Disney World Cost Calculator 2023: How Much Does Disney Cost?
Ever been hit with sticker shock at the Happiest Place on Earth? Our Disney World Cost Calculator for 2023 is here to make sure your dream vacation doesn’t turn into a financial nightmare.
Based on my years of experience visiting Disney World parks, I’ve created a free tool that covers all the expenses a family might encounter. From tickets and food to those irresistible souvenirs, this calculator has got you covered.
No more guesswork, no more budget-busting surprises—just a well-planned, magical trip that won’t break the bank. So, let’s dive in and start planning your budget-friendly Disney adventure!”
➡️ Download the Disney World Cost Calculator here.
Looking for a sample cost breakdown? There’s a chart at the bottom with sample prices for a family of 4 going to Disney World.
Whether you are planning a budget 3-day stay or a luxury 7-night Disney vacation, this calculator is fully editable by you. Enter your estimated expenses and see your grand total at the bottom.
Disney World Cost Calculator – What is it?
This Disney World Cost Calculator has been developed mainly for those who are looking to save a lot of time exploring the costs of a Disney Trip. The calculator is unique in that it details the estimated cost of different factors that make up the overall price. Some factors to consider when calculating the cost include hotel, ticket prices, food costs and admission to other parks.
How to use the Disney cost calculator
The Disney World Cost Calculator is a great way for people planning a visit to Disney World to see what they should expect to spend on different expenses while visiting. The calculator breaks down a lot of factors that make up a given cost and gives visitors a good starting point with recommended budgets for their trip.
Let’s get to it by talking about the 5 main expenses of your Disney World vacation.
Hotels
Accommodations are an important factor that will affect how much money you must budget for your trip.
There are several different Disney World Resort Hotels for you to choose from, and each one offers different advantages and amenities. Look into the best Disney Resorts for adults or for families.
Onsite Disney Resort benefits include items such as free park transportation, merchandise delivery to your hotel and early/late park admission.
On the other hand, budget hotels near Disney World offer free hotel parking and some may give free breakfast to your entire traveling party.
Remember to check if the hotel room you are interested in has a nightly resort fee. This extra cost adds a couple of hundred dollars to your hotel bill quite easily. The Disney World Cost Calculator has space to input this as well as any hotel parking fees.
Currently, Disney hotels do not have resort fees, but they do charge for parking.
Hotel expenses to consider:
- Total hotel bill, including taxes
- Nightly parking fees
- Nightly resort fees
Transportation
Fly or Drive?
Obviously, if you only have a week and it takes you 20 hours to drive to Orlando, you are probably going to want to fly.
Look for a non-stop flight. With so many people traveling to Orlando, many discount carriers fly there at least a couple of days a week.
However, remember to include seat assignments and bag check fees in your total. The Disney World Cost Calculator reminds you to do this. The price for adults and children is separate because I often only check one bag for my whole family.
Choose an airline such as Southwest if you want to avoid both of those fees. Oftentimes, I have packed a suitcase full of snacks and breakfast foods when flying Southwest because there isn’t a charge to check a bag.
Getting to the Hotel
One important thing to keep in mind while considering how much money you need for your trip is that transportation to and from Disney World may not be included in your initial cost estimates.
That means if you choose to fly into Orlando International Airport or Sanford International Airport, then you will need to budget for transportation costs each way from your hotel.
No longer is free transportation provided to your Disney Resort hotel via Disney’s Magical Express, so it’s up to you to take a taxi, ride-sharing service or a bus.
Different options exist, but Mears Connection provides bus transportation at $16 each way per person from Orlando International to many hotels. This could be a good idea if there are only two of you traveling. With 3-5 people, you would be better off using Uber or Lyft.
You may also want to consider how much it will cost to travel within Disney World itself, as many of the park attractions are not accessible by walking.
If you stay at a Disney resort, parking your car at whichever resort property you choose during your stay may be an additional cost, but you will not have to worry about transportation within Disney World. You can take a bus straight from your resort property to the various theme parks, water parks or entertainment areas of your choosing.
On the other hand, if you stay at an offsite hotel, parking there may be free, but you will need to pay at the Disney World Theme Parks (once per day even if you park hop – just keep your receipt).
The Disney World Cost Calculator has places to remind you to enter all these little details that you may not think of.
➡️ NOTE: On January 10th, 2023, Disney World eliminated resort parking fees.
Driving to Disney
Of course, it may be cheaper for you to drive to Orlando rather than fly. There are no car rental costs or transportation from the airport to your hotel to worry about.
Remember to include your gasoline costs whether you drive or rent a car. In addition, most people will incur toll charges on the way to Disney World, so add in some dollars for that as well.
Transportation expenses to consider:
- Airfare, including seat assignment and bag fees
- Airport transportation to/from the hotel
- Rental car
- Parking fees (at the Disney Parks)
- Gasoline
- Tolls
Disney World Park Tickets
Ok, here’s a big one. This will be a huge chunk of your vacation bucket all rolled up into one line item: tickets.
First, decide what parks you want to visit. Here’s the list:
- Magic Kingdom
- Animal Kingdom
- Epcot
- Hollywood Studios
How much do Disney World tickets cost?
The answer isn’t black and white.
Several factors come into play such as time of year, day of the week, the number of days you want to stay in the parks and if you are planning to purchase a park hopper ticket.
That’s a lot of options. Let’s try and break them down into manageable thoughts.
Time of Year
Disney World during the summer and over any holiday will be the most expensive times to visit. Of course, this is when kids are out of school.
The least expensive times, thereby best value, to visit the Walt Disney World Resort is mid-January until President’s Day weekend and the month of September.
Disney Park days
How many days do you plan to spend in the parks? Some people plan to spend as much time in the parks as they can.
I don’t agree with that thought, however. If you are heading to Orlando for a weeklong stay, four park days, one in each park, is perfectly enough or do a 5-night stay and revisit your favorite.
Use the other days to go to Disney Springs, enjoy your hotel pool, or plan a leisurely character meal somewhere at one of the Disney Resorts.
Most of the year, Orlando is hot and humid. Take this into consideration. You will be exhausted not only from the heat but also from the crowds.
When my daughter was younger, we always arrived at rope drop, but left by 4pm because it was just a tiring day and I wanted us all to have a good night’s sleep.
Ticket Prices
Disney World has a sliding ticket cost scale. The more days you plan to be in the park, the less per day the ticket cost is.
In addition, you need to enter the date of your first park visit. This sets the tone for how much your park tickets will cost.
Here’s an estimation graphic I created. It is as close to accurate as I could make it since I had to put in the number of park days, then look at Disney’s calendar for the cheapest times and most expensive days.
Use this to plug in the ticket amount in the Disney World Cost Calculator under the adult and child price.
The price range seen below depends on the first day you enter a park. Remember that holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, President’s Day and spring break are most expensive, in addition to being the most crowded.
Use the more expensive prices if you are traveling around a holiday. Likewise, use the lowest prices if you are going in mid-January or the end of August. For other dates, use somewhere in the middle.
Download the 2022 Disney World ticket prices graphic here for your own personal use.
To Park Hop….or Not
Honestly, in my 15-20 times at Walt Disney World, I have never bought a park-hopper ticket.
I just don’t see the need. It costs roughly $20-60 more PER DAY to park hop (depending how many days your ticket is for). Is it worth the expense? In my opinion, no.
First, you waste that time getting from park to park. Some, of course, are easier to get to than others, especially with the new gondola system.
And second, I’m usually too tired to continue walking all throughout the evening as we always arrive before the parks open.
It’s obviously your choice, but if you are looking to save any money at Disney World, this is an easy one to make. Just forgo the Disney park hopper option.
Genie+
Genie Plus and ILL’s replaced Fastpass+, but now, they are paid tools. With crowds, if you can afford to use Genie Plus at Disney World, you should.
If you want to ‘skip the line’ on any Disney World rides, there are now two options:
- purchase Genie+ for your park day which allows you to get a specific time to come back for the majority of the rides (plus many other rules)
- purchase an Individual Lightning Lane ($7-$28 each) for the most popular ride and secure a time slot in line
Genie+ costs are now dependent on the day you visit the Disney World park. Since Disney instituted surge pricing, it is now more expensive to purchase Genie+ on the park’s most popular days.
Typical costs for Genie+ are from $15-$35 per person, per day. Let’s use $20 for our calculations.
Is Disney Genie+ worth it? If you have the extra money, I would say it’s worth it for both Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.
However, if you are at Disney on a budget, this is another expense you can skip and see if you can make use of the single-rider lines at Disney World.
Special events
Throughout the year, Disney World parks host several special ticketed events. The two most popular are Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
These are special ticketed, nighttime events, that are not included in your day ticket.
Furthermore, on the nights these parties are planned, Disney guests must vacate The Magic Kingdom by a certain time (usually 6:00 P.M.).
Remember to add these extra ticket costs to the calculator if you plan on attending one.
Did you download your Disney Cost Calculator yet?
Food
Mickey ice cream bars, gooey cinnamon rolls and the infamous Dole Whip all contribute to a higher food expense.
How many meals are you going to eat in the parks? Is it going to be at counter-service restaurants or sit-down ones?
Are you planning any character meals or special dinner reservations?
What about breakfast? Does your hotel include it or can you make it yourself?
So many choices when it comes to how much money to spend on food at Disney World!
The Disney World Cost Calculator tries to get you to think about many of these choices.
First, let’s think about eating inside the parks. Here’s a breakdown of what food and snacks inside Disney World costs.
Food costs inside Disney World
Quick service meals:
- Adults $10-18
- Children $7-12
Table service restaurants:
- Adults $15-30
- Children $10-20
Snacks: $5-10
Character meals:
- Adults $35-70
- Children $27-45
Specialty dining:
- Adults $50-100
- Children $30-50
As you can see, nothing is cheap.
However, there are some ways to make it less expensive.
Does your hotel include free breakfast? Can you stop at a grocery store (Publix is a big one in Orlando) and pick up oatmeal, fruit, and granola bars to tide you over until lunch?
If you are staying at a condo or a timeshare (one of my favorite money-saving tips for any vacation), make a nice breakfast and pack snacks in your bag or even sandwiches. People do it all the time. Read all about bringing food into Disney World.
Disney snacks
I am guilty of splurging on this one.
I have a very sweet tooth and no self-control. So, when I see Mickey ice cream bars or Dole Whip, I usually say yes.
Popcorn buckets are our newest souvenir to take home. It’s pretty economical if you purchase one at the beginning of your stay. For $12, you get a Disney-themed bucket filled with popcorn, plus you can refill it as often as you want for $2.25 each time.
My latest Disney snack splurge, however, is the Wonderland Slush purchased at The Cheshire Cat near The Mad Tea Cups. The candy-coated straw is a unique idea!
Should you book a character meal?
If you are on a tight budget, I’m going to say no. They are quite expensive for what you get. For the most part, you are paying for the experience of seeing the characters close up.
That being said, we have been to several different character meals. Mostly breakfast because that is the least expensive.
Our family favorite has always been the ‘Ohana Character Breakfast at The Polynesian for its family-style breakfast offerings.
However, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall at Epcot gives you the chance to see several different princesses at once and the food is amazing.
Specialty Dining
Looking for a romantic dinner? I’ve heard nothing but praise for Victoria & Alberts at The Grand Floridian.
Personally, I have never experienced such an expensive restaurant, but obviously, other people have!
If this is you, there is a line item in the Disney World Cost Calculator for this as well.
What about the Disney Dining plan?
Again, this is another expense that I just don’t feel is worth it. First of all, it’s very expensive on a per-day basis.
Second, it really is a lot of food.
NOTE: The Disney Dining plan resumes January 9th, 2024.
I don’t think the Disney Dining Plan is worth it. It’s just a lot of money and too much food. It is easier and that’s probably the point. Especially if you pay for it in advance, then you don’t have to worry about paying for food in the parks.
There are special promotions from time to time where the dining plan is included in the cost of your room rate. These are often non-discounted rates and at the least busy times in the park.
Do the math if this is offered and see if it makes sense!
Food expenses to consider:
- In park food
- Non-park food
- Groceries
- Snacks
- Character Meals
- Specialty Dining
Miscellaneous
Ok, this expense line item is completely within your control. You don’t have to do any of the items on this list.
Let’s take a closer look at what’s in this category.
Souvenirs
Expect to be bombarded with your kids wanting everything they see.
Especially when you disembark from a ride that leads right into a gift shop. Yes, I’m looking at you Pirates of the Caribbean and Space Mountain.
Disney merchandise is expensive, like all things Disney.
Determine your souvenir budget, if you have one, before heading out. Sticking to it will be even harder.
When the kids were small, we purchased Disney backpacks at Walmart before we left home and filled them with Disney pencils, pens, stickers, tattoos, chapstick, etc. It was a huge hit when we gave it to them. This lessened the continual need to want something at the park because they were already wearing their new Disney backpacks.
If you have a car, there are plenty of Disney gift shops off the property. Stop in there and pick up a few inexpensive things such as t-shirts or water bottles.
Water Parks
Two Disney waterparks are within the resort: Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. Disney transportation is provided to both.
These are a great way to cool down on a hot, humid Florida day.
Do you need to go to them? Definitely not. In my numerous visits to Orlando, we have only been to Blizzard Beach once. However, I am not a water or beach person, so maybe I am the odd person out.
Pay either individually for your day pass or look at one of the add-ons to your park pass. If you only intend to go once, it’s cheaper to buy the day pass.
Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boutique
For my daughter, this was a one-time-only event. She was about 5 when she was really into the princesses and couldn’t wait to be styled as one.
Package prices vary greatly and have both princesses as well as prince makeovers.
As a side note, many Disney shops usually can sprinkle ‘pixie dust’ (glitter) on your children for free if they ask.
Miscellaneous items to consider:
- Souvenirs
- Water parks
- Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boutique
Tips for saving money on your Disney trip
There are many different ways to save money at Disney, and no matter how much you can afford, this Disney World Cost Calculator will help make your vacation as affordable as possible. Prices fluctuate daily (especially Walt Disney World prices), so if you see a deal you like today, book it before it’s too late!
It’s also important to compare prices and find discounts when booking hotels. Some accommodations offer great deals on rooms that include breakfast. Would this help your family cut down on costs? What about a free shuttle to the theme parks so you don’t have to pay for parking at Disney? Remember to add in all the little items to the cost of your stay to see the total amount you need to budget.
Free stuff at Disney World? You bet! Click here for 18 free things to do at Disney World.
How much will your Disney World vacation cost? If you are planning a trip to the most magical place on earth, it’s important that you do some research into how much it will actually cost. The Disney World cost calculator lays out all of the expenses for having fun at Disney and provides an estimate of what they may be. If this is something that interests you, download our free Disney World cost calculator so you can get real pricing estimates for visiting Mickey Mouse!
How much does it cost to go to Disney World?
While no two vacations are the same, let’s break down what it could cost a family of 4 to go to Disney World for a week (5-day tickets) at each level of Disney resorts.
I created a product, Disney World Planning Cheat Sheets, that gives you the exact formula for planning your Disney World vacation no matter what your budget is. Let’s use the calculations from there.
Before you get sticker shock from seeing the numbers, remember that you can save some money by staying at off-site hotels. This is especially true if the hotel provides a free shuttle and/or free breakfast.
Want to Save $1,000 at Disney World? Check out 20 Disney World Money Saving Hacks
Value Resorts
Of all the Disney World Hotels, the Value Resorts are the least expensive.
The Value Resorts are:
- All-Star Sports
- All-Star Music
- All-Star Movies
- Pop Century
- Art of Animation
While they do not have elaborate pools, balconies or any sit-down restaurants, they are a fun place to stay. Most importantly, they are clean and provide Disney transportation to all the parks.
Don’t overlook these if you want a budget stay. Prices vary tremendously throughout the year. Let’s plan a Disney World July 2023 vacation.
Assumptions:
- 2 adults / 2 children, ages 5 and 11
- 7 nights at Disney’s Pop Century
- 5-day base tickets
- Order some groceries (Amazon Fresh, Publix, Instacart, etc)
- Does not include transportation
| Expense | Cost |
|---|---|
| Hotel | $1312 |
| Tickets | $2244 |
| Food (in parks) | $700 |
| Food (Amazon Fresh delivery) | $175 |
| Total Cost | $4431 |
Moderate Resorts
If you are looking to take your stay up a notch, check out the Moderate Resorts.
These include:
- Port Orleans – French Quarter
- Port Orleans – Riverside
- Caribbean Beach
- Coronado Springs
Larger rooms, more amenities and enhanced pool areas characterize the Moderates over the Value Resorts.
Average cost seems to run between $260-$360 per night.
Assumptions:
- 2 adults / 2 children, ages 5 and 11
- 7 nights at Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter
- 5-day base tickets
- Genie+ for 2 days for each person ($20 each, per day)
- Does not include transportation besides within Disney World
| Expense | Cost |
|---|---|
| Hotel | $2369 |
| Tickets | $2244 |
| Food (in parks) | $1000 |
| Genie+ | $160 |
| Souvenirs | $100 |
| Total Cost | $5873 |
Deluxe Resorts
The fanciest hotel rooms on Disney property are either at the Deluxe Resorts or the Deluxe Villas (rooms that Disney’s version of a timeshare with a kitchen and living area).
These are:
- Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Beach Club
- Boardwalk Inn
- Contemporary
- Grand Floridian
- Key West Resort
- Polynesian
- Riviera
- Saratoga Springs
- Wilderness Lodge
Assumptions:
- 2 adults / 2 children, ages 5 and 11
- 7 nights at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- 5-day base tickets
- Genie+ for 2 days for each person ($20 each, per day)
- Does not include transportation besides within Disney World
| Expense | Cost |
|---|---|
| Hotel | $3417 |
| Tickets | $2244 |
| Food (in parks) | $1000 |
| Character Meal | $200 |
| Genie+ | $160 |
| Souvenirs | $100 |
| Total Cost | $7121 |
Save Money at Disney World
If you are looking for savings hacks, tips and tricks, I have you covered. I have never spent more than $2,000 for a Disney World vacation for my family.
How? There are lots of ways to save money if you know how to look for them.
I’ve compiled my best ways to save money so you can, too! See everything that’s included before and click the link for more information.
Save $1,000 at Disney World now.
Disney World Cost Calculator 2023 Summary
Disney is expensive. The total cost can range anywhere from $4,000 on up for a week-long family of 4 vacation in 2023.
If you want to go, then it’s worth doing your research and planning ahead of time so that you don’t end up with sticker shock when the bill comes due.
The Disney World cost calculator can help estimate how much a trip will cost based on your travel plans. It also factors in hotel costs, food expenses, ticket prices for different days at various parks and souvenirs like pins or Mickey ears which are all part of what makes the “Disney experience” so special!
Hope you find it useful for your Disney trip planning!
