned in this post are accurate for Disney vacations booked in November 2023. They provide an idea of how much a Disney vacation costs. Disney pricing is complicated and changes regularly. The prices you actually pay will depend on when and how you travel.
Here's how Disney World operates now, in the wake of the coronavirus shutdown and reopening.
A Walt Disney World vacation starts with purchasing park tickets. Add-ons for tickets include Park Hoppers and/or the "Water Parks and More" option.
In Orlando, the Walt Disney World resort includes four theme parks and two water parks:
The cost of a park ticket is based on which day you visit. Tickets cost more for park visits on the weekend and during higher demand times, such as the holidays and during the summer.
Ticket prices recently changed for the theme parks. Now the parks each have different prices for single-day tickets that range from $109 to $189. You can still access multi-day savings. Under the new pricing model, if you purchase 6-day tickets, the cost would start at $87/day.
Depending on how many days you plan to visit, you might want to calculate whether purchasing a Disney Annual Pass makes sense for your family.
If you're just in the planning process and want to see how much a Disney vacation will cost your family, you can fill out this form and Get Away Today will reach out to you with a personalized quote for FREE!
SheBuysTravel Tip: Once you book your trip, rev up the pre-trip excitement with this easy DIY Disney countdown craft project.
The Disney Genie Service provides priority access to some of Disney's most popular rides. It replaced the free FastPass system.
This added cost is $15 per day per person. It's an add-on that can only be booked each morning of your trip.
If you think you're going to use this service, be sure to budget for this expense or it can be sticker shock at the end of your trip.
Do you live in the Sunshine State? Florida residents get special rates to visit Mickey. You'll save 30 percent on 3-day theme park tickets or 40 percent on 4-day tickets.
Florida residents will have to show proof of residency, so don't mistakenly purchase these tickets if you are not a Florida resident!
Disney has also added a digital verification method. If you're a Florida resident purchasing through the website, fill out the "Your Florida Resident Information" form when you check out.
Purchasing through the My Disney Experience app? You can verify residency on the "Customize Your Tickets" step.
Searching online for discount Disney tickets can feel overwhelming. It's important to make sure you're buying from a reputable website. Our SheBuysTravel team recommends Get Away Today for discount Disney tickets and vacation packages.
If you ever find park tickets cheaper, Get Away Today won't just match the price, the company will beat it! Great customer service is another reason why we recommend Get Away Today. From buying your tickets to planning your Disney vacation, the company helps you every step of the way. Read our full review of Get Away Today here.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Find out how to get official Disney gear at a discount.
If you want to know how much it would cost to go to Disney World for your family, ask for a free quote here.
Get Away Today is offering to hold your 2023 Disney vacation for just $200 down. Better yet, the final payment is due just 30 days before you go. So put your next Disney vacation on layaway and have fun planning your next trip!
Due to the lingering effects of the pandemic, the parks still have capacity limits. That means all theme park visitors must reserve their spot to visit a park through the Disney Park Pass System. The park hopper option allows you to "hop" to any other park after 2pm.
If you're buying a multi-day pass, you have to pay for "hopping" for every day of the ticket, even if you only plan to hop on a day or two.
This can really add up if you're traveling with your family. Plus, the time you take traveling from one park to another is less time spent actually enjoying a park!
Are you willing to pay anything to ride on three different coasters in one day (Space Mountain in the Magic Kingdom, Slinky Dog Dash in Disney's Hollywood Studios and Expedition Everest in Disney's Animal Kingdom) then head to EPCOT for a three-course meal at Le Cellier? Then park hopping might be right for you!
SheBuysTravel has even more in depth details on whether a park hopper is worth the money.
Read More: Is the Disney Vacation Club Worth the Cost?
You may not want to actually park hop, however. Why? Because it takes time to move from one Disney World park to another. It is easy to hop from EPCOT to Hollywood Studios because the theme parks are located right next to one another.
But it takes much longer to hop from the Magic Kingdom to Animal Kingdom. A trip on board the free Disney transportation can take 45 minutes or longer. That's 45 minutes less time you'll have in the parks.
Many people plan to use their hoppers to go to a water park to cool off after a hot day in the parks. Currently, Typhoon Lagoon is closed for refurbishment, but Blizzard Beach is open.
Read More: Get ALL of Your Disney World Questions Answered
Unless you are a local, you're going to need somewhere to stay during your Disney World trip.
Staying off property at a non-Disney hotel can mean savings, but you need to factor in the time and cost of transportation to and from the park every day, as well as parking at the theme parks if you're driving your own vehicle.
There are three categories of "on property" Disney World hotels: value, moderate and deluxe. Within each hotel there are standard rooms and preferred rooms. Each resort has pros and cons.
For example, deluxe resort hotels are the most expensive (from $439 per night), but they are often the closest to the parks, and they have some of the best pools. Hotel prices can increase sharply at popular times of the year.
Value resorts offer a significant savings (starting as low as $123 per night), but the rooms are smaller, and transportation to the parks takes longer. Also keep in mind that taxes are 1% higher at the All-Star resorts because those hotels are located in a different county.
Disney Springs area hotels are another great option for saving on lodging, but they are not as conveniently located to the parks.
Work with your travel agent and/or family to decide what is most important to you: location or cost savings that an off-site hotel might offer?
One of our favorite ways to save money and get more in our accommodations at Disney World is to rent DVC points. That's a program that allows people who are not members of the Disney Vacation Club to get access to Disney luxury resorts like the Grand Floridian for less.
Learn all about how to rent DVC points, along with the pros and cons of the system, in this post. We also do a full review of our favorite DVC point rental company.
Read More: Is the Disney Vacation Club Worth the Cost?
The following paragraph was sponsored by RVshare, a peer-to-peer RV rental website that connects RV owners with people who want to rent an RV.
Did you know that there are campsites and RV sites at Disney's Fort Wilderness at Disney World? These RV sites have concrete pads as big as 18 feet wide and 60 feet long. This means you can stay in a luxury RV for a fraction of the cost of staying at a luxury Disney resort. And, unlike a standard hotel room, the luxury RV will sleep your family of 5+ and comes with a kitchen!
Even better, staying in an RV at Fort Wilderness entitles you to all of the perks of staying at a Disney resort, including extended hours in the parks and free Disney transportation. Best of all, there are lots of RV rental options in Orlando and many of them will set up the RV for FREE at the campsite.
Here are a few of the RVs we found in the area that would be ideal for a Disney vacation! These rentals cost anywhere between $100-$200/night.
You'll save money by being able to make meals in your RV and the whole experience will be fun for the family.
You can always rent an RV and drive it to Orlando, but we think the easiest approach and the best way to save money is to rent it once you arrive in Orlando and have the owners set it up for you.
SheBuysTravel contributor Jenn Mitchell rented an RV from RVshare for a vacation with her teens and found even more reasons to love traveling by RV - like having their own bathroom.
Here's what she has to say about RVshare:
"I can't say enough good things about our experience. I researched a number of RV rental companies and found the value and services provided by RVshare to be the best choice for us. My husband agrees. We think renting an RV provided a unique opportunity to spend quality time together as a family."
You can read the full review of her RVshare rental experience, including how it works, here.
Next, let's talk about actually getting to Disney. Will you drive or fly?
If you're driving to Disney, you'll want to consider the cost of gas, any hotel stops, food on the way and car maintenance as well as wear and tear.
If you're flying, you're going to want to factor in airfare, travel insurance (trust us on this), seat selection fees, baggage costs (if you aren't flying Southwest), and always factor in the cost of one night in a hotel in case something happens! It's better to plan for it and not need it than need it and not have it left in your budget.
Also keep in mind that Disney's free Magical Express bus service has ended so you'll need to factor in the cost of getting to Disney from the Orlando International Airport if you're flying.
As of January 10, 2023, overnight self-parking is complimentary to guests staying at Disney Resort hotels at Walt Disney World Resort. Complimentary standard parking is also available to guests staying at The Campsites at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort. Each campsite provides parking space for one (1) motorized vehicle. In addition, standard self-parking is complimentary for day guests while enjoying select dining, shopping, entertainment and recreation experiences at Disney Resort hotels.
If you decide to drive to a theme park you won't have to pay the parking fees at the park if you're staying at a resort and already paying for parking there. Also, annual passes come with parking included.
Another transportation cost you'll want to consider is time. It takes time to traverse the 47-square-mile Disney World property, whether you're in a rental car, a Disney bus, boat or monorail. It can take even longer when there are special events such as holiday celebrations, runDisney races and cheer/dance competitions.
I believe that time equals money on my Disney family vacation, so I'm always thinking about the pros and cons of transportation to and from my hotel and the parks.
At Disney World, even dining can be complicated. Which dining plan should you choose? Should you even choose a dining plan? This absolutely depends on your family or traveling party.
The popular Disney Dining Plan is not available at this time. Limited capacity in restaurants means less room for diners - and getting into your favorite eatery has always been a challenge! You should still make reservations (recommended, maybe even essential) at this time, but you'll be paying out-of-pocket for any meals in Disney.
Need help planning your Disney trip? Get all your questions answered from our Disney Planning & Fun Facebook Group!
The days of free dining may be behind us - at least for now - but that doesn't mean you can't stretch your Disney dining dollar. Table service restaurant meal offerings are very generous in size. Sometimes even a quick service meal keeps me full for most of the day. And my kids can always share one meal without a problem, especially if we promise a popcorn bucket refill later that afternoon.
If you want to save on food costs at Disney, book a hotel room with a small kitchen and plan to eat in a few times during your trip. Or book a FRBO (For Rent By Owner) villa to spread out and eat a meal in comfort and safety - with minimal cost to you. Or rent that RV with the kitchen!
When you're calculating the cost of special character meals, keep in mind that Cinderella's Royal Table and Hoop-de-Doo Revue require full payment when you book.
When calculating "how much does it cost to go to Disney World" don't forget about the extras that can sneak up on you, such as:
Always factor in souvenirs and supplies you need for the trip itself. Need new luggage? Have the kids outgrown their sandals? All added costs to account for.
Here are our best tips on how to save on Disney souvenirs and Disney essentials to buy before your trip to save money..
My family loves the benefit of having a Disney Visa credit card. Our credit card saves us 10% on most purchases at Disney stores and shopDisney.com (some restrictions apply). We also earn points on every purchase that we make, Disney or not, that we can then turn into a redemption card that can be used at any Disney Parks resort, restaurant or store.
Rev up the excitement for an impending Disney trip or extend the magic after a Disney vacation with these Disney recipes, Disney crafts and Disney at home activities;