How Much Does a Disney World Vacation Cost?

Sabrina Tinius On January 28, 2018 / Disney World / Leave a comment

How Much Does a Disney World Vacation Cost?

Listen, I’ll be honest here. If you came to this page hoping to get a flat out number on how much a Disney World vacation costs, you might be a little disappointed. Because the answer is that it’s simply not possible to list one price and call it a day.

What I can do is help you understand the different pieces that work together to create the final cost. And I can help you understand how different decisions will affect your cost.

How long will you stay in Disney World?

Let’s start here. One of the biggest factors in price will be the length of your stay. Obviously a quick 2 night stay costs a lot less than a 10 night stay. But I often get asked how much a Disney World vacation costs without the person asking knowing how long they’d like to stay.
You can read more here about how many days you need for Disney World. One of the first things I do with a new client is go over how much time they will need for their vacation. Generally speaking, when possible, at least 4 park days are needed, so that is a great place to start from.

How many people are in your traveling party?

Six people costs a lot more than two people. If you have more than four people traveling, your resort room options begin to get a little more narrow. For example, value resorts only sleep parties of four. Larger families will need to look at moderate and deluxe resorts, family suites or villas.

What kind of Disney World resort will you choose?

This is a huge question, really. There are a LOT of Disney World resorts, and each one has it’s own personality, pros and cons. If you are sure you need the lowest cost possible and are aware of any possible drawbacks, then a value resort is going to help keep your costs low as long as your party fits.

If you have more wiggle room in the budget, there are many perks to the deluxe resorts. For example, you can see here whether a Deluxe resort is really worth it.

How many ticket days and do you need a park hopper for Disney World?

Here’s the good news: each additional day of Disney World tickets costs less than the day before. If you’re planning on going to the park more than 3 days, then it’s very cost efficient to visit the parks each day of your stay. When adding extra days only costs around $20 per person per day, it’s a great deal.

And what about the Park Hopper? It’s not an absolute must as long as you have enough days to see each park at least once. That said, there are several scenarios where this add on makes sense. For example, if you have only have 3 days and feel you simply must see all four parks, a Park Hopper ticket makes sense. Or, if you have a longer trip, and want to be able to revisit a particular park several evenings, you may find a Park Hopper to be valuable as well.

Do you want a Disney World dining plan?

There are several versions of the dining plan, but all of the help to make your vacation feel a bit more inclusive of costs. One of the more popular plans includes 1 table service meal, 1 quick service meal, and 2 snacks per person, per night of your stay, plus a refillable resort mug per person. While often saving money over paying over pocket, an additional benefit of the dining plan is knowing your dining costs up front so that there are no budgeting surprises once on your vacation.

Deciding which dining plan to get, if any, makes a difference in your total cost.

What time of year will you visit Disney World?

A lot of clients ask when to go to Disney World for the lowest crowds. But when you go can also have a big effect on pricing.

Christmas week, for example, has absolute peak pricing. You will pay the very highest prices to stay here then!

Certain other times of year tend to be quite a bit lower. September, right after most kids have just gone back to school, historically has lower pricing.

When we speak with clients who have flexible dates, we often talk about the differences between each time of year, in relation to crowds, prices, weather, and activities.

Bottom Line

All of these factors come together to create the answer to how much a Disney World vacation costs. And because of this, the cost of a Disney World vacation can vary by large amounts from one family to the next.

If you are confused or overwhelmed by all of the decisions that go into planning a Disney World vacation, we’d love to help you make it easy. Our Disney vacation planning services start with a free phone consultation where we can help you find the perfect match for your stay, from how long to go to where to stay and what to include. From there we assist with every detail from dining to FastPass+ reservations to creating custom ride by ride plans to keep you out of the long lines.

Do We Need a Stroller in Disney World?

Do We Need a Stroller in Disney World?

Wondering if you need a stroller in Disney World is a common question, especially if your children are not babies anymore. Most people assume they need a stroller for children 2 and under. But what about preschoolers?

Are my kids too big for a stroller?

Even though your kids may not use a stroller anymore for your everyday activities at home, you may find Disney World is a whole lot more manageable for them with a stroller to cruise in. Most guests end up walking well over 10,000 steps per day, and as you can imagine, that’s a lot for tiny legs to handle.

Having a stroller for kids up to age 6 can help reduce over-tiredness, tantrums and melt downs and allow everyone to have more fun.

Plus, when crowds get a bit tight, it can be a lot less stressful to have your kids contained in one spot as you navigate through.

And, while I often recommend a mid-day break at the resort to my clients, for a variety of reasons, for those families who won’t take a break, a stroller makes a convenient place for an afternoon nap.

Should I bring a stroller or rent a stroller?

Ok, so let’s say you’ve decided a stroller is the way to go. Should you bring one or rent one?

Certainly, if you have a stroller at home that suits your park needs, you can bring it along. It’s free to gate check at the airport, so if you don’t mind hauling it with you, it’s free to do.

However, many of my clients have two kids who could benefit from a stroller, and yet they don’t own a double stroller. Or perhaps they have just one child that they want a stroller for, but they already sold or gave away their stroller since it wasn’t getting used at home. In this case a stroller rental is the way to go. But Disney’s strollers aren’t usually the best option.

Why? Well, if you rent Disney’s strollers, you are limited to using them inside the park. If your child falls asleep, and you need to leave the park, you have to wake them up as you return the stroller. Plus, each day you’ll have to get in line to rent the stroller again.

Where to rent a Disney World stroller

An easier option is a third party stroller rental. Disney has a selection of preferred stroller rental companies, and the one I use most often for my clients is Orlando Stroller Rental. We can choose from a variety of sizes to make sure you have the right stroller for your needs, and then it gets delivered right to your resort. You return it at the resort as well. Super easy! And you can take it in and out of the parks and around the resorts as much as you’d like.

Generally speaking, when you can keep your little ones less tired, you’ll all have more fun! So when in doubt over whether you need a stroller in Disney World, I’d always err on the side of YES.

(P.S. Want someone to take all of the stress out of the planning, far beyond stroller tips? See our Disney vacation planning services!)

Monthly archive for January 2018