Walt Disney World On A Budget
A trip to Disney World is usually top of every family’s list – tripsology can understand why! It can also be an expensive trip with lots of added costs claiming to make your experience even more magical. But, we want to show you how a Walt Disney World holiday can be fully experienced even on a budget.
With the help of tripsologists, we’ve created a 7 day itinerary to show everyone who thought a holiday to Walt Disney World was out of their reach, that this simply isn’t the case. So, if you fancy spending a week in the heart of the magic in Walt Disney World including flights, park tickets and spending money all for under £3500 then read on!
Price Breakdown
Date: 18th – 25th Nov
Flights: London Gatwick Orlando International. Carrier: Delta Air Lines (Operated by Virgin Atlantic)
Accommodation: Disney’s All-Star Music Resort for 7 nights in a Standard room.
Total cost for accommodation & travel= £1892.89
Tickets: 2 Day Magic Your Way Base Ticket, incl. Water Parks etc. ($1070.42 or £719.37)
Grand total for tickets, travel and accommodation = £2612.26
Spending Money: $739.70 based on below itinerary, which is £500 Sterling however, allowing extra $’s for tips and some contingency, final figure is based on spending money amount of £682 or $1026).
Overall grand Total = £3294.26*
* Based on a Family of 4, all prices correct at the time of publishing.
Day 1:
Arrive at Orlando International late afternoon. Take Disney’s Magical Express and travel to Disney’s All-Star Music Resort. After unpacking & a quick change, head out to explore the hotel and its facilities. Have dinner in the hotels Intermission Food Court, where the average cost of and Entrée is $10 per adult and $6 per child. Iced tap water is free. You’ll be tired due to the time change, so early bed to conserve energy for the week ahead.
Total daily spend: $32
Day 2:
Have coffee in your room and then enjoy breakfast onsite in the Intermission Food Court. Let the kids enjoy Mickey shaped waffles for $4.99 whilst the adults tuck into a bagel & cream cheese ($2.99), with iced water to drink. (Total cost $16). Relax by the guitar-shaped hotel pool in the morning.
Take Disney Transport and head to Downtown Disney (no ticket required). Enjoy browsing the shops with an allocated total spend of $50. Have lunch at the Earl of Sandwich (average cost of entrée is $6.99 and $3.99 for a kids meal = $22). Take a resort bus from Downtown Disney to the Contemporary Resort & then ride the monorail 1 stop to Magic Kingdom to arrive for 4pm for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas party.
The party doesn’t officially start until 7pm, so enjoy all the park rides until 6:15pm and head to Cinderella’s Castle to watch Queen Elsa use her magical powers to light it up! Elect to watch the 2nd parade of Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime at 10:30pm, then experience virtually no lines for all the major attractions within Magic Kingdom & also the different festivities & shows on offer. Most restaurants are closed during these events, so grab a quick counter service meal, somewhere like Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café, where the average entrée cost is circa $11, with a kid’s meal being $6. (Total cost $34). Enjoy the free cookies and hot chocolate later during the party at various locations around the park.
Total daily spend: $122
Day 3:
Eat breakfast at resort ($16). Take the bus to Typhoon Lagoon Water Park and spend the day there. Have lunch at Typhoon Tilly’s (average cost of entrée per adult is $10, kids meal $8, so total $32, drinking iced water).Transfer back to hotel late afternoon. Change for dinner and take a bus to Epcot. Board another bus to The Boardwalk and enjoy the free entertainment in and around this area. Have dinner in Trattoria al Forno. (Approx. cost per entrée $20, kids Mickey Check Meals $8.59). Let the kids enjoy a dessert ($3) whilst the adults have a cocktail ($10.25).
Total cost of meal $83.68.
Total daily spend: $131.68
Day 4:
Eat breakfast at resort ($16). Take the bus to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Spend the entire day there. Have lunch in Pizza Planet (entrée cost $9.69, kids meal $5.99). Treat everyone to dinner in the very cool Sci-Fi Dine-In theater Restaurant (average entrée cost $20, kids Mickey Check Meal $8.99) & stay to watch the Fantasmic Firework show. Pack glow sticks from back home to avoid the kids asking for very expensive light-up toys, which never seem to make it into the case home anyway!
Total daily spend: $105.38
Day 5:
Eat breakfast at the hotel ($16). Enjoy the hotel pool in the morning and for lunch, share a large pizza & fries at the food court ($13.99 & $4.99), then take the bus to Downtown Disney and spend the afternoon in DisneyQuest Indoor Interactive Theme Park. Later, have dinner whilst enjoying a movie in AMC Downtown Disney 24 Dine-In Theatres (Party cinema ticket price $27.64, entrée cost $12.49, kids meal $6.99).
Total daily spend: $96.64
Day 6:
Get up early and take the bus to Animal Kingdom and spend the day there. Treat everyone to a character breakfast at Tusker House ($120) and fill up on their all-you-can eat buffet. Purchase a light snack / ice cream ($16 in total) to see you through to an early dinner in the Rainforest Café (average meal cost $20, kids entree $8.99). Travel back to your hotel and get changed. Travel to any Disney Park and transfer to a bus to Disney’s Fort Wilderness for the free campfire sing-a-long with Chip and Dale. Toast marshmallows and then enjoy a Disney movie under the stars. Allow $30 to spend on drinks / snacks for everyone to enjoy.
Total daily spend: $224
Day 7:
Have breakfast in hotel & also purchase bagels & cheese for everyone to pack for lunch before you travel back to the airport to catch your mid-afternoon flight. ($28)
And just like that, you’ve enjoyed an incredible and magical holiday to Disney for under £1000 per person! Disney can be done on a budget, we’ve shown you how to eat out for every meal at the parks or hotel. You could easily bring this cost even further down by packing your own breakfast and lunch before leaving your hotel!
Have a magical and budget friendly time!