How Much Spending Money For Disney World (2023)

We recently got back from another fantastic trip to the Walt Disney World Resort.

However, this time we did things a little differently and tried to really plan / budget as to how much we’d need to bring with us.

Rather than just relying on the credit card and dealing with the costs when we get back – eek!

This got us thinking… How much spending money should we take to Walt Disney World?

Given the high cost of food and drink compared to a more traditional holiday, and the focus on incredible souvenirs. It often feels like an impossible question to answer.

However, it’s not.

That’s because on our 2 week trip to the Walt Disney World Resort we spent a total of $2,440.03. This is based on two adults and a baby (though the baby cost us next to nothing) and includes all of our food, drinks, snacks, transport (Uber / Lyft) & souvenirs.

It’s important to note that given this is spending money focused, it does not include our accommodation, flights or tickets to the Walt Disney World Resort – those had already been purchased.

Of course, it’s also worth keeping in mind that everyone’s trip to the Walt Disney World Resort is completely different.

Just because we spent roughly $90 per person, per day doesn’t mean you’ll spend that too.

However, hopefully, as we’ve gone ahead and broken down what we spent and where into the three key sections you’ll be able to get a better understanding of how much spending money you should plan for too.

Food & Drinks

The amount you spend on food and drink at the Walt Disney World Resort is generally going to depend on three things;

1. How many people are travelling
2. How many days you’re travelling for
3. What type of dining you’re looking for

If you’re happy to have breakfast in your hotel, eat fast food for lunch and buy snacks from the grocery store to bring to the parks then you should be able to get away with roughly $55 per person, per night on average.

Some days you might spend more, and some days you might spend less.

For example, a meal at a table service restaurant or a character dining experience costs in excess of $35 per person alone.

However, since we were travelling with a baby, the number of table service meals we had were few and far between.

We (two adults, and one baby) spent $1,535.85 on food and drinks during our two-week trip to Walt Disney World.

Some of the largest expenses that make up this total include;

• Cheesecake Factory: $141.10
  We actually paid for ourselves and our two friends who live in Orlando when eating here. So the price was for four people, not just two.

• Sanaa: $99.76
  This incredible restaurant at Animal Kingdom Lodge is one of our favourites. We had two drinks each, shared the bread service and then had one main each.

• The Boathouse: $73.51
  This restaurant at Disney Springs is actually where we had our wedding meal back when we got married in Orlando in 2019. It was nice to return with our baby Oliver for the first time. We each had an alcoholic drink and one main.

• Uber Eats: $276.71
  We ordered Uber Eats for lunch and dinner at our hotel a number of times during our stay. The total throughout the trip came to $276.71 with the average cost per meal being around $24.

All prices quoted include a tip of at least 10%.

It’s also worth noting that the total food cost of $1,535.85 does not include the additional $183.38 we spent in Walmart and Target during our trip which included food among some other essentials (predominantly baby things such as diapers and wipes).

Transport

We booked a holiday package with TUI from the UK to Orlando. While this package included transport from the airport to the hotel, it did not include a hire car.

If you don’t already have airport transfers paid for, then the cost will likely vary depending on;

• Which airport you’re flying into
• What type of transfer you would like
• Where you’re staying in Orlando

We have guides on how to get from various airports in Florida to the Walt Disney World Resort which include some rough estimates;

• Orlando International Airport
• Sanford International Airport
• Melbourne International Airport

If you’re planning on hiring a car while in Orlando, then you’ll have likely already booked and paid for the car. However, your spending money will need to include;

• Gas
• Tolls
• Parking overnight at the hotel (where applicable)
• Parking at the Walt Disney World Resort theme parks
• Any additional parking costs

Sadly, we weren’t staying on-site at the Walt Disney World Resort and instead was staying at the Endless Summer Resort by Universal Studios.

Therefore anytime we wanted to visit one of the Disney theme parks we had to pay for either an Uber or a Lyft to take us there (and back).

If you want to save money on transport to the Walt Disney World theme parks during your trip without staying on-site and subsiquently increasing your accommodation costs, consider staying in a hotel that provides a free shuttle.

During our trip, we spent a total of $394.28 on Uber and Lyft with the average one-way journey to Walt Disney World costing in the region of $22.

However, keep in mind that certain theme parks are further inside the Walt Disney World Resort than others.

As such, while a one-way trip to EPCOT might only cost $20, a one-way trip to Animal Kingdom at the exact same time could easily cost $28.

In addition to trips to the Walt Disney World Resort, this total also includes going from our accommodation to Walmart, Target and the Orlando Outlets to name a few.

Again, the total cost includes at least a 10% tip for all drivers.

Souvenirs

We have taken multiple trips to the Walt Disney World Resort over the past decade and subsequently, we have the hats, the t-shirts, MagicBands and the ears that first-time visitors to the Walt Disney World Resort may want to purchase.

We also are travelling as two adults and a baby, and therefore there weren’t the toy purchases we might otherwise expect to purchase when visiting in a couple of years when our little boy is a little older.

With all that in mind, we spent a total of $246.52 on souvenirs during our two-week trip to Walt Disney World.

However, the majority of these souvenirs weren’t purchased at the Walt Disney World Resort and instead were purchased at the Disney Character Warehouse in the Vineland Outlets.

The Disney Character Warehouse is a retail store operated by The Walt Disney Company and sells a variety of Disney-branded merchandise which was either sold online or in the Walt Disney World theme parks including; clothes, toys, homeware and more.

Being an outlet, these items are often significantly discounted when compared to their original retail price (often between 20% and 70% depending on the item).

As a result, we often try to check the outlets twice during a two-week vacation, once at the start of the trip and once at the end – in case any new stock has arrived.

Miscellaneous

We also made $80 worth of purchases while at the Walt Disney World Resort that can’t be categorised by any of the above.

This includes;

• Late Check-Out: Our international flight back to the UK didn’t leave until 6pm, with the coach to the airport not picking us up until 3pm. As such we chose to pay $50 to keep our hotel room until then.

• Disney Genie+: We also spent $30 for one day of Disney Genie+ just to test out the service and see if it’s something we would want to use again in the future.

• Nappies, wipes etc: As we mentioned back in the food category we spent $183.38 during our trip. While the vast majority of this was food there were some nappies and wipes that we purchased (among other small baby items).