We all know Disney takes lots of planning. With fastpasses going quicker than hotcakes and dining reservations booked out for 6 months it takes a lot of effort to make the most out of your Disney vacation.
Budgeting is no different. It takes a lot of planning and effort, and there’s such unique scenarios that it isn’t always possible to get advice for your specific scenario.
We’re local and are only an hour drive away – budgeting for us is pretty easy. It’s the cost of an annual pass plus the cost of whatever food and drinks we want. Easy! We do have family all around the country so for our out-of-state relatives, a trip is a little more of a headache, and a little more effort.
A Family of Five!
For our first example: A family of 5 (Children over 3)- heading to Orlando from Chicago. Fair warning: This number is going to hurt to look at.
Flights
If you’re coming in from out of state and you’re from the Midwest or North East, flying is the way to go. Anywhere south of Marietta, Georgia and a one day road trip is probably worth the savings. Anywhere north of that and driving will be a little more difficult.
So, for the sake of pricing – Our midwestern family is going to fly from ORD (Chicago O’Hare) to MCO (Orlando). Luckily, they’re from a big city with lots of flights and pretty low fares.
Checking random days in August 2019 I was able to find round trip flights as low as $130.
We can average $200 for each person round trip. This is pretty average and easily found for most days. We’ll assume a friend can drop the family off at the airport, if not add additional for airport parking or an Uber ride.
Total so far: $1000
Hotel
The on property vs off property debate rages on. There’s certainly pros and cons to on and off property.
Pros of staying off-property
- More for your money. You’ll likely get bigger/better rooms for the same cost or cheaper. We’ve stayed off property and rented a 2 bedroom condo for half the price of staying at a Disney “Value” resort.
- No Disney Parking fees. These newer fees really irritate me. A weeks stay leaves you with an extra $105. Ouch.
- More food opportunities. Since you’ll already be off property, you can save big money by cooking your own meals in your room (if available), or dining at the many, many off property restaurants that are a much better value and where you can walk in without a reservation. Orlando has pretty much any restaurant you can think of – including Chicago favorite Giardano’s.
Cons of staying off-property
- Drive time to park. If you’re offsite, it will take you longer to get to the park. You miss out on the Disney buses and transport. Your hotel may have a free shuttle to the parks. Otherwise, you’ll have to park at the park (which, without a pass) will cost you.
- Later Fastpass selection time. One of the most invaluable tools for getting the most out of your day at Disney is Fastpasses. If you stay at a Disney Hotel, you can make your selections beginning 60 days prior to your stay. If you stay offsite, you’re limited to 30 days (which is when everyone else is too). Lots of the “Good” rides are booked up way earlier than this.
Pros of staying on-property
- Location, Location, Location. Many hotels are extremely close to one or more parks. If you’re planning to hit Rope Drop, this makes it much easier to arrive before the park opens.
- Free Transportation. The Disney public transit is decent. There may be long lines and long waits – but typically, it isn’t too bad. There’s also unique transportation options, such as the Gondola’s (opening soon), boats, buses, and monorails.
- Earliest fast passes. If you’re planning your trip in the distant future, Staying on property will give you a huge leg up over most people. You’ll be able to have your pick of the litter and can book basically any ride at any time.
- Disney Experience. For some, this is all it takes – the hotels have great styling and it never feels like you’re leaving the magic.
Cons of staying on-property
- Cost. You’re paying Disney Prices. Most of the hotels (Especially value hotels) are designed to hold around 4 people maximum. 5 people can cram in, but prepare to be very close and pay extra per person just for staying in the room.
- Parking fees. Ouch – it can add up to basically being the cost of an extra night.
- Limited food. It’s hard to get off property if you’re staying there – the transport is convenient and the parking fees might discourage you from having a car. That leaves you at Disney’s whim for food and supplies.
- Fee for Amazon Deliveries. If you need any supplies – be prepared to add on a $6 per box fee delivered to the lobby. Plan any deliveries wisely (and choose the Deliver in as few boxes as possible option if available).
All things considered, staying on Disney Property with 5 people is just big bucks and still might not be enough room. You’re never leaving the magic, but you’re paying for it.
On property hotels for a family of five around the time of these flights would be approximately $250/night.
Off property hotels for a family of five around the time of these flights would be approximately $150. Cheaper options are available but may be difficult to squeeze in five people. Options with kitchens are also available in this same price range.
Current Price On-Property: 2750
Current Price Off-Property: 2050
Transportation
Renting a car will be between $150 and $200 for a week. It might be a little cramped for five, but it should still be okay for a week.
If you decide to stay on property, you’re looking at an additional $15-$25 per day, depending on where you’re staying. We’ll use a value resort price to calculate.
Current Price On-Property: 3005
Current Price Off-Property: 2300
Tickets
Here is where your planning will come into play. Tickets vary in prices based on season, day of the week, and even by park. With the recent rise in annual passes, it may no longer be worth it. If you’re a Florida Resident, you may get some perks. Right now there’s 3 day tickets for $199, a fourth day is $35 additional. The standard Florida Resident ticket is $109 for a day. This does not include park hopper. A Non Florida Resident Ticket is $125. There’s also currently a summer offer for anyone, but it ends on August 28, 2019. This pass is $444.00 each for 6 single park tickets, including water parks. This works out to a savings of $214 per person compared to the 1 park per day tickets at $109/$125.
Using a ticket offer is a great choice. We’ll use that for our math. If you buy standard tickets, add an extra $214 per person.
Ticket Total for Five People for 6 Days: $2200
Current Price On-Property: 5205
Current Price Off-Property: 4500
Extras
This is up to you. There’s ticketed events like Mickey’s not so scary Halloween party, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas, the new Villain’s Hours Afters, Firework Watch Parties, and Much more.
Disney’s always looking to get a little bit more, so be prepared and budget according to your families needs.
Since these are highly personal, and often season dependent, we’ll skip these for now.
Current Price On-Property: 5205
Current Price Off-Property: 4500
Food
This is where Disney crushes.
While you’re on your week vacation, you’ll inevitably have to eat. You’ll also undoubtedly want to treat yourself, you’re on vacation after all!
Look for a future guide on saving money and snacking efficiently. Without preparation, you’ll be buying $4.50 bottles of water and other junk. We really want you to have the best possible experience without blowing the budget.
Staying off property will let you head to a Chipotle, McDonalds, or some other restaurant for a more reasonable breakfast or dinner. Staying on property, you’re limited to Parks, Disney Springs, or your hotel’s food court. There’s some good, affordable options at Disney Springs (like Chicken Guy, and Blaze! Pizza) but for the most part, everything is more expensive at Disney.
We really prefer the quick service at most parks. However, Via Napoli in EPCOT is a great sit down restaurant where you can share a big pizza for a reasonable price. We like the artichoke one.
Nevertheless, pick your restaurants wisely. The portions at Disney are typically pretty large and many things are shareable. The Ahi Tuna Nachos at Yak N Yeti at Animal Kingdom, for example. It’s priced around $20, but it can feed 2 or 3 easily.
Budgeting $40 per person per day allows for approximately, 2 Quick Service Meals, and a snack. This is probably the minimum you can get away with. Luckily, all the prices are available online, so if you’re willing to find what you want to eat, you can more accurately predict this.
That brings food for our family of Five to $1400.
Please keep in mind, there’s Disney Dining Options that haven’t been explored here. You may find a better deal with that, especially if you’re prepared to use your credits for the most expensive options, you may come out ahead.
Current Price On-Property: 6605
Current Price Off-Property: 5900
Summary
So – by finding deals across the board, a midwestern family of five can spend 7 days in Orlando, and 6 days at Disney parks for under $7,000. After some rough approximation math as shown above, that family could go to Paris, France for a week for a similar cost.
We’ll work on putting some new guides together that can give you a money saving edge, with ideas for things to prebuy and bring to the parks to save big money. There’s definitely ways to trim the budget, and there’s often deals to be had. The key to Disney is, the more flexible you can be, the easier and cheaper it will be.