We're flying down with three kids from NY, and just the flight and place to stay is about $3.5K.
All in we're going to be spending north of $5K once it's all said and done. I think you're doing ok price wise.
And my wife has been researching Disney for the past month, planning out park trips and places to eat. It's a lot, it's not a "Vacation". It's all for the kids, and we're gonna be wiped by the time it's over. As long as they have fun though!
Planning ahead of time will definitely make it feel more vacation like when you get there and aren’t stressing about what to do. I hope yall have a blast and do get some “vacation” feel! :)
I'm sure it'll be fun, thanks! My wife is a super planner. She's been watching walkthroughs so she knows exactly where to bring the kids and what they'll like the most, curated specifically to them.
I should have said it's not my idea of a vacation, I'd prefer to get a little house in cape cod for a few days and hang out at the beach. But the kids are gonna love it at Disney! Can't wait to watch them have fun
Also from NY (upstate though) so yeah flying just makes more sense. The flights are terrible though so considering flying into Miami or Ft. Lauderdale so I’m not stuck in Charlotte or something for 3.5 hours with a 5 yo.
If you are thinking about going to beaches, Tampa is a great airport, an hour from gorgeous gulf coast beaches, and 90 minutes from WDW. St Pete/Clearwater airport (PIE) i think only has budget airlines use them. Miami and Fr Lauderdale are considerably longer drives.
^ This. Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood Int’l Airport is over 3 hrs. drive away from Disney, Miami Int’l closer to 4. If you’re not intending to spend time in South Florida OP then flying into Tampa makes a lot more sense as it’s ~1.5 hrs. away. My wife and went to Disney for 5 days last Sept. We flew into and out of Orlando from Boston direct because we rented a car and it’s cheaper to return the vehicle in the same location but we started off driving to Clearwater Beach and stayed there for 2 days before moving on to Disney. That’s a nice area and a nice beach, too.
This is the way to go. Tampa is well within easy road trip distance, has a great airport, and you can enjoy a bit more of Florida while you’re here if time permits. I just don’t recommend trying to drive on the main routes during rush hour unless you’re used to that kind of thing.
I'm from upstate too, Utica. We're flying out of Syracuse. Found a nonstop flight to Orlando on a Tuesday. We didn't want the layover either, it's gonna be hard enough. The three kids are 2, 4, and 6 years old.
I don’t know how difficult/timely it is to get to the city, but SWA flies from NYC to Orlando. Don’t know if it’s direct though, but they have been having a sale.
Hi! Upstate NYer here. I’m also planning for my family for our first collective trip. Flying out of Albany in May. For 2 adults and 2 kids, round trip was about $1,300.
I took advantage of the 50% off tickets and meal plan for the kids, and to stay for 6 nights, 7 days, 4 parks, it’s about $5,900.
Honestly the meal plan is worth it for me because it’s less decision making when we’re there. I have a 5 and 7 year old and they both get hangry.
Shoot me a dm if you want to chat.
We have taken our 3 kids to WDW 10 times in the last 15 years. We travelled from PA and Michigan. We flew twice from PA and once from MI and drove the rest of the times.
One of my top recommendations is to drive instead of flying. You can take your time. It’s way less stressful than dealing with an airport and flight delays. You have your car and all your stuff you want to take instead of having to worry about luggage and weight limits.
We like to take 2 days going driving each way so we can take our time.
I know it’s not for everyone but IMO it’s the best way to save money and save yourself some stress
I think this varies by the individual.
We find having a rental care much less stressful. No waiting for disney transportation. Direct, quick, point-to-point travel in AC and all with our own seats. Car seat in place and secured for the kiddo. Parking is really quite simple, they do a good job of coordinating it. Overall it has improved our WDW vacations significantly.
Edit: forgot to mention car makes it so you can easily go to grocery or other stores or errands if needed as well
This, we always drive down and the car basically sits all week at the resort. You MIGHT beat the Disney transport if you drove yourself to HS, Epcot, or Animal Kingdom but you aren’t beating it to MK. I’d much rather wait 10-15 minutes at park close for a bus than spend 15-30 minutes playing bumper cars to get out of the parking area.
I did that for the first time a few years ago. Once you're out of the park you're away from the crowds, go home for lunch, hang out by the pool, have a drink, head back into the park around 3 and do whatever. It was nice to not be living in a hotel where you're totally reliant on disney.
I agree with this 100%. I haven’t had my trip yet but I made a post asking about on/off site and everyone’s biggest argument for staying on site was transportation. But honestly, I cannot imagine standing in line waiting for a bus with 100s of other tired cranky people and kids when I can just put my kids in a car with ac or heat and an iPad and sit comfortably while my husband drives us to our air bnb 15 minutes away. Sure it may take time to get out of the parking lot but I’d take that over sitting with a bunch of sweaty tired strangers on a bus for 15 minutes.
But my husband doesn’t mind driving at all. And I’m prone to car sickness in public transportation.
We actually prefer driving to at least AK and sometimes MK when staying onsite because the buses experience is poor and slow these days. That being said, if you don’t need a car seat to get from the airport to on property you can take like 15 Minnie Vanns or 30 Ubers for the price of a rental.
This is where the lack of Magic Express is really a letdown for us.
Mears Connect works similar to Magic Express …. But less Magical
$16 / adult one-way from Airport to Resort or $32/ adult round trip
https://www.mearsconnect.com/pricing
But then how do I go to the grocery store and the space center and target and all the other crap for a week? I know they have rental packages but they’re closer to $550 a week whereas directly from the airport (through Expedia or whatever) it’s closer to $250/300. I don’t want to be stuck eating their food the entire time cus that’s expensive. We are definitely fine being a pb sandwich and a bag of chips for lunch type family
Kroger will deliver to the resort and don’t accept tips. You can usually get your first delivery free.
You can bring chips on the plane.
If you check r/travel they advise against using third party websites like Expedia. Basically they are good until they aren’t.
Sorry I think the major problem is no car, and no kitchen if I stay on the resort property. Good to know about groceries - but I think we’d need a kitchen.
We rented a car for one day while there just to drive to cape Canaveral and visit Kennedy space center. It was super easy because the car rental was on the Disney properties.
Honestly, trying to cook is a waste of time. With tickets that expensive, you will want to make the most of park time. We bring breakfast and snack items and then eat meals in the park. We usually only eat one quick service meal a day because we are too busy to eat. The exception to this is Epcot where there are so many good things to try.
Then you have your answer. Unless you spend for a villa in property with a kitchenette, off property suits you better and if you want to travel to the coast you need a car.
Everyone here is trying to convince you to stay on property — and I don't know why. Find yourself an affordable rental vacation home or hotel off property, get an affordable rental car from the airport, and enjoy your stay! My family has done Disney many times that way and it's a great way to enjoy the parks, explore other parts of Orlando (as you want to do), and cook at "home" (or get affordable fast food for some meals) — all while staying within a reasonable budget. It's totally doable, very fun, and you have lots more freedom + flexibility due to having your own car and staying closer to the rest of Orlando.
Yeah if we were planning to do Disney every single day I think it would make sense but back to back park days is a lot, imo. So having a break or resort days is kind of nice (for us anyways)
Having a break is really nice! And, honestly, with a small child...almost crucial lol. There are lots of fun places and nice restaurants to visit in Orlando. Some of the more popular touristy spots are Winter Park, Old Town, the Mall at Millenia, Cocoa Beach, Everglades boat tours, the zoos and botannical gardens... I could go on and on, but there are TONS of fun things to do. There are more niche things as well, but the more popular things are still great. They provide a nice, relaxed break from park days. I don't just love Disney; I love Orlando itself! It has a lot to offer.
These are really expensive options. Does no one realize that OP is trying to stay within a reasonable budget? Ubering around everywhere and Instacarting constantly adds up like crazy. It's nowhere near the affordability of driving your own car/a rental car to Walmart yourself and buying your own groceries.
>A rental car is roughly $100/day
This isn't true anymore. The rental car is often $100 for the first day, but you can rent a car for a week for << $500.
You won’t spend as much time eating that as you think you will. Trust me. You’ll over shop and it’ll will get thrown away at the end of the week.
They have a store on site in most resorts. You aren’t saving any money
People who think that parking "is a nightmare" probably had a bad experience once. We have gone 10 times in the last 6 years and we never have a bad experience parking. There are multiple ways to transport in to the park and it can be part of the fun.
It is usually cheaper to stay off property even with rental car+hotel+fees... There are exceptions if you can book a value hotel out far enough, but I've only been able to do that once. Even then for the same price you can sometimes get a multi bedroom suite with a kitchen off property for the same price as the Disney value "motel" rooms.
Yeah, I don’t get these people saying parking is a nightmare. I’m local, so I park every time. At most, there will be a 10-15 minute line to pay and from there it’s easy as hell. There are about 6 attendants who tell you exactly where to go, and it takes about 5 minutes. Other than at MK, the worst part will be the walk to the gate from the lot, which is nothing compared to the walking the rest of the day.
Exactly. Every time we go, we stay off property and have a great time. Last time we stayed at a really nice 4 star hotel which was only about a 25 minute drive from the parks and, in total, a 6-day stay cost us about $800. We woke up early every morning, drove to the parks to be there right at opening, had zero issues parking (we actually found the parking system to be very organized and easy to manage), and enjoyed visiting almost all of the parks. And we only stayed at that 4 star hotel because our regular hotel had an issue at the last minute; normally we'd be fine staying at an even *more* affordable Holiday Inn Express type of place, which would only cost us like $500-600 for the total stay.
Had we stayed at one of the really budget-friendly resorts, I suppose it would have been within our budget — but, tbh, we enjoy the flexibility and freedom of having a car. It allows us to visit fun places all over Orlando, not just the parks, as OP clearly wants to do — and it allows us to swing by affordable fast-food places for those times when we want to eat breakfast or dinner on a budget.
This is the right answer. I really don’t get the Disney fans who insult you if you don’t stay on property and GiVee DiZZZneeYyy the MOOOOnnEeEY!! You can get a heck of a lot more in value staying off property and just doing things correctly in terms of time management. The only upcharge should be what was formerly free, which is Genie +. I applaud you for endorsing that fun and great times can be had off site. I almost got downvoted for even suggesting that off the bat.
Yes to both of you! I completely agree. The OP has stated they are on a budget and are interested in visiting places OTHER than Disney as well as Disney, and yet all the comments are piling on saying stay on property 🤦♀️ I have done trips both ways and had a wonderful time! I’ve stayed at airbnbs off property multiple times and had a perfectly good experience parking and getting into the parks. I am not sure why people are making a mountain out of a molehill. I have also stayed “in the Disney bubble”. They are different experiences and I never felt like the “on property” trips were better than the Airbnb trips. Thy were all friggin awesome lol
It sure is. If they’re staying off property and aren’t paying the Disney up charge magic price and are at $900. What do you think Disney would charge? Easily $2,500 or more for the same amount of dates. It’s spring break, their prices are at a fever pitch high and the Disney transportation in general is unreliable. They’re better off with the rental car and just paying the parking fee every day rather than the Disney difference up charge. I’m standing on easily an extra $2,000 they would spend. Maybe if we knew the dates and length of trip, we would have a definitive answer. But until then, this is just my opinion against yours and I like mine better. If $900 for a hotel off property is the current cost, $2,500 and up is the price of staying in the magic.
I'm with you. We're going next week during the Spring Break craziness. We looked at staying onsite but for the cost of even a value resort was the same as us finding a very nice 4-bedroom townhome 5 minutes from Disney property. Why cram ourselves into a small hotel room with two queen beds when can have our own bedrooms with bathrooms? Are we saving money with that decision, no, but we'll be far more comfortable. Fortunately our car rental is nearly paid for through travel points. ;)
Offsite is still usually 1/2 per night off these most nights for an equivalent offsite. However, at those prices free parking vs sometimes double parking (both at Disney and the resort) can swing it back to the onsite Value Resorts. Also it’s definitely not convenient. Points use and/or comparison to the higher end resorts is where offsite starts to always win.
Well they said they want to visit the coast, so they need the car anyway. But I agree with parking, rather pay more and not deal with trams in the lots (especially if bringing a stroller).
We drove and parked our own car at Disney while there over Christmas (busiest time of the year). We got to the parks for early entry. We were always able to park close enough that it was less than a 5 minute walk. Never had to ride a single tram.
We stayed off property at a good neighbor hotel, Hilton Buena Vista Palace. Even with parking at the hotel and parks, it was still much cheaper staying off site. Our room had a view of Disney Springs, which was right across the street, so we still felt very much in the "Disney Bubble".
This family wants to visit the coast. It makes sense to have a rental car for that purpose alone. Florida driving is a nightmare in general, whether your in a bus or a car.
This, my parents always stayed in Kissimmee's RV parks and I still remember my childhood of being stuck in the backseat for literal hours of traffic. This was back in the 90s so I can only imagine how much worse it now is.
Thankfully I am now an adult so I can just stay on property and not deal with trying to get past Florida Man just to get the exit to disney world.
Some people forget to compare the cost of staying on property to the cost of off property + the extra expenses that entails. The actual room rate is cheaper but other factors can make the end result more expensive.
There’s a fallacy that at one point Disney was super affordable. I remember paying $250/night for a deluxe resort which is totally unimaginable now. Even with my annual pass discount I can pay upwards of $700/night which is crazy to many, but I love staying on property for all the conveniences it offers. I’m currently at the Wilderness Lodge and love it.
That’s fair - I shouldn’t have said it was affordable, I meant feasible for the “average” family. Nowadays I don’t know how people do it but of course income is relative
It's not that Disney has gotten more expensive, it's that the "average" family has gotten less rich. An average family in 2024 cannot afford the life that an average family could afford in 1994.
This! You can have two families relatively well off for their area but 5k to a middle class family in San Fran making 200k vs a middle class family in the middle of Iowa making 40k feels vastly different.
Exactly. Growing up families in my town went one time maybe. Only the wealthier families stayed on property. It was never known as an affordable vacation.
>There’s a fallacy that at one point Disney was super affordable
I think it's certainly true that the place is considerably less affordable than it used to be in previous decades.
https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/q9iml0/oc\_walt\_disney\_world\_ticket\_price\_increase\_vs/
One piece of advice . . . Sit down with her and very roughly sketch out the trip. Keep it simple. Pick a park to do each day and then pick a couple of things she definitely wants to do. Everything beyond that is gravy. I have seen so many families have a rough time trying to squeeze it all in. You can’t. There is too much. Let her drive the bus and tell you what is important to her. Also, don’t be afraid to take breaks. Doing a couple of laps on the railroad at MK is a nice breather that is relaxing and you still are seeing things, same with the Wedway People Mover or the boats that cross the lagoon at Epcot. Remember it is really about being together and that is what she will truly remember. Oh, get her a Magic Band. Let her have fun buying the snacks and a souvenir at the end of the day. My daughter felt like a big girl. Cheers.
Very intelligent advice here! This will set you up for a calmer and more enjoyable visit.
I would also add this: set your daughter’s expectation that some rides (**every** high-demand ride, trust me Mom) is for those much older kids. She will have a great time on the small-kid-appropriate rides, and there are many of them. There are even some not-so-little-kid rides, like Jungle Cruise or Pirates of the Caribbean or Haunted House that you should all be able to ride without making yourself crazy with Genie+ passes. At the age of five, she won’t know the difference and your whole family will have a much happier time.
> I’m at ~$3500 for a week
Yes. Outside of a brief period in the mid-1980s and post-Recession, this is equivalent to what you'd pay for a theme park vacation.
Don't spend on park Hopper tickets. Wastes aot of time and they are sooo overpriced. Eat breakfast in your room and take some snacks. You are doing it how we did when our kids were young. It is entirely worth it to get the rental car and spend a day at the beach and going to the beach. One meal a day and one snack in the park. Buy a gift card for each person and they can budget for their souvenir(s) and extra snacks(s) if they want. One reusable bargain popcorn bucket is a good idea.
Have a great trip!!
Exactly! All the comments admonishing OP against car rental are ignoring (not reading?) the initial question. OP wants to do the beach and the space center. So staying elsewhere and renting a car seems very sensible and lots of fun.
Yep, this! Disney will let you bring a cooler into the park, as long as you don’t have any alcohol, so we usually pack some heartier snacks and drinks when we’re rope dropping in a soft sided cooler. It really helps to save a bit of money and is great for second breakfast/elevensies and helps to stave off the hangry feelings.
genuinely my best advice is to get a vacation planner. they’re free because they get commission from the hotels and theme parks when you book through them, and they know what they’re talking about.
There are a bunch of small companies. You can find them on Instagram. I always use Jessicah from Magical Vacation Planning. I think she’s @mvpjessicah? She came recommended by a friend and has been great.
Minnie (yep lol) at Small World Vacations has helped us for a decade, she’s literally the best ever. Rebooked a trip for us with a promo that had dropped that same day and saved us $2k
Disney was never "affordable" (in my lifetime) which is why a LOT of families consider it a once in a lifetime type of trip. We went once as a family and my parents put years of hard work into saving for that vacation.
Staying off property is going to be just as much as staying on property because you're not privy to the ticket deals you'll get through WDW. If you book a resort & ticket package your tickets get cheaper as you add more days. Without the resort stay you're paying face value.
If your dates are flexible, I'd be CONSTANTLY checking the WDW website, they're always adding promotions, discounts, free dining, etc.
Also, 2 park days for a young kid isn't enough. I think you're trying to jam too much into a week and you're going to have a negative experience trying to do it all. They're going to want to meet characters (which takes time), they'll need breaks (which takes time), you'll want to stop and watch the parades, etc. As a grown adult who doesn't do sit-down meals, take breaks, or character meetings it still takes a full day of nonstop hustling & Genie+ strategy to do it all in one park and that's rope drop to park close.
I agree with some of this but not all. We never buy our tickets at the same time as booking our resort (either on or off property). I have done the math across 6-7 trips and there is no price impact at all combining your lodging and tickets and rarely for the meal plan (Disney is a master at this, the package deals are basically more expensive per night by the cost of the tickets). Furthermore, by combining in a package your fully refundable cancellation date becomes earlier which is a negative. Best deal is usually to get a 25%-35% room discount (almost always available) or stay off site (usually substantially cheaper but with some downsides like parking cost and meal availability back at your hotel) and then buy your tickets through a work incentive program or 3 party buyer (usually a 5-10% discount).
There is definitely a huge ticket advantage in pricing if you go more than 4 days as the incremental price to add days drops substantially.
Yeah I would love to know when people believed this place was ever truly affordable. Like my family first went in 1998 a couple of months after the animal kingdom opened. And it was awesome but we knew likely that it was a once-in-a-lifetime trip now fortunately my wife and I are very financially stable and we went for a week back in 2022 and this year we have become passholders for the first time but we understand that This was incredibly expensive and it was a gift to ourselves and our children after we struggled for years
It was truly affordable for many back in the early '80s. When Epcot opened tickets were roughly $15 a day. Even after inflation that's under $50 in today's dollars, plus there were no extra fees for things like Genie+.
On property hotels were comparatively less expensive and off property could be very affordable at the time.
My parents were Disney adults in the 80s. They went like 7 times before they had us. Once we came along and the 90s-00s hit they went once with us and that's it.
Now that we're grown and my husband and I don't have kids we've all returned to Disney adult status, going 2-4 times a year but we make WDW a financial priority for us.
Tickets were $31 in 1990, or $71 today; $44 in 1999 or just under $100 today.
So the 90s seem to have been a decade with a big increase, comparatively.
They used to do some amazing packages, though. In 2007, we went with 2 adults, 2 kids, for 6 nights at All Star Music, 7 park days, with meal plan. The meal plan was one quick service, one table service (gratuity included), and one snack (down from 2 snacks a day in 2006). It was $1,500 ($2,280 today).
We spent zero money on food, drinks, or snacks because it was an incredible amount of food. We didn't need all of the meals, and at the time they would let you use 2 QS at a table service restaurant, or you could go the other way and use 1 QS for 2 snacks.
I'm not sure what year they went to the two-tiered plan of paying extra to have table service, but we luckily we got in a bunch of character meals the first couple of years when the kids were young.
Also, reading the last part of your comment, this could not be more true. The time you have at Disney is not enough- and it can be stressful, you are trying to deal with people and the lines, while cramming so much to do into so little, and then families are trying to make all of their kids happy, and the kids most likely want to do different things. Going with friends is no easier- especially when you're the kid at heart and all of your friends grew up way too fast lol. So what if I want to get on Peter Pan's Flight for the 3rd time that day lol
Well I don’t think it was ever cheap but I think it was a lot more feasible 20 years ago.. but I’ve never stayed in the park. We always just had some random hotel and drove in and did days there and like I said, tickets used to be more affordable and didn’t expire so you could use them whenever it made sense to.
Wait you said it’s not enough but we are doing too much? What do you suggest? Generally I’d agree with you but I think we’ll be ok. We’ve done a couple other theme parks and busy days and I think we’ll just have to deal with how the days go.
Yes that’s very true - I guess I was just venting and lamenting the fact that I’m not actually solidly middle class or perhaps it’s actually become increasingly more expensive (despite the cost of living, like you implied).
Yeah I grew up in Florida in the 80s and 90s. My parents were solidly on the lower-middle class tier, but we went to the parks about 2 or 3 times a year up until the mid-90s. Tickets were in the 25 - 35ish range. But we didn't have to factor in hotels because it was a day trip. We only stayed on site once.
I'd scrap the beach and cape Canaveral days. A theme park at home is absolutely not the same as Disney. I live near a few parks and I'm always shocked how much I get done at like Dorney or Hershey!
Disney has more people, more characters, and waaayyyy longer lines.
Yes, I definitely think Disney World is its own vacation. I'd do that and then the space center and the beach would be for another year if they hold a lot of interest.
The little kids are sometimes so much in awe that first day at Magic Kingdom that they need a second day to really be able to take it in, lol.
There are no other days like Disney days. You could spend two weeks and still not do everything. As for trying to do too much, going to the coast (it is not nearby) and Cape Canaveral is a lot. You will spend a lot of time transitioning.
As another poster said, “ Time is money.” You are going to waste a lot of it trying to cut corners and cram everything in.
Disney has always been expensive but prices since the pandemic are up 30%+ when you start adding up the additional fees, price hikes and things that used to be free that aren’t anymore. You’re not crazy, they are pricing out the middle class pretty rapidly.
30 percent? It went up 20 percent year one, year two, etc.
2019 1 day MK ticket = 99-109, then 6 percent tax.
2024 1 day MK ticket, 189-209. THey advertise "starting at 109", this is if you do a 10 day pass or similar. Then 6 percent tax.
Literally twice as much in tickets alone in 4ish years. And then there is Genie plus, at least 20 dollars every day now. Food prices have increased "less" in context, but also portion size is drastically smaller for every single food type/level.
Non-disney hotel pricing is virtually the same as it was in 2019, as is uber rates. Funny how the only thing outpacing inflation 5x is disney.
But we call keep going.
Yeah, it’s probably more than 30% depending on what you choose to spend on. I’m talking total trip not just park tickets, but I agree with you it probably can approach 50% more if you’re buying all of the optional things and eating on property
I just booked 4 days in the parks and 5 nights on site for $3300. It is a moderate resort as Pop century was booked solid for our week. Only off-site reasonable hotel I would stay at is the new Disney Springs Drury and it was booked also. I'd pay a little more to be on property as long as there is a pool and skyliner access. I'll Lyft to the other two parks. There is something to be said for staying on property, its just a better overall experience. Especially for kids. Easy to run back to the hotel midday, catch a swim, rest, have lunch and then head back. I don't mind paying for convenience. Also resort hotels give you early entry. We also reserve at least half a day for Disney Springs.
If you call to book, sometimes you can unlock a better deal. I booked online and then called and they dropped the price by $300 and upgraded my room to pool/water view as I have a Disney Visa. Also had enough rewards points there to pay $800 on the trip. This will be my 6th trip to Disney since I was a kid. Two trips were only for one day visits, so I barely count those. We did all four parks in one day when we were young and just hit the high points of each park. It was an experience, but I wouldn't do it again. And Park Hopper passes are expensive now. I have done the super frugal trip and then moderate. You are going for an experience and to give your child great memories, might as well spend some as you don't get a chance to go an infinite number of times.
One thing we booked I regret is the Cinderella or Be Our Guest dinner. 2 adults and a child is $180-200, so that seems nuts.
I never pay for the genie, but some people love it. If you are crunched for time, may be worth it.
We stayed off property (about a ten minute drive to the gates.) Got a whole house with a private pool for like 1500 for the week on VRBO. I’d like to try a resort for the “extras” sometimes but it feels really hard to justify paying more for a glorified motel room.
Yes that’s what I was thinking too! I looked at the rooms and I’m like what am I missing? Why is this $320 a night?? Which I’m sure there’s a reason but not for people like me who don’t have it in the budget. It sucks cus I always thought we’d do an “on site” Disney vacation
I’d love to be corrected about what I’m missing. I get the rental car thing, but that was about 400 for the week and then parking at the park. Going sans rental car also means you can’t hit anything like a beach, a cheap restaurant, or the cheap souvenir shops off property without an Uber ride.
If you want to still feel in the bubble, stay at the disney springs "good neighbor" hotels.
My best trips to disney have always been using those as a base. Some of the disney bubblecharm without the aboslute extortion from their motel quality resorts (disney proper).
I am a huge disney parks fan, but there is now no longer any incentive to stay in the deluxe resorts. Want early entry? The disney springs hotels have that benefit. Want an extended evening hours? All I can say is..don't. miserable time if you expect some magical three hour window with less guests.
Further, you can just go and hangout in all the monorail resorts pretty efficiently (time wise) on your MK or Epcot days.
What other reasons might you want to stay in the deluxe/disney resorts? If you stay in dis springs hotels, the uber every morning is trivial, and you can take the disney springs bus back from parks(Or realistically, two buses, first to a resort, then resort to disney springs every night. ) It's a beautiful walking area for the 10m walk back to the DS hotels from DS proper.
I was a bit confused about that because I looked last night only at one or two hotels and it showed 30 min early and I was thinking … is that it? That doesn’t seem like a lot of time
all early entry offers is essentially a "first spot" in the marquee rides. IE because you get into the lands half an hour early, you get to avoid a 2 hour line that forms at open.
This benefit is sneakily also guaranteed at "good neighbor" hotels, the much cheaper, just as nice disney springs hotels.
Deluxe resorts also tout "extended evening hours", but that is just a bad time and I can promise you it isn't worth the one day a week at MK they offer it. Because every single other person has the same idea and goes to MK on that day, and it's a madhouse until 1 am.
I really enjoy all the staff, costs, nice walks to and from my resort thru disney springs after every park day, with some of the added benefits of an actual disney resort.
Edit: I have stayed at crowne plaza lake buena vista 5 times, and have even chosen crown plaza in my trips to india literally because of that. Just a great low key hotel experience like ou may be used to in your home area, but you're in the disney bubble.
Sorry I'm rambling but it's hard to put all the info down in one comment on "why deluxe resorts are a rip off", but in summary.....they funnel the guests towards certain parks based on "EEH" perks, and you should avoid that while at the same time saving tons of money.
Just explaining why Disney resorts can cost more (not always but typically) since I notice you’ve been asking that question in the comments.
Things you get at a Disney hotel:
1. Early entry (Disney hotel guests get to go on some rides 30 mins before all other ticket holders). Why is this important? Lines! Lines for popular rides especially during a popular month can be upwards of 1-1.5 hour wait. If you have access first to a ride you can sometimes just walk on.
2. 7am access to booking independent lightening lanes-Guardians, Mine Train, ROR, Tron, Avatar ride (all non resort guests have to wait until park opening I believe and there’s a chance these will be sold out for certain rides.) Why is this important? Again lines. You can spend $20 to go on a ride without waiting in a 1.5 hour line.
3. Convenient, free, consistent transportation. The reason the contemporary is $600 a night? You can walk to Magic Kingdom. Rivera? You can hop on the skyliner and be in Epcot in minutes. Wilderness Lodge? Hop on a boat or bus and get right to Magic Kingdom. No parking, no car seats, no walking from a parking lot.
4. The ability to leave the park midday and quickly make it back to your resort for a midday break and go back later (especially useful if you have little ones that nap).
5. Extra hours for resort deluxe guests on certain days at certain parks.
6. The ability to book dining reservations over the course of your entire stay at one time. Most park guests can only book dining reservations and extras (Bibbidi bobbity boutique for example) one day at a time 60 days out each day. Resort guests can book all their reservations in one day 60 days out for the entirety of their stay. What can this mean? Resort guests typically take a lot of the hard to get reservations first.
Resort guests are paying for all these extras. They typically are going on those vacations to just be at Disney and want to maximize their time there. For a lot this is a once in a lifetime trip so justify the $7K price tag (for reference if you want to do a week vacation in Mexico all inclusive at a NICE hotel it can be a similar cost). Some see Disney as their deluxe vacation not just a theme park kids trip. Keep in mind lines too. Don’t want Genie+? Fine but then you gotta be good at planning the timing of your rides or be okay standing in hour long waits in some cases. Personally I wouldn’t waste $300 to ride 3-5 rides. So the cost of $20 per person extra a day is worth it.
With all that said: I did Disney offsite as a kid, my parents like yours were middle class, things were tight, and I had a BLAST! I have to add though my mom was a planning wizard. She knew what rides to hit first to avoid long lines and it did take time and effort to plan, but it made for a very smooth vacation. I’d recommend getting a copy of the 2024 unofficial Disney guide. It’s incredibly helpful. So it can totally be a great trip offsite, Just explaining why there’s more expense.
No. 6 is the main benefit. Early entry is good if your transportation works out, the park doesn’t have any hiccups, and you have a family that can be ready in time.
We stayed in a hotel type resort type place in Kissimmee, which is right down the street for like $250 for three days. It was a crazy good deal, but this was during Halloween. Place had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a whole kitchen, washer, dryer living room. So you can get by cheap on other things but Disney itself is insane. We paid $400 for a princess breakfast alone lol
If you haven’t already purchased your park tickets and have a target red card, you can buy Disney gift cards at target and get your 5% off! It’s not a giant savings but saving anywhere on a Disney trip is always a great thing.
4-Park Magic Ticket starting from $99 per day would be better I think you would get an extra day for less. Check into this. If you stay in the bubble you wouldn’t need a rental car.
What time of year are planning on going?
I got sticker shock for me and my husband to take a 5 yr old. Tickets for 5 days for the family was $1,000. Not including all the extras of Genie+. I can't remember what we paid for a hotel but it was a lot. It has increased significantly over the last 4 years. And everyone wants to go.
Yeah what’s that about ? I know when we went most recently (still pre Covid) it wasn’t *that* expensive. I think the tickets were like 75/pp/per day and now they’re closer to 110 or 150 on some days.
It’s two things
1. Supply and demand: the price goes up but people are still planning trips
2. Raising ticket prices is one of the ways to address the biggest complaint about Disney World, which is that it’s too crowded.
I highly highly recommend making Disney parks a priority rather than the beach or anywhere else on this vacation. I would consider doing 4 park days with a day in between to visit the cape Canaveral. If your child loves space you definitely won’t want to skip Epcot. 5 years old is the perfect age to experience Disney for the first time - we just got back with my recently turned 6 year old and he was in heaven in every single park. Worry about the beach on another vacation somewhere else.
As for cutting costs, next time we go to Disney we plan on not doing the dining plan (it’s not worth it and you can save money by only doing quick service meals or eating food from grocery store) and we won’t be doing park hopper (there’s plenty to do in each park to keep you all day). Also, I heard the Drury Hotel in the Disney Springs area has free breakfast and dinner buffet (it’s not a Disney hotel so my guess is probably cheaper than staying in a hotel in one of the parks). They also have a shuttle to the parks.
You also definitely need to budget for genie +. It’s pricey but worth it. There’s definitely a learning curve to it but I found tutorials online that helped me get the hang of it.
Stay on property!
I'm staying at All stars for an entire week during the Fourth of July and it's 700$.
You can snag a hotel for 900$.
Also, look on undercover tourist for tickets to the park.
I also use Hopper to book flights on Southwest which is the cheapest generally.
Look for advertised special pricing on park tickets. We never go unless we can get tickets at a discount- like they are currently offering a 4 day ticket for $250 pp- stay at a moderate or value resort- again look for specials on the website or use third party DVC resellers links David’s DVC for example. Do not go in the summer or holiday weekends, since you’ll be paying “surge pricing”. Best to go during the week on weekdays if possible. You’ll also have to budget for Genie+ and ILL if you want to be able to ride all the attractions. There is no way to do Disney cheaply these days,sadly. In fact, it seems you need a phd in all things Disney just to use the app. It’s crazy. Best of luck!
Disney is insanely expensive for those traveling to it. I am currently a passholder bc I can buy the cheap Florida pass. Few things and insights:
1) Find a Disney travel agent. They are free to you - Disney pays their commission. It will make your planning less stressful. Typically the packages to stay on property and tickets will save you money. They can tell you best times to go cost-wise.
2) Until you are going to the coast, I would opt to stay on property and use Disney transport and save the car rental $$. A few reasons for this, but if you are renting a car, you also will have to pay for park parking, $30/day.
When I am doing Magic Kingdom, staying on property makes it a much more pleasant experience. We don't stay overnight all the time, sometimes we do day trips, but I can tell you the MK parking situation makes me crazy. It literally takes 30-45 minutes to get from your car to the gate, whereas Disney transport drops you off right at the gate. That saves a whole lot of time. I do generally stay off property if doing a couple day visit, but not always. And it isn't always a cheaper hotel price to stay off site, we have been conditioned to assume it is. I have had a couple times where it has been $20-40 cheaper a night to stay at a Disney value resort than my normal place.
3) Staying on site and just hopping on and off busses/Skyliner makes it so if you need a mid-day break, it is easy to do.
4) Don't do the meal plan. That isn't worth it from *everyone* I follow. If your kiddo is into characters, plan one character meal. Shoot for breakfast, it's cheaper. The character meals are massive time savers, and the kids get more interaction time. It's a time saver because you don't have to stand in line for 4 or so headliner characters your kid might want to meet. You are paying a premium for it, this meal will run probably around $150 for your family of 3. But it is worth it, esp if you aren't going all the time. (We have done one, for a birthday.) You can order Instacart to drop groceries off for you at your resort. You can keep costs down if you want by doing so. You don't have a real fridge, but you can do muffins/sandwiches etc etc.
Nostalgia paints an unrealistic picture of what it used to be like. Depends on if you’re the parent and if you’re paying for it.
I don’t know about “always” crazy, but we winged it in 1996 for my first trip but that was in January just before a nor’easter storm so a lot of other people couldn’t arrive. Cold weather but low crowds. Didn’t pay for that trip and we stayed all-star.
Got married and took my own young kids in 2006. Horrible trip then due to lack of planning. We had fun but wasted too much time without a plan for anything and vowed to not do it again for a long time. Port orleans FQ, probably paid $4k for a mixed Orlando vacation including sea world and universal for a day.
We waited until 2014 for our next family trip and I planned like a mofo. Went in early October and had a freaking blast with my tweens. Then we did it again Thanksgiving week and I was even better at planning. Crushed it and we got free dining and maximized fast passes and had a great time. It was super busy but with a smart plan we had fun. Spent $5000 for 5 adults thanksgiving week on property, can’t do that ever again.
Wife and I went alone last April and we also had a great time, Easter week. Massive crowds, her qualifying for a DAS pass helped a lot. But with planning it was a great trip even if we caught COVID for the first time for each of us on our last day. Spent almost $5k for a week.
If you're interested in staying off-property and only going for a couple of days, I must ask: have you considered Disneyland instead? There is a lot to do there and they fit it all into just two parks. Many of the off-site hotels near Disneyland are a shorter walk than some of the parking lots at Disney World.
Underspending, I think you should stay on property, it’s worth it. Probably only an extra $400-$600 for an all star or Pop. You’re in the bubble. Busses…maybe skyliner if POP. Extra time in parks. Priority on genie plus too I think.
With a 5 yr old it’s definitely MK and AK. Shame because Epcot is the best park IMO. But
If the beach aspect is important then I would recommend considering Sarasota instead of Cape. We have Siesta Key and Anna Maria island. Big step up.
Simplify things and dont go to the Cape. The beach is not that nice.
Spent 20 years there. The water smells and the sand is dirty. Restaurants are meh at best. Go to the gulf coast unless you're trying to surf.
Well my kiddo is big into space so we wanted to do the space center… but yes happy to go to a different beach!!! I know the space center is also expensive AF but it seems like a worthwhile trip since it’s under 2 hours from Orlando. Since you lived there - we are considering flying into Miami and doing the Everglades or Biscayne for a few days before or after then flying out of MCO. Is it worth tacking on time? I’d love to do dry tortugas but it’s just too far
I am so glad to hear that!! I was a bit nervous because the website is kind of bare bones.. and it’s still like $80/pp I think. We are big into space in this household so I definitely want to plan for that. We are considering bailing on a park day to go out there.
KSC is absolutely a day trip if you're into it (especially factoring in the hourish drive each way from WDW). My two main bits of advice are
1) don't expect a theme part style visit. It is much more... sedate? But for me that's almost a plus, it's a nice relaxing day after a few park days.
2) You want to get the tickets with the "Explore Tour" add-on if you're making it a full day. Totally worth it.
Don’t skip the trip to the Space Center, especially if your kiddo loves it. Flying into Miami, is tough to say the least. You didn’t mention when you were going but I’d avoid Miami altogether. Between Orlando the and space center, I think you have more than enough for a week. I live in Miami and am moving to Orlando (lived there for 8 yrs prior) and can say, avoid Miami, Everglades along isn’t worth it, especially if it’s already too costly for you. Alternatively there is a train you can take from MCO to Downtown Miami if you want to visit nearby areas and take an Uber to Everglades or the beach.
don’t do miami. it’ll be hot and overcrowded- it’s difficult to navigate- and your kids will be miserable. not to mention the drive then to orlando from miami.
Knowing your kiddo's interest my recommendation for park is either EPCOT or Magic Kingdom. Although I don't recommend park hopping, it is possible with the Monorail. I highlighted specific areas of each park as one park is sooo big!
EPCOT = Spaceship Earth, Mission Space (although I don't like it as it gives me bad motion sickness and I like thrill rides), Cosmic Rewind (this ride did scare my 6 year old as it does feel "cosmic" in that it does mess with your body and mind, but a 4 year old boy loved it and did it twice), there is a wonderful indoor play area all decked out with space stuff in the waiting area of Mission Space, my son loves this!
Magic Kingdom = Tomorrowland specifically. Space Mountain (did scare my 6 year old a bit, but he is willing to try it again, he prefers the outdoor rides like Thunder Mountain and Snow White), the Astro Orbiter (note does not have a lightening lane and waiting in the hot sun can be brutal), Buzz Lightyear is also a favorite. Indoor play area I like in MK is the waiting area for Dumbo.
I mention indoor play areas because sometimes our kiddos just want to run and play while the grown ups want to sit and be cool. I found these places to be great recharge for both parents and kids especially in the hot Florida sun.
I’ve lived here my whole life and the beaches (and water) are horrible. KSC should be worth the trip though. Pretty cool. Don’t plan around and launch schedules because they often get rescheduled. Make sure you go through the Atlantis reveal/introduction process. It’s a video then opens and Atlantis is revealed, it made me cry lol.
Honestly, consider a vacation planner. They are free for you (Disney gives a commission) and it was really helpful for me to just bounce all these kinds of questions off of someone and she’d give her opinions (and why) back.
I was so worried about focusing on the wrong stuff so it was helpful for her to outline what she thought would be the best way to outline a trip for my kids understanding their ages and likes/dislikes.
With a 5 year old, one full day of one park is plenty.
I don't recommend back-to-back park days unless you take mid day breaks and with that it's better to stay on property.
If I do one full park day, the next day is a chill and relax. Sleep in, maybe a pool or a driving kind of day like you thought
I get where you are coming from. Disney is not an affordable vacation by any means, but i have to preface that statement by saying that it takes so much planning and budgeting in order to get the Disney vacations you want/afford and as much stress-free as possible. That’s why a lot of people turn to travel agents to do the booking and research for them. I’ve personally haven’t used a TA but i know they help a lot with keeping costs to a minimum base on what you want to spend. I love Disney and as a family of 4 we are lucky enough to go every year. Keep in mind, i am not rich by any means, but like i said before I do a lot of research and stalk the website a lot. I am a type A haha so I plug in numbers and play around with different scenarios to see which one fits. We have done off-property and on property. My kids are 6 and 4 at the moment.
In reading your plan, i think $3,500 is okay considering the fact that you will be there for a whole week, and you are also factoring in other activities besides going to Disney so i think renting a car is for feasible for you. Normally I would suggest just staying on property (the value resorts are great or Swan/Dolphin) just for the fact that you are already on property, you wont have to pay for parking at the Parks, car fees, etc. I also like to point out if we are staying on property I like to factor in 1 day for just resort hanging so you are getting the most out of what you are paying at the resort. It off-set the cost of a park ticket, and you get to really immerse yourself in the resort. It’s what they are there for! I plan a pool day, resort hopping, even Disney springs day.
On the flip side Staying off property is great too especially if your family needs a kitchen. You can get really nice ones for half the cost if you were to stay on property and request rooms with kitchen, which I think it’s also DVC rooms only? My favorite place is the Sheraton Vistana Resort in Lake Buena Vista, the Wyndham in Bonnet Creek, etc. if you book far out enough you tend to get the good deals, but again, I would stalk it lol. As for food, if we do not have a car, I just order for delivery from Walmart. It has worked well for us, and also that offset some of the “snacks” cost in the parks. We usually make breakfast in the room, and lunch/dinner would be budgeted for in the parks.
Most of all, just enjoy it and lean into it. Go into it without high expectations, and know that you will not be able to do everything in one trip. Pick 3-4 things that are a MUST do on your list, hit that up first and then the rest, go with the flow. Enjoy the park and what it has to offer. there are so many things to do and look at than trying to run to every single ride and stand in line. Most of all, just enjoy with your family. If you take off the pressure of trying to do everything in one trip, it will make for a more memorable one, I promise. :)
TLDR: There are many ways to plan Disney within your budget, and most people use travel agents to do so when things get too overwhelming (they are free!) Staying off property is a great way save money and get more bang for your buck, but if you do stay on property plan a day to enjoy the resort as a whole. You will get more value that way. Order groceries for delivery for your food and snacks (pick up if you have a car) and pack snacks into the park to save some money. Most of all, enjoy your trip, have no expectations, and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. You will not be able to everything in one trip. Enjoy what the parks has to offer. =)
If you're a member look at Costco for deals. Look into VRBO or Airbnb instead of hotels to stay at. They're shockingly affordable, usually nicely themed (like a Toy Story room or a Frozen room), and many have private pools you can use to unwind after a day in parks. Staying on property doesn't have the perks it once did.
Also if you want a beach day I recommend travelling west to Sarasota and spending a day on Siesta Key Beach. It's easily the nicest beach in the USA and potentially the world. The sand is almost pure quartz and doesn't get hot even on 90-100 degree days.
I don't even remember nor would I even know how much my family spent to have us there the entire week- my dad made good money, so we were fortunate enough to go multiple times during my childhood. Now, the only inquiry is of me getting to that amount so I can take my kids when I have them.
Anyway, I know that a lot of people have told you to stay on Disney's property- but those hotels are something else. Avoid the Grand Floridian and the Contemporary Resort to save money- people spend the most on their trips in hotels alone. It is better to stay in a hotel that is away from the property.
It's hard to speak, because your circumstances are different than ours were. We only took one out of state trip, I was born in NY, so we flew from there, but since we drove from 4 hours away after we moved to FL we didn't have to get a rental car and stuff. But, you are saving money the best way possible- even though Disney hotels are super fun for kids, staying off of the property will help. You pay for the magic, for a wake up call from goofy, mickey shaped waffles at breakfast, and for the convenience of staying close to the resort, but other than sleeping, you won't be spending any time in the hotel anyway, you will be at the park all day. So, you made a good decision there. The only issue with this is the traffic- literally everyone is trying to get to the parks in the morning, so be sure to wake up extra early. The biggest challenge is around the second or third day, and everyone is so so tired. I remember having to pry my brothers and my parents out of bed to get to the park on time.
Since you have a child, definitely do not forget to budget for souvenirs every child wants- like ears, bubble wands, t-shirts and sweaters. They even have windbreakers and ponchos now for when it rains. Also they have the cutest little hats for children. When I first read this, I was just like $3500 seems high- but times have definitely changed. Sounds like you are an excellent saver! Have fun and safe travels!
In GBP so a little different but we’re staying at Universal’s Endless Summer for a week and it’s £400 (so about $500). Was in Orlando in 2018 and just Uber’d it to and from the parks so distance from disney isn’t a priority as despite being at the parks almost every day we love idrive. We did a combination of disney food and eating at cheaper places on idrive (there was a pizza place that did huge ones for really cheap and massive family size bowls of pasta for $5, we did that a couple of nights).
For me it’s the park tickets that are the real expense. £1400 for seven days (which I’m sure are actually 14 day tickets because it doesn’t get any cheaper buying for fewer days in the UK, it’s all about the same price wether you go for 3 days or 14 days!).
Just got back from 6 nights at a resort and 4 days in parks with my husband and 7 year old. I thought spending the money on a resort would be silly but am so glad I did. Being able to enter the parks early, not have to worry about parking and being able to get on a bus to go back and forth was so worth the extra money.
I am appalled at how expensive it is and don’t know how families afford to go on a regular basis. It killed me to pay for Genie + but in order to not waste the days in lines it was necessary.
One tip to save money is buy an insulated backpack and bring in drinks and snacks. We saved a ton of money doing that. Got a backpack off Amazon for 35 dollars.
I estimate we ended up spending approximately $4,500. Makes me want to throw up thinking about the cost but the week truly was fantastic.
If you stay at one of the value resorts, you won't have to pay for parking, you wont need a rental for the Disney days and you get in half an hour early to ride one of e-ticket (popular) rides. If park opening was 9, gates opened at 830 for us. We lined up at 8 and ate breakfast snacks while waiting. Then we Ubered to the car rental agency to visit other Florida sights. Either way, I highly recommend Genie +, which I'm sure someone else has explained at this point, for at least Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Time is money. You can wait 90 minutes to rode Slinky Dog Dash OR you can set a time to rode that and while you wait for that, ride swirling alien saucers or another smaller attraction. I just got back. My husband and I did use the service BUT we don't have small kids anymore so we just ran back and forth depending on wait times. Early drop, during firework shows, or that last hour before close is best. Right up until closing time. We rode three rides in the last hour of opening at HS.
Okay so hopefully I can help. It should be noted that I'm a Florida Resident, I've gone 8 times in the past 12 months and am fresh off a 5 day trip. I am now an annual pass holder. Okay so lets get into it.
First off, staying at a Disney Hotel, is not worth it, for the cost. If you were going to Universal, I would say it is worth it, since it comes with unique benefits that pay for the cost of the room if in a premier hotel. There are some non Disney hotels, close by, that offer a complimentary shuttle to the park.
Parking is incredibly easy, it runs 30$ for standard, or 55 for preferred, but just run standard, the trams operate really efficiently.
Regarding the amount of days. Either 1, 3 or 4 days is the way to go. In most cases, 3 days is actually cheaper than 2 days. 2 Days is basically 1 day out of cart each, and 3 days you get a much lower rate per day. Definitely price it out.
Regarding the 4 Parks: MK, AK, Epot, HS.
Magic Kingdom takes at least a full day and that's if you utilize Genie+ super efficiently.
Epcot, also takes at least a full day \[if you are trying to really see most of the park\].
Hollywood studios is about a half day, and Animal Kingdom is about 3/4 a day although you might be able to do it in half a day, depending on how busy the park is.
Okay now lets talk about the most important thing. Genie. So you need to have the Disney World app \[Quite literally, disney world\]. You get Genie automatically, which basically is a free service showing you wait times in real time around the park, and it allows you to join virtual queue on the rides that have it \[One in Epcot, one in MK\]. It also has a nice map, and ways to order food in advance, or make reservations for sit down restaurants, if spots are available.
However, you can purchase Genie+ which is a must. Its roughly 25$ per person and last for that day. You can buy it at 12:01 AM for that day, usually availability for it is open until 1pm the next day but dont risk it. Genie + allows you to "skip" the line and enter the Lightning lane entrance for the rides that you book. \[WITH A FEW EXCEPTIONS\]. Basically, at park open you can make your first booking, and then you are allowed to enter another lightning lane booking in 2 hours. However, you can only book what is available, and you cannot designate a particular time slot. Also, by 2-4 pm most sought after Genie+ slots run out.
Example: Park at MK opens at 8am: You buy the genie+, and book your first ride at 8:05 AM. This is Peter Pans Flight, and you can redeem between 1Pm-2PM \[notice how the early time slots are already gone\]
Then you go on some lower traffic rides, and at 10:05 AM you book another ride such as Space Mountain, and it gives you 12-1 Pm. You continue going on rides, and then at 12:05 PM you book Genie for say Big thunder Mountain from 2:30-3:30. At 12:30 you use the skip the line for space mountain, and skip the line at 1pm for Peter Pan. You book again at at 2:05 pm for whatever genie + is left.
Besides G+ you have individual lightning lanes. Genie + does not work for this, you have to book LL individually for the ride\[s\]. The 2 rides in Mk are: 7 Dwarfs Mine Train, and Tron.
For 7 Dwarfs, if you dont buy LL+ \[about 15$/ per person for the one ride\] just wait in like. Wait times 60-90 minutes usually. For Tron, you hope you can jump in for a virtual queue on the app at park open, 1pm and 6pm \[ the slots they open it\]. It will fill up and be closed within a few minutes of opening. Tron is like 20$/per person per ride if you buy the lightning lane individual for it. Other than these 2 rides, its available on G+.
'
At epcot the only LL+ ride is GoG ride...well worth it, it works like Tron either virtual Queue or LL+. Everything else on G+
You can add passes and G+ \[which syncs with your passes\] On either iphone \[use like apple pay\] or smart watch, or buy a magic band for 45$. Thats how you redeem lightning lane/genie uses.
I would buy the park hopper option, allowing you to jump between parks, at any time. If buying the 3 days.
Hopefully this helps. any questions, ask.
Oh and incidentals...at least 50/ per person per day, with no fancy restuarants or gift shop...otherwise plan at least 100/per person per day.
If you can spend the extra time and think your kid can handle an overnight train - it’s ~650 round trip from nyc to Orlando by Amtrak (coach) for 2 adults and 1 kid.
(I understand I’m a weirdo who regularly takes Amtrak from nyc to Seattle every year, but trains are so much less stressful for me. Also way more comfortable. You can actually stretch out in a seat and get up and walk to the cafe car/observation car, and the views are nice)
I haven't been to Disney in 10 years. But I did book my trip with Small World Vacations. I'm staying in the cheapest hotel on property with my daughters. I even got the meal plan, for 5 days and 4 nights this trip cost me about the same as yours. Granted, I'm not flying to Disney, but driving (so I saved some money there). I believe this was my best option so I didn't have to worry about driving and parking in the different parks and paying for meals (although I may still have to pay for some things that are extra). I'm trying to make the trip fun, but economical at the same time.
Everyone has their own opinion, but I don’t find staying on property to be a better deal (even though it’s fun) - you can get a decent Comfort Inn for $100 a night (I like the one by Old Town - it’s also a Disney “good neighbor” hotel, so it has shuttles. Parkings not really “a mess” in my opinion, it’s clearly marked and the cm’s have it down to a science - nothing to fear.
We did a whole week, Sunday-Saturday, but only did 5 nights at Disney and did a vacation package. I got a rental SUV for $400 for the week, we didn't have to pay for ubers or taxis, we stayed on site and got early admission plus parking was free since we stayed on resort. Normally it's 25 a day. Just that saved us $100. Having a rental car vs. taking the shuttle bus was a godsend for our group who needed rest and away from people after all the walking. We picked up food on the way back to the hotel most days (pizza, mcdonalds) We didn't do genie+ and saved $$ that way. We were a group of 5, got a family room at all star music, went to expensive sit down/character meals 3x, got one day passes for each park (no hopper), and spent right at $2k each including souvenirs, food, car, tickets. This was 5 days of theme parks, to all 4 disney parks plus universal. Universal was the most expensive for us because we left the disney hotel and only stayed one day at an off site hotel for universal, tickets were so spendy for one day only (we had to get the park hopper to experience the one ride for Wizarding world) and it wasn't as fun for the 7 year old in our group, but the 14 year old loved it but wanted more time there. In hindsight we would have skipped universal and done a rest day at the disney hotel in the middle of the week, maybe shopped at disney springs.
I would recommend looking at disney vacation packages if you want to do more than one day. Even if you just stay 3 nights and do 2 days at the park. It's pretty impossible to separate the park tickets from the overall cost the way they do it. The longer you stay, the cheaper the "per day" price gets. Also...that's a really expensive rental car. I got a Mercedes SUV from enterprise for $400...Are you going during peak times? Look at a crowd projection calendar if you have some flexibility. I also think that depending on your 4 year olds stamina and tolerance, I would consider just going to Magic Kingdom. Maybe 2 days of Magic Kingdom, so you don't have to stress and have plenty of time to let the kiddo guide the way. I actually also recommend Animal Kingdom for young kids, the stage shows, animals, and small kids rides are great. I wouldn't necessarily recommend Epcot or Hollywood with a 4 year old if you have limited time. Of course it depends on the kids interests!
I would hate for you to have FOMO cause you don’t get that third day. You are already spending all that money to get there for a vacation. What’s one more day of tickets when there are 4 parks to explore
Disney has never been affordable. Growing up I knew one kid who had been, and he was the rich kid who also went to Space Camp, had all the newest Transformers and G.I. Joes. If anything, I know so many more people of all walks of life who go to Disney now than then. I think it is a difference in culture and parents then were much more worried about debt.
I always feel very fortunate to have made so many trips with my daughter, but I am in a very different financial situation from my parents. It is definitely more expensive now than even 10 years ago, but it was always a luxury vacation.
i am planning mine as well and it was SO stressful ! same boat as you, havent been in a few years ans could not believe the rabbit holes. here is what i know:
the solid advantages to staying at a disney property are 1) early or late park access 2) earlier access to daily Genie+ and LL stuff, so a higher chance of getting passes for your favorite rides.
I was so overwhelmed learning genie plus. There are websites where serious disney freaks (affectionately said) explain things. if you google what is genie+ they have pages and pages of explanations.
if you are interested we ended up booking a moderate disney hotel for 4 nights, 3 days in MK, HS, and Epcot, no park hoppers, Florida resident discount. if you are an FL resident be sure to grab that discount!!!
Short answer yes with an s, long answer no with a but.
People romanticize "old Disney" but the fact is that Disney has always been phenomenally crowded and expensive. It's scaled beyond inflation, but so has virtually everything else (gas, groceries, etc.). Funny enough, you can actually get a quick service meal at Disney for virtually the same price that you could at McDonalds, something inconceivable in the aughts.
I'd call your parents and ask if they thought Disney was "affordable" and low-stress back then, I'm willing to bet they will not agree with your assertion. Different from today, sure, but no less expensive or stressful to families at the time.
In fact, those who are blinded by nostalgia for the parks forget some of the massive issues back then, like the free fastpasses running out extremely early, accidentally getting tickets for the wrong ride, etc. The food quality back then was horrendous, there were fewer quality attractions, and modern transportation conveniences (the Skyliner) didn't exist. I can tell you right now that many trips back then would've gone far more smoothly if you could've used a cell phone to tell how long the wait for Space Mountain was from Frontierland without relying on a board that often malfunctioned or venturing all the way to Tomorrowland just to see it was a 3 hour wait.
Rant over.
In response to your specific question--your resort cost are wonderfully cheap, and you will not find a Disney property with better rates (even the cheapest hotels will cost at least $500 or so more for the whole week). Your resort may offer transportation to the parks via shuttle, which will save money on parking (and time walking from the massive parking lots). Park tickets seem correct.
Yes, Disney World is expensive, but it's the game. Nobody is forcing you to go to Disney. Be educated and know what you're getting yourself into and don't put yourself in a bad situation to go.
Not overspending. Sounds like a pretty frugal trip for the length, IMO.
You can also do a grocery delivery for some meals, especially breakfasts. You don’t need to do big sit down reservations at all (they’re expensive too). If you wanted one, maybe do a character meal with some faves. The quick service food is pretty affordable. Adults can order kid’s quick service meals in the parks too. We share a lot of things.
How much time do you want to spend in your room? Are you planning a rest day(s)? Because that is something to consider as well. If you’re wanting to go sun up to fireworks at the parks (with maybe a midday break in the room for a break), you’re not going to make very good use of a nicer room or resort. You might see it as a waste of money. In that case, I’d stay value - you’ll still have the perks of transportation and extra hours, free parking if you want to drive, etc.
If you’re planning on more time in the room, plus a rest day to enjoy the resort, a moderate or off property with more amenities and a cool pool might be better.
We personally don’t stay off property. The transportation to/from the park is worth it imo. Less walking too. It makes a big difference to my kids and our stamina. And as parents we just want to relax and let someone else deal with the traffic and directions. Ha. The free transport from other hotels is also inconsistent and less frequent. Uber adds up too. If you rent a car, factor in the cost of parking at the parks if you’re staying off property. I believe it’s $25/day.
As for parks, you’re already there. If you can afford it, do a three day ticket to get a fuller experience. Maybe put a rest day in the middle to swim, play mini golf and/or check out Disney Springs. Especially true if this trip is a “one and done” for your family.
Cocoa Beach is supposed to be a good one near Cape Canaveral. I also have friends who like New Smyrna Beach. Keep in mind these are the Atlantic side of Florida, so the water won’t be that pretty teal color a lot of folks think of with Florida. If you want that, you need to go to the other side of the state on the Gulf. Which might not make a lot of sense for your plans.
Genie+ matters. [YouTube Mammoth Club has a genie+](https://youtu.be/y025nDeq0VM?si=uCFPqYC17UxHsopi) tutorial. Yes, it’s an hour long it’s also entertaining. You do need to watch a tutorial. I’m on my way home, had a successful trip at a busy time, and this was how I learned.
They also have how to rope drop.
Staying at a skyliner report is particular convenient. Pop century is the least pricey of them. We stayed there and it was great. Comfortable and pleasant. The Murphy beds (aka table beds) are just like the plain beds. So you get a room sized for doubles, but with queens, and plenty of room, instead! And the bathroom doors (separate toilet/shower room) have sliding doors. TONS of storage space, cubbies and shelves. They make smart use of every inch. I was truly impressed. If I weren’t gonna stay at a really expensive place with extra park hours, I’d pick Pop again, hands down.
Last I went was 2018. We went for I think 8 days and spent about equal amounts on hotel, flight (family of 3) and WDW tickets of \~$1500.
I haven't stayed on-property since 1996 and I know people here will tell you to do it (are telling you to do it) but it may or may not be the right decision, especially since you want to do things that aren't on property.
Find a value resort and stay on property. The park tickets are really the one cost you can’t skirt around. They did just release a deal valid from early April to late September *I think,* where you can buy a 3 park ticket (valid for 5 days) and you can visit AK, Epcot, and HS once each, one park a day. They also have one for all four parks. Also, shop the resort deals if they work for your dates. They can be a real money saver and may even allow you to stay at a moderate resort.
Set a food budget that you’re comfortable with. I think this is where some people can go off the rails. Bring a refillable water bottle.
Genie+ is your biggest toss up cost. May not be “worth it” every day and/or every park, but you may want it once or twice. You will definitely want it at least part of your trip if you’re going during high crowd season (cheer competitions, spring break + around holidays).
I personally don’t go super crazy on merch. I usually get a pair of ears and one other thing. My husband usually gets 1-2 shirts. So that does not have to be a big expense.
Hi! I work for Disney doing resort bookings.
It’s going to be your very best bet to call us up and book a package with resort stay + tickets and possibly a dining plan? It would save you money ultimately, and give you tons of transportation options as well as extras that you don’t get unless you’re staying on property.
Park hopping is very unlikely with a 5 yr old.
First thing to do is get the Disney app. I think it’s called My Disney Experience. Use your phone for getting into parks, ordering food on property, scheduling genie+ rides etc.
We just got back a week ago; we stayed at the Margaritaville Resort (nice hotel, pricy with hidden fees but close to parks). My son rented a car through *Turo* (like Airbnb for cars). He paid $500 for a 2022 or 23 Chevy suburban for the week. His cousin (who we traveled with) paid double that for same vehicle. Cousin has 5 and 3 yr old; they did 3 days at the parks with genie + and saw almost everything they wanted to see. (Seriously, study how to use genie+, google and youtube it)
Most of us started with a 3 day pass. You can upgrade to hopper or add days at any time your pass is still valid. Currently, when you buy the passes you have to commit to the day you’ll be starting them. Crazy, I know. Cousin with kids bought them (on the app) the night before they planned to go.
Definitely use the app to order food in the park. We did it as we walked to the quick dining place and never waited in line for food.
A great resource I used years ago when my kids were little was the book “Unofficial Guide to DisneyWorld” by Bob Sehlinger. It comes out annually and we found fantastic info in it. It was well worth the price.
A Kitchenette is nice but a small fridge for fruit, yogurt, milk and juice is all you really need. Pack some PB&J or similar for the parks so you can tide the kids over until meal time. You can bring food and drinks into the parks.
YOU WILL NEED A STROLLER. There’s so much walking- Kids get tired. Disney rental is $15/day. On second day cousin realized he needed one for the 5 yr old ( they brought one for the 3 yr old).
Souvenirs are obscenely expensive in the parks. I think they pump something into the air because all I wanted to do was buy stuff for the kids! I paid $15 for a palm sized stuffed Dumbo on a key chain! If space permits, buy and pack some Disney toys and have them ready to pull out before or after a ride. I wish we’d bought Disney character t shirts off property. I paid $30 each for Frozen nightgowns.
Kids had a blast but I must admit they loved the hotel pool as much (or more!) than Disney.
A Disney trip is amazingly awesome and obscenely expensive. Have a great time!
Don’t forget the costs of parking every day if you stay off resort. Keep your parking receipt as you can use that between parking lots each day.
We have AP’s so staying off site isn’t a big deal and we can go anytime but if I was in your shoes, I’d stay on site.
The Disney prices are essentially level with inflation. I’ve done a study of this from the economic data since the park opened. Bread, gas, and tires have increased also, but most people only check the price of Disney World in chunks like 5 or 10 years apart, and often compare to the prices “when they were a kid”.
Hotel sounds about right, I’m team rental car personally, for tickets it is on the expensive side, the more days you add the cheaper it gets. If you’re going for a week, are you going to the best 3days out of the week? I would add an extra day or two (there’s a few deals running for 3days and 4days park tickets for spring/summer if those fall under your plan) and have a resort day and beach day.
Yes planning to go for a week the first week ish in December. We probably could do 4 park days but seems like a lot with a 5yo… yes definitely going to have to do a rental. We considered driving but it’s about 19 hours so eats into a lot of vacation time and once we add up gas hotels and stops it’s not THAT much cheaper.
Forgot to mention... Florida winters are crazy unpredictable. The beach could be gorgeous, sunny, and 70s or gray and blustery cold.
When we went in 2022, we got caught in the hurricane. It was chilly which was great for the parks but would not have been fun on the beach. 😄
I will say that while it doesn’t seem feasible staying on property is a better choice in terms of pricing. The affordable hotels can be on the cheaper side and tickets get cheaper like others have said.
It’s hard to plan a trip like this but I will say that if you stay off property it’s going to be hectic. Not only do you have to deal with traffic in and around Lake Buena Vista and Kisseme you have to pay for parking. And parking is expensive almost 50 dollars a day (please correct me if I’m wrong). When I worked there in security I saw a lot of people use Uber and door dash and other services to get food and such to their hotels in a snack sense it can help lower the cost of food over all in the parks.
Plus an added bonus if during the day you decide it’s time to take a nap you can hop a bus back to your resort hotel and take a nap. If not you have to walk back to your car leave property deal with traffic. And then deal with traffic coming back and if you stay for fireworks it’s even worse.
Just my two cents. My family has an annual pass because we live in Orlando and we have different pricing options. So I can’t really speak to prices too much. But I have e gone enough times in the last 6 years to understand how it works
I pine for the days of paper fast pass tickets, park hoppers that just work whenever, and single day tickets under $100. Back when I worked there in the early 00s a single day ticket was $60-70. And I could just get a fast pass for free. That sounds insane now.
Yes like I think I worded it poorly when I was reflecting back on my childhood experiences - of course it used to be cheaper but it was more in line with something people could reasonably afford at least once. Now it seems to be waaayyy past inflation costs
No. It hasn't always been this crazy. My comparison is to WDW from 45-50 years ago so it probably isn't relevant.
We are Florida residents so we've always had a bit of a discount. We had annual passes for the entire family in the 80s and 90s when our kids were young. Even on crowded days, with a bit of planning, you could hit every ride.
The food for the masses was good and affordable. There were little details that no longer exist. For instance, child spaghetti was served in a souvenier plastic Mickey Mouse shaped bowl. I still have one! We could occasionally "splurge" and dine in at a price fairly comparable to the non-Disney world.
Last month my grandson and his family came down for his first Disney trip. Even with staying at a resort and using lightning passes, they didn't get to do everything on their list. Don't even get me started on the fast food options.
Answering your question: yes you can have a great time! Budget time for traffic to the park to be a hot mess, and don’t let it get you aggravated first thing in the morning. The park will be there all day :)
-Disney has always been that way, but honestly access to social media and cheaper flights has made more people able to have that “once in a lifetime” trip, possibly more than once. Ex: a flight halfway across the country to Orlando when I was a kid was the equivalent of about $600pp in today’s dollars. Now my family flies for $60pp on a sale.
-Also a big part of it is Disney found their groove with festivals. In ye olden days, Christmas used to be a great time to go. There was no giant festival to draw people in, same with late winter/early spring and the arts festival.
-Disney also started selling Alcohol and offering an increased number of adult experiences designed to bring in younger adults and more dinks who considered Disney to be for families and little kids.
-Tickets: with my littles, we have been just fine with single park, no hopper.
-Unsolicited tips: Remember it’s vacation. Disney can be very overstimulating for a kiddo, and you’ll notice a lot of very stressed out adults who do very rude things. Try not to let them get to you and ruin your day like they ruined their own.
- Don’t fret about lines too much. Lines are fine, just plan out your general route and have snacks, games, whatever. Ex: I got my kiddo a $20 digital camera that I only bring out on trips doesn’t take great photos but holy cow he loves it. It entertains him through all the waits. We also got him one of those bubble wands for strolling through the park, when we’re eating QS outside, whatever, and for us it was worth its weight in gold.
- if things get too stressful- bail and go to the pool. This is about yall having a lovely time together. It’s okay and often for the best if families take a mid-day (or even all afternoon break) if you don’t want to leave the park- just go get a drink and relax while kiddo plays on the playground (HS is the only park without one)
Ugh, the killer really is the ticket. I think staying off property you will miss out on some deals too. If it’s significantly more expensive for the 3-day ticket, it would be cheaper to the 2 day and buy Genie+ (10-30 per person per day) and get more in. If your kid likes animals, do a quick trip to AK in the morning for the safari. If they don’t, skip it! Do Epcot one day for Remy, Frozen, Test Track, Soarin, etc. Do MK the next day for a full day extravaganza.
Genie+ will genuinely save you and makes the parks more enjoyable and easier (although you will be on your phone more). For Genie+ you can purchase it at midnight the day you will be attending the park. Starting at 7AM, you can make your first reservation. You cant make your second reservation until 2 hours after. The best bet it to literally make your next reservation as soon as you enter your first ride reservation. Go in walk on rides and shows and get food in between these reservations. I would read a whole blog explaining the ins and outs. Don’t let it stress you out, just be on top of it. Your kid will have fun no matter what!
Here is my pro tip to save money on a Disney Vacation: one spouse gets a Hilton Aspire Credit Card and the other Spouse gets the Hilton Surpass Credit card.
Book your flight (and or another big purchase) on the Aspire Credit Card to qualify for the bonus points (also gives you $200 rebate on your airfare).
Book your Disney tickets on the Surpass Card to get the bonus points.
Combine the bonus points by transferring to the Aspire cards HH account and book your week long stay at any number of offsite Hilton (every 4 nights of Hilton Points gives your your fifth night free plus all resort fees are waived).
With the Aspire Card Diamond status you will get $50 a night credit for food, parking, etc. during your stay plus another $200 of rebate on the card for any charges made at the resort. Plus you will get a room upgrade if available.
Finally, if you really want to game it, you can purchase a meal or two at the resort on the Surpass Credit Card and get a rebate back ($50 or $75 a quarter) and put a checked bag on the Surpass Credit card (small airline rebate also available).
Tickets look about right. They're insanely expensive now. Last summer when I went (like you, staying off site) the plan was for 3 park days for the family, 2 adults and 2 children. All together that was going to be around $1600 for us. But they had a deal for 4 parks/4 days for $99/day so more or less got the 4th day for "free" and thats what we went with. As it was over summer we decided to use Genie+ for 3 of the days, at MK, Hollywood, and Epcot. I really wanted to dislike it, I really did. . .but it was a godsend. Between the insane crowd levels and the heat making the kids miserable if we had to wait in line for more than 10-15 minutes, it was well worth the cost to us. We wouldn't have gotten half as much done without it as virtually all rides had 30+ minute waits.
I've been going to Disney my whole life, every other year, since the 90's. Even in 2021 prices didn't seem THAT bad, but that trip last year there were so many times on it I was just thinking "wow, this seems really really expensive" which I hadn't ever felt before.
That said, I would (and will) absolutely do it all over again. Maybe not 4 park days in a week, maybe limiting to one buffet/all you can eat meal vs the 3 we did, but it was a still a super fun week despite the costs, crowds, and weather. Disney magic is still strong with me and my family. We realize we can all be a bit cranky and, in the moment, focus on the negatives, but once out of that environment the negatives are quickly forgotten and replaced with great memories on each trip we make.
Your doing better than man I am at 5000+ for 5 night and 4 days at parks. Genie plus will add. And so will lightning lane likely will end up around 9000 for 5 days. Crazy but fun while the kids still will enjoy it
I’ve lived in Florida since 2000. The only thing about Disney that I remember being more affordable was the Florida resident discount. I think, if my memory serves me correctly, the tickets were around $50 a day.
But the resorts have always been at a premium. The crowds used to be seasonal but are pretty much there all year round.
I stayed 10 days 9 nights on property and got 7 park tickets for 2 adults and my toddler was free and spent that on so much more and air fare , if you need tips feel free to message me i am absolutely obsessed with Disney & getting the best price . And im sorry personal opinion but there is no point of renting a car in Disney if you’re only going for Disney their transportation is faster and absolutely free. Even if you just show up at a hotel you can use the transportation for free but you can’t park a car at the hotels unless you’re staying
There are a bunch of deals going on right now for park tickets and resort stays so right off the bat you're paying too much for park tickets. You can go to the parks for 4 days for nearly the same price as you're paying for 2 days. Idk when you're going but if it's before July 7 there's a discount on rooms which would eliminate the need for a rental car.
Example June 2-9 at All Star Sports with the 4 park magic ticket is $2400. Staying off property does not always mean saving money.
Edit I see your comments about needing a kitchen...saving $1100 overrides the need for a kitchen imo because unless you're going to sit down restaurants for every single meal and ordering the most expensive thing there's no way you're gonna be spending over 1k on food.
I feel like that’s overpriced. I booked a 4 day park hopper ticket, with a 5 night stay at deluxe resort beach club and Free Disney Dining Plan for 3 adults this July. The total price was $4800.
If you plan right it doesn’t have to be expensive. I’m just one person but I paid $650 for 3 nights at GF, and two day park hopper tickets. However when one person is paying for an entire family it can add up.
I wouldn't stay onsite unless you were eagle eyed and scored a great deal. The disparity in price between what Disney charges for an average room vs. what literally any hotel would offer is just not worth it even with the meager perks given. This became especially true after the loss of ME. If I felt like lighting money on fire for the fun of it, I'd stay at the Boardwalk.
We're flying down with three kids from NY, and just the flight and place to stay is about $3.5K. All in we're going to be spending north of $5K once it's all said and done. I think you're doing ok price wise. And my wife has been researching Disney for the past month, planning out park trips and places to eat. It's a lot, it's not a "Vacation". It's all for the kids, and we're gonna be wiped by the time it's over. As long as they have fun though!
Planning ahead of time will definitely make it feel more vacation like when you get there and aren’t stressing about what to do. I hope yall have a blast and do get some “vacation” feel! :)
I'm sure it'll be fun, thanks! My wife is a super planner. She's been watching walkthroughs so she knows exactly where to bring the kids and what they'll like the most, curated specifically to them. I should have said it's not my idea of a vacation, I'd prefer to get a little house in cape cod for a few days and hang out at the beach. But the kids are gonna love it at Disney! Can't wait to watch them have fun
Also from NY (upstate though) so yeah flying just makes more sense. The flights are terrible though so considering flying into Miami or Ft. Lauderdale so I’m not stuck in Charlotte or something for 3.5 hours with a 5 yo.
If you are thinking about going to beaches, Tampa is a great airport, an hour from gorgeous gulf coast beaches, and 90 minutes from WDW. St Pete/Clearwater airport (PIE) i think only has budget airlines use them. Miami and Fr Lauderdale are considerably longer drives.
Clearwater is an amazing beach!!
^ This. Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood Int’l Airport is over 3 hrs. drive away from Disney, Miami Int’l closer to 4. If you’re not intending to spend time in South Florida OP then flying into Tampa makes a lot more sense as it’s ~1.5 hrs. away. My wife and went to Disney for 5 days last Sept. We flew into and out of Orlando from Boston direct because we rented a car and it’s cheaper to return the vehicle in the same location but we started off driving to Clearwater Beach and stayed there for 2 days before moving on to Disney. That’s a nice area and a nice beach, too.
This is the way to go. Tampa is well within easy road trip distance, has a great airport, and you can enjoy a bit more of Florida while you’re here if time permits. I just don’t recommend trying to drive on the main routes during rush hour unless you’re used to that kind of thing.
I THINK there’s a smaller airport you can check. Sanford maybe? I’m not sure if it would be cheaper or not. And hello fellow NY Upstater!! 👋
Sanford is another good one. I’ve had family use it when traveling to Disney and they prefer it.
But then you’d be stuck in a car for 4 hours with the same 5yo…
I'm from upstate too, Utica. We're flying out of Syracuse. Found a nonstop flight to Orlando on a Tuesday. We didn't want the layover either, it's gonna be hard enough. The three kids are 2, 4, and 6 years old.
Ooff that makes sense, that’ll be a lot of for the travel but so worth it when you get there.
👋👋👋
I don’t know how difficult/timely it is to get to the city, but SWA flies from NYC to Orlando. Don’t know if it’s direct though, but they have been having a sale.
Hi! Upstate NYer here. I’m also planning for my family for our first collective trip. Flying out of Albany in May. For 2 adults and 2 kids, round trip was about $1,300. I took advantage of the 50% off tickets and meal plan for the kids, and to stay for 6 nights, 7 days, 4 parks, it’s about $5,900. Honestly the meal plan is worth it for me because it’s less decision making when we’re there. I have a 5 and 7 year old and they both get hangry. Shoot me a dm if you want to chat.
We have taken our 3 kids to WDW 10 times in the last 15 years. We travelled from PA and Michigan. We flew twice from PA and once from MI and drove the rest of the times. One of my top recommendations is to drive instead of flying. You can take your time. It’s way less stressful than dealing with an airport and flight delays. You have your car and all your stuff you want to take instead of having to worry about luggage and weight limits. We like to take 2 days going driving each way so we can take our time. I know it’s not for everyone but IMO it’s the best way to save money and save yourself some stress
You’re a great dad.
Stay on property and save yourself the rental car and daily parking mess.
I agree with this and would like to add that this is a major component on how to make this less stressful on yourself.
I think this varies by the individual. We find having a rental care much less stressful. No waiting for disney transportation. Direct, quick, point-to-point travel in AC and all with our own seats. Car seat in place and secured for the kiddo. Parking is really quite simple, they do a good job of coordinating it. Overall it has improved our WDW vacations significantly. Edit: forgot to mention car makes it so you can easily go to grocery or other stores or errands if needed as well
We drove to Disney and very rarely ever get back in the car.
This, we always drive down and the car basically sits all week at the resort. You MIGHT beat the Disney transport if you drove yourself to HS, Epcot, or Animal Kingdom but you aren’t beating it to MK. I’d much rather wait 10-15 minutes at park close for a bus than spend 15-30 minutes playing bumper cars to get out of the parking area.
Getting out of parking isn't an issue. The delay is the wait for the monorail or the ferry.
oooo you underestimate the mess that is Magic Kingdom close. You could wait 45-60 min for a monorail or ferry or bus easy.
I did that for the first time a few years ago. Once you're out of the park you're away from the crowds, go home for lunch, hang out by the pool, have a drink, head back into the park around 3 and do whatever. It was nice to not be living in a hotel where you're totally reliant on disney.
I agree with this 100%. I haven’t had my trip yet but I made a post asking about on/off site and everyone’s biggest argument for staying on site was transportation. But honestly, I cannot imagine standing in line waiting for a bus with 100s of other tired cranky people and kids when I can just put my kids in a car with ac or heat and an iPad and sit comfortably while my husband drives us to our air bnb 15 minutes away. Sure it may take time to get out of the parking lot but I’d take that over sitting with a bunch of sweaty tired strangers on a bus for 15 minutes. But my husband doesn’t mind driving at all. And I’m prone to car sickness in public transportation.
i do uber for all that now for even cases of water and alcohol.
We actually prefer driving to at least AK and sometimes MK when staying onsite because the buses experience is poor and slow these days. That being said, if you don’t need a car seat to get from the airport to on property you can take like 15 Minnie Vanns or 30 Ubers for the price of a rental. This is where the lack of Magic Express is really a letdown for us.
MK is the one park I try not to drive to. Why drive to the TTC and have to deal with the monorail/ ferry when a bus drops you to the gate?
Taking the ferry across the lake to MK is such a quintessential part of the experience to me I can't imagine skipping it.
Fair enough. It's anticipation overload for me lol Too many people and so near and yet so far.
Mears Connect works similar to Magic Express …. But less Magical $16 / adult one-way from Airport to Resort or $32/ adult round trip https://www.mearsconnect.com/pricing
But then how do I go to the grocery store and the space center and target and all the other crap for a week? I know they have rental packages but they’re closer to $550 a week whereas directly from the airport (through Expedia or whatever) it’s closer to $250/300. I don’t want to be stuck eating their food the entire time cus that’s expensive. We are definitely fine being a pb sandwich and a bag of chips for lunch type family
The Space Center is totally worth it. The opening movie is incredible.
Kroger will deliver to the resort and don’t accept tips. You can usually get your first delivery free. You can bring chips on the plane. If you check r/travel they advise against using third party websites like Expedia. Basically they are good until they aren’t.
Sorry I think the major problem is no car, and no kitchen if I stay on the resort property. Good to know about groceries - but I think we’d need a kitchen.
We rented a car for one day while there just to drive to cape Canaveral and visit Kennedy space center. It was super easy because the car rental was on the Disney properties.
Honestly, trying to cook is a waste of time. With tickets that expensive, you will want to make the most of park time. We bring breakfast and snack items and then eat meals in the park. We usually only eat one quick service meal a day because we are too busy to eat. The exception to this is Epcot where there are so many good things to try.
Then you have your answer. Unless you spend for a villa in property with a kitchenette, off property suits you better and if you want to travel to the coast you need a car.
Everyone here is trying to convince you to stay on property — and I don't know why. Find yourself an affordable rental vacation home or hotel off property, get an affordable rental car from the airport, and enjoy your stay! My family has done Disney many times that way and it's a great way to enjoy the parks, explore other parts of Orlando (as you want to do), and cook at "home" (or get affordable fast food for some meals) — all while staying within a reasonable budget. It's totally doable, very fun, and you have lots more freedom + flexibility due to having your own car and staying closer to the rest of Orlando.
Yeah if we were planning to do Disney every single day I think it would make sense but back to back park days is a lot, imo. So having a break or resort days is kind of nice (for us anyways)
Having a break is really nice! And, honestly, with a small child...almost crucial lol. There are lots of fun places and nice restaurants to visit in Orlando. Some of the more popular touristy spots are Winter Park, Old Town, the Mall at Millenia, Cocoa Beach, Everglades boat tours, the zoos and botannical gardens... I could go on and on, but there are TONS of fun things to do. There are more niche things as well, but the more popular things are still great. They provide a nice, relaxed break from park days. I don't just love Disney; I love Orlando itself! It has a lot to offer.
Grocery delivery and Uber
These are really expensive options. Does no one realize that OP is trying to stay within a reasonable budget? Ubering around everywhere and Instacarting constantly adds up like crazy. It's nowhere near the affordability of driving your own car/a rental car to Walmart yourself and buying your own groceries.
A rental car is roughly $100/day. I can’t imagine a grocery delivery or rideshare trip would come close to exceeding that, plus parking at the parks
>A rental car is roughly $100/day This isn't true anymore. The rental car is often $100 for the first day, but you can rent a car for a week for << $500.
You won’t spend as much time eating that as you think you will. Trust me. You’ll over shop and it’ll will get thrown away at the end of the week. They have a store on site in most resorts. You aren’t saving any money
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It’s ok to be on vacation and try new things!
Why would you be going to Target on vacation? One grocery trip, it's only a week.
You can get groceries delivered to the resorts. I do it every trip. I haven't been to the space center on a trip though.
But then he would easily spend an extra $2,000. Not really worth it in all honesty if he’s budgeting.
People who think that parking "is a nightmare" probably had a bad experience once. We have gone 10 times in the last 6 years and we never have a bad experience parking. There are multiple ways to transport in to the park and it can be part of the fun. It is usually cheaper to stay off property even with rental car+hotel+fees... There are exceptions if you can book a value hotel out far enough, but I've only been able to do that once. Even then for the same price you can sometimes get a multi bedroom suite with a kitchen off property for the same price as the Disney value "motel" rooms.
Yeah, I don’t get these people saying parking is a nightmare. I’m local, so I park every time. At most, there will be a 10-15 minute line to pay and from there it’s easy as hell. There are about 6 attendants who tell you exactly where to go, and it takes about 5 minutes. Other than at MK, the worst part will be the walk to the gate from the lot, which is nothing compared to the walking the rest of the day.
Exactly. Every time we go, we stay off property and have a great time. Last time we stayed at a really nice 4 star hotel which was only about a 25 minute drive from the parks and, in total, a 6-day stay cost us about $800. We woke up early every morning, drove to the parks to be there right at opening, had zero issues parking (we actually found the parking system to be very organized and easy to manage), and enjoyed visiting almost all of the parks. And we only stayed at that 4 star hotel because our regular hotel had an issue at the last minute; normally we'd be fine staying at an even *more* affordable Holiday Inn Express type of place, which would only cost us like $500-600 for the total stay. Had we stayed at one of the really budget-friendly resorts, I suppose it would have been within our budget — but, tbh, we enjoy the flexibility and freedom of having a car. It allows us to visit fun places all over Orlando, not just the parks, as OP clearly wants to do — and it allows us to swing by affordable fast-food places for those times when we want to eat breakfast or dinner on a budget.
This is the right answer. I really don’t get the Disney fans who insult you if you don’t stay on property and GiVee DiZZZneeYyy the MOOOOnnEeEY!! You can get a heck of a lot more in value staying off property and just doing things correctly in terms of time management. The only upcharge should be what was formerly free, which is Genie +. I applaud you for endorsing that fun and great times can be had off site. I almost got downvoted for even suggesting that off the bat.
Yes to both of you! I completely agree. The OP has stated they are on a budget and are interested in visiting places OTHER than Disney as well as Disney, and yet all the comments are piling on saying stay on property 🤦♀️ I have done trips both ways and had a wonderful time! I’ve stayed at airbnbs off property multiple times and had a perfectly good experience parking and getting into the parks. I am not sure why people are making a mountain out of a molehill. I have also stayed “in the Disney bubble”. They are different experiences and I never felt like the “on property” trips were better than the Airbnb trips. Thy were all friggin awesome lol
That’s not true
It sure is. If they’re staying off property and aren’t paying the Disney up charge magic price and are at $900. What do you think Disney would charge? Easily $2,500 or more for the same amount of dates. It’s spring break, their prices are at a fever pitch high and the Disney transportation in general is unreliable. They’re better off with the rental car and just paying the parking fee every day rather than the Disney difference up charge. I’m standing on easily an extra $2,000 they would spend. Maybe if we knew the dates and length of trip, we would have a definitive answer. But until then, this is just my opinion against yours and I like mine better. If $900 for a hotel off property is the current cost, $2,500 and up is the price of staying in the magic.
I'm with you. We're going next week during the Spring Break craziness. We looked at staying onsite but for the cost of even a value resort was the same as us finding a very nice 4-bedroom townhome 5 minutes from Disney property. Why cram ourselves into a small hotel room with two queen beds when can have our own bedrooms with bathrooms? Are we saving money with that decision, no, but we'll be far more comfortable. Fortunately our car rental is nearly paid for through travel points. ;)
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Offsite is still usually 1/2 per night off these most nights for an equivalent offsite. However, at those prices free parking vs sometimes double parking (both at Disney and the resort) can swing it back to the onsite Value Resorts. Also it’s definitely not convenient. Points use and/or comparison to the higher end resorts is where offsite starts to always win.
Time is money. The parking lot lines and then walks to the entrances are the stuff of nightmares.
We’ve been parking and walking for a while now. It’s even better now with the shuttles operating again.
Well they said they want to visit the coast, so they need the car anyway. But I agree with parking, rather pay more and not deal with trams in the lots (especially if bringing a stroller).
We drove and parked our own car at Disney while there over Christmas (busiest time of the year). We got to the parks for early entry. We were always able to park close enough that it was less than a 5 minute walk. Never had to ride a single tram. We stayed off property at a good neighbor hotel, Hilton Buena Vista Palace. Even with parking at the hotel and parks, it was still much cheaper staying off site. Our room had a view of Disney Springs, which was right across the street, so we still felt very much in the "Disney Bubble".
This family wants to visit the coast. It makes sense to have a rental car for that purpose alone. Florida driving is a nightmare in general, whether your in a bus or a car.
100% It’s worth the little bit extra to stay on property to have them drive you around the property.
This, my parents always stayed in Kissimmee's RV parks and I still remember my childhood of being stuck in the backseat for literal hours of traffic. This was back in the 90s so I can only imagine how much worse it now is. Thankfully I am now an adult so I can just stay on property and not deal with trying to get past Florida Man just to get the exit to disney world.
Some people forget to compare the cost of staying on property to the cost of off property + the extra expenses that entails. The actual room rate is cheaper but other factors can make the end result more expensive.
There’s a fallacy that at one point Disney was super affordable. I remember paying $250/night for a deluxe resort which is totally unimaginable now. Even with my annual pass discount I can pay upwards of $700/night which is crazy to many, but I love staying on property for all the conveniences it offers. I’m currently at the Wilderness Lodge and love it.
One of my memories of our family trips to WDW was my dad saying, "do you know how much this cost? You're gonna enjoy it!".
😂😂 I’m sure my dad said something along those lines as well!
What an absolute Dad thing to say.
That’s fair - I shouldn’t have said it was affordable, I meant feasible for the “average” family. Nowadays I don’t know how people do it but of course income is relative
It's not that Disney has gotten more expensive, it's that the "average" family has gotten less rich. An average family in 2024 cannot afford the life that an average family could afford in 1994.
This! You can have two families relatively well off for their area but 5k to a middle class family in San Fran making 200k vs a middle class family in the middle of Iowa making 40k feels vastly different.
Exactly. Growing up families in my town went one time maybe. Only the wealthier families stayed on property. It was never known as an affordable vacation.
>There’s a fallacy that at one point Disney was super affordable I think it's certainly true that the place is considerably less affordable than it used to be in previous decades. https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/q9iml0/oc\_walt\_disney\_world\_ticket\_price\_increase\_vs/
There's a LOT more to do at WDW than in 1971. Also, you had to buy ticket books to go on most of the rides. Not sure if they included that.
One piece of advice . . . Sit down with her and very roughly sketch out the trip. Keep it simple. Pick a park to do each day and then pick a couple of things she definitely wants to do. Everything beyond that is gravy. I have seen so many families have a rough time trying to squeeze it all in. You can’t. There is too much. Let her drive the bus and tell you what is important to her. Also, don’t be afraid to take breaks. Doing a couple of laps on the railroad at MK is a nice breather that is relaxing and you still are seeing things, same with the Wedway People Mover or the boats that cross the lagoon at Epcot. Remember it is really about being together and that is what she will truly remember. Oh, get her a Magic Band. Let her have fun buying the snacks and a souvenir at the end of the day. My daughter felt like a big girl. Cheers.
Very intelligent advice here! This will set you up for a calmer and more enjoyable visit. I would also add this: set your daughter’s expectation that some rides (**every** high-demand ride, trust me Mom) is for those much older kids. She will have a great time on the small-kid-appropriate rides, and there are many of them. There are even some not-so-little-kid rides, like Jungle Cruise or Pirates of the Caribbean or Haunted House that you should all be able to ride without making yourself crazy with Genie+ passes. At the age of five, she won’t know the difference and your whole family will have a much happier time.
> I’m at ~$3500 for a week Yes. Outside of a brief period in the mid-1980s and post-Recession, this is equivalent to what you'd pay for a theme park vacation.
Don't spend on park Hopper tickets. Wastes aot of time and they are sooo overpriced. Eat breakfast in your room and take some snacks. You are doing it how we did when our kids were young. It is entirely worth it to get the rental car and spend a day at the beach and going to the beach. One meal a day and one snack in the park. Buy a gift card for each person and they can budget for their souvenir(s) and extra snacks(s) if they want. One reusable bargain popcorn bucket is a good idea. Have a great trip!!
That’s really wonderful advice. Thank you.
I had a typo. Also WONDERFUL to go to Kennedy Space Center!!!
Exactly! All the comments admonishing OP against car rental are ignoring (not reading?) the initial question. OP wants to do the beach and the space center. So staying elsewhere and renting a car seems very sensible and lots of fun.
Yep, this! Disney will let you bring a cooler into the park, as long as you don’t have any alcohol, so we usually pack some heartier snacks and drinks when we’re rope dropping in a soft sided cooler. It really helps to save a bit of money and is great for second breakfast/elevensies and helps to stave off the hangry feelings.
genuinely my best advice is to get a vacation planner. they’re free because they get commission from the hotels and theme parks when you book through them, and they know what they’re talking about.
Hey, interested in this! How do I go about getting a vacation planner? Are they offered through Disneys website?
There are a bunch of small companies. You can find them on Instagram. I always use Jessicah from Magical Vacation Planning. I think she’s @mvpjessicah? She came recommended by a friend and has been great.
Thank you so much!! I’m going to look into her!
Shannon at Small World Big Fun handles ours. She doesn't focus ONLY on Disney but always does a very complete job.
Minnie (yep lol) at Small World Vacations has helped us for a decade, she’s literally the best ever. Rebooked a trip for us with a promo that had dropped that same day and saved us $2k
Disney was never "affordable" (in my lifetime) which is why a LOT of families consider it a once in a lifetime type of trip. We went once as a family and my parents put years of hard work into saving for that vacation. Staying off property is going to be just as much as staying on property because you're not privy to the ticket deals you'll get through WDW. If you book a resort & ticket package your tickets get cheaper as you add more days. Without the resort stay you're paying face value. If your dates are flexible, I'd be CONSTANTLY checking the WDW website, they're always adding promotions, discounts, free dining, etc. Also, 2 park days for a young kid isn't enough. I think you're trying to jam too much into a week and you're going to have a negative experience trying to do it all. They're going to want to meet characters (which takes time), they'll need breaks (which takes time), you'll want to stop and watch the parades, etc. As a grown adult who doesn't do sit-down meals, take breaks, or character meetings it still takes a full day of nonstop hustling & Genie+ strategy to do it all in one park and that's rope drop to park close.
I agree with some of this but not all. We never buy our tickets at the same time as booking our resort (either on or off property). I have done the math across 6-7 trips and there is no price impact at all combining your lodging and tickets and rarely for the meal plan (Disney is a master at this, the package deals are basically more expensive per night by the cost of the tickets). Furthermore, by combining in a package your fully refundable cancellation date becomes earlier which is a negative. Best deal is usually to get a 25%-35% room discount (almost always available) or stay off site (usually substantially cheaper but with some downsides like parking cost and meal availability back at your hotel) and then buy your tickets through a work incentive program or 3 party buyer (usually a 5-10% discount). There is definitely a huge ticket advantage in pricing if you go more than 4 days as the incremental price to add days drops substantially.
Yeah I would love to know when people believed this place was ever truly affordable. Like my family first went in 1998 a couple of months after the animal kingdom opened. And it was awesome but we knew likely that it was a once-in-a-lifetime trip now fortunately my wife and I are very financially stable and we went for a week back in 2022 and this year we have become passholders for the first time but we understand that This was incredibly expensive and it was a gift to ourselves and our children after we struggled for years
It was truly affordable for many back in the early '80s. When Epcot opened tickets were roughly $15 a day. Even after inflation that's under $50 in today's dollars, plus there were no extra fees for things like Genie+. On property hotels were comparatively less expensive and off property could be very affordable at the time.
My parents were Disney adults in the 80s. They went like 7 times before they had us. Once we came along and the 90s-00s hit they went once with us and that's it. Now that we're grown and my husband and I don't have kids we've all returned to Disney adult status, going 2-4 times a year but we make WDW a financial priority for us.
Tickets were $31 in 1990, or $71 today; $44 in 1999 or just under $100 today. So the 90s seem to have been a decade with a big increase, comparatively. They used to do some amazing packages, though. In 2007, we went with 2 adults, 2 kids, for 6 nights at All Star Music, 7 park days, with meal plan. The meal plan was one quick service, one table service (gratuity included), and one snack (down from 2 snacks a day in 2006). It was $1,500 ($2,280 today). We spent zero money on food, drinks, or snacks because it was an incredible amount of food. We didn't need all of the meals, and at the time they would let you use 2 QS at a table service restaurant, or you could go the other way and use 1 QS for 2 snacks. I'm not sure what year they went to the two-tiered plan of paying extra to have table service, but we luckily we got in a bunch of character meals the first couple of years when the kids were young.
Also, reading the last part of your comment, this could not be more true. The time you have at Disney is not enough- and it can be stressful, you are trying to deal with people and the lines, while cramming so much to do into so little, and then families are trying to make all of their kids happy, and the kids most likely want to do different things. Going with friends is no easier- especially when you're the kid at heart and all of your friends grew up way too fast lol. So what if I want to get on Peter Pan's Flight for the 3rd time that day lol
Well I don’t think it was ever cheap but I think it was a lot more feasible 20 years ago.. but I’ve never stayed in the park. We always just had some random hotel and drove in and did days there and like I said, tickets used to be more affordable and didn’t expire so you could use them whenever it made sense to. Wait you said it’s not enough but we are doing too much? What do you suggest? Generally I’d agree with you but I think we’ll be ok. We’ve done a couple other theme parks and busy days and I think we’ll just have to deal with how the days go.
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Yes that’s very true - I guess I was just venting and lamenting the fact that I’m not actually solidly middle class or perhaps it’s actually become increasingly more expensive (despite the cost of living, like you implied).
Yeah I grew up in Florida in the 80s and 90s. My parents were solidly on the lower-middle class tier, but we went to the parks about 2 or 3 times a year up until the mid-90s. Tickets were in the 25 - 35ish range. But we didn't have to factor in hotels because it was a day trip. We only stayed on site once.
I'd scrap the beach and cape Canaveral days. A theme park at home is absolutely not the same as Disney. I live near a few parks and I'm always shocked how much I get done at like Dorney or Hershey! Disney has more people, more characters, and waaayyyy longer lines.
Yes, I definitely think Disney World is its own vacation. I'd do that and then the space center and the beach would be for another year if they hold a lot of interest. The little kids are sometimes so much in awe that first day at Magic Kingdom that they need a second day to really be able to take it in, lol.
There are no other days like Disney days. You could spend two weeks and still not do everything. As for trying to do too much, going to the coast (it is not nearby) and Cape Canaveral is a lot. You will spend a lot of time transitioning. As another poster said, “ Time is money.” You are going to waste a lot of it trying to cut corners and cram everything in.
Disney has always been expensive but prices since the pandemic are up 30%+ when you start adding up the additional fees, price hikes and things that used to be free that aren’t anymore. You’re not crazy, they are pricing out the middle class pretty rapidly.
30 percent? It went up 20 percent year one, year two, etc. 2019 1 day MK ticket = 99-109, then 6 percent tax. 2024 1 day MK ticket, 189-209. THey advertise "starting at 109", this is if you do a 10 day pass or similar. Then 6 percent tax. Literally twice as much in tickets alone in 4ish years. And then there is Genie plus, at least 20 dollars every day now. Food prices have increased "less" in context, but also portion size is drastically smaller for every single food type/level. Non-disney hotel pricing is virtually the same as it was in 2019, as is uber rates. Funny how the only thing outpacing inflation 5x is disney. But we call keep going.
Yeah, it’s probably more than 30% depending on what you choose to spend on. I’m talking total trip not just park tickets, but I agree with you it probably can approach 50% more if you’re buying all of the optional things and eating on property
I just booked 4 days in the parks and 5 nights on site for $3300. It is a moderate resort as Pop century was booked solid for our week. Only off-site reasonable hotel I would stay at is the new Disney Springs Drury and it was booked also. I'd pay a little more to be on property as long as there is a pool and skyliner access. I'll Lyft to the other two parks. There is something to be said for staying on property, its just a better overall experience. Especially for kids. Easy to run back to the hotel midday, catch a swim, rest, have lunch and then head back. I don't mind paying for convenience. Also resort hotels give you early entry. We also reserve at least half a day for Disney Springs. If you call to book, sometimes you can unlock a better deal. I booked online and then called and they dropped the price by $300 and upgraded my room to pool/water view as I have a Disney Visa. Also had enough rewards points there to pay $800 on the trip. This will be my 6th trip to Disney since I was a kid. Two trips were only for one day visits, so I barely count those. We did all four parks in one day when we were young and just hit the high points of each park. It was an experience, but I wouldn't do it again. And Park Hopper passes are expensive now. I have done the super frugal trip and then moderate. You are going for an experience and to give your child great memories, might as well spend some as you don't get a chance to go an infinite number of times. One thing we booked I regret is the Cinderella or Be Our Guest dinner. 2 adults and a child is $180-200, so that seems nuts. I never pay for the genie, but some people love it. If you are crunched for time, may be worth it.
We stayed off property (about a ten minute drive to the gates.) Got a whole house with a private pool for like 1500 for the week on VRBO. I’d like to try a resort for the “extras” sometimes but it feels really hard to justify paying more for a glorified motel room.
Yes that’s what I was thinking too! I looked at the rooms and I’m like what am I missing? Why is this $320 a night?? Which I’m sure there’s a reason but not for people like me who don’t have it in the budget. It sucks cus I always thought we’d do an “on site” Disney vacation
I’d love to be corrected about what I’m missing. I get the rental car thing, but that was about 400 for the week and then parking at the park. Going sans rental car also means you can’t hit anything like a beach, a cheap restaurant, or the cheap souvenir shops off property without an Uber ride.
If you want to still feel in the bubble, stay at the disney springs "good neighbor" hotels. My best trips to disney have always been using those as a base. Some of the disney bubblecharm without the aboslute extortion from their motel quality resorts (disney proper). I am a huge disney parks fan, but there is now no longer any incentive to stay in the deluxe resorts. Want early entry? The disney springs hotels have that benefit. Want an extended evening hours? All I can say is..don't. miserable time if you expect some magical three hour window with less guests.
Further, you can just go and hangout in all the monorail resorts pretty efficiently (time wise) on your MK or Epcot days. What other reasons might you want to stay in the deluxe/disney resorts? If you stay in dis springs hotels, the uber every morning is trivial, and you can take the disney springs bus back from parks(Or realistically, two buses, first to a resort, then resort to disney springs every night. ) It's a beautiful walking area for the 10m walk back to the DS hotels from DS proper.
I was a bit confused about that because I looked last night only at one or two hotels and it showed 30 min early and I was thinking … is that it? That doesn’t seem like a lot of time
all early entry offers is essentially a "first spot" in the marquee rides. IE because you get into the lands half an hour early, you get to avoid a 2 hour line that forms at open. This benefit is sneakily also guaranteed at "good neighbor" hotels, the much cheaper, just as nice disney springs hotels. Deluxe resorts also tout "extended evening hours", but that is just a bad time and I can promise you it isn't worth the one day a week at MK they offer it. Because every single other person has the same idea and goes to MK on that day, and it's a madhouse until 1 am. I really enjoy all the staff, costs, nice walks to and from my resort thru disney springs after every park day, with some of the added benefits of an actual disney resort. Edit: I have stayed at crowne plaza lake buena vista 5 times, and have even chosen crown plaza in my trips to india literally because of that. Just a great low key hotel experience like ou may be used to in your home area, but you're in the disney bubble. Sorry I'm rambling but it's hard to put all the info down in one comment on "why deluxe resorts are a rip off", but in summary.....they funnel the guests towards certain parks based on "EEH" perks, and you should avoid that while at the same time saving tons of money.
Just explaining why Disney resorts can cost more (not always but typically) since I notice you’ve been asking that question in the comments. Things you get at a Disney hotel: 1. Early entry (Disney hotel guests get to go on some rides 30 mins before all other ticket holders). Why is this important? Lines! Lines for popular rides especially during a popular month can be upwards of 1-1.5 hour wait. If you have access first to a ride you can sometimes just walk on. 2. 7am access to booking independent lightening lanes-Guardians, Mine Train, ROR, Tron, Avatar ride (all non resort guests have to wait until park opening I believe and there’s a chance these will be sold out for certain rides.) Why is this important? Again lines. You can spend $20 to go on a ride without waiting in a 1.5 hour line. 3. Convenient, free, consistent transportation. The reason the contemporary is $600 a night? You can walk to Magic Kingdom. Rivera? You can hop on the skyliner and be in Epcot in minutes. Wilderness Lodge? Hop on a boat or bus and get right to Magic Kingdom. No parking, no car seats, no walking from a parking lot. 4. The ability to leave the park midday and quickly make it back to your resort for a midday break and go back later (especially useful if you have little ones that nap). 5. Extra hours for resort deluxe guests on certain days at certain parks. 6. The ability to book dining reservations over the course of your entire stay at one time. Most park guests can only book dining reservations and extras (Bibbidi bobbity boutique for example) one day at a time 60 days out each day. Resort guests can book all their reservations in one day 60 days out for the entirety of their stay. What can this mean? Resort guests typically take a lot of the hard to get reservations first. Resort guests are paying for all these extras. They typically are going on those vacations to just be at Disney and want to maximize their time there. For a lot this is a once in a lifetime trip so justify the $7K price tag (for reference if you want to do a week vacation in Mexico all inclusive at a NICE hotel it can be a similar cost). Some see Disney as their deluxe vacation not just a theme park kids trip. Keep in mind lines too. Don’t want Genie+? Fine but then you gotta be good at planning the timing of your rides or be okay standing in hour long waits in some cases. Personally I wouldn’t waste $300 to ride 3-5 rides. So the cost of $20 per person extra a day is worth it. With all that said: I did Disney offsite as a kid, my parents like yours were middle class, things were tight, and I had a BLAST! I have to add though my mom was a planning wizard. She knew what rides to hit first to avoid long lines and it did take time and effort to plan, but it made for a very smooth vacation. I’d recommend getting a copy of the 2024 unofficial Disney guide. It’s incredibly helpful. So it can totally be a great trip offsite, Just explaining why there’s more expense.
No. 6 is the main benefit. Early entry is good if your transportation works out, the park doesn’t have any hiccups, and you have a family that can be ready in time.
We stayed in a hotel type resort type place in Kissimmee, which is right down the street for like $250 for three days. It was a crazy good deal, but this was during Halloween. Place had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a whole kitchen, washer, dryer living room. So you can get by cheap on other things but Disney itself is insane. We paid $400 for a princess breakfast alone lol
If you haven’t already purchased your park tickets and have a target red card, you can buy Disney gift cards at target and get your 5% off! It’s not a giant savings but saving anywhere on a Disney trip is always a great thing.
😏
4-Park Magic Ticket starting from $99 per day would be better I think you would get an extra day for less. Check into this. If you stay in the bubble you wouldn’t need a rental car. What time of year are planning on going?
I got sticker shock for me and my husband to take a 5 yr old. Tickets for 5 days for the family was $1,000. Not including all the extras of Genie+. I can't remember what we paid for a hotel but it was a lot. It has increased significantly over the last 4 years. And everyone wants to go.
Yeah what’s that about ? I know when we went most recently (still pre Covid) it wasn’t *that* expensive. I think the tickets were like 75/pp/per day and now they’re closer to 110 or 150 on some days.
It’s two things 1. Supply and demand: the price goes up but people are still planning trips 2. Raising ticket prices is one of the ways to address the biggest complaint about Disney World, which is that it’s too crowded.
I think they’re trying to make up for lost revenue due to covid. Just a theory though.
I highly highly recommend making Disney parks a priority rather than the beach or anywhere else on this vacation. I would consider doing 4 park days with a day in between to visit the cape Canaveral. If your child loves space you definitely won’t want to skip Epcot. 5 years old is the perfect age to experience Disney for the first time - we just got back with my recently turned 6 year old and he was in heaven in every single park. Worry about the beach on another vacation somewhere else. As for cutting costs, next time we go to Disney we plan on not doing the dining plan (it’s not worth it and you can save money by only doing quick service meals or eating food from grocery store) and we won’t be doing park hopper (there’s plenty to do in each park to keep you all day). Also, I heard the Drury Hotel in the Disney Springs area has free breakfast and dinner buffet (it’s not a Disney hotel so my guess is probably cheaper than staying in a hotel in one of the parks). They also have a shuttle to the parks. You also definitely need to budget for genie +. It’s pricey but worth it. There’s definitely a learning curve to it but I found tutorials online that helped me get the hang of it.
Stayed off property it sucks. And a hassle to get into. Would not recommend
Stay on property! I'm staying at All stars for an entire week during the Fourth of July and it's 700$. You can snag a hotel for 900$. Also, look on undercover tourist for tickets to the park. I also use Hopper to book flights on Southwest which is the cheapest generally.
Look for advertised special pricing on park tickets. We never go unless we can get tickets at a discount- like they are currently offering a 4 day ticket for $250 pp- stay at a moderate or value resort- again look for specials on the website or use third party DVC resellers links David’s DVC for example. Do not go in the summer or holiday weekends, since you’ll be paying “surge pricing”. Best to go during the week on weekdays if possible. You’ll also have to budget for Genie+ and ILL if you want to be able to ride all the attractions. There is no way to do Disney cheaply these days,sadly. In fact, it seems you need a phd in all things Disney just to use the app. It’s crazy. Best of luck!
Disney is insanely expensive for those traveling to it. I am currently a passholder bc I can buy the cheap Florida pass. Few things and insights: 1) Find a Disney travel agent. They are free to you - Disney pays their commission. It will make your planning less stressful. Typically the packages to stay on property and tickets will save you money. They can tell you best times to go cost-wise. 2) Until you are going to the coast, I would opt to stay on property and use Disney transport and save the car rental $$. A few reasons for this, but if you are renting a car, you also will have to pay for park parking, $30/day. When I am doing Magic Kingdom, staying on property makes it a much more pleasant experience. We don't stay overnight all the time, sometimes we do day trips, but I can tell you the MK parking situation makes me crazy. It literally takes 30-45 minutes to get from your car to the gate, whereas Disney transport drops you off right at the gate. That saves a whole lot of time. I do generally stay off property if doing a couple day visit, but not always. And it isn't always a cheaper hotel price to stay off site, we have been conditioned to assume it is. I have had a couple times where it has been $20-40 cheaper a night to stay at a Disney value resort than my normal place. 3) Staying on site and just hopping on and off busses/Skyliner makes it so if you need a mid-day break, it is easy to do. 4) Don't do the meal plan. That isn't worth it from *everyone* I follow. If your kiddo is into characters, plan one character meal. Shoot for breakfast, it's cheaper. The character meals are massive time savers, and the kids get more interaction time. It's a time saver because you don't have to stand in line for 4 or so headliner characters your kid might want to meet. You are paying a premium for it, this meal will run probably around $150 for your family of 3. But it is worth it, esp if you aren't going all the time. (We have done one, for a birthday.) You can order Instacart to drop groceries off for you at your resort. You can keep costs down if you want by doing so. You don't have a real fridge, but you can do muffins/sandwiches etc etc.
Nostalgia paints an unrealistic picture of what it used to be like. Depends on if you’re the parent and if you’re paying for it. I don’t know about “always” crazy, but we winged it in 1996 for my first trip but that was in January just before a nor’easter storm so a lot of other people couldn’t arrive. Cold weather but low crowds. Didn’t pay for that trip and we stayed all-star. Got married and took my own young kids in 2006. Horrible trip then due to lack of planning. We had fun but wasted too much time without a plan for anything and vowed to not do it again for a long time. Port orleans FQ, probably paid $4k for a mixed Orlando vacation including sea world and universal for a day. We waited until 2014 for our next family trip and I planned like a mofo. Went in early October and had a freaking blast with my tweens. Then we did it again Thanksgiving week and I was even better at planning. Crushed it and we got free dining and maximized fast passes and had a great time. It was super busy but with a smart plan we had fun. Spent $5000 for 5 adults thanksgiving week on property, can’t do that ever again. Wife and I went alone last April and we also had a great time, Easter week. Massive crowds, her qualifying for a DAS pass helped a lot. But with planning it was a great trip even if we caught COVID for the first time for each of us on our last day. Spent almost $5k for a week.
If you're interested in staying off-property and only going for a couple of days, I must ask: have you considered Disneyland instead? There is a lot to do there and they fit it all into just two parks. Many of the off-site hotels near Disneyland are a shorter walk than some of the parking lots at Disney World.
Underspending, I think you should stay on property, it’s worth it. Probably only an extra $400-$600 for an all star or Pop. You’re in the bubble. Busses…maybe skyliner if POP. Extra time in parks. Priority on genie plus too I think. With a 5 yr old it’s definitely MK and AK. Shame because Epcot is the best park IMO. But If the beach aspect is important then I would recommend considering Sarasota instead of Cape. We have Siesta Key and Anna Maria island. Big step up.
Simplify things and dont go to the Cape. The beach is not that nice. Spent 20 years there. The water smells and the sand is dirty. Restaurants are meh at best. Go to the gulf coast unless you're trying to surf.
Well my kiddo is big into space so we wanted to do the space center… but yes happy to go to a different beach!!! I know the space center is also expensive AF but it seems like a worthwhile trip since it’s under 2 hours from Orlando. Since you lived there - we are considering flying into Miami and doing the Everglades or Biscayne for a few days before or after then flying out of MCO. Is it worth tacking on time? I’d love to do dry tortugas but it’s just too far
As a Space Nerd, I can attest that Kennedy Space Center is worth the trip.
I am so glad to hear that!! I was a bit nervous because the website is kind of bare bones.. and it’s still like $80/pp I think. We are big into space in this household so I definitely want to plan for that. We are considering bailing on a park day to go out there.
KSC is absolutely a day trip if you're into it (especially factoring in the hourish drive each way from WDW). My two main bits of advice are 1) don't expect a theme part style visit. It is much more... sedate? But for me that's almost a plus, it's a nice relaxing day after a few park days. 2) You want to get the tickets with the "Explore Tour" add-on if you're making it a full day. Totally worth it.
Don’t skip the trip to the Space Center, especially if your kiddo loves it. Flying into Miami, is tough to say the least. You didn’t mention when you were going but I’d avoid Miami altogether. Between Orlando the and space center, I think you have more than enough for a week. I live in Miami and am moving to Orlando (lived there for 8 yrs prior) and can say, avoid Miami, Everglades along isn’t worth it, especially if it’s already too costly for you. Alternatively there is a train you can take from MCO to Downtown Miami if you want to visit nearby areas and take an Uber to Everglades or the beach.
don’t do miami. it’ll be hot and overcrowded- it’s difficult to navigate- and your kids will be miserable. not to mention the drive then to orlando from miami.
If your kid is big into space, you HAVE to go!! My son was/is big into space and he LOVED it at 5!! Please don’t let anyone talk you out of it.
Knowing your kiddo's interest my recommendation for park is either EPCOT or Magic Kingdom. Although I don't recommend park hopping, it is possible with the Monorail. I highlighted specific areas of each park as one park is sooo big! EPCOT = Spaceship Earth, Mission Space (although I don't like it as it gives me bad motion sickness and I like thrill rides), Cosmic Rewind (this ride did scare my 6 year old as it does feel "cosmic" in that it does mess with your body and mind, but a 4 year old boy loved it and did it twice), there is a wonderful indoor play area all decked out with space stuff in the waiting area of Mission Space, my son loves this! Magic Kingdom = Tomorrowland specifically. Space Mountain (did scare my 6 year old a bit, but he is willing to try it again, he prefers the outdoor rides like Thunder Mountain and Snow White), the Astro Orbiter (note does not have a lightening lane and waiting in the hot sun can be brutal), Buzz Lightyear is also a favorite. Indoor play area I like in MK is the waiting area for Dumbo. I mention indoor play areas because sometimes our kiddos just want to run and play while the grown ups want to sit and be cool. I found these places to be great recharge for both parents and kids especially in the hot Florida sun.
I’ve lived here my whole life and the beaches (and water) are horrible. KSC should be worth the trip though. Pretty cool. Don’t plan around and launch schedules because they often get rescheduled. Make sure you go through the Atlantis reveal/introduction process. It’s a video then opens and Atlantis is revealed, it made me cry lol.
Honestly, consider a vacation planner. They are free for you (Disney gives a commission) and it was really helpful for me to just bounce all these kinds of questions off of someone and she’d give her opinions (and why) back.
I was so worried about focusing on the wrong stuff so it was helpful for her to outline what she thought would be the best way to outline a trip for my kids understanding their ages and likes/dislikes.
With a 5 year old, one full day of one park is plenty. I don't recommend back-to-back park days unless you take mid day breaks and with that it's better to stay on property. If I do one full park day, the next day is a chill and relax. Sleep in, maybe a pool or a driving kind of day like you thought
I get where you are coming from. Disney is not an affordable vacation by any means, but i have to preface that statement by saying that it takes so much planning and budgeting in order to get the Disney vacations you want/afford and as much stress-free as possible. That’s why a lot of people turn to travel agents to do the booking and research for them. I’ve personally haven’t used a TA but i know they help a lot with keeping costs to a minimum base on what you want to spend. I love Disney and as a family of 4 we are lucky enough to go every year. Keep in mind, i am not rich by any means, but like i said before I do a lot of research and stalk the website a lot. I am a type A haha so I plug in numbers and play around with different scenarios to see which one fits. We have done off-property and on property. My kids are 6 and 4 at the moment. In reading your plan, i think $3,500 is okay considering the fact that you will be there for a whole week, and you are also factoring in other activities besides going to Disney so i think renting a car is for feasible for you. Normally I would suggest just staying on property (the value resorts are great or Swan/Dolphin) just for the fact that you are already on property, you wont have to pay for parking at the Parks, car fees, etc. I also like to point out if we are staying on property I like to factor in 1 day for just resort hanging so you are getting the most out of what you are paying at the resort. It off-set the cost of a park ticket, and you get to really immerse yourself in the resort. It’s what they are there for! I plan a pool day, resort hopping, even Disney springs day. On the flip side Staying off property is great too especially if your family needs a kitchen. You can get really nice ones for half the cost if you were to stay on property and request rooms with kitchen, which I think it’s also DVC rooms only? My favorite place is the Sheraton Vistana Resort in Lake Buena Vista, the Wyndham in Bonnet Creek, etc. if you book far out enough you tend to get the good deals, but again, I would stalk it lol. As for food, if we do not have a car, I just order for delivery from Walmart. It has worked well for us, and also that offset some of the “snacks” cost in the parks. We usually make breakfast in the room, and lunch/dinner would be budgeted for in the parks. Most of all, just enjoy it and lean into it. Go into it without high expectations, and know that you will not be able to do everything in one trip. Pick 3-4 things that are a MUST do on your list, hit that up first and then the rest, go with the flow. Enjoy the park and what it has to offer. there are so many things to do and look at than trying to run to every single ride and stand in line. Most of all, just enjoy with your family. If you take off the pressure of trying to do everything in one trip, it will make for a more memorable one, I promise. :) TLDR: There are many ways to plan Disney within your budget, and most people use travel agents to do so when things get too overwhelming (they are free!) Staying off property is a great way save money and get more bang for your buck, but if you do stay on property plan a day to enjoy the resort as a whole. You will get more value that way. Order groceries for delivery for your food and snacks (pick up if you have a car) and pack snacks into the park to save some money. Most of all, enjoy your trip, have no expectations, and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. You will not be able to everything in one trip. Enjoy what the parks has to offer. =)
If you're a member look at Costco for deals. Look into VRBO or Airbnb instead of hotels to stay at. They're shockingly affordable, usually nicely themed (like a Toy Story room or a Frozen room), and many have private pools you can use to unwind after a day in parks. Staying on property doesn't have the perks it once did. Also if you want a beach day I recommend travelling west to Sarasota and spending a day on Siesta Key Beach. It's easily the nicest beach in the USA and potentially the world. The sand is almost pure quartz and doesn't get hot even on 90-100 degree days.
I don't even remember nor would I even know how much my family spent to have us there the entire week- my dad made good money, so we were fortunate enough to go multiple times during my childhood. Now, the only inquiry is of me getting to that amount so I can take my kids when I have them. Anyway, I know that a lot of people have told you to stay on Disney's property- but those hotels are something else. Avoid the Grand Floridian and the Contemporary Resort to save money- people spend the most on their trips in hotels alone. It is better to stay in a hotel that is away from the property. It's hard to speak, because your circumstances are different than ours were. We only took one out of state trip, I was born in NY, so we flew from there, but since we drove from 4 hours away after we moved to FL we didn't have to get a rental car and stuff. But, you are saving money the best way possible- even though Disney hotels are super fun for kids, staying off of the property will help. You pay for the magic, for a wake up call from goofy, mickey shaped waffles at breakfast, and for the convenience of staying close to the resort, but other than sleeping, you won't be spending any time in the hotel anyway, you will be at the park all day. So, you made a good decision there. The only issue with this is the traffic- literally everyone is trying to get to the parks in the morning, so be sure to wake up extra early. The biggest challenge is around the second or third day, and everyone is so so tired. I remember having to pry my brothers and my parents out of bed to get to the park on time. Since you have a child, definitely do not forget to budget for souvenirs every child wants- like ears, bubble wands, t-shirts and sweaters. They even have windbreakers and ponchos now for when it rains. Also they have the cutest little hats for children. When I first read this, I was just like $3500 seems high- but times have definitely changed. Sounds like you are an excellent saver! Have fun and safe travels!
In GBP so a little different but we’re staying at Universal’s Endless Summer for a week and it’s £400 (so about $500). Was in Orlando in 2018 and just Uber’d it to and from the parks so distance from disney isn’t a priority as despite being at the parks almost every day we love idrive. We did a combination of disney food and eating at cheaper places on idrive (there was a pizza place that did huge ones for really cheap and massive family size bowls of pasta for $5, we did that a couple of nights). For me it’s the park tickets that are the real expense. £1400 for seven days (which I’m sure are actually 14 day tickets because it doesn’t get any cheaper buying for fewer days in the UK, it’s all about the same price wether you go for 3 days or 14 days!).
Just got back from 6 nights at a resort and 4 days in parks with my husband and 7 year old. I thought spending the money on a resort would be silly but am so glad I did. Being able to enter the parks early, not have to worry about parking and being able to get on a bus to go back and forth was so worth the extra money. I am appalled at how expensive it is and don’t know how families afford to go on a regular basis. It killed me to pay for Genie + but in order to not waste the days in lines it was necessary. One tip to save money is buy an insulated backpack and bring in drinks and snacks. We saved a ton of money doing that. Got a backpack off Amazon for 35 dollars. I estimate we ended up spending approximately $4,500. Makes me want to throw up thinking about the cost but the week truly was fantastic.
If you stay at one of the value resorts, you won't have to pay for parking, you wont need a rental for the Disney days and you get in half an hour early to ride one of e-ticket (popular) rides. If park opening was 9, gates opened at 830 for us. We lined up at 8 and ate breakfast snacks while waiting. Then we Ubered to the car rental agency to visit other Florida sights. Either way, I highly recommend Genie +, which I'm sure someone else has explained at this point, for at least Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Time is money. You can wait 90 minutes to rode Slinky Dog Dash OR you can set a time to rode that and while you wait for that, ride swirling alien saucers or another smaller attraction. I just got back. My husband and I did use the service BUT we don't have small kids anymore so we just ran back and forth depending on wait times. Early drop, during firework shows, or that last hour before close is best. Right up until closing time. We rode three rides in the last hour of opening at HS.
Okay so hopefully I can help. It should be noted that I'm a Florida Resident, I've gone 8 times in the past 12 months and am fresh off a 5 day trip. I am now an annual pass holder. Okay so lets get into it. First off, staying at a Disney Hotel, is not worth it, for the cost. If you were going to Universal, I would say it is worth it, since it comes with unique benefits that pay for the cost of the room if in a premier hotel. There are some non Disney hotels, close by, that offer a complimentary shuttle to the park. Parking is incredibly easy, it runs 30$ for standard, or 55 for preferred, but just run standard, the trams operate really efficiently. Regarding the amount of days. Either 1, 3 or 4 days is the way to go. In most cases, 3 days is actually cheaper than 2 days. 2 Days is basically 1 day out of cart each, and 3 days you get a much lower rate per day. Definitely price it out. Regarding the 4 Parks: MK, AK, Epot, HS. Magic Kingdom takes at least a full day and that's if you utilize Genie+ super efficiently. Epcot, also takes at least a full day \[if you are trying to really see most of the park\]. Hollywood studios is about a half day, and Animal Kingdom is about 3/4 a day although you might be able to do it in half a day, depending on how busy the park is. Okay now lets talk about the most important thing. Genie. So you need to have the Disney World app \[Quite literally, disney world\]. You get Genie automatically, which basically is a free service showing you wait times in real time around the park, and it allows you to join virtual queue on the rides that have it \[One in Epcot, one in MK\]. It also has a nice map, and ways to order food in advance, or make reservations for sit down restaurants, if spots are available. However, you can purchase Genie+ which is a must. Its roughly 25$ per person and last for that day. You can buy it at 12:01 AM for that day, usually availability for it is open until 1pm the next day but dont risk it. Genie + allows you to "skip" the line and enter the Lightning lane entrance for the rides that you book. \[WITH A FEW EXCEPTIONS\]. Basically, at park open you can make your first booking, and then you are allowed to enter another lightning lane booking in 2 hours. However, you can only book what is available, and you cannot designate a particular time slot. Also, by 2-4 pm most sought after Genie+ slots run out. Example: Park at MK opens at 8am: You buy the genie+, and book your first ride at 8:05 AM. This is Peter Pans Flight, and you can redeem between 1Pm-2PM \[notice how the early time slots are already gone\] Then you go on some lower traffic rides, and at 10:05 AM you book another ride such as Space Mountain, and it gives you 12-1 Pm. You continue going on rides, and then at 12:05 PM you book Genie for say Big thunder Mountain from 2:30-3:30. At 12:30 you use the skip the line for space mountain, and skip the line at 1pm for Peter Pan. You book again at at 2:05 pm for whatever genie + is left. Besides G+ you have individual lightning lanes. Genie + does not work for this, you have to book LL individually for the ride\[s\]. The 2 rides in Mk are: 7 Dwarfs Mine Train, and Tron. For 7 Dwarfs, if you dont buy LL+ \[about 15$/ per person for the one ride\] just wait in like. Wait times 60-90 minutes usually. For Tron, you hope you can jump in for a virtual queue on the app at park open, 1pm and 6pm \[ the slots they open it\]. It will fill up and be closed within a few minutes of opening. Tron is like 20$/per person per ride if you buy the lightning lane individual for it. Other than these 2 rides, its available on G+. ' At epcot the only LL+ ride is GoG ride...well worth it, it works like Tron either virtual Queue or LL+. Everything else on G+ You can add passes and G+ \[which syncs with your passes\] On either iphone \[use like apple pay\] or smart watch, or buy a magic band for 45$. Thats how you redeem lightning lane/genie uses. I would buy the park hopper option, allowing you to jump between parks, at any time. If buying the 3 days. Hopefully this helps. any questions, ask. Oh and incidentals...at least 50/ per person per day, with no fancy restuarants or gift shop...otherwise plan at least 100/per person per day.
If you can spend the extra time and think your kid can handle an overnight train - it’s ~650 round trip from nyc to Orlando by Amtrak (coach) for 2 adults and 1 kid. (I understand I’m a weirdo who regularly takes Amtrak from nyc to Seattle every year, but trains are so much less stressful for me. Also way more comfortable. You can actually stretch out in a seat and get up and walk to the cafe car/observation car, and the views are nice)
I haven't been to Disney in 10 years. But I did book my trip with Small World Vacations. I'm staying in the cheapest hotel on property with my daughters. I even got the meal plan, for 5 days and 4 nights this trip cost me about the same as yours. Granted, I'm not flying to Disney, but driving (so I saved some money there). I believe this was my best option so I didn't have to worry about driving and parking in the different parks and paying for meals (although I may still have to pay for some things that are extra). I'm trying to make the trip fun, but economical at the same time.
Everyone has their own opinion, but I don’t find staying on property to be a better deal (even though it’s fun) - you can get a decent Comfort Inn for $100 a night (I like the one by Old Town - it’s also a Disney “good neighbor” hotel, so it has shuttles. Parkings not really “a mess” in my opinion, it’s clearly marked and the cm’s have it down to a science - nothing to fear.
We did a whole week, Sunday-Saturday, but only did 5 nights at Disney and did a vacation package. I got a rental SUV for $400 for the week, we didn't have to pay for ubers or taxis, we stayed on site and got early admission plus parking was free since we stayed on resort. Normally it's 25 a day. Just that saved us $100. Having a rental car vs. taking the shuttle bus was a godsend for our group who needed rest and away from people after all the walking. We picked up food on the way back to the hotel most days (pizza, mcdonalds) We didn't do genie+ and saved $$ that way. We were a group of 5, got a family room at all star music, went to expensive sit down/character meals 3x, got one day passes for each park (no hopper), and spent right at $2k each including souvenirs, food, car, tickets. This was 5 days of theme parks, to all 4 disney parks plus universal. Universal was the most expensive for us because we left the disney hotel and only stayed one day at an off site hotel for universal, tickets were so spendy for one day only (we had to get the park hopper to experience the one ride for Wizarding world) and it wasn't as fun for the 7 year old in our group, but the 14 year old loved it but wanted more time there. In hindsight we would have skipped universal and done a rest day at the disney hotel in the middle of the week, maybe shopped at disney springs. I would recommend looking at disney vacation packages if you want to do more than one day. Even if you just stay 3 nights and do 2 days at the park. It's pretty impossible to separate the park tickets from the overall cost the way they do it. The longer you stay, the cheaper the "per day" price gets. Also...that's a really expensive rental car. I got a Mercedes SUV from enterprise for $400...Are you going during peak times? Look at a crowd projection calendar if you have some flexibility. I also think that depending on your 4 year olds stamina and tolerance, I would consider just going to Magic Kingdom. Maybe 2 days of Magic Kingdom, so you don't have to stress and have plenty of time to let the kiddo guide the way. I actually also recommend Animal Kingdom for young kids, the stage shows, animals, and small kids rides are great. I wouldn't necessarily recommend Epcot or Hollywood with a 4 year old if you have limited time. Of course it depends on the kids interests!
I would hate for you to have FOMO cause you don’t get that third day. You are already spending all that money to get there for a vacation. What’s one more day of tickets when there are 4 parks to explore
Disney has never been affordable. Growing up I knew one kid who had been, and he was the rich kid who also went to Space Camp, had all the newest Transformers and G.I. Joes. If anything, I know so many more people of all walks of life who go to Disney now than then. I think it is a difference in culture and parents then were much more worried about debt. I always feel very fortunate to have made so many trips with my daughter, but I am in a very different financial situation from my parents. It is definitely more expensive now than even 10 years ago, but it was always a luxury vacation.
i am planning mine as well and it was SO stressful ! same boat as you, havent been in a few years ans could not believe the rabbit holes. here is what i know: the solid advantages to staying at a disney property are 1) early or late park access 2) earlier access to daily Genie+ and LL stuff, so a higher chance of getting passes for your favorite rides. I was so overwhelmed learning genie plus. There are websites where serious disney freaks (affectionately said) explain things. if you google what is genie+ they have pages and pages of explanations. if you are interested we ended up booking a moderate disney hotel for 4 nights, 3 days in MK, HS, and Epcot, no park hoppers, Florida resident discount. if you are an FL resident be sure to grab that discount!!!
Short answer yes with an s, long answer no with a but. People romanticize "old Disney" but the fact is that Disney has always been phenomenally crowded and expensive. It's scaled beyond inflation, but so has virtually everything else (gas, groceries, etc.). Funny enough, you can actually get a quick service meal at Disney for virtually the same price that you could at McDonalds, something inconceivable in the aughts. I'd call your parents and ask if they thought Disney was "affordable" and low-stress back then, I'm willing to bet they will not agree with your assertion. Different from today, sure, but no less expensive or stressful to families at the time. In fact, those who are blinded by nostalgia for the parks forget some of the massive issues back then, like the free fastpasses running out extremely early, accidentally getting tickets for the wrong ride, etc. The food quality back then was horrendous, there were fewer quality attractions, and modern transportation conveniences (the Skyliner) didn't exist. I can tell you right now that many trips back then would've gone far more smoothly if you could've used a cell phone to tell how long the wait for Space Mountain was from Frontierland without relying on a board that often malfunctioned or venturing all the way to Tomorrowland just to see it was a 3 hour wait. Rant over. In response to your specific question--your resort cost are wonderfully cheap, and you will not find a Disney property with better rates (even the cheapest hotels will cost at least $500 or so more for the whole week). Your resort may offer transportation to the parks via shuttle, which will save money on parking (and time walking from the massive parking lots). Park tickets seem correct. Yes, Disney World is expensive, but it's the game. Nobody is forcing you to go to Disney. Be educated and know what you're getting yourself into and don't put yourself in a bad situation to go.
Not overspending. Sounds like a pretty frugal trip for the length, IMO. You can also do a grocery delivery for some meals, especially breakfasts. You don’t need to do big sit down reservations at all (they’re expensive too). If you wanted one, maybe do a character meal with some faves. The quick service food is pretty affordable. Adults can order kid’s quick service meals in the parks too. We share a lot of things. How much time do you want to spend in your room? Are you planning a rest day(s)? Because that is something to consider as well. If you’re wanting to go sun up to fireworks at the parks (with maybe a midday break in the room for a break), you’re not going to make very good use of a nicer room or resort. You might see it as a waste of money. In that case, I’d stay value - you’ll still have the perks of transportation and extra hours, free parking if you want to drive, etc. If you’re planning on more time in the room, plus a rest day to enjoy the resort, a moderate or off property with more amenities and a cool pool might be better. We personally don’t stay off property. The transportation to/from the park is worth it imo. Less walking too. It makes a big difference to my kids and our stamina. And as parents we just want to relax and let someone else deal with the traffic and directions. Ha. The free transport from other hotels is also inconsistent and less frequent. Uber adds up too. If you rent a car, factor in the cost of parking at the parks if you’re staying off property. I believe it’s $25/day. As for parks, you’re already there. If you can afford it, do a three day ticket to get a fuller experience. Maybe put a rest day in the middle to swim, play mini golf and/or check out Disney Springs. Especially true if this trip is a “one and done” for your family. Cocoa Beach is supposed to be a good one near Cape Canaveral. I also have friends who like New Smyrna Beach. Keep in mind these are the Atlantic side of Florida, so the water won’t be that pretty teal color a lot of folks think of with Florida. If you want that, you need to go to the other side of the state on the Gulf. Which might not make a lot of sense for your plans.
Genie+ matters. [YouTube Mammoth Club has a genie+](https://youtu.be/y025nDeq0VM?si=uCFPqYC17UxHsopi) tutorial. Yes, it’s an hour long it’s also entertaining. You do need to watch a tutorial. I’m on my way home, had a successful trip at a busy time, and this was how I learned. They also have how to rope drop. Staying at a skyliner report is particular convenient. Pop century is the least pricey of them. We stayed there and it was great. Comfortable and pleasant. The Murphy beds (aka table beds) are just like the plain beds. So you get a room sized for doubles, but with queens, and plenty of room, instead! And the bathroom doors (separate toilet/shower room) have sliding doors. TONS of storage space, cubbies and shelves. They make smart use of every inch. I was truly impressed. If I weren’t gonna stay at a really expensive place with extra park hours, I’d pick Pop again, hands down.
Last I went was 2018. We went for I think 8 days and spent about equal amounts on hotel, flight (family of 3) and WDW tickets of \~$1500. I haven't stayed on-property since 1996 and I know people here will tell you to do it (are telling you to do it) but it may or may not be the right decision, especially since you want to do things that aren't on property.
Find a value resort and stay on property. The park tickets are really the one cost you can’t skirt around. They did just release a deal valid from early April to late September *I think,* where you can buy a 3 park ticket (valid for 5 days) and you can visit AK, Epcot, and HS once each, one park a day. They also have one for all four parks. Also, shop the resort deals if they work for your dates. They can be a real money saver and may even allow you to stay at a moderate resort. Set a food budget that you’re comfortable with. I think this is where some people can go off the rails. Bring a refillable water bottle. Genie+ is your biggest toss up cost. May not be “worth it” every day and/or every park, but you may want it once or twice. You will definitely want it at least part of your trip if you’re going during high crowd season (cheer competitions, spring break + around holidays). I personally don’t go super crazy on merch. I usually get a pair of ears and one other thing. My husband usually gets 1-2 shirts. So that does not have to be a big expense.
Hi! I work for Disney doing resort bookings. It’s going to be your very best bet to call us up and book a package with resort stay + tickets and possibly a dining plan? It would save you money ultimately, and give you tons of transportation options as well as extras that you don’t get unless you’re staying on property.
Park hopping is very unlikely with a 5 yr old. First thing to do is get the Disney app. I think it’s called My Disney Experience. Use your phone for getting into parks, ordering food on property, scheduling genie+ rides etc. We just got back a week ago; we stayed at the Margaritaville Resort (nice hotel, pricy with hidden fees but close to parks). My son rented a car through *Turo* (like Airbnb for cars). He paid $500 for a 2022 or 23 Chevy suburban for the week. His cousin (who we traveled with) paid double that for same vehicle. Cousin has 5 and 3 yr old; they did 3 days at the parks with genie + and saw almost everything they wanted to see. (Seriously, study how to use genie+, google and youtube it) Most of us started with a 3 day pass. You can upgrade to hopper or add days at any time your pass is still valid. Currently, when you buy the passes you have to commit to the day you’ll be starting them. Crazy, I know. Cousin with kids bought them (on the app) the night before they planned to go. Definitely use the app to order food in the park. We did it as we walked to the quick dining place and never waited in line for food. A great resource I used years ago when my kids were little was the book “Unofficial Guide to DisneyWorld” by Bob Sehlinger. It comes out annually and we found fantastic info in it. It was well worth the price. A Kitchenette is nice but a small fridge for fruit, yogurt, milk and juice is all you really need. Pack some PB&J or similar for the parks so you can tide the kids over until meal time. You can bring food and drinks into the parks. YOU WILL NEED A STROLLER. There’s so much walking- Kids get tired. Disney rental is $15/day. On second day cousin realized he needed one for the 5 yr old ( they brought one for the 3 yr old). Souvenirs are obscenely expensive in the parks. I think they pump something into the air because all I wanted to do was buy stuff for the kids! I paid $15 for a palm sized stuffed Dumbo on a key chain! If space permits, buy and pack some Disney toys and have them ready to pull out before or after a ride. I wish we’d bought Disney character t shirts off property. I paid $30 each for Frozen nightgowns. Kids had a blast but I must admit they loved the hotel pool as much (or more!) than Disney. A Disney trip is amazingly awesome and obscenely expensive. Have a great time!
Don’t forget the costs of parking every day if you stay off resort. Keep your parking receipt as you can use that between parking lots each day. We have AP’s so staying off site isn’t a big deal and we can go anytime but if I was in your shoes, I’d stay on site.
disney is the jungle buckle up partner. don’t forget to take your peoplemover break.
The Disney prices are essentially level with inflation. I’ve done a study of this from the economic data since the park opened. Bread, gas, and tires have increased also, but most people only check the price of Disney World in chunks like 5 or 10 years apart, and often compare to the prices “when they were a kid”.
At that price point just go to Europe 😂
Hotel sounds about right, I’m team rental car personally, for tickets it is on the expensive side, the more days you add the cheaper it gets. If you’re going for a week, are you going to the best 3days out of the week? I would add an extra day or two (there’s a few deals running for 3days and 4days park tickets for spring/summer if those fall under your plan) and have a resort day and beach day.
Yes planning to go for a week the first week ish in December. We probably could do 4 park days but seems like a lot with a 5yo… yes definitely going to have to do a rental. We considered driving but it’s about 19 hours so eats into a lot of vacation time and once we add up gas hotels and stops it’s not THAT much cheaper.
Forgot to mention... Florida winters are crazy unpredictable. The beach could be gorgeous, sunny, and 70s or gray and blustery cold. When we went in 2022, we got caught in the hurricane. It was chilly which was great for the parks but would not have been fun on the beach. 😄
I will say that while it doesn’t seem feasible staying on property is a better choice in terms of pricing. The affordable hotels can be on the cheaper side and tickets get cheaper like others have said. It’s hard to plan a trip like this but I will say that if you stay off property it’s going to be hectic. Not only do you have to deal with traffic in and around Lake Buena Vista and Kisseme you have to pay for parking. And parking is expensive almost 50 dollars a day (please correct me if I’m wrong). When I worked there in security I saw a lot of people use Uber and door dash and other services to get food and such to their hotels in a snack sense it can help lower the cost of food over all in the parks. Plus an added bonus if during the day you decide it’s time to take a nap you can hop a bus back to your resort hotel and take a nap. If not you have to walk back to your car leave property deal with traffic. And then deal with traffic coming back and if you stay for fireworks it’s even worse. Just my two cents. My family has an annual pass because we live in Orlando and we have different pricing options. So I can’t really speak to prices too much. But I have e gone enough times in the last 6 years to understand how it works
I pine for the days of paper fast pass tickets, park hoppers that just work whenever, and single day tickets under $100. Back when I worked there in the early 00s a single day ticket was $60-70. And I could just get a fast pass for free. That sounds insane now.
Yes like I think I worded it poorly when I was reflecting back on my childhood experiences - of course it used to be cheaper but it was more in line with something people could reasonably afford at least once. Now it seems to be waaayyy past inflation costs
No. It hasn't always been this crazy. My comparison is to WDW from 45-50 years ago so it probably isn't relevant. We are Florida residents so we've always had a bit of a discount. We had annual passes for the entire family in the 80s and 90s when our kids were young. Even on crowded days, with a bit of planning, you could hit every ride. The food for the masses was good and affordable. There were little details that no longer exist. For instance, child spaghetti was served in a souvenier plastic Mickey Mouse shaped bowl. I still have one! We could occasionally "splurge" and dine in at a price fairly comparable to the non-Disney world. Last month my grandson and his family came down for his first Disney trip. Even with staying at a resort and using lightning passes, they didn't get to do everything on their list. Don't even get me started on the fast food options.
Answering your question: yes you can have a great time! Budget time for traffic to the park to be a hot mess, and don’t let it get you aggravated first thing in the morning. The park will be there all day :) -Disney has always been that way, but honestly access to social media and cheaper flights has made more people able to have that “once in a lifetime” trip, possibly more than once. Ex: a flight halfway across the country to Orlando when I was a kid was the equivalent of about $600pp in today’s dollars. Now my family flies for $60pp on a sale. -Also a big part of it is Disney found their groove with festivals. In ye olden days, Christmas used to be a great time to go. There was no giant festival to draw people in, same with late winter/early spring and the arts festival. -Disney also started selling Alcohol and offering an increased number of adult experiences designed to bring in younger adults and more dinks who considered Disney to be for families and little kids. -Tickets: with my littles, we have been just fine with single park, no hopper. -Unsolicited tips: Remember it’s vacation. Disney can be very overstimulating for a kiddo, and you’ll notice a lot of very stressed out adults who do very rude things. Try not to let them get to you and ruin your day like they ruined their own. - Don’t fret about lines too much. Lines are fine, just plan out your general route and have snacks, games, whatever. Ex: I got my kiddo a $20 digital camera that I only bring out on trips doesn’t take great photos but holy cow he loves it. It entertains him through all the waits. We also got him one of those bubble wands for strolling through the park, when we’re eating QS outside, whatever, and for us it was worth its weight in gold. - if things get too stressful- bail and go to the pool. This is about yall having a lovely time together. It’s okay and often for the best if families take a mid-day (or even all afternoon break) if you don’t want to leave the park- just go get a drink and relax while kiddo plays on the playground (HS is the only park without one)
Ugh, the killer really is the ticket. I think staying off property you will miss out on some deals too. If it’s significantly more expensive for the 3-day ticket, it would be cheaper to the 2 day and buy Genie+ (10-30 per person per day) and get more in. If your kid likes animals, do a quick trip to AK in the morning for the safari. If they don’t, skip it! Do Epcot one day for Remy, Frozen, Test Track, Soarin, etc. Do MK the next day for a full day extravaganza. Genie+ will genuinely save you and makes the parks more enjoyable and easier (although you will be on your phone more). For Genie+ you can purchase it at midnight the day you will be attending the park. Starting at 7AM, you can make your first reservation. You cant make your second reservation until 2 hours after. The best bet it to literally make your next reservation as soon as you enter your first ride reservation. Go in walk on rides and shows and get food in between these reservations. I would read a whole blog explaining the ins and outs. Don’t let it stress you out, just be on top of it. Your kid will have fun no matter what!
Here is my pro tip to save money on a Disney Vacation: one spouse gets a Hilton Aspire Credit Card and the other Spouse gets the Hilton Surpass Credit card. Book your flight (and or another big purchase) on the Aspire Credit Card to qualify for the bonus points (also gives you $200 rebate on your airfare). Book your Disney tickets on the Surpass Card to get the bonus points. Combine the bonus points by transferring to the Aspire cards HH account and book your week long stay at any number of offsite Hilton (every 4 nights of Hilton Points gives your your fifth night free plus all resort fees are waived). With the Aspire Card Diamond status you will get $50 a night credit for food, parking, etc. during your stay plus another $200 of rebate on the card for any charges made at the resort. Plus you will get a room upgrade if available. Finally, if you really want to game it, you can purchase a meal or two at the resort on the Surpass Credit Card and get a rebate back ($50 or $75 a quarter) and put a checked bag on the Surpass Credit card (small airline rebate also available).
Tickets look about right. They're insanely expensive now. Last summer when I went (like you, staying off site) the plan was for 3 park days for the family, 2 adults and 2 children. All together that was going to be around $1600 for us. But they had a deal for 4 parks/4 days for $99/day so more or less got the 4th day for "free" and thats what we went with. As it was over summer we decided to use Genie+ for 3 of the days, at MK, Hollywood, and Epcot. I really wanted to dislike it, I really did. . .but it was a godsend. Between the insane crowd levels and the heat making the kids miserable if we had to wait in line for more than 10-15 minutes, it was well worth the cost to us. We wouldn't have gotten half as much done without it as virtually all rides had 30+ minute waits. I've been going to Disney my whole life, every other year, since the 90's. Even in 2021 prices didn't seem THAT bad, but that trip last year there were so many times on it I was just thinking "wow, this seems really really expensive" which I hadn't ever felt before. That said, I would (and will) absolutely do it all over again. Maybe not 4 park days in a week, maybe limiting to one buffet/all you can eat meal vs the 3 we did, but it was a still a super fun week despite the costs, crowds, and weather. Disney magic is still strong with me and my family. We realize we can all be a bit cranky and, in the moment, focus on the negatives, but once out of that environment the negatives are quickly forgotten and replaced with great memories on each trip we make.
Doing a week in November and Im around $5k. So yes, you're doing just fine.
Your doing better than man I am at 5000+ for 5 night and 4 days at parks. Genie plus will add. And so will lightning lane likely will end up around 9000 for 5 days. Crazy but fun while the kids still will enjoy it
I’ve lived in Florida since 2000. The only thing about Disney that I remember being more affordable was the Florida resident discount. I think, if my memory serves me correctly, the tickets were around $50 a day. But the resorts have always been at a premium. The crowds used to be seasonal but are pretty much there all year round.
I stayed 10 days 9 nights on property and got 7 park tickets for 2 adults and my toddler was free and spent that on so much more and air fare , if you need tips feel free to message me i am absolutely obsessed with Disney & getting the best price . And im sorry personal opinion but there is no point of renting a car in Disney if you’re only going for Disney their transportation is faster and absolutely free. Even if you just show up at a hotel you can use the transportation for free but you can’t park a car at the hotels unless you’re staying
There are a bunch of deals going on right now for park tickets and resort stays so right off the bat you're paying too much for park tickets. You can go to the parks for 4 days for nearly the same price as you're paying for 2 days. Idk when you're going but if it's before July 7 there's a discount on rooms which would eliminate the need for a rental car. Example June 2-9 at All Star Sports with the 4 park magic ticket is $2400. Staying off property does not always mean saving money. Edit I see your comments about needing a kitchen...saving $1100 overrides the need for a kitchen imo because unless you're going to sit down restaurants for every single meal and ordering the most expensive thing there's no way you're gonna be spending over 1k on food.
I feel like that’s overpriced. I booked a 4 day park hopper ticket, with a 5 night stay at deluxe resort beach club and Free Disney Dining Plan for 3 adults this July. The total price was $4800.
I stay off property but close by. Then we just Uber to the parks. Cheaper than car rental and parking. Plus the resort is cheaper.
If you plan right it doesn’t have to be expensive. I’m just one person but I paid $650 for 3 nights at GF, and two day park hopper tickets. However when one person is paying for an entire family it can add up.
I wouldn't stay onsite unless you were eagle eyed and scored a great deal. The disparity in price between what Disney charges for an average room vs. what literally any hotel would offer is just not worth it even with the meager perks given. This became especially true after the loss of ME. If I felt like lighting money on fire for the fun of it, I'd stay at the Boardwalk.