How to Budget for Your Disney Vacation
You would not believe the number of times people have asked me for advice on their Disney vacations.
Typically, these conversations prioritize one subject: the travel budget.
Photo: Travel Weekly
Even families with plenty of disposable income want to remain within budget.
Here’s how to budget for your Disney vacation.
Travel
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When you plan your Disney vacation budget, most expenses will fall into one of four categories.
Everything else drops into the final bucket, the catch-all expense of “miscellaneous expenses.” But I’m getting ahead of myself.
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For guests who don’t live in the Central Florida area, you must account for travel expenses.
These charges vary wildly depending on where you live and how you prefer to travel.
For example, anyone who can drive to Disney and owns an electric vehicle won’t spend much on the trip.
Sure, you must recharge a few times, but if you live within 1,000 miles, it won’t be that expensive.
Yikes
Similarly, gas fees really don’t add up to much in the greater scheme. If you’re within 1,000 miles, it’ll probably cost $150-$200 one way.
Air travel grows more expensive, especially for families and those who don’t live in metropolitan areas.
Credit: Breeze Airways
To my constant irritation, I live 650 miles from Walt Disney World but must take a connecting flight each time.
Personally, I don’t worry about the money as much as the opportunity cost of those extra couple of hours I’m not at Disney.
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When you plan air travel, I’ll recommend some strategies to lower your budget. First, you should know well ahead of time when you’re traveling.
Use air travel discount sites – even Google has one – to track prices and deals.
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Also, consider signing up for an airline rewards card. It’ll probably give you tens of thousands of airline miles with registration.
That tactic alone could net you a free ticket for your trip!
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Finally, remember that Disney no longer provides free transportation from the airport.
Remember to plan for ride-sharing costs to and from the airport. It’s probably $35-$50 each way.
Admission Tickets
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Okay, here’s the part where everyone does basically the same thing.
We all pay for Disney park admission in some way. In fact, only two options exist.
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You can purchase tickets for the days you will visit the parks, or you can buy an annual pass.
Frankly, an annual pass only makes sense for people who will take two or three vacations at Disney in a year.
Annual Passholder card
I happen to be one of those people, but I wouldn’t recommend an expensive annual pass unless you’re absolutely certain you’ll visit Disney frequently.
Annual passes make substantially more sense for locals than out-of-state travelers.
As for park admission, you should understand Disney’s pricing pattern. You’ll pay more per day during shorter visits.
Disney incentivizes guests to stay longer by reducing the daily expense of admission tickets.
Photo: Disney
You may discover that a five- or six-day ticket only costs a few dollars more than a four-day one.
Disney knows that you’ll spend more at the parks in other ways. So, it offers a deal for longer stays. It’s win/win for them and you!
Also, please understand that Disney still requires Park Passes. Even when you possess valid admission, you need a Park Pass to enter.
Thankfully, as long as you plan ahead of time, you’ll have little trouble booking a Park Pass on all but the busiest days on the annual calendar.
Those dates are usually national holidays like July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
Hotel Expenses
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Over the years, vacationers have developed any number of approaches to Disney vacations.
Historically, guests chose between hotels, condos, and rental homes. Other recent options include Airbnb and other cottage industry nightly rentals.
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Some of the more clever ones even highlight Disney characters in the designs.
Do you know what these places lack, though? You won’t find Disney authenticity or amenities when you stay there.
Photo: Disney
Instead, official Disney resorts remain the only places where the Disney magic is palpable.
When you stay at an official Disney resort, you gain unique amenities such as Early Theme Park Entry and Disney hotel room theming.
Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
You’ll also discover world-class restaurants and inimitable logistics at these Disney resorts.
In fact, Disney transportation alone is reason enough for you to stay at a Disney hotel and never look elsewhere.
When you stay somewhere away from the Disney campus, you must travel to and from the parks each morning. And traffic is ridiculous in this area!
You’ll waste precious vacation hours sitting at red lights and stop signs, regretting your booking decision.
Folks, I ALWAYS advise people to stay on the Disney campus. I consider any other plan to be a mistake…and have told several friends as much!
The ones who have ignored me on the point have universally regretted it, too!
Merch, Meals, and Snacks
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Two of these options are unavoidable. You gotta eat while you’re at Disney…or anywhere else for that matter. I don’t want you passing out from hunger.
Thankfully, Disney allows you to establish your own food budget. You can eat as inexpensively as you like.
When you want to save money on food, you’ll load up on cheap items at Quick Service restaurants.
Also, you can order at EPCOT food booths during festivals and thereby save even more.
You can accept deliveries in your hotel room as well. Even when you allow for the tip and delivery fee, the meal may still save you money compared to Disney prices.
As a general rule, couples should expect to pay $30-$60 at Quick Service restaurants.
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Table Service eateries, Disney’s equivalent of fine dining, could cost as little as $50 – somehow the cost of my most recent meal at The BOATHOUSE – to $250.
The answer depends on the kind of meals you like – salads and spaghetti vs. ribeye steaks – and whether you add alcohol.
As for snacks, you’ll likely snag at least two per day and possibly as many as four, depending on your other meal options.
Then, you must account for the accompanying beverages…and possibly a coffee fix in the morning.
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My suggestion with a food budget is always to plan for the worst. That way, you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you come in under budget.
Plus, you can use that money during the final day of your visit to buy all sorts of merchandise!
Speaking of which, I’d be hypocritical if I told anyone how to set a merch budget at Disney.
All you need to do is add the Disney logo to any trinket, and I’ll buy it.
Hopefully, you’ll demonstrate more restraint than me!
Miscellaneous Expenses
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Here’s a catch-all budgetary expense for everything else.
During your visit, several unexpected factors will arise. I’m talking about essentials you may have forgotten, like sunscreen, deodorant, or flip-flops.
Photo: Disney Parks Blog
People lose sunglasses and hats all the time at Disney theme parks as well. You never know when something like this will happen.
For this reason, I always recommend adding an emergency discretionary budget to your plans.
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That’s the money you hope not to touch but accept may be necessary.
Also, we should include a few expected fees. For example, airport fees and tips for Bell Services will likely occur.
Those who plan hotel deliveries must pay either a tip for the delivery person or a fee for Disney to hold the package.
Similarly, when you ride-share frequently, you should expect to tip as well.
You know your travel habits well. So, you should know what to expect in terms of the discretionary budget.
To a larger point, you can’t possibly think of everything. What I’d recommend is that you speak with a MickeyTravels agent instead.
These Diamond-level Authorized Disney Vacation Travel Planners charge you nothing for their services…but they can save you a FORTUNE on your trip!
You’ve got nothing to lose by taking this approach!
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