Can I Afford A Trip To Walt Disney World?

A family trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL, can be pricey. But with some common sense and planning, there are many ways to cut costs.

In this article, I am going to focus on park tickets.

A park ticket at WDW gives you access to all the rides and shows, free transportation to other Disney parks, character interactions, parades, fireworks and that high level Disney customer service.

While a 1-day pass to the Magic Kingdom can run you upwards of $100 per adult, there are a few cost-cutting steps you can take to make your trip more affordable.

Base tickets are one park per day tickets.

Park hopper tickets allow you to “hop” from park to park.

A 4-day park hopper is $69 more than a 4-day base ticket for one adult.

If your trip will consist of more than 3 or 4 days, consider the base ticket; not only will you save money, you will also save travel time getting to the other parks.  While doing your trip planning, just plan on visiting one park per day.  However, if you are travelling for less than 4 days and really want to see all 4 of the parks, the park hopper may be better for your family.

Disney has priced their tickets to entice you to stay for a longer period of time.  For example, a 3-day base ticket will cost $96.67 per day for 1 adult, but a 6-day base ticket costs $59.17 per day.

Why would they do this?

Because the more days you stay, the more nights you will be in their hotels and the more money you will spend on food and drinks.  Even though the park ticket costs less, they know you will be spending money elsewhere on their property.

Finally, Walt Disney World also runs 2 water parks that are not included in these park ticket prices.  Those will cost an additional fee.

The “Water Parks and More” option gives you access to the Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon water parks, as well as ESPN Wide World of Sports, 2 miniature golf courses and a 9 hole standard golf course.

For 1 adult, the price for this add-on option is $64.  You may want to weigh out whether this option makes sense for your family. How many days will you be in Disney? Will you have time for all of these attractions? Maybe you only want to visit one of the locations listed?

You can purchase admission for all of these areas individually, so do your research and decide if you want to add on to your ticket for all of them, or just buy one ticket to Typhoon Lagoon.

The Walt Disney World website has all of the prices listed for these ticket options and it’s a handy resource to use while you are planning your trip.

Really pay attention to what your family wants to do, what you have time to do, and what you can afford, and you’ll have a fantastic vacation.


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Author Profile: Consumer Expert Karen Costa

Hi! I am an avid Disney fan, love to travel and really love to help others plan trips and getaways. I have a husband and 2 active, sports-obsessed sons that keep me busy. I work for a large heath care company as a systems analyst by day, but dabble in writing in my spare time. I'm excited to share my Disney knowledge on News for Shoppers.

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