Creating Your Disney Vacation Budget-Painlessly

Experience The Magic Without Losing All Your Money

Welcome back, dear reader! In my last post, I gave you some fun facts to consider before you set your sights on a vacation to Walt Disney World. If you’re here, you’ve decided that YES, this is the destination for you and you’re SO EXCITED to start planning your ✨magical✨ trip to do all the things!

Press pause, princess (or prince). A recent survey found that the average cost of a Disney vacation is almost $7,000 for a week for a family of four, while budget vacations are about $5,000, with trips including all the bells and whistles creeping to $10,000 or more. While 36% of Americans willingly take on debt to afford a vacation, that percentage jumps to 45% of parents with children under 18 when going to Disney World. How much debt are they accruing? About $2,000, usually due to unplanned expenses related to in-park food and/or lodging being more expensive than planned.

Remember how I said Disney World is a luxury vacation? The above paragraph is why. This type of expense generally is not in a typical family’s budget without some planning and saving. Don’t despair-this is where I come in! I manage large budgets, complex projects and priorities for my “real job,” and I’m going to show you how to apply some of these concepts to creating a budget that includes your must-dos without emptying your wallet and taking on debt.

The Not-Painful Vacation Budgeting Process

I can’t stress enough how going into debt for a vacation (even if it is a once-in-a-lifetime treat) is a bad idea with long-term painful ramifications. I know because I have been through it. For some, the term “budget” conjures up negative imagery of counting every penny, watching the thermostat, and eating cold bologna sandwiches. This is not what a budget is. A budget is a plan personalized to your life and priorities that allows you to live life to the fullest within your financial means. Call it a game plan, a roadmap, whatever you’d like. It only works if it’s personalized and realistic. 84% of Americans say they have a monthly budget, and 83% say they overspend…that’s another series in itself, but we’re going to focus on your personalized vacation budget and guess what-it’s going to be FUN and FREE!

Follow the steps I’ve outlined below, and personalize it to your life and plans. This is not a quick exercise-in my previous post I recommended beginning to plan a trip like this two years in advance. I’m sure some of you laughed and scoffed, but see that “average” cost above? That’s why. And my ADHD brain LOVES a challenge, and personally, planning a trip that checks all of my “must-do” boxes while SAVING money is one of the best dopamine hits there is.

Step 1-Research Everything Disney World

This is the super fun part where you craft the vacation itinerary of your dreams. Don’t edit yourself, and don’t concern yourself with the cost (yet). Grab a notebook and a writing instrument (I prefer a set of colored felt-tip pens and a bullet notebook for these serious projects, but you do you). Use the free tools available to you and jot down whatever catches your interest:

• Read guidebooks about Disney World-bonus points if you use your library to check them out for free! I recommend the Unofficial Guides, Frommer’s, and Birnbaum’s. Don’t worry if they’re a year or two behind, the general information is applicable. The Unofficial Guides and Frommer’s are bricks, but have very detailed information. Birnbaum’s is a higher-level overview with pictures (better for kids to look at). If you find one you really like, look for a used copy online (Amazon does have used books!) or in a secondhand bookstore near you.
• Watch YouTube. Yes, I am telling you to watch YouTube to plan your vacation. In my experience, YouTube is one of the BEST resources for planning a vacation-if you know how to use it. For a Disney vacation, you’re looking for three types of videos:
  • Walt Disney World Park Experts-look for people who are not “selling” Disney, but providing education (how to navigate each park, how to use whatever the current “skip-the-line” system is called, tips for planning your day, resort tours, room tours) and fun facts. My personal favorite is Mammoth Club-look for videos with just Molly or Molly and Alan (sorry Max). Molly’s solo videos are my go-tos, while Molly+Alan are better for resort overviews and restaurant details. I am not affiliated with Mammoth Club (though I wish I were). I can turn these on and putter about the kitchen and absorb tips and tricks through just listening. My neurodivergent kiddo loves watching videos where Molly tries to avoid getting wet or gets wet unintentionally, as well as the “Winner Picks Dinner” episodes…because Molly is bad at rock, paper scissors (he has literally cheered for her when she’s won a round).
  • Ride Point-of-View (POV)-This type of video is clutch if you have a kiddo who thinks they want to ride something. My son and I watch these over and over again, and it helps set expectations for the experience (very important for neurodivergent individuals of any age). These have helped him determine what his highest priorities are, and we’ve crossed things off our list that he determined weren’t what he thought. There are a ton of these out there, but look for ones that are front-seat POV-the parks themselves have videos, but I also like to watch a few others to get the real experience.
  • Resort and Room Tours-If you’re overwhelmed by the amount of choices on and off property, look for some tours of the properties and rooms on YouTube! Virtual walk-throughs on the property’s websites are okay, but the technology is still a bit weird and of course the room you’re seeing is in tip-top shape. I want to know what the real people are experiencing. AND I don’t want sponsored videos where the people gush about how great everything is-that’s not real life. I want honesty and authenticity, and this can be found in sponsored videos if you look for it. Mammoth Club is good for some of these, but just a quick search and watching a few will help you find a channel or two that you like.
• Read Travel Blogs and TripAdvisor-I use TripAdvisor to read about restaurants, hotels and out of park activities, while travel blogs and sites are for park research. Again, I don’t want (or need) anyone to “sell Disney” to me-I want honest, authentic, unbiased information. I’ll share my go-tos with you (and again, I’m not affiliated with, nor sponsored by, these sites):
  • Undercover Tourist sells discounted park and event tickets (bookmark them for later) but they also have great articles about the basics of Orlando and Disney.
  • Disney Tourist Blog has extensive, in-depth resort reviews and room tours. They are also a wealth of information for planning (with a section devoted to first-timers) with info about crowds, rides, dining, and tons more. I’ve mostly used this site for news and crowd calendars, as well as resort info (when I thought we might stay on-property).
  • Dad’s Guide to WDW is, in my opinion, an underutilized resource (and I just enjoy the name). It’s a more visually appealing site than Disney Tourist Blog, and easier to navigate. They have an overview of every ride, parade and restaurant in the park! I also appreciate the vacation planning section.

Now your notebook should be filled with your ideas about what you’d like to ride, eat, and experience in the parks, how you’d like to get there, and where you’d prefer to stay. If it isn’t, keep looking for ideas: browse Pinterest and Instagram, watch some documentaries, heck watch some Disney movies! Once you think you’ve got a good idea of the main pieces of your vacation, you need to move on to…

Step 2-Make A List

Now you need to organize your thoughts from Step 1. I find it helpful to group these by park (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, EPCOT and Hollywood Studios) or other location (water park or Disney Springs), and category. For example, I’ll have categories like “Rides, Snacks, Character Meets, Shows, Restaurants” for Magic Kingdom, and I’ll fill in the items from my dream list. Bonus points for you if you include a bit more info for your future self-like what type of ride it is, and what meal you’d like to enjoy at the restaurant (for example, Big Thunder Mountain is a thrill roller coaster, and you’ll eat lunch at Be Our Guest). If there are specific souvenirs you want to purchase, add them as well. Lastly, make a note about how important this is to you-it doesn’t have to be complicated, use a star for a must-do, a high/medium/low/NA scale, whatever works.

Add another section for lodging (where you’ll stay, what kind of room) and your transportation needs in Orlando as well as how you’ll be getting there if you aren’t local. Do you want to visit another theme park outside the Disney bubble? You have plenty of options, as Orlando is the theme park capital of the world. Add any non-Disney park to your list with the same categories and notes.

All right, friends. I’ll be honest with you-the fun part of this exercise is over. You’ll need a calculator (or your favorite program that does calculations for you-I’m partial to Excel but Google Sheets works too), your favorite search engine, your handy dandy notebook and writing instrument, and some patience. Let’s move on to…

Step 3-Start Estimating Costs

Jot down the approximate cost of everything you’ve included in your dream vacation. Be as accurate as you can, knowing that some costs are variable due to seasonality. You can use the resources that you used in step 1 for your research for historical data, as well as the Disney website itself. Don’t forget to include these often-overlooked (and budget-busting) costs:

• Parking costs at theme parks-these are charged daily (so you could leave the park and come back later, or go to another park and not have to pay again). As of this post, parking was $30 USD/day for standard parking.
• Estimate food and beverage costs-you’ll end up buying something in the park, even if it’s a coffee or cold drink, likely a snack at least. Maybe you’ll grab breakfast at your resort, or enjoy a sit-down dinner in Disney Springs. You could ballpark $75 USD per person, per day as a starting point.
• Estimate the cost for Lightening Lane Multi Pass and Single Ride (line skip programs) if you think there’s a chance you’ll use them. These vary by park and by seasonality, so use your resources to estimate what they could be during your trip.
• Special events or experiences-add in any separately-ticketed events (like the Christmas or Halloween parties, or any special After-Hours events) or experiences (behind-the-scenes tours or fireworks dining packages, Photo Pass or Memory Maker photo packages).
• Souvenirs-Someone in your group will want to buy something. You could start with $50 USD per person, per day and adjust from there (Disney merch is not cheap).
• Magicbands-if you plan to use a Magicband as your ticket, you need to purchase them. If you choose not to do so, you’ll need to visit Guest Relations before entering the park to receive a credit card-style ticket. You can also get these at Disney Springs guest services. No matter where you get the card, these are complimentary.
• Any resort or parking fees at your hotel.
• Are you driving? Factor in the gas, any oil changes/tire rotations or vehicle expenses that aren’t part of your regular maintenance. Add in meals, snacks, and “boredom-busters” that will be purchased to make the road trip as painless as possible.
• Flying? Don’t forget to factor in airport parking, bag fees, seat selection fees, any other of the myriad of airline fees. Capture rental car expenses or ride share costs if you will be using them.

Add alllllllll these costs up. You might gasp or feel like you’re going to faint when you see the total. Just breathe, I promise you we’ll figure this out and you’re going to have a ✨magical✨ trip. Get your red pen out and…

Step 4-Prioritize and Make Some Edits

Remember back in step 2 where I suggested you make some notes for your future self? You’re going to use those now to make some adjustments to your plan so that your high priority must-dos are accounted for, possibly at the expense of some “nice-to-dos” or low priorities. Take a look at the low priorities-can you remove any of them right now? Cross them off. How about the highs-is there anything that’s unrealistic (and you KNOW it’s unrealistic)? X, it’s gone. Mediums are last, and get the same treatment.

Evaluate your transportation choices-for most people, this is “fly or drive?” I’ll write a separate post on that, because my family debates this every time we go on a trip. Could you make any changes?

Look at the ticket selection. Do you really need Park Hopper? Can you fiddle with these options to bring the cost down at all?

Lodging-is there any flexibility here? Is there a more affordable option that would meet your needs?

Now you have a list that you’re going to work off of, and don’t worry if you felt that you had to remove something that you didn’t particularly want to. I’m going to share my tips, tricks and secrets for getting the MOST vacation for the least amount of dollars in future posts, because once again-we are not going into debt for Disney. On to the last step…

Step 5-Compare Your Dream Vacation to What You Think You Can Afford

You should have a number in mind that you could afford (there are no wrong answers). How does this compare to the estimated cost of your magical trip? Is there a large gap? A small gap? Or (pleasant surprise) are you right at the number? The difference between your estimated cost and your budget that you can afford (assuming there is a difference; if there isn’t good on you!) is now your goal. We’re going to embark on a (strategic) treasure hunt to find that gold!

This Is Why We Plan

This is why I recommend beginning to plan two years out-most people don’t have an extra $7,000 laying around for a vacation, and you don’t want to be in the 45% of families taking on $2,000 in Disney debt! Starting early gives you plenty of time to go into this trip with your eyes wide open to the potential cost, and time to stash away some extra vacation funds if you want (or need) to so that you can have a trip that is personalized to your priorities and budget.

There are many options to close the gap between “what I want” and “what I can afford”, so don’t make any additional cuts yet. I’ll share what I have done to successfully close these gaps for my own family while working a full-time job, without joining any MLMs, and while being a mom and retaining my sanity in future posts, so stick around! Hey-you might even be able to add one of the experiences that you cut back into the “will-do” list.