How Much Does Disney World Cost? Plan a Magical Vacation for $3,500!

So, you're finally ready to plan your dream Disney vacation! You want to stay at a posh Disney resort, explore the theme parks, indulge in the delicious cuisine and make precious lifelong memories with your family! But you have one GIANT question, "Just how much does Disney World cost?!" We hear you and toadally understand. To help answer this question, we've put together our Budget Breakdown Series to help you plan the perfect Disney World vacation that is right for you and your wallet.

Hop To

• Budget Details
• Theme Park Tickets
• Resort Stay
• Dining
• Souvenirs & Extras
• Transportation
• Grand Total

Now, the word "budget" is very relative to each family's circumstances. What is affordable to some may not be in reach for others and vice versa. And sometimes, just because you could spend a certain amount on a vacation doesn’t mean you want to! Much like we say about the time of year you choose to visit Disney World, you can have a frogtastic Disney trip on any budget. We frogs love to save some green, but we’ve taken some trips where we’ve gone all out and others where we’ve stuck to a more modest budget.

It’s not a one-size-fits-all scenario to plan a Disney vacation, but we’re here to give you at least an idea of what a trip may cost your family. Our Budget Breakdown Series is a hopful tool that shows three different budget scenarios — Value, Moderate and Deluxe — to help demonstrate what is possible within three different price points. Keep in mind that each vacation scenario we'll share is created with a family of four, including a four-day, three-night stay. And remember: answering "how much does Disney World cost" has some variables. Disney World's pricing varies by date, so use this post as a guideline and example, while keeping in mind that depending on when you visit, the pricing may be more or less.

This post will show you everything you need to know to plan a frogtastic Disney vacation with the Value tier in mind. We believe that Disney can be done on just about any budget, and we're here to show you how! So grab a beverage, sit back and get ready to be blown away at just how much fun you can expect, even while keeping the budget in check!

Are you ready for some trip-planning fun? Let's hop to it!

How Much Does Disney World Cost for the Value Tier?

The Value Budget Details

How much does Disney World cost? To keep a lilypad-to-lilypad comparison, the foundation of all three vacations is the same. Each vacation is designed for a family of four for a four-day, three-night stay at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel. The dates are set during the last spring season and include four-day base theme park tickets. We'll also make recommendations for dining and experiences depending on the price point of the vacation.

Value Tier Disney Vacation at a Glance for a Family of Four:

• Dates: May 31 to June 3, 2023
• Theme Park Tickets: 4-Day Base (1 park per day)
• Disney Resort Hotel: Pop Century Resort
• Food: Includes one quick-service meal per day, per person (order groceries for the rest!)
• Rental Car: A minivan to get you from the airport to the resort and anywhere else you’d like to go!
• Souvenirs and experiences: You didn't think we'd froget about these, did you?

*Note: These ticket/hotel/rental car prices and savings pulled from UndercoverTourist.com on March 31, 2023, for travel from May 31 to June 3, 2023. Food calculated based on Walt Disney World Resort menu prices and reasonable grocery assumptions. Airfare not included.

Value Budget Travel Dates

This vacation is set for the late May 2023 timeframe. Specifically, the prices shown are from May 31 to June 3, 2023.

Frugal frogs, rejoice! The last week of May tends to be a slower time of year, so prices will also be more modest. We know your pocketbooks will appreciate that! (Interested in learning more about when to visit Disney World? Check out Undercover Tourist's recommended times to visit in this blog post! If you're a visual frog, you can also use our Crowd Calendar.)

Value Budget Theme Park Tickets

To keep the price point down but not sacrifice any of the fun, we suggest the 4-Day Disney Theme Park Base Ticket. This ticket allows you to visit one park per day. However, it does not include park hopping or the water park option in order to save our frugal frogs some additional dinero.

4-Day Disney Theme Park Base Price:

• Adult (10+): $554.41 x 2 = $1,108.82
• Child (3-9): $536.30 x 2 = $1,072.60
• Theme Park Ticket Total: $2,181.42

The prices listed here are the final amount when purchasing through Undercover Tourist, so you’ll never have to worry about any additional taxes, hidden fees or surprises.

If you’re new to Disney World or haven’t visited in a while, the FastPass+ system has been retired. A new system named Disney Genie+ service has replaced it. Genie+ is a system that you can purchase that allows guests to skip the line. This is currently priced at $15+ per guest, per day (depending on the day of your visit). For a family of four, this adds up to $60+ per day or $180+ for the duration of this trip (at a minimum). In the spirit of being budget-savvy, we will pass on Genie+. Instead, we recommend using park strategies such as using Early Theme Park Entry, rope drop and staying late as ways to ride the popular attractions with reduced wait times. Be sure to hop over and brush up on our planning resources before your trip!

If you do decide to add on Disney Genie+ service, you can purchase it within the My Disney Experience app for the individual days you choose.

Value Budget Hotel — Disney’s Pop Century Resort

We LOVE Disney’s Pop Century Resort! This resort is considered a Value Resort or in the least expensive resort tier. Disney’s Value Resorts are basic as amenities go but rank high on the theming and fun factor!

Pop Century is a Frog Family favorite! The Standard Rooms include two queen-sized beds, a full bathroom with a bathtub, smart storage solutions such as platform beds with room to store luggage underneath, a chest of drawers, end table cubbies, and closet and storage space in the vanity area. One of the beds is a pull-down table bed! This saves a ton of space when the bed isn’t in use and provides a table for extra seating and dining.

In addition, the rooms have been upgraded to include crisp white duvet bedding, laminate flooring and updated bathroom features. In terms of square footage, the rooms are smaller (260 square feet, to be exact) but have everything you need. This is especially true if you spend most of your time out at the parks.

This resort features larger-than-life Disney-theming. Oversized Disney character figures and pop culture icons are situated around the grounds and provide great photo opportunities. There are three resort pools, with the main Hippy Dippy Pool at the resort’s hub. All three pools are themed to a specific decade. Shopping and dining can be found at Classic Hall, as well as an arcade. The dining options include a food court that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Here you'll be able to find pizza, burgers, chicken fingers and fries and to-go items such as pastries, sandwiches, desserts and beverages. The Tie-dye Cheesecake is an iconic snack you’ll only find at this resort. Give it a try, and let us know how you like it!

A significant feature that makes Pop Century the winner out of all the Value Resorts is its direct access to the Disney Skyliner! The Disney Skyliner is the newest mode of Disney transportation. The Disney Skyliner provides transportation to both EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. It also stops at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort and Disney’s Riviera Resort. So if you’d like to add a little resort hoppin’ to your trip, it is fun and easy to do! You can read up on even more information with our toadally groovy guide to Disney's Pop Century Resort.

Pop Century Room Rate

• $177.65 nightly x 3 nights = $599.57 ($66.62 taxes and fees included — save $146 by booking through Undercover Tourist!)

Disney Dining on a Value Budget

While we love the theme park attractions, entertainment selections and character interactions, we have to admit that Disney food is always at the top of our priority list! Disney never ceases to amaze us in the culinary department, and we are always so excited to try new dishes and snacks throughout our Disney trips. But here’s the catch: food can eat away at your budget. And for a family of four, the dollar amount can add up quickly. We recommend eating out once per day at a quick-service location for the value budget. On average, you can expect a quick-service meal for a family of four to run about $40-$55. You can find quick-service locations in the parks, at the Disney Resorts and in Disney Springs. There are a ton of different options to choose from.

Our favorite budget places to eat are at Woody’s Lunch Box in Hollywood Studios, Satu’li Canteen at Animal Kingdom, Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Café at Magic Kingdom, Regal Eagle Smokehouse at EPCOT and Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza in Disney Springs.

You can make your dollars stretch even further by ordering water instead of soda or alcohol, split meals (Disney portions are typically very generous!), ordering from the kids menu or ordering family meals such as a large pizza versus individual entrees. Don’t froget that refillable water bottle! With bottled water running about $4 per bottle, bringing your own is one of the easiest ways to save some green on your trip (no matter your budget tier!).

We also suggest ordering groceries and having them delivered to your resort for your other meals. Your room at Pop Century will be equipped with either a mini-refrigerator or a beverage cooler. If you’re driving, stop by a grocery store before arriving at the resort. If you’ve traveled by plane, you can use a local grocery delivery service such as Instacart, Shipt, Garden Grocer or Kroger. Your groceries will be delivered to the main lobby. You'll pick them up and cart them back to your hotel room.

Easy breakfast items include cereal, yogurts, granola bars, danishes, milk, juices and simple fruits such as bananas and oranges.

We usually like to include bread, peanut butter and jelly, lunch meat, cheese, chips, pretzels, fruit cups, carrot sticks, water and soda for simple lunches or dinners. Also, don't froget to include snack-sized items such as goldfish, popcorn or granola bars to toss in your park bag. These will keep you fueled up and on budget throughout your trip. Curious as to how to picnic at Disney? Leap on over to our top tips for planning a magical picnic at Disney World.

• One quick-service meal per day: $55 x 4 nights = $220
• Grocery budget: $150
• Assume 6% sales tax for quick-service meals ($13.20)
• Food Total: $383.20

Value Budget Souvenirs

When keeping the budget in mind, one might suggest not spending anything on souvenirs. If your goal is to spend the least amount possible, this is toadally doable, but not realistic in our opinion. Disney has incredible shopping opportunities and unique merchandise. Plus, what’s a Disney vacation without taking a little piece of magic home? So for the value budget scenario, we've allotted $30 per person or $120 for a family of four. Thirty dollars seems to be the median price for a pair of mouse ears, a hat, a shirt or a Disney plush. But, of course, how each person spends their money is up to them! Tad typically likes to spend his money on Mickey Ice Cream Bars, while Lily picks up an autograph book and a Disney trading pin.

A super frugal way to save on Disney souvenirs is to try out Pin Trading. Throughout the Walt Disney Resort, you will find Pin Trading locations. Before your trip, order a set of pins and a pin lanyard from a site such as Amazon or eBay. You can find collections of pins for as little as $10-$20. Keep the pins you’d like, but then bring a handful along on your trip. You can trade pins at the Pin Trading locations and leave with new pins to save or continue trading. Frogs of all ages love this Disney tradition, making it a great souvenir without spending a lot.

Regarding special experiences, we don’t think spending anything extra to have an amazing trip at Walt Disney World is necessary. There’s already so much to see and do that is already included in your theme park admission and resort stay.

If Disney merch and souvenirs aren’t your things, you could squirrel away that $120 for even more savings! Here are some amazing things that are already included with your admission at Disney World:

• Jam out with iconic artists and performers during the Garden Rocks concert series at EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival
• Take a drawing class at Animal Kingdom’s Animation Experience
• Collect Kidcot cards throughout EPCOT’s World Showcase
• Build a new LEGO creation at the LEGO Store in Disney Springs
• View the Electrical Water Pageant on the Seven Seas Lagoon
• Catch the Resort Campfires (free marshmallows!) & Movies Under the Stars
• Collect badges as you complete the Wilderness Explorers tour
• Search for Treasure with the Pirate’s Adventure: Treasure of the Seven Seas in Magic Kingdom
• Oh, and don’t froget to grab a celebration pin! These are also free and available at any Guest Relations umbrella or merchandise location.

Value Budget Transportation

Before spending your dream vacation at Walt Disney World, you've got to be able to get here first! There are so many different ways to travel to Orlando, whether by plane, train or automobile. Depending on where you are coming from, your family’s individual needs and your budget, we recommend doing a little bit of research and planning to find the mode of transportation that works best for your family.

If you need a rental car, we’ve got you covered! For the selected travel dates of May 31 through June 3, a minivan rental would cost $249.81. This includes a discount combined with the bundle of your Disney Resort stay and theme park tickets.

So What Are You Waiting For?!

How much does Disney World cost on a value budget? Now you know — wow! A Disney family vacation for under $4,000 — that's pretty frogtacular if we do say so ourselves! So let us know when you plan to book your next Walt Disney World Vacation. We can’t wait to help you plan the most magical vacation ever!

Related: Our Disney World Budget Breakdown Series — The Moderate Plan

Related: Our Disney World Budget Breakdown Series — The Deluxe Plan

Hoppy planning!