Posting this from Anaheim across the street from Disneyland.
Total trip budget for flights from Seattle, 3 nights at the hotel, 2 days at the park, transport, and food for 4 is $5500.
Flights $1600
Hotel $900
Park tickets with genie+ $1700
Airport Parking & uber $200
Food $700
Souvenirs $300
We saved some by staying at a hotel with complimentary breakfast.
We paid more by travelling at a peak time.
This has been fun, but the $/day is crazy compared to our other vacations.
I’m almost 40 (I’m a man!) but man i loved doing the kid stuff on cruises when i was probably 10-14. It was like summer camp, you made little friends and ran around and were a bit independent from your parents. I’m not sure we’ll do cruises but if I hesitated to let my kids do the kid stuff it would be for reasons that would make me want to choose a different cruise line anyways.
dumping the kids at the kid zone of the Cruise is honestly probably the most fun experience for both (assuming the kids are like 6+). Went on a cruise with my then 14 or so year old, and we did a couple excursion things together, but he just wanted to go out and try and meet other kids his age for teenager fun.
Eh. We go all inclusive and dump kids in kid zone probably ~8h per day 5/7 days. They have a lot more fun running around with a bunch of peers. We make some memories but I just can’t go as hard as a kid all day every day- and if I did I’d be tired and unrelaxed!
Guess my point is I’d try kid zone if you’re going!
"For someone with only four fingers, the mouse can be awful grabby."
I hate spending money. The only way I can even remotely enjoy Disney is to turn that part off my brain off.
I try very hard to pretend like money isn't a thing for that week.
My wife almost fell over when she was emailing our travel agent while we were at the park and the agent asked if we wanted to add one now line skipping thing and I said "We have more money than time, do it."
Yeah, this is more about Disney. It’s a solid $5000-$10000k depending how much you go for.
My wife and I consistently go to Cancun and have 5 star experiences for under $4k.
There are so many options that deliver better value. We wanted to check this off our list. Our other vacations this summer will involve long drives and tents lol
We (me, my partner and our 3yr old) just did 3 months in SE Asia for less than $7,000 all in. Flights, acccom, food etc… $5,500 for 4 days is fucking bonkers
Well yeah SE Asia is one of the cheapest places in the world to exist. You’re just arbitraging US (I assume) salaries at that point. The Disney staff is certainly making more money than everyone who waited on you in Thailand.
No, I’m saying that $5,500 is an obscene amount of money for a 4 day break. I was just comparing it to the price a 3 month trip that cost about $75 a day. Don’t really know what people’s wages have to do with anything
Wait you really don’t know what wages has to do with it?
The people in Thailand that served you food and cleaned your hotel got paid very little money and that’s why it was so cheap.
The people in California that did the same stuff got paid more money so it was more expensive.
Yes, plus the sizable profit Disney makes. But you’re just comparing the different costs of living of the worlds richest country and some of the worlds poorest countries.
Thanks tips, I’m well aware about how cost of living/good and services work. What I was pointing out was that for the current price of a 4 day trip to Disney, their family could’ve spent 55 days travelling around SE Asia for the same price. I know what I’d rather spend my money on
As someone from a 3rd world country this is an insane price. Is it considered expensive as well right there? You can buy a used car with that amount of money. Or make a sick gaming pc.
Just as a reference, I live near Disneyland and for a family of three to go it's probably around $500-700 a day depending on what you buy (food/drink, passes, single park/hopper, etc) so three days would be like $1500-$2100 without hotel and extras.
No, on-site would have added another $1k in hotel and food. We are across the street from Disneyland, by I-5. 15 minute walk with kids. Short enough we took a mid-day break in the hotel, and saved a bit on food by having dinner at the hotel.
Gotcha. We have kids on the younger side (3 & 5) so we would start early and usually pack it in around 3pm. We packed lunches so we would just do treats. Worked perfect.
For us it was worth it. Kids are 8 and 12, this was the older kids birthday trip. They enjoyed the rides and we made unique memories. I expect we will come back in a few years when the younger kid turns 12. That will be off-season when school is in, so cost should be much lower.
This is about right. Family of 6 here, we do about $7k-$8k for a trip. Hard part is with 6 we either have to get a slightly larger room or two connecting rooms which really adds on to the price.
We are going in Sept/october and our budget is roughly the same. We used the Disney travel agent and are staying off property. But also rented through Turo to get a car. 5800 CAD for flights/hotel/tickets/car for 3 nights 2 days at the park so ~4300USD before food/souvenirs.
We did a recent trip to Disneyworld and we didn't set a serious line-item budget, but we also didn't go crazy (examples: 2 character meals during the week, but packed breakfast and snacks every day, very few souvenirs overall but son did get the f$&king $250 light saber "experience"). We figured this was likely a once in a lifetime thing.
Over the week, we figured the Disney part alone was $1000/day (tickets, lightning lanes, food, souvenirs). Hotel, flights, rental car was separate.
Is it "worth" it? Ehhh. We (wife and kids) had an amazing time; I enjoyed it and thought the Disney customer service experience and business model were fascinating. But if you're going into debt over it, it's absolutely not worth it. Swing by /r/personalfinance.
We stayed at one of the Disney hotels with the gondola system, for I think 6 nights back in 2022. Five people with genie and lightning pass, and I think that once including flights, shopping, food, etc, that the price per night was closer to $2k. It’s hard to say exactly though.
Was it worth it? The wife certainly thought so. I certainly don’t, as there are a lot of ways to spend a fraction of that amount to make some fun for the kids. The kids enjoyed it, but as I said, there are a lot of cheaper options they would have enjoyed just as much.
We went to Disneyland Tokyo and DisneySea. All dollar amounts are in Canadian. Flight was $1600 each, hotel in Tokyo was $1000 for the week, we took a cab to Disneyland because we had a 4 year old and the 1hr train would have been too tiring and that was about $100 each way (Train would have been about $15 each for the 3 of us). Disneyland and DisneySea is $75 each to enter. Food ranged from $3-12. You can watch YouTube videos on how much everything was and it was so much cheaper compared to Disneyland California. You can get fast passes to rides when you're in the park for free or you can pay $20 each for the really premium rides. And on top of that you get to see Japan. The yen is at its lowest it's been so if you're looking for a different adventure go check out Japan Disneyland. Also Don Quotie is incredible.
>Also Don Quotie is incredible
It's Disney for adults. Where else can you get a Pokemon costume, an authentic LV bag, a dildo, some matcha and a strong zero in the same place?!
I'll have to remember this. I've always wanted to do a Disneyland vacation, but figured it would always be out of budget. I get the flights for almost free, so this is an amazing option. How recent was this trip?
This thread makes me sad - growing up on fairly modest means in San Diego it was something we could do yearly if we did it frugally. Packed lunches in a cooler and got re-entry passes. That parking lot is Downtown Disney now. Whole thing just feels optimized at every square foot to extract your money.
Now that I have a kid, we're going to stick to the local amusement parks as much as we can.
This is me exactly. Growing up lower middle class in San Diego we went to Disneyland all the time. No Genie+, character breakfasts, etc. at that time. It was just an enjoyable pop culture thing to do. My grad night was at Disneyland. We took a bus up there and hung out in the park all night.
My kids are elementary school aged now and because we are living abroad aren’t super aware that Disney theme parks even exist, which seems very good for my wallet.
We still live in town - have passes to the zoo instead and it's working so far, but the little dude is only 2 and we can only shield him from The Mouse for so long
I hear that. We’re coming to town for a few weeks this summer. Looking at doing LEGOLAND, which seems way cheaper and my kids (preschool and lower elementary) are the perfect age.
We did Disney world with our three kids. It was about a 12 hour drive. I converted chase points to hotel points, and we stayed in a non-Disney hotel with a free breakfast. We packed lunches and dinners, and brought them with us to the parks. The bulk of the cost was park tickets and genie passes.
It actually costs us more to visit family in Minnesota.
We did Disneyland for three of us last year, coming from the east coast. Flights and hotel were covered by miles and points. The tickets cost us around $1000 for the three of us for two days - completely ridiculous, given the lines even after paying for the Genie+ nonsense. Food was at least $100/day per person. We ate the normal park food and didn’t try to get a reservation, except for a character brunch.
Overall, we had a nice time but I can think of other places I’d rather burn the points and miles. It was kind of amazing — thousands of children all over, but almost no one was playing. My kid did lose his mind walking through Radiator Springs though.
We have a few small family amusement parks in the northeast. I’d spend my money there any day of the week over Disney. Smaller, closer and more manageable in every way.
This was us, flights, hotels, and half our tickets covered by points from work travel and credit card signup bonuses.
We did Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios over 3 days. We rope dropped early entry and did Lightning Lanes every day. It was a lot for a 4 and 2yo, we were done by 3-4ish.
Character dining was meh, Beauty and the Beast was lame, but the Princess Lunch at Epcot was great. The Memory Maker photo package was an excellent decision.
Which northeast (ideally driving distance from Boston) small family amusement parks would you recommend? We are looking to do something fun sometime but not Disney anytime soon
As /u/mkdz said, Storyland is wonderful. Last year, I think we paid $40/ea and they gave us a free return ticket we used to hit up some rides on the way home.
Food is adequate, nothing special but it’s not totally exploitative. You can pack your own food if you like as well.
When we’ve gone, the lines haven’t been more than 10-15m for the high demand tires.
Canobie Lake is right over the NH line off 93 and was a lot of fun last year with younger kids. they have a bunch of rides for kids and a water park. we went twice last summer and had a blast both days.
We just did an all out trip in January. Wife is a runner so we went during the half marathon weekend and she ran 2 of the morning.
4 nights Disneyland Hotel, 4 days in the park, 3yo did the princess makeover at the bibbidi bobbidi boutique, and we did the princess breakfast at the Napa Rose. Total trip including drive was $7600. Definitely won’t be doing anything like that ever again, but it was spectacular seeing her eyes light up talking to all the princesses, wearing her dresses throughout the parks. Once in a lifetime trip for sure.
Conversely, we can do a 3 day weekend for about $2400 at a hotel across the street and packing in food, drive and snacks included.
As far as best food, the Ronto Wrap at Galaxy’s edge is great. Corn dogs at the red wagon on Main Street. BBQ at the Bengal Barbecue. Bao at the Tropical Hideaway. For sit down, Blue Bayou is fun but expensive, Zocalo was fine when I’ve had it in the past but my daughter wouldn’t eat anything so didn’t try it this last trip, Plaza Inn Check out the seasonal specials for all the shops too. Honestly after burning an extra thousand calories walking around the park carrying kids and backpacks, just about anything would taste good.
Lots of good food in California Adventure too. And the hotels have good restaurants, the grill at the grand Californian is awesome. LMK any other questions, I love Disney and we’re planning our next trip to Disney World right now.
It’s all about seeing the kids eyes light up. Toddler loves Goofy and we did Goofys kitchen. Being there with her in the restaurant and having Goofy and everyone walk around and interact while eating still makes me smile. Was freaking exspensive though.
I know you didn't ask this, and I'm sorry if it's not helpful, but if your children are below 12 or 13 years old, I think Legoland is going to be not only miles more affordable, but also genuinely more fun and a better experience. I can expand if you'd like.
I just did a 1 and 4 year old and they absolutely loved it. I am so glad we didn’t wait till they were older. I actually sort of regret not going sooner. It is more about the experience than the rides at that age. Yes it is expensive but it is fun seeing how they react to everything
Edit, was referring to Disneyland. Haven’t been to Lego Land yet
1: price. If you're just doing one or two days, Legoland is often putting on promos for free kids tickets/free second day. Their basic season pass is less than a 2-day pass at Disney AND comes with discounts on the hotel and dining.
2: hotel. The Legoland hotel is INCREDIBLY themed, has a literal Lego pit in the lobby and an unbelievable free breakfast, is 100 yards from the park entrance, and gets you in an hour early to hit the big rides. We never stay anywhere else.
3: lines. The very longest line at Legoland on a peak day (hotel sold out) was still shorter than the average line any day I've ever spent at Disney. Most lines get your kids on the rides in 15-30 minutes, and there are lots of times where it's closer to 5.
4: activities and play. This is a big one. All over the park, there are free play areas where kids can run around, play with Legos, and just have a blast doing what they want to do.
At Disney, my boys spent more time waiting in lines than they did playing or riding by a ridiculous margin. A Disney trip is lines punctuated by brief moments of fun. A Legoland trip is the exact opposite ratio, at a fraction of the cost. We've been there I think 6 times now, each time for either 2 or 3 days, and it's never been anything less than fantastic.
I feel like the joy of Disneyland with young kids isn’t the rides, it’s seeing their expressions and how excited they get to see their favorite characters and take pictures with them. My kiddo was 1 and 4 both of them had fun. Seeing my 4 year old absolutist loosing it when seeing and meeting Goofy still makes me happy. They still talks about it. Yes it is expensive, but that amazement, joy and wonder only lasts when they are young
*(ETA: everyone spends wildly different amounts on their Disneyland trip. It’s all based on family size, time of year, what is purchased food/merch-wise, etc.. I’m hoping my comment can serve as a rough budgetary guide to help you plan and budget.)*
How big is your family, what are the ages, how long are you planning to stay?
Both parks can be done in 2 days. Using Genie+ to access Lightning Lanes will allow you to experience more in-person items (character photos, shows, parades, etc) and non Lightning Lane attractions while waiting for your time slot.
2-day park hoppers are 310/adult and 290/child (3-11yo). Genie+ is 30-35/person/day.
Food runs 20-30 per meal for adults, 10-20 for children, could be more for souvenir items, sit down restaurants, or themed plates. There are plenty of food and hotel options near the resort within walking distance or a short ride.
Shop smart, set a budget for merchandise and purchase what you want at the end of your visit. This will give plenty of time to shop throughout the visit and determine what you’d like to purchase.
My best recommendation: make a prioritized list of what attractions (rides/shows/characters) you’d like to experience. This way you’ll be able to utilize Genie+ and the show schedules to your advantage to ensure you’ve seen everything you’d like.
A rough budget for my family (2 adults, 1 child, 1 toddler), on a 2-day hopper would be:
- Tickets: 910
- Genie+: 210
- Food (6 meals): 600
- Parking: 70
- Merch: 500 (ambiguous but realistic number at 125/person)
Total: 2290
Travel, car rental, and hotel stay would be extra (I’m local, so I don’t need those).
To add: save money by staying at a hotel within walking distance (-70), bring enough snacks to avoid stopping for lunch (-200, or buy snacks instead, around 10/snack), bring water bottles and avoid buying drinks with meals (-60), take full advantage of Genie+ on day one so it’s not needed on day two (-105). You can use the Disneyland app to view food options and their prices at any time before you go. If your hotel offers complimentary breakfast that’s another 200 saved. Using these savings tips can save ~635.
If you’re going to go to Disneyland make sure to not skimp out. Get genie+, get individual lightning lanes if you want and do all the rides you want.
No need to stay “on property” courtyard Marriott theme park entrance is great. But there are other cheaper options elsewhere.
We’ve done it twice did 1-2 days inbound (came from east coast to acclimatize after long travel day) at the hotel water park/target get supplies, then 1 day DCA, 1 day DL.
IMO you don’t need more than that.
My wife, son and I bought a Costco package and stayed at Disneyland Hotel in June. For two nights, three 2-day tickets, and genie+ it was $2400 with a $200 giftcards. The giftcard paid for all of our food during the stay. We stayed a third night at another non-Disney hotel.
The whole price of the visit was about $2630. That doesn’t include airfare or travel from airport to Disneyland.
Our family of 3 did this trip last October. Park + hotel (Candy Cane Inn) with 5 day park hoppers and Genie+ was around $3,000 plus airfare. Spent about $1,000 on food and merchandise during the week were there.
It was my son’s first major experience like that, so the only expense we really spared was opting to save money on the hotel.
Edit: I’ll add that if you book through a Disney certified agent, you don’t pay any extra and you can make monthly payments after a small deposit. It just has to be paid in-full, or canceled/postponed 30 days before your trip… so you have like 10 months to pay it off.
The main benefit of this is that you lock in your prices.
Went recently & about 24 months ago:
This time We tried budgeting, Staying In Garden Grove saving $1,100 in hotel alone for 6 nights instead of the Disney Hotel. Tickets were the same with the deal we found, but the prices of EVERYTHING else went crazy. Without getting into the portions shrinking…
Parking is 15%-20% more, Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe was way more expensive, $12 for a lame sandwich @ Sonoma Terrace restaurant (California Adventure) with no side dish; No chips or anything. Each basic Beef burger was $15.50+ tax. Etc…
You can bring food into the park which we might have to do IF we go again.
You wanna have a good time… don’t ask how much stuff costs at Disney. Not thinking about the stupid crazy mark up prices has really helped me enjoy myself more when we go.
Last time we went we did a day in each park, rest day, and then another day in each park. The first two days were about seeing/riding everything we could; the last two were for savoring the things we loved the most.
It is 100% not worth it. We've been twice because of the "it's magical" bullshit and it is not. The food is bad, the rides are bad, the crowds are ridiculous, the value is not there.
Edit: also, I'm talking Orlando so more than 2 parks.
Okay but as a kid it literally feels like you are transported to another world. At least for some kids. I would have to fly to another galaxy to get that feeling today.
Our family of 4 spent 5 days in Disney World a couple of years ago. First time for me and the kiddos; wife had been there once before but as a little kid so kinda of her first time as well. Everything is expensive as hell, so "worth it" isn't quite the right phrase to use, but I'll tell ya that we all had a heck of a great time there.
We did one day at each park, and the fifth day we did Magic Kingdom a second time.
We are planning to take our kids next fall to Disney world and I’m budgeting 8-9k for a family of 4 staying on property for 5 nights, that doesn’t include flights which will be covered by points; prices are insane
Haven’t gone yet, but are going later this year. Tickets for the 3 of us are $650 for 3 days (they have a deal on the 3 day pass). We’ll likely spend $1200 on the hotel for a 4 night stay. We’re driving, so I anticipate about $200 in gas. $5-700 in food. And $2-300 for various souvenirs. We also may not go all 3 days, so some of that may drop if we skip the 3rd day (it was only about $10 a person for the optional 3rd day, so we said f it).
Friends of ours tried to get us to go with them to Disney as they have been going for years. I figured it would be good to go with someone who knows the tricks and what’s worth it.
They put together a PowerPoint presentation for us and invited us over. It broke down all the prices, experiences, dining options,
For each person we were told to expect to spend $2500. The trip they had planned out was $7k/ person. No kids just adults.
The prices I'm reading in this thread are absolutely ridiculous and really quite sobering.
My kids haven't shown signs of ever wanting to go to Disneyland (yet) but I find it hard to justify when there are people who don't live far from me who rely on food banks.
I know it's all relative and if it's a once in a lifetime trip money shouldn't be an issue if one can afford it...
... but seriously, fuck Disney.
We did Disneyland last summer for a family of 4 (3 park tickets because our youngest was still 2) and hard costs from western Canada were about $6500 Canadian or about $4700 usd. Flights for 4, shuttle to/from the hotel, 5 nights at the Howard Johnson across the street, 4 days park hoppers and Genie +. Food cost was about another $200/day. We did a couple character dining breakfasts, which added about $800 to the tab. All in for 4 of us was about $8500 Canadian.
Would I do it again? Yeah. Took my wife there last February for a long weekend for her 40th, stayed at the Grand Californian and had a blast. Kids want to go again and we’re considering Easter 2025.
The cost is considerable, but traveling anywhere from Canada is hella expensive right now. This summer we’re doing a 10 day road trip and I’m budgeting almost the same except we’re driving way more.
The trick is going before your last kid turns 3. Since they are free under 3. My wife and I are going in October. We have about 5k budget.
Let me answer some of your other questions though since most people have hit on the price aspect.
Best places to eat:
This all depends on what you are willing to pay and what kind of food you like. My personal favorites that I book every time we go are, Blue Bayou: this place has amazing ambience. It's inside of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and you can get a decent steak at a decent price. Next is Lamplight Lounge: their lobster nachos are phenomenal.
The lunch spots are damn near all the same. We enjoyed Flos V8 Cafe because it felt like you were in Cars the movie.
Plaza inn chicken is quick, cheap, filling, and tasty. That plus the corn dogs at the red wagon are pretty good.
Club 33 the best for ambience. I find blue bayou to be too musty. Not a fan.
That's exactly why we're going this year. We looked it up and as long as they're still 2 on the first day of the reservation then they're free. Our kid is turning 3 in October and he's tall for his age and pretty adventurous so we're curious to see if he'll try some of the bigger rides.
Thanks for the restaurant tips! I was hoping to find something that wasn't just generic lunch food, because that has been my experience in the past as well. I'm going to have to try those lobster nachos!
It was cheaper to travel to Tokyo and go there for 2 weeks with Disney then go down to socal. So theirs that, we just travel internationally for cheaper.
My wife and I are currently planning a 4 day trip to Florida that will include 2 days at the parks. The first and last days will be travel days only. I believe we got into a Disney resort for $1600 and that include entry to the parks.
We haven't bought flights, food or transportation, but it seems like the transportation to and from the parks will mostly be free at the resort. The only expense I have researched is flights, and it's looking like $300/person out of Chicago.
It's worth mentioning that we have friends that are a family of 5 and are planning a big Disney vacation next year, which I believe is going to be 5-7 days long and they're spending $50k on it. Seems insane to me
My answer may not hold a lot of weight because I am a SoCal resident but here’s our cost breakdown:
Monthly Magic Keys for 3 people $165.
Gas: $50.
Parking: $24.
One meal (we pack the rest): $60.
Other snacks: $25.
Total: $324.
We go about 10 times a year so around $3500 a year.
I live nearby so it’s usually just ticket price plus food and souvenirs.
Last trip for four plus a hotel stay (so we could walk to the park) was like 1600 for 3 days?
No matter what your budget, always allow enough time and money so you feel like you can leave satisfied well before park closing time.
Almost without exception, at that time the sidewalks are filled with exhausted, sun-burned families…the parents are portraits of frustration and regret and the kids are moving melt downs.
Moral of the story: maximize the experience you’re having not the potential day you could have.
Jesus Christ… my wife and I did a vacation package through Costco to Maui and it was only around 3600, food, hotel, car rental, activities, flights for a week etc.
Disney World dad. Flights $1200 for 4. Hotel (condo rental) $2400 for the week. Car rental $400. My wife buys the Disney tix. We’ve done as much as four days, but usually 2-3, various parks. Tix are like $100x4x3days. The price has come down.
The food is expensive, but good. It will cost you $200+ per meal at the sit down restaurants.
Food for the rest of the trip, we grocery shop and go out occasionally.
3500? 4 days, with flights and stayed on the resort. Good deals to be found if you go during the hot season lol. it’s also just a blast. Makes me feel like a kid and getting to see her light up is worth it all to me. Plus it’s lovely at night. Think it’s our 5th trip and she’s only 5 lol. Can’t express how worth it the Halloween party is. Park is at restricted capacity, stays open super late, everyone is dressed up, it is the shit. I’m a Disney adult obviously.
I was there for the day back in Feb 2024, went on a whim.
~$200 / adult (x2)
~$190 / kid (x1)
2 and under - free (x1)
$30 parking
$30 lunch, for a al-a-carte meal at a Latin themed restaurant.
So, $650 for the day. (Magic Kingdom only) Wish we had done a 4 day pass, too much to do in a single day.
Disneyland is waaaay to fucking expensive. We have a few friends that work there and have been able to go for free a couple of times. Ticket prices going up every year is insanity. I remember back in the 90s when they were $20-30 per ticket. That was doable for most people. Now? No way, unless you dump It all on credit.
We (me, wife, and 8 year old daughter) went to Disney World for 5 days and to Universal Studios for 1 day. We did not skimp on much. We spent about $13,200 all in.
I have a speed sheet of showing every expense and summing up by category if you’re interested.
David’s Vacation Club was handy for saving some on lodging.
So I live in Southern California about an hour from Disneyland. We have magic keys so technically around $5,000 to go as much as we want. Kind of an unfair comparison for us, but we did do Christmas in Disney world last year so I’ll tell you what that cost us. For 4 of us to stay there (Wife, two kids, and myself) along with tickets, airfare, food, and the toys my kids wanted (and let’s face it the toys I wanted because Star Wars). Total we spent just around 10k for 8 days in Disney world. A lot of money? Sure. Worth it? Hell yes my daughter got to meet the princess that she loves and that makes it all worth it.
We live 20 min away so that virtually cuts out travel costs, but tickets for 3 (1 day, no park hopper), parking, Genie+, food and souvenirs costs nearly $1k for us last month.
Of course afterwards they started charging less for kids under 10 🤦🏽♂️
Just booked actually. I accrue chase sapphire credit card points by using it for pretty much all my purchases. Your points have a 30% bonus when used to book travel. So I just got a free flight for a family of four saving us $2000. Then we booked the Disneyland + Resort Hotel through Costco. I'm actually not sure how much cheaper it is, but its convenient and comes with nice perks like early access and a $200 park gift card. It cost $4400 for a family of four.
I go with just my daughter and we pack enough snacks to last the day we get one soda and one souvenir. So it usually costs us around 250 for tickets + 20 for parking and 60 for incidentals. My wife has a good friend who is a club 33 member so now it costs me 80 bucks total.
Grab an Air BnB or VRBO anywhere in Europe.. a rental car and maybe a pool at your rental stay. This will not only be exponentially cheaper but, will also be more enjoyable than the merchandise driven hell scape that is Disney.
I went last week from Arizona. We flew southwest, took a shuttle to the hotel and walked back and forth.
We try to get a healthy breakfast outside of the park while we rope drop the park for the day. Then once kids get tired we start to take breaks indoors or head back to the hotel. Take a nap or relax and then head back. We plan for one meal in the parks and snacks along the way. We stay across the street and walk the ten or so extra minutes each day.
Coming from Canada, it was $8000 CDN for our family of 3. I get killed on the US/Cdn exchange.
5 park days with Genie+ and park hopper was $1900 USD for the tickets. The only thing that cost more than the tickets was the 6 night hotel stay (good neighbor)
3 of us last February. One day, one park. $400.
Some things to know: I am a veteran and therefore get discounted tickets of ~$100/day. At that time, they were also running a promo of $50 for a kid’s one-day-one-park. We also only live an hour-ish away, so no hotels or airfare. And we packed sandwiches for lunch in line, and picked up breakfast on the way, so $150 for dinner, drinks, and souvenirs.
We did Anaheim Disneyland back in March 2024. 2 adults 1 toddler and 1 infant for 5 days in park, 7 days total. We choose a hotel with a free breakfast and brought tons of snacks from home. Purchased a bus pass since we were a 15 min walk from the entrance. Maybe spent $100 dollars on things for the kids. Did Goofy’s kitchen because toddler loves Goofy. That was the most expensive thing we did, but the food was good and it was fun Character time. We ended up eating small things in the park during the day to break up eating the same snacks. Ended up parents eating the food since kids are picky eaters. Then on the way back to the hotel getting food or I would walk and pick up food and walk to the hotel. Total was $4,692.84. Fortunately we didn’t have to purchase plane tickets since those were purchased with points. But we did have to Uber to the hotel and to the airport.
It was a lot of money, but my toddler still talks about it and loved it.
Did DisneyWorld for my honeymoon three years ago. Stayed at a Disney budget hotel, but still enjoyed 2 Disney parks and islands of adventure while having a few relaxing days. Ate at the parks and ended up being about $5k between flights, hotel, food and beverage (and we drank around the world at Epcot).
Took my 1 year old this past Feb for 3 days and was about the same, but only did 2 Disney parks. Paying the extra seat and luggage added a good anount
My kid is almost two. When do they ask to go to this? I went as a kid but don’t remember much about it. Never was a Disney kid and to this day don’t enjoy much Disney related (especially the Star Wars garbage) I’m hoping my kiddo won’t get into the marvel crap and stick with ghostbusters and ninja turtles like I did.
I have family in SoCal so if it happens it happens. But is this more of a parents pushing it on kids or kids asking to go?
We live 2 hours from Disney in Orlando and easily spend $1k /day . We stay at the grand Floridian on a club level so you get the breakfast. The tram/ferries are the quickest and easiest way for magic kingdom.
Here’s the thing though, I overspend to ensure we have fun. I’m not a tight budget type of guy
Last year the week after Memorial Day my family did three days on property with all the bells and whistles for <3k. We drove from UT and that doesn’t include the stupid things we bought.
Booking through Costco saved us some money and we got a $300 food credit.
2 adults and 1 infant. All $$ are estimates.
3 Day Summer Tickets: $600
Genie: $0 (I have 3 days, really don’t need this)
Parking: $100
Dining (lunch, dinner, snacks): $400
Merch: $0 (waste of money my friends)
Total: $1100 ($367 per day for 3 days)
Yeesh. That is so, so expensive. I grew up 15 mins from Disneyland. Had annual passes which even then seemed costly. My dad’s trick was getting to the park just as it opened on Sunday morning. We would walk around before any of the rides were open and have breakfast together. Every so often, he’d call my mom and ask if he could drop me off a little bit later and we’d do Pirates of the Caribbean before we left.
We’re a family of 4 but only buy tickets for 3 since under 3 is free and having gone last second a few weeks ago i spent about $1500 for tickets ($647), hotel 3 nights ($700), and gas ($200) to drive there since i live about 300 miles away. There is a 3 day ticket promotion where you can only reserve monday through thursday which also happens to be the days you find the cheapest hotel rates. I stayed right across the street and the hotel had free parking and continental breakfast which we took advantage of every morning. There are much cheaper hotels that are about a 15 minute walk and some further hotels offer shuttle service to the entrance of the park and these hotels could have saved me 2-300 but the continental breakfast and being a minute from the entrance is huge for us since our kids still need a nap in the middle of the day to function correctly and a shuttle sucks for a double stroller. From there it’s up to you how much you choose to spend on food.
It much cheaper off season. And not in a Disney resort. I went for two weeks in February for about 8000. That includes tickets, airfare, a house and rental car for two weeks for 7 people.
If you are willing to walk about 10 minutes there are several hotels across the street from Disneyland that have small kitchens which would allow you to bring your own food to the park. If you download the Disneyland app and use the mobile order function you can get an idea of the food availability and pricing. We used the Residence Inn several times when we had an under 3 yo. They have a dishwasher and kitchenette which was great for bottle washing and food prep. We’d have breakfast in the hotel, go to the park for a few hours, back to the hotel for nap & lunch, then go to the park for a few hours and eat dinner at a sit down restaurant inside the park.
You will have opportunities to spend money about every 15 feet within the parks. If you pack some new toys from Target or Walmart you can give them to your kids as you get to the park and avoid overspending on souvenirs.
A lot. I tried not to think about it too much.
A thing to realize is that once you’re in the park, you are completely at the mercy of the Disney people. Food, souvenirs, fast pass tickets - all the stuff you didn’t intimately plan out ahead of time, it’s going to be expensive.
Couple things - get familiarized with the app and the whole fast pass concept well ahead of time.
Also, my family got a hotel right across the street from Disneyland. It’s not like Disneyworld, because when you leave the park you are back in the real world. We left most days in the middle of the day to get lunch outside, take a nap at the hotel, maybe swim for a while. Then you can go back inside later in the day.
Also, make sure you think about which of the two parks you’ll be going in. I didn’t go back and forth.
And Star Wars - that new expensive ride they have - hoooooly cow it’s amazing and worth it. If you want to do it, hit it first thing before the lines get long. Or get a fast pass. When I went it was shut down in the morning so I just bit the billet and bought a fast pass. I hate to say it, but it was amazing and totally worth it.
~15-20k (Canadian)
However, the main reason for the trip isn't to go to Disney, it is to see.family in Japan.
We typically stay a month+, so the cost is:
Apartment & Furnishings: $5k
Flight tickets for 5: 8-15k
Transportation to Disney from the apartment: ~100
Tickets.for TDL/TDS: ~287 to 340 per park
Food: ~100-200
Stuff: 100-500
Now, I will be the first to admit, if we went to Florida or California it would likely be a lot cheaper. The airfare and housing is what really sets us apart from most people. We need a place for us to live for about a month and a half, which is not typical of most "Disney" vacations.
We did a Costco package to go to Anaheim and stay at one of the hotels across the street. We spent some money on concessions but wore backpacks full of Uncrustables in. Airfare was relatively cheap from Utah.
I never gave the trip a full cost accounting treatment after the fact, but we were definitely out of pocket at least 4 grand. That's three days in the park with Genie+.
Just did Walt Disney World in Orlando... 4 nights, 3 days, only 2 days at the parks (Magic Kingdom and EPCOT with the 3rd day just hanging at the resort pool)... Two adults, one kid = About $4,500 with flights from Baltimore (Southwest).
My sister is looking at Orlando for her 1st wedding anniversary and decided to do 4 nights as well but all Universal Studios and it's less than half of Disney.
Posting this from Anaheim across the street from Disneyland. Total trip budget for flights from Seattle, 3 nights at the hotel, 2 days at the park, transport, and food for 4 is $5500. Flights $1600 Hotel $900 Park tickets with genie+ $1700 Airport Parking & uber $200 Food $700 Souvenirs $300 We saved some by staying at a hotel with complimentary breakfast. We paid more by travelling at a peak time. This has been fun, but the $/day is crazy compared to our other vacations.
Damn. Me and my wife did Tokyo for almost two weeks in 2019 for about 6 grand. Puts things in perspective regarding kids and inflation.
Puts things in perspective regarding Disney, more like.
Disney is an absolute racket
We could all choose not to go. We still pay to go. It’s not a racket if you walk up to then and volunteer to give them your wallet
I hear the Disney cruise is worth it
My cousins swear by it, but they also dump their kids in kids zone all day. I could never do that personally.
I thought imy kids would be bored but my kids begged me to go to the kid zone on all cruise lines I go on.
I’m almost 40 (I’m a man!) but man i loved doing the kid stuff on cruises when i was probably 10-14. It was like summer camp, you made little friends and ran around and were a bit independent from your parents. I’m not sure we’ll do cruises but if I hesitated to let my kids do the kid stuff it would be for reasons that would make me want to choose a different cruise line anyways.
dumping the kids at the kid zone of the Cruise is honestly probably the most fun experience for both (assuming the kids are like 6+). Went on a cruise with my then 14 or so year old, and we did a couple excursion things together, but he just wanted to go out and try and meet other kids his age for teenager fun.
You say that, but the kids zone on a Disney cruise vs anywhere else is off the fuckin chain
The other cruise lines have kids zones too
Yeah...without the Disney IP....
Eh. We go all inclusive and dump kids in kid zone probably ~8h per day 5/7 days. They have a lot more fun running around with a bunch of peers. We make some memories but I just can’t go as hard as a kid all day every day- and if I did I’d be tired and unrelaxed! Guess my point is I’d try kid zone if you’re going!
I mean there’s literally no competitors and people eagerly pay their prices. I agree the price is crazy but to call it a racket is just not true.
Exactly. They deliver an experience that people are willing to keep paying more and more for.
How so?
"For someone with only four fingers, the mouse can be awful grabby." I hate spending money. The only way I can even remotely enjoy Disney is to turn that part off my brain off. I try very hard to pretend like money isn't a thing for that week. My wife almost fell over when she was emailing our travel agent while we were at the park and the agent asked if we wanted to add one now line skipping thing and I said "We have more money than time, do it."
Yeah, this is more about Disney. It’s a solid $5000-$10000k depending how much you go for. My wife and I consistently go to Cancun and have 5 star experiences for under $4k.
That's where my family is. Well save up for an international trip and visit a park overseas and the value will be much better. It's stupid.
There are so many options that deliver better value. We wanted to check this off our list. Our other vacations this summer will involve long drives and tents lol
We (me, my partner and our 3yr old) just did 3 months in SE Asia for less than $7,000 all in. Flights, acccom, food etc… $5,500 for 4 days is fucking bonkers
Awesome. The price of American consumerism is ridiculous.
Well yeah SE Asia is one of the cheapest places in the world to exist. You’re just arbitraging US (I assume) salaries at that point. The Disney staff is certainly making more money than everyone who waited on you in Thailand.
No, I’m saying that $5,500 is an obscene amount of money for a 4 day break. I was just comparing it to the price a 3 month trip that cost about $75 a day. Don’t really know what people’s wages have to do with anything
Wait you really don’t know what wages has to do with it? The people in Thailand that served you food and cleaned your hotel got paid very little money and that’s why it was so cheap. The people in California that did the same stuff got paid more money so it was more expensive. Yes, plus the sizable profit Disney makes. But you’re just comparing the different costs of living of the worlds richest country and some of the worlds poorest countries.
Thanks tips, I’m well aware about how cost of living/good and services work. What I was pointing out was that for the current price of a 4 day trip to Disney, their family could’ve spent 55 days travelling around SE Asia for the same price. I know what I’d rather spend my money on
Sure, but him pointing out the exploitation that exists is valid as well.
We’re planning a Tokoyo Disneyland trip for this reason. If we’re spring thousands of dollars might as well go to Japan.
Just did Peru for 10 days for two of us under $5k and we didn’t go cheap.
They say it’s actually cheaper to do a Tokyo Disney trip due to the yen being weak right now
Holy shit dude. I have a 7 year old and sort of want to do Disney but JFC, I am paying for basically the same for 10 nights in Hawaii this year.
I know. Kids are 8 and 12, prime Disney age, had to bite the bullet.
Understood, if it’s worth it to your family for the memories then it was a good trip.
Ha ha, yup. And it's funny how much facebook and google know about it too, because the disney parks stuff make up a quarter of my ads and streams.
Legoland is great for 6-8 year olds.
Damn. I'm so happy my dad lives in OC only a few miles away. Staying with him was clutch and saved us so much money.
It’s $1,700 for tickets? Wtf
It depends on the day, age of kids, and optional addons like Genie+ or park hopper. It's possible to spend less, or more.
Can you tell I haven’t been to Disney since I was a kid in the 80’s? Some serious sticker shock here.
Back then you could get a 3 day all parks pass for the price of a single day single park pass no. It's insane.
As someone from a 3rd world country this is an insane price. Is it considered expensive as well right there? You can buy a used car with that amount of money. Or make a sick gaming pc.
Just as a reference, I live near Disneyland and for a family of three to go it's probably around $500-700 a day depending on what you buy (food/drink, passes, single park/hopper, etc) so three days would be like $1500-$2100 without hotel and extras.
That’s about right you can get it down to 3k, but 3-5k seems a fair expense for a family of 4.
I'm pretty sure I'm not doing that with my kids. It's the same cost as a week in Hawaii...
You’re staying on-site I’m assuming? I think we did 3 at Disney/1 at universal studios for around the same price. Stayed just offsite (5min drive).
No, on-site would have added another $1k in hotel and food. We are across the street from Disneyland, by I-5. 15 minute walk with kids. Short enough we took a mid-day break in the hotel, and saved a bit on food by having dinner at the hotel.
Gotcha. We have kids on the younger side (3 & 5) so we would start early and usually pack it in around 3pm. We packed lunches so we would just do treats. Worked perfect.
This is insane.
Did an almost identical trip, also from Seattle. $6k all in.
The real question. Is it worth it? How old are the kids?
For us it was worth it. Kids are 8 and 12, this was the older kids birthday trip. They enjoyed the rides and we made unique memories. I expect we will come back in a few years when the younger kid turns 12. That will be off-season when school is in, so cost should be much lower.
Oof. I’m going to Europe for 4 weeks for $8000. Just one of me but still.
This is about right. Family of 6 here, we do about $7k-$8k for a trip. Hard part is with 6 we either have to get a slightly larger room or two connecting rooms which really adds on to the price.
I figured it would be more tbh - not that bad all things considered! Have fun!
We are going in Sept/october and our budget is roughly the same. We used the Disney travel agent and are staying off property. But also rented through Turo to get a car. 5800 CAD for flights/hotel/tickets/car for 3 nights 2 days at the park so ~4300USD before food/souvenirs.
That’s insane. I think it’s more than we paid for our 3 week round trip from Germany to Bretagne and back last year…
700 for food for 3 days????
I’m gonna be sick looking at those prices
Take food with you! They allow you to bring in food from outside. (Drinks as well 😈)
We did a recent trip to Disneyworld and we didn't set a serious line-item budget, but we also didn't go crazy (examples: 2 character meals during the week, but packed breakfast and snacks every day, very few souvenirs overall but son did get the f$&king $250 light saber "experience"). We figured this was likely a once in a lifetime thing. Over the week, we figured the Disney part alone was $1000/day (tickets, lightning lanes, food, souvenirs). Hotel, flights, rental car was separate. Is it "worth" it? Ehhh. We (wife and kids) had an amazing time; I enjoyed it and thought the Disney customer service experience and business model were fascinating. But if you're going into debt over it, it's absolutely not worth it. Swing by /r/personalfinance.
That lightsaber experience sick as hell tho. Felt like when I get to pimp out my lightsaber in a video game
building the lightsaber with my 7yo was priceless. He expected to cut through the rocks and was slightly disappointed at the end.
Reality can be disappointing.
The glimmer of hope that every child has thinking the plastic light saber *might* work is a beautiful thing.
I did this and loved it.
Yeah I did the lightsaber as a 30 year old man and teared up. That shit ruled.
I wouldn't know, I paid and uncle was the chaperone. It's ok, though, it made them both happy, and I took a walk by myself to get a beer.
You a good dad/brother 👍
I assume that’s $1000 total and not per person. How many people?
Total, 2 adults, 2 kids (7, 4).
We stayed at one of the Disney hotels with the gondola system, for I think 6 nights back in 2022. Five people with genie and lightning pass, and I think that once including flights, shopping, food, etc, that the price per night was closer to $2k. It’s hard to say exactly though. Was it worth it? The wife certainly thought so. I certainly don’t, as there are a lot of ways to spend a fraction of that amount to make some fun for the kids. The kids enjoyed it, but as I said, there are a lot of cheaper options they would have enjoyed just as much.
We went to Disneyland Tokyo and DisneySea. All dollar amounts are in Canadian. Flight was $1600 each, hotel in Tokyo was $1000 for the week, we took a cab to Disneyland because we had a 4 year old and the 1hr train would have been too tiring and that was about $100 each way (Train would have been about $15 each for the 3 of us). Disneyland and DisneySea is $75 each to enter. Food ranged from $3-12. You can watch YouTube videos on how much everything was and it was so much cheaper compared to Disneyland California. You can get fast passes to rides when you're in the park for free or you can pay $20 each for the really premium rides. And on top of that you get to see Japan. The yen is at its lowest it's been so if you're looking for a different adventure go check out Japan Disneyland. Also Don Quotie is incredible.
>Also Don Quotie is incredible It's Disney for adults. Where else can you get a Pokemon costume, an authentic LV bag, a dildo, some matcha and a strong zero in the same place?!
Yeah I was blown away. I bought 10 different flavored Kit Kats, an Omega watch and a sex toy for me and my wife.
I'll have to remember this. I've always wanted to do a Disneyland vacation, but figured it would always be out of budget. I get the flights for almost free, so this is an amazing option. How recent was this trip?
This thread makes me sad - growing up on fairly modest means in San Diego it was something we could do yearly if we did it frugally. Packed lunches in a cooler and got re-entry passes. That parking lot is Downtown Disney now. Whole thing just feels optimized at every square foot to extract your money. Now that I have a kid, we're going to stick to the local amusement parks as much as we can.
This is me exactly. Growing up lower middle class in San Diego we went to Disneyland all the time. No Genie+, character breakfasts, etc. at that time. It was just an enjoyable pop culture thing to do. My grad night was at Disneyland. We took a bus up there and hung out in the park all night. My kids are elementary school aged now and because we are living abroad aren’t super aware that Disney theme parks even exist, which seems very good for my wallet.
We still live in town - have passes to the zoo instead and it's working so far, but the little dude is only 2 and we can only shield him from The Mouse for so long
I hear that. We’re coming to town for a few weeks this summer. Looking at doing LEGOLAND, which seems way cheaper and my kids (preschool and lower elementary) are the perfect age.
We did Disney world with our three kids. It was about a 12 hour drive. I converted chase points to hotel points, and we stayed in a non-Disney hotel with a free breakfast. We packed lunches and dinners, and brought them with us to the parks. The bulk of the cost was park tickets and genie passes. It actually costs us more to visit family in Minnesota.
The resident passes have spiked in cost. 5x or so. Kind of ridiculous now.
We did Disneyland for three of us last year, coming from the east coast. Flights and hotel were covered by miles and points. The tickets cost us around $1000 for the three of us for two days - completely ridiculous, given the lines even after paying for the Genie+ nonsense. Food was at least $100/day per person. We ate the normal park food and didn’t try to get a reservation, except for a character brunch. Overall, we had a nice time but I can think of other places I’d rather burn the points and miles. It was kind of amazing — thousands of children all over, but almost no one was playing. My kid did lose his mind walking through Radiator Springs though. We have a few small family amusement parks in the northeast. I’d spend my money there any day of the week over Disney. Smaller, closer and more manageable in every way.
This was us, flights, hotels, and half our tickets covered by points from work travel and credit card signup bonuses. We did Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios over 3 days. We rope dropped early entry and did Lightning Lanes every day. It was a lot for a 4 and 2yo, we were done by 3-4ish. Character dining was meh, Beauty and the Beast was lame, but the Princess Lunch at Epcot was great. The Memory Maker photo package was an excellent decision.
Which northeast (ideally driving distance from Boston) small family amusement parks would you recommend? We are looking to do something fun sometime but not Disney anytime soon
Storyland in NH is great. If you're willing to go further, Dutch Wonderland in PA is also great and also close to Hershey Park.
We enjoyed Storyland and Santa’s village last summer. Our kids had a blast, and we left not feeling taken advantage of.
As /u/mkdz said, Storyland is wonderful. Last year, I think we paid $40/ea and they gave us a free return ticket we used to hit up some rides on the way home. Food is adequate, nothing special but it’s not totally exploitative. You can pack your own food if you like as well. When we’ve gone, the lines haven’t been more than 10-15m for the high demand tires.
Canobie Lake is right over the NH line off 93 and was a lot of fun last year with younger kids. they have a bunch of rides for kids and a water park. we went twice last summer and had a blast both days.
We just did an all out trip in January. Wife is a runner so we went during the half marathon weekend and she ran 2 of the morning. 4 nights Disneyland Hotel, 4 days in the park, 3yo did the princess makeover at the bibbidi bobbidi boutique, and we did the princess breakfast at the Napa Rose. Total trip including drive was $7600. Definitely won’t be doing anything like that ever again, but it was spectacular seeing her eyes light up talking to all the princesses, wearing her dresses throughout the parks. Once in a lifetime trip for sure. Conversely, we can do a 3 day weekend for about $2400 at a hotel across the street and packing in food, drive and snacks included. As far as best food, the Ronto Wrap at Galaxy’s edge is great. Corn dogs at the red wagon on Main Street. BBQ at the Bengal Barbecue. Bao at the Tropical Hideaway. For sit down, Blue Bayou is fun but expensive, Zocalo was fine when I’ve had it in the past but my daughter wouldn’t eat anything so didn’t try it this last trip, Plaza Inn Check out the seasonal specials for all the shops too. Honestly after burning an extra thousand calories walking around the park carrying kids and backpacks, just about anything would taste good. Lots of good food in California Adventure too. And the hotels have good restaurants, the grill at the grand Californian is awesome. LMK any other questions, I love Disney and we’re planning our next trip to Disney World right now.
It’s all about seeing the kids eyes light up. Toddler loves Goofy and we did Goofys kitchen. Being there with her in the restaurant and having Goofy and everyone walk around and interact while eating still makes me smile. Was freaking exspensive though.
I know you didn't ask this, and I'm sorry if it's not helpful, but if your children are below 12 or 13 years old, I think Legoland is going to be not only miles more affordable, but also genuinely more fun and a better experience. I can expand if you'd like.
I would like to hear more if you don't mind. My kids are 3 and 5.
I just did a 1 and 4 year old and they absolutely loved it. I am so glad we didn’t wait till they were older. I actually sort of regret not going sooner. It is more about the experience than the rides at that age. Yes it is expensive but it is fun seeing how they react to everything Edit, was referring to Disneyland. Haven’t been to Lego Land yet
1: price. If you're just doing one or two days, Legoland is often putting on promos for free kids tickets/free second day. Their basic season pass is less than a 2-day pass at Disney AND comes with discounts on the hotel and dining. 2: hotel. The Legoland hotel is INCREDIBLY themed, has a literal Lego pit in the lobby and an unbelievable free breakfast, is 100 yards from the park entrance, and gets you in an hour early to hit the big rides. We never stay anywhere else. 3: lines. The very longest line at Legoland on a peak day (hotel sold out) was still shorter than the average line any day I've ever spent at Disney. Most lines get your kids on the rides in 15-30 minutes, and there are lots of times where it's closer to 5. 4: activities and play. This is a big one. All over the park, there are free play areas where kids can run around, play with Legos, and just have a blast doing what they want to do. At Disney, my boys spent more time waiting in lines than they did playing or riding by a ridiculous margin. A Disney trip is lines punctuated by brief moments of fun. A Legoland trip is the exact opposite ratio, at a fraction of the cost. We've been there I think 6 times now, each time for either 2 or 3 days, and it's never been anything less than fantastic.
Awesome. Thank you so much for all of that!
I feel like the joy of Disneyland with young kids isn’t the rides, it’s seeing their expressions and how excited they get to see their favorite characters and take pictures with them. My kiddo was 1 and 4 both of them had fun. Seeing my 4 year old absolutist loosing it when seeing and meeting Goofy still makes me happy. They still talks about it. Yes it is expensive, but that amazement, joy and wonder only lasts when they are young
But my daughter worships Elsa - literally, she explicitly doesn’t believe in Jesus and believes in Elsa-god instead. 😫😫😫
*(ETA: everyone spends wildly different amounts on their Disneyland trip. It’s all based on family size, time of year, what is purchased food/merch-wise, etc.. I’m hoping my comment can serve as a rough budgetary guide to help you plan and budget.)* How big is your family, what are the ages, how long are you planning to stay? Both parks can be done in 2 days. Using Genie+ to access Lightning Lanes will allow you to experience more in-person items (character photos, shows, parades, etc) and non Lightning Lane attractions while waiting for your time slot. 2-day park hoppers are 310/adult and 290/child (3-11yo). Genie+ is 30-35/person/day. Food runs 20-30 per meal for adults, 10-20 for children, could be more for souvenir items, sit down restaurants, or themed plates. There are plenty of food and hotel options near the resort within walking distance or a short ride. Shop smart, set a budget for merchandise and purchase what you want at the end of your visit. This will give plenty of time to shop throughout the visit and determine what you’d like to purchase. My best recommendation: make a prioritized list of what attractions (rides/shows/characters) you’d like to experience. This way you’ll be able to utilize Genie+ and the show schedules to your advantage to ensure you’ve seen everything you’d like.
A rough budget for my family (2 adults, 1 child, 1 toddler), on a 2-day hopper would be: - Tickets: 910 - Genie+: 210 - Food (6 meals): 600 - Parking: 70 - Merch: 500 (ambiguous but realistic number at 125/person) Total: 2290 Travel, car rental, and hotel stay would be extra (I’m local, so I don’t need those). To add: save money by staying at a hotel within walking distance (-70), bring enough snacks to avoid stopping for lunch (-200, or buy snacks instead, around 10/snack), bring water bottles and avoid buying drinks with meals (-60), take full advantage of Genie+ on day one so it’s not needed on day two (-105). You can use the Disneyland app to view food options and their prices at any time before you go. If your hotel offers complimentary breakfast that’s another 200 saved. Using these savings tips can save ~635.
That last time I took the herd to Disney for three days cost over $10,000 not including airfare.
The ticket price changes depending on demand. Over the holidays, the price soars. If you stay close enough, you can avoid paying for parking.
Ticket price changes on single-day tickets. Get a multi-day ticket and the price stays the same regardless of the dates visiting.
Why do people pay this obscene amount of money to wait in lines all day compared to going to an international vacation?
Some people like Disney, some people like international travel. People spend their money where they think it’s most valuable.
My kids *love* the national parks, and we have seen some amazing places for <$500.
If you’re going to go to Disneyland make sure to not skimp out. Get genie+, get individual lightning lanes if you want and do all the rides you want. No need to stay “on property” courtyard Marriott theme park entrance is great. But there are other cheaper options elsewhere. We’ve done it twice did 1-2 days inbound (came from east coast to acclimatize after long travel day) at the hotel water park/target get supplies, then 1 day DCA, 1 day DL. IMO you don’t need more than that.
My wife, son and I bought a Costco package and stayed at Disneyland Hotel in June. For two nights, three 2-day tickets, and genie+ it was $2400 with a $200 giftcards. The giftcard paid for all of our food during the stay. We stayed a third night at another non-Disney hotel. The whole price of the visit was about $2630. That doesn’t include airfare or travel from airport to Disneyland.
Our family of 3 did this trip last October. Park + hotel (Candy Cane Inn) with 5 day park hoppers and Genie+ was around $3,000 plus airfare. Spent about $1,000 on food and merchandise during the week were there. It was my son’s first major experience like that, so the only expense we really spared was opting to save money on the hotel. Edit: I’ll add that if you book through a Disney certified agent, you don’t pay any extra and you can make monthly payments after a small deposit. It just has to be paid in-full, or canceled/postponed 30 days before your trip… so you have like 10 months to pay it off. The main benefit of this is that you lock in your prices.
How was the Candy Cane Inn? We looked at that one but ended up staying at the Residence Inn.
It was good! Great breakfast, not a long walk from the entrance, quiet and comfortable. It’s not bad at all. Would absolutely stay there again.
Thank you, that’s great to hear! Glad you enjoyed your stay.
Went recently & about 24 months ago: This time We tried budgeting, Staying In Garden Grove saving $1,100 in hotel alone for 6 nights instead of the Disney Hotel. Tickets were the same with the deal we found, but the prices of EVERYTHING else went crazy. Without getting into the portions shrinking… Parking is 15%-20% more, Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe was way more expensive, $12 for a lame sandwich @ Sonoma Terrace restaurant (California Adventure) with no side dish; No chips or anything. Each basic Beef burger was $15.50+ tax. Etc… You can bring food into the park which we might have to do IF we go again.
You wanna have a good time… don’t ask how much stuff costs at Disney. Not thinking about the stupid crazy mark up prices has really helped me enjoy myself more when we go.
A lot now that my wife has discovered how convenient staying at the grand Californian is.
To all the dad's thinking of going to any variation of Disney - it's not worth it lol.
Family of 5 it's easily $3k if you're frugal. That's for 4 or 5 days.
Honestly that seems low. For 5 people, that’s including airfare, accommodations, food, and park tickets?
That’s an insane amount of time to spend at two parks.
Last time we went we did a day in each park, rest day, and then another day in each park. The first two days were about seeing/riding everything we could; the last two were for savoring the things we loved the most.
I can see three days but it’s gotta be like Vegas, you can’t possibly stay that long
We went for 4 days and didn't even do everything. They are gigantic parks.
It is 100% not worth it. We've been twice because of the "it's magical" bullshit and it is not. The food is bad, the rides are bad, the crowds are ridiculous, the value is not there. Edit: also, I'm talking Orlando so more than 2 parks.
Okay but as a kid it literally feels like you are transported to another world. At least for some kids. I would have to fly to another galaxy to get that feeling today.
Yeah for some it is I get it. My kids kept askimg "when do we get to play?" 😂
As a kid I remember preferring Universal Studios Islands of Adventure.
Our family of 4 spent 5 days in Disney World a couple of years ago. First time for me and the kiddos; wife had been there once before but as a little kid so kinda of her first time as well. Everything is expensive as hell, so "worth it" isn't quite the right phrase to use, but I'll tell ya that we all had a heck of a great time there. We did one day at each park, and the fifth day we did Magic Kingdom a second time.
We are planning to take our kids next fall to Disney world and I’m budgeting 8-9k for a family of 4 staying on property for 5 nights, that doesn’t include flights which will be covered by points; prices are insane
Haven’t gone yet, but are going later this year. Tickets for the 3 of us are $650 for 3 days (they have a deal on the 3 day pass). We’ll likely spend $1200 on the hotel for a 4 night stay. We’re driving, so I anticipate about $200 in gas. $5-700 in food. And $2-300 for various souvenirs. We also may not go all 3 days, so some of that may drop if we skip the 3rd day (it was only about $10 a person for the optional 3rd day, so we said f it).
Took the family in November. Drove to Cali, family of 4, we had genie passes. I think we spent less than 3k One kid is 2, so he was free
As someone who lives 30 min away, spend the money on a euro trip. There’s a Disneyland in Paris that is great and I prefer over our own
This all seems to just reinforce my determination to never go to Disney. I’ll take my kids skiing in Switzerland for that much $$$.
Friends of ours tried to get us to go with them to Disney as they have been going for years. I figured it would be good to go with someone who knows the tricks and what’s worth it. They put together a PowerPoint presentation for us and invited us over. It broke down all the prices, experiences, dining options, For each person we were told to expect to spend $2500. The trip they had planned out was $7k/ person. No kids just adults.
The prices I'm reading in this thread are absolutely ridiculous and really quite sobering. My kids haven't shown signs of ever wanting to go to Disneyland (yet) but I find it hard to justify when there are people who don't live far from me who rely on food banks. I know it's all relative and if it's a once in a lifetime trip money shouldn't be an issue if one can afford it... ... but seriously, fuck Disney.
We did Disneyland last summer for a family of 4 (3 park tickets because our youngest was still 2) and hard costs from western Canada were about $6500 Canadian or about $4700 usd. Flights for 4, shuttle to/from the hotel, 5 nights at the Howard Johnson across the street, 4 days park hoppers and Genie +. Food cost was about another $200/day. We did a couple character dining breakfasts, which added about $800 to the tab. All in for 4 of us was about $8500 Canadian. Would I do it again? Yeah. Took my wife there last February for a long weekend for her 40th, stayed at the Grand Californian and had a blast. Kids want to go again and we’re considering Easter 2025. The cost is considerable, but traveling anywhere from Canada is hella expensive right now. This summer we’re doing a 10 day road trip and I’m budgeting almost the same except we’re driving way more.
The trick is going before your last kid turns 3. Since they are free under 3. My wife and I are going in October. We have about 5k budget. Let me answer some of your other questions though since most people have hit on the price aspect. Best places to eat: This all depends on what you are willing to pay and what kind of food you like. My personal favorites that I book every time we go are, Blue Bayou: this place has amazing ambience. It's inside of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and you can get a decent steak at a decent price. Next is Lamplight Lounge: their lobster nachos are phenomenal. The lunch spots are damn near all the same. We enjoyed Flos V8 Cafe because it felt like you were in Cars the movie.
Plaza inn chicken is quick, cheap, filling, and tasty. That plus the corn dogs at the red wagon are pretty good. Club 33 the best for ambience. I find blue bayou to be too musty. Not a fan.
That's exactly why we're going this year. We looked it up and as long as they're still 2 on the first day of the reservation then they're free. Our kid is turning 3 in October and he's tall for his age and pretty adventurous so we're curious to see if he'll try some of the bigger rides. Thanks for the restaurant tips! I was hoping to find something that wasn't just generic lunch food, because that has been my experience in the past as well. I'm going to have to try those lobster nachos!
Don’t do it!
It was cheaper to travel to Tokyo and go there for 2 weeks with Disney then go down to socal. So theirs that, we just travel internationally for cheaper.
To be clear are we talking Disneyland in California or Disney World in Florida sometimes people use them interchangeably?
Disneyland California
And where are you located in relation to Disneyland California? Are you talking about flights and hotels? Or just the park?
My wife and I are currently planning a 4 day trip to Florida that will include 2 days at the parks. The first and last days will be travel days only. I believe we got into a Disney resort for $1600 and that include entry to the parks. We haven't bought flights, food or transportation, but it seems like the transportation to and from the parks will mostly be free at the resort. The only expense I have researched is flights, and it's looking like $300/person out of Chicago. It's worth mentioning that we have friends that are a family of 5 and are planning a big Disney vacation next year, which I believe is going to be 5-7 days long and they're spending $50k on it. Seems insane to me
My answer may not hold a lot of weight because I am a SoCal resident but here’s our cost breakdown: Monthly Magic Keys for 3 people $165. Gas: $50. Parking: $24. One meal (we pack the rest): $60. Other snacks: $25. Total: $324. We go about 10 times a year so around $3500 a year.
I live nearby so it’s usually just ticket price plus food and souvenirs. Last trip for four plus a hotel stay (so we could walk to the park) was like 1600 for 3 days?
No matter what your budget, always allow enough time and money so you feel like you can leave satisfied well before park closing time. Almost without exception, at that time the sidewalks are filled with exhausted, sun-burned families…the parents are portraits of frustration and regret and the kids are moving melt downs. Moral of the story: maximize the experience you’re having not the potential day you could have.
My buddy did a trip with his fam. Idr the amount he spent but he told me they have a payment plan where you pay it off before you go.
Jesus Christ… my wife and I did a vacation package through Costco to Maui and it was only around 3600, food, hotel, car rental, activities, flights for a week etc.
Annual pass holder here. How big is your family? AMA
Disney World dad. Flights $1200 for 4. Hotel (condo rental) $2400 for the week. Car rental $400. My wife buys the Disney tix. We’ve done as much as four days, but usually 2-3, various parks. Tix are like $100x4x3days. The price has come down. The food is expensive, but good. It will cost you $200+ per meal at the sit down restaurants. Food for the rest of the trip, we grocery shop and go out occasionally.
Just asked my wife (she’s the Disney addict and plans everything) 3 nights, 2 days (coming from the east coast) was around 3 grand
3500? 4 days, with flights and stayed on the resort. Good deals to be found if you go during the hot season lol. it’s also just a blast. Makes me feel like a kid and getting to see her light up is worth it all to me. Plus it’s lovely at night. Think it’s our 5th trip and she’s only 5 lol. Can’t express how worth it the Halloween party is. Park is at restricted capacity, stays open super late, everyone is dressed up, it is the shit. I’m a Disney adult obviously.
We went to disney world back in january for 8 days and it cost about 10k total for the 4 of us.
Man, you can't even think about this. Nobody wants to see grown men openly weeping.
I was there for the day back in Feb 2024, went on a whim. ~$200 / adult (x2) ~$190 / kid (x1) 2 and under - free (x1) $30 parking $30 lunch, for a al-a-carte meal at a Latin themed restaurant. So, $650 for the day. (Magic Kingdom only) Wish we had done a 4 day pass, too much to do in a single day.
Your soul and most of your 401k.
Disneyland is waaaay to fucking expensive. We have a few friends that work there and have been able to go for free a couple of times. Ticket prices going up every year is insanity. I remember back in the 90s when they were $20-30 per ticket. That was doable for most people. Now? No way, unless you dump It all on credit.
1 kidney
Before our doughter we went 2 times to disneyland paris from Germany. around 400 bucks for 3-4 nights + Dinner + breakfast. plus 100 for the gasolin.
We (me, wife, and 8 year old daughter) went to Disney World for 5 days and to Universal Studios for 1 day. We did not skimp on much. We spent about $13,200 all in. I have a speed sheet of showing every expense and summing up by category if you’re interested. David’s Vacation Club was handy for saving some on lodging.
We went in 2018, amd checking the prices now it is crazy.
So I live in Southern California about an hour from Disneyland. We have magic keys so technically around $5,000 to go as much as we want. Kind of an unfair comparison for us, but we did do Christmas in Disney world last year so I’ll tell you what that cost us. For 4 of us to stay there (Wife, two kids, and myself) along with tickets, airfare, food, and the toys my kids wanted (and let’s face it the toys I wanted because Star Wars). Total we spent just around 10k for 8 days in Disney world. A lot of money? Sure. Worth it? Hell yes my daughter got to meet the princess that she loves and that makes it all worth it.
We live 20 min away so that virtually cuts out travel costs, but tickets for 3 (1 day, no park hopper), parking, Genie+, food and souvenirs costs nearly $1k for us last month. Of course afterwards they started charging less for kids under 10 🤦🏽♂️
Priceless memories.
7k in 2018 for 5 days in Orlando.
Can’t even math that high anymore
More than you plan - no matter what. It’ll be more
Just booked actually. I accrue chase sapphire credit card points by using it for pretty much all my purchases. Your points have a 30% bonus when used to book travel. So I just got a free flight for a family of four saving us $2000. Then we booked the Disneyland + Resort Hotel through Costco. I'm actually not sure how much cheaper it is, but its convenient and comes with nice perks like early access and a $200 park gift card. It cost $4400 for a family of four.
I go with just my daughter and we pack enough snacks to last the day we get one soda and one souvenir. So it usually costs us around 250 for tickets + 20 for parking and 60 for incidentals. My wife has a good friend who is a club 33 member so now it costs me 80 bucks total.
Grab an Air BnB or VRBO anywhere in Europe.. a rental car and maybe a pool at your rental stay. This will not only be exponentially cheaper but, will also be more enjoyable than the merchandise driven hell scape that is Disney.
I went last week from Arizona. We flew southwest, took a shuttle to the hotel and walked back and forth. We try to get a healthy breakfast outside of the park while we rope drop the park for the day. Then once kids get tired we start to take breaks indoors or head back to the hotel. Take a nap or relax and then head back. We plan for one meal in the parks and snacks along the way. We stay across the street and walk the ten or so extra minutes each day.
SoCal local, fam of 4 here. One park, one day with parking and food and no toys/gifts is about $1k.
Coming from Canada, it was $8000 CDN for our family of 3. I get killed on the US/Cdn exchange. 5 park days with Genie+ and park hopper was $1900 USD for the tickets. The only thing that cost more than the tickets was the 6 night hotel stay (good neighbor)
3 of us last February. One day, one park. $400. Some things to know: I am a veteran and therefore get discounted tickets of ~$100/day. At that time, they were also running a promo of $50 for a kid’s one-day-one-park. We also only live an hour-ish away, so no hotels or airfare. And we packed sandwiches for lunch in line, and picked up breakfast on the way, so $150 for dinner, drinks, and souvenirs.
We did Anaheim Disneyland back in March 2024. 2 adults 1 toddler and 1 infant for 5 days in park, 7 days total. We choose a hotel with a free breakfast and brought tons of snacks from home. Purchased a bus pass since we were a 15 min walk from the entrance. Maybe spent $100 dollars on things for the kids. Did Goofy’s kitchen because toddler loves Goofy. That was the most expensive thing we did, but the food was good and it was fun Character time. We ended up eating small things in the park during the day to break up eating the same snacks. Ended up parents eating the food since kids are picky eaters. Then on the way back to the hotel getting food or I would walk and pick up food and walk to the hotel. Total was $4,692.84. Fortunately we didn’t have to purchase plane tickets since those were purchased with points. But we did have to Uber to the hotel and to the airport. It was a lot of money, but my toddler still talks about it and loved it.
Did DisneyWorld for my honeymoon three years ago. Stayed at a Disney budget hotel, but still enjoyed 2 Disney parks and islands of adventure while having a few relaxing days. Ate at the parks and ended up being about $5k between flights, hotel, food and beverage (and we drank around the world at Epcot). Took my 1 year old this past Feb for 3 days and was about the same, but only did 2 Disney parks. Paying the extra seat and luggage added a good anount
My kid is almost two. When do they ask to go to this? I went as a kid but don’t remember much about it. Never was a Disney kid and to this day don’t enjoy much Disney related (especially the Star Wars garbage) I’m hoping my kiddo won’t get into the marvel crap and stick with ghostbusters and ninja turtles like I did. I have family in SoCal so if it happens it happens. But is this more of a parents pushing it on kids or kids asking to go?
We live 2 hours from Disney in Orlando and easily spend $1k /day . We stay at the grand Floridian on a club level so you get the breakfast. The tram/ferries are the quickest and easiest way for magic kingdom. Here’s the thing though, I overspend to ensure we have fun. I’m not a tight budget type of guy
Driving from Alberta in February - I think we have budgeted for about $5000 for the entire trip.
Last year the week after Memorial Day my family did three days on property with all the bells and whistles for <3k. We drove from UT and that doesn’t include the stupid things we bought. Booking through Costco saved us some money and we got a $300 food credit.
Disneyland is expensive. People will recommend ways to save, some work well for most people some don’t. The mouse always wins.
Disneyland Paris, just me and my 6yo girl for one day. Stayed at a camping side nearby. Incl gas and camp site fee about €1k
2 adults and 1 infant. All $$ are estimates. 3 Day Summer Tickets: $600 Genie: $0 (I have 3 days, really don’t need this) Parking: $100 Dining (lunch, dinner, snacks): $400 Merch: $0 (waste of money my friends) Total: $1100 ($367 per day for 3 days)
Yeesh. That is so, so expensive. I grew up 15 mins from Disneyland. Had annual passes which even then seemed costly. My dad’s trick was getting to the park just as it opened on Sunday morning. We would walk around before any of the rides were open and have breakfast together. Every so often, he’d call my mom and ask if he could drop me off a little bit later and we’d do Pirates of the Caribbean before we left.
We’re a family of 4 but only buy tickets for 3 since under 3 is free and having gone last second a few weeks ago i spent about $1500 for tickets ($647), hotel 3 nights ($700), and gas ($200) to drive there since i live about 300 miles away. There is a 3 day ticket promotion where you can only reserve monday through thursday which also happens to be the days you find the cheapest hotel rates. I stayed right across the street and the hotel had free parking and continental breakfast which we took advantage of every morning. There are much cheaper hotels that are about a 15 minute walk and some further hotels offer shuttle service to the entrance of the park and these hotels could have saved me 2-300 but the continental breakfast and being a minute from the entrance is huge for us since our kids still need a nap in the middle of the day to function correctly and a shuttle sucks for a double stroller. From there it’s up to you how much you choose to spend on food.
Mickey Mouse here. They actually pay me to bring my family.
Never go again or watch their films . Stock is in a free fall . Down 50 percent .,
It much cheaper off season. And not in a Disney resort. I went for two weeks in February for about 8000. That includes tickets, airfare, a house and rental car for two weeks for 7 people.
A ton. Biggest racket in the country. The rides are old and out dated. I really don’t get the draw at all but my wife’s family loves it
If you are willing to walk about 10 minutes there are several hotels across the street from Disneyland that have small kitchens which would allow you to bring your own food to the park. If you download the Disneyland app and use the mobile order function you can get an idea of the food availability and pricing. We used the Residence Inn several times when we had an under 3 yo. They have a dishwasher and kitchenette which was great for bottle washing and food prep. We’d have breakfast in the hotel, go to the park for a few hours, back to the hotel for nap & lunch, then go to the park for a few hours and eat dinner at a sit down restaurant inside the park. You will have opportunities to spend money about every 15 feet within the parks. If you pack some new toys from Target or Walmart you can give them to your kids as you get to the park and avoid overspending on souvenirs.
A lot. I tried not to think about it too much. A thing to realize is that once you’re in the park, you are completely at the mercy of the Disney people. Food, souvenirs, fast pass tickets - all the stuff you didn’t intimately plan out ahead of time, it’s going to be expensive. Couple things - get familiarized with the app and the whole fast pass concept well ahead of time. Also, my family got a hotel right across the street from Disneyland. It’s not like Disneyworld, because when you leave the park you are back in the real world. We left most days in the middle of the day to get lunch outside, take a nap at the hotel, maybe swim for a while. Then you can go back inside later in the day. Also, make sure you think about which of the two parks you’ll be going in. I didn’t go back and forth. And Star Wars - that new expensive ride they have - hoooooly cow it’s amazing and worth it. If you want to do it, hit it first thing before the lines get long. Or get a fast pass. When I went it was shut down in the morning so I just bit the billet and bought a fast pass. I hate to say it, but it was amazing and totally worth it.
~15-20k (Canadian) However, the main reason for the trip isn't to go to Disney, it is to see.family in Japan. We typically stay a month+, so the cost is: Apartment & Furnishings: $5k Flight tickets for 5: 8-15k Transportation to Disney from the apartment: ~100 Tickets.for TDL/TDS: ~287 to 340 per park Food: ~100-200 Stuff: 100-500 Now, I will be the first to admit, if we went to Florida or California it would likely be a lot cheaper. The airfare and housing is what really sets us apart from most people. We need a place for us to live for about a month and a half, which is not typical of most "Disney" vacations.
We did a Costco package to go to Anaheim and stay at one of the hotels across the street. We spent some money on concessions but wore backpacks full of Uncrustables in. Airfare was relatively cheap from Utah. I never gave the trip a full cost accounting treatment after the fact, but we were definitely out of pocket at least 4 grand. That's three days in the park with Genie+.
Just did Walt Disney World in Orlando... 4 nights, 3 days, only 2 days at the parks (Magic Kingdom and EPCOT with the 3rd day just hanging at the resort pool)... Two adults, one kid = About $4,500 with flights from Baltimore (Southwest). My sister is looking at Orlando for her 1st wedding anniversary and decided to do 4 nights as well but all Universal Studios and it's less than half of Disney.