After consulting several families and a few experts, the consensus is in … drum-roll please. There’s just no way to have an inexpensive Disney family vacation. The average family of four will spend between $3,500 (very cheap during off-season times) to $5,000 for a week at Walt Disney World. There are, however, great ways to save time, aggravation, and a little money by planning ahead—which can make it easier to spend closer to $3,500 rather than $5,000!
To get savings tips, I turned to Jennifer Bright Reich, an editor and Disney World expert, who is currently writing a book about her favorite holiday destination (where she has vacationed already seven times!). Her Web site, DisneyWithKids, outlines terrific strategies to save. While many experts explain strategies to save in particular areas, such as hotels or meals, I wanted a picture of what the total vacation typically costs so families can better budget.
Jennifer provided a thorough estimate for a family of two adults and two kids, ages five and three, (traveling off-season for cheaper rates) from November 26th through December 2nd 2007 (seven days, six nights in value season):
- Disney’s Pop Century Resort (a Disney value resort) in a standard room and seven days of Magic Your Way Tickets with Park Hopper option and Water Park Fun and More option: $1,804.98
- Round-trip airfare from Allentown, Pennsylvania, to Orlando, Florida: $1,038.40
- Travel from airport to hotel via Disney’s Magical Express: $0
- Meals:
- $20 for counter-service breakfast X 6 breakfasts = $120
- $30 for counter-service lunch X 7 lunches = $210
- $80 for sit-down restaurant supper X 6 suppers = $480
- Grand total: $3687.34 (Keep reading and you’ll see below how she reduces this by a third!)
Realistically, however, many families would rather go during the summer or a spring break from school. Prices go up then. But there are ways to save. According to Elizabeth Sippel, mom of a fourteen-year-old boy and teacher from Salisbury, North Carolina, you can save money by using the educator discounts available through the resort and also by purchasing the no-expiration-date option for the tickets. They also opted not to stay at a Disney Resort hotel.
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