You've taken the first step and started your dream vacation in motion. Planning your budget needs to be your next thought. Let us help you figure out what is important and where to cut back and save your money. No need to start removing arms or legs.
Please remember that this article was written prior to the CoVid-19 pandemic and some items discussed may not currently be available. We are anticipating most, if not all, experiences and attractions to return to the parks when Disney fully reopens.
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Budget planning can make or break any vacation. We hope to be able to help you have a solid idea on how much will go into your trip from your initial $200.00 deposit to tips throughout the parks. I go to Disney to get away from the stress of everyday life and if I'm worried about money while I am there, it defeats the purpose.
Breaking Down the Costs of the Trip
There are plenty of costs that go into planning any vacation. I like to break down a trip into a few different categories that way I can look at each of them individually.
1: How are you getting to Florida?
For many people, there is a discussion between flying and driving. You need to remember that all Disney resorts now charge overnight parking fees, but if you are staying at a resort, you do not have to pay for parking if you drive to the parks. If you are flying into MCO Orlando, Disney has ways to get you to and from the airport and all around the resort property when you get to your hotel.
2: Where are you going to stay?
As you would imagine, there are literally a hundred places to stay. Think about what each has to offer and how much time you are actually going to spend in your room. I like to prioritize proximity to the parks and ease of transportation for each day, but you may want a better pool or more onsite dining options.
3: How many days are you going to spend in the parks?
Is this your first trip? Are you coming down for a #runDisney event? Your park touring goals will help shed light on how long you want to be in the parks. I am a huge fan of 2 Magic Kingdom days for the kids, but my wife and I shed the extra day on our trips by ourselves.
4: What are you going to eat?
Disney has many fantastic dining options and multiple ways to pay for them. Dining plans are a great way to eliminate the daily budgeting for your trip. Knowing which one may be the best for you is the trick. You will want to think about your travel party's eating habits, add in the restaurants that you have to go to, and pick which plan fits your trip. Remember that tips are not included in the cost of the dining plans.
Once you get to this point, everything else is extra and Disney knows how to do the extras very well. There are tours and photo packages and merchandise and I can go on and on and on. Just remember most of it comes with a cost and we can help to fit these into your budget.
Planning Your Budget
Planning early is key for any Disney vacation. The dining reservation window opens for onsite guests at 180 days and we like to have at least a month to work with a new client prior to this checkpoint, so that puts you 7 months out (6 months before your full payment is due). When we take the kids with us, I usually plan about a year out so that I can break up the money as much as possible. Think about a $5,000.00 cost on anything. Would you rather pay it all at once, or $500.00 at a time?
Disney Planning Insights Tip: To extend your trip payments even farther, the Chase Disney Visa card allows you another 6 months to pay off your trip interest free.
Turning your Budget into your Vacation
Now, we can talk the real numbers of Disney.There are 3 onsite costs to figure out, Hotel, Park Tickets, and Dining. These can all be taken care of up front so that you do not have to worry about them when you get to the resort.
1. Onsite resorts are broken up into 3 categories.
Value - $150 - $300 per night - Standard Room
Moderate - $200 - $400 per night - Standard Room
Deluxe - $300 - over $800 per night - Standard Room
There is fluctuation depending on the time of year you want to go and these are representative of full price rates. Disney runs many specials throughout the year that we keep up to date on for our clients.
2. Ticket prices are dependent on the number of days going to the parks and if you are going to visit more than one park each day. DO NOT BUY A TICKET AT THE TICKET WINDOW EACH DAY YOU GO TO THE PARKS. This is how you waste money as a one day ticket can cost as much as $140.00 per person depending on the time of year. Buy all of your tickets at once and take the discount that Disney gives you. There are marginal discounts for days 1 through 4, but once you get to the 5th day, the ticket drops to around $12.00 per person for that day. Remember that if you want to go to more than 1 park each day, you will need to purchase the Park Hopper addition to your tickets.
A ticket for 1 person to 1 park starting on October 5th 2019 costs $139.00, but look what happens as you add days:
2 days $122 per = $244 total
3 days $116 per = $348 total
4 days $108 per = $432 total
5 days $91 per = $455 total
6 days $78 per = $468 total
7 days $67 per = $469 total
3. Dining plans are a great way to pay for your meals prior to your vacation and really give it that all-inclusive resort feeling. What Disney does is exchange your up front cost for credits at multiple levels. You will also get a refillable mug that can be used at multiple locations at your resort hotel, normally the food court and pool bar.
Disney has broken this into 3 tiers as well. Click on the links for more details about each plan.
The first tier is the Quick Service Plan that will provide 2 Quick-Service credits and 2 Snack credits per person, per night.
The next step up is the Disney Dining Plan that provides 1 Table Service credit, 1 Quick-Service credit, and 2 Snack credits per person, per night.
The top tier is the Deluxe Dining Plan. It provides 3 Table Service credits and 2 Snack credits per person, per night.
When it comes to cost, think about your eating habits and calculate about $20 per adult, per meal for a Quick-Service restaurant and about $50 per adult, per meal for a table service. The dining plans come in at the following price points:
Quick Service Plan: $52.50 per night (ages 10+) - $23.78 per night (ages 3-9)
Disney Dining Plan: $75.49 per night (ages 10+) - $27.98 per night (ages 3-9)
Deluxe Dining Plan: $116.25 per night (ages 10+) - $43.49 per night (ages 3-9)
Putting it all Together
You can combine the numbers all you want, in any way imaginable. That is where this can get confusing. Let's put a couple of scenarios with prices together for you.
Family of 4 (First Trip) - 4 Nights, 5 Park Days, Lots of Character Meals - 6/15 - 6/21/2020
Pop Century Resort (Value - Standard Room) - $1352.26
5 Day Single Park per Day Tickets - $1946.34
Disney Dining Plan (4 nights) - $1302.04
Total Cost - $4600.64 with $200.00 due at booking
Payment in full would be due on 5/15/2020. That means if you budgeted monthly until then, it would be $551 per month.
Adult Trip - 3 Nights, 4 Park Days, Great Dining 8/27 - 8/30/2020
Coronado Springs (Moderate - Tower Water View) $1093.50
4 Day Park Hopper Tickets - $1037.46
Deluxe Dining Plan (3 Nights) - $713.96
Total cost - $2844.92 with $200 due at booking
This one gives you almost a full year (7/27/20) to pay in full, so the monthly budgeting would only be $265 per month.
Ready to take the next step? Fill out our information form on the Booking Your Trip page and let's talk about your Disney adventure. If you are looking for more information, the Disney Planning Insights Podcast and Princesses and the Mouse Blog provide more information to help you plan your next Disney vacation.
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