Is A Trip To Walt Disney World Worth The Money?

With a four-day vacation to the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida costing on average $3,000 for a family of four, it’s easy to see why many might question whether a trip to the ‘Most Magical Place on Earth’ is really worth it.

For Disney enthusiasts and / or families with children between the ages of 4 and 8, a trip to Walt Disney World is very much worth the money.

There is nowhere else quite like Walt Disney World, and most people need to take a trip to the resort to understand and appreciate the magic that this incredible place can create.

For our wedding in 2019, for example, we flew from the UK to Orlando, Florida with our extended family including our two nieces and nephew (aged between 2 and 8).

Three years on and our time at Walt Disney World is still the most widely talked about family event by the children and something they look back on incredibly fondly – often with the follow-up question of when we’ll be going back.

Since our wedding trip in 2019, many of the benefits of visiting Walt Disney World have been removed – especially those offered to guests staying on-site in a Walt Disney World hotel.

However, while the magic may cost more it’s still in our opinion worth it and thankfully there are a number of ways you can save money on a trip so as to not break the bank during your vacation.

For example, while staying on-site at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel is incredibly convenient it no longer comes with the benefits it once did and doesn’t provide as much magic as visiting one of the Walt Disney World theme parks.

This combined with the fact that staying on-site is often 50% more expensive than an equivalent nearby hotel means that we’d often advise those visiting Walt Disney World to save money and stay in a nearby hotel (ideally with a shuttle to the parks) instead.

On typical vacations, your transport and accommodation are the two big expenses. However, Walt Disney World theme park tickets are so expensive they often cost the same if not more than transport and accommodation.

Sadly, however, it’s near impossible to save anything on Walt Disney World theme park tickets unless you or a family member visiting Walt Disney World with you is an active or retired military or a Walt Disney World cast member.

Instead, the best time to buy Disney tickets for the general public is often just selected third-party companies offering a $10 discount over selected bank holidays as a promotion.

Thankfully, there are other ways to save money on your Walt Disney World vacation such as taking ride-share services such as Uber and Lyft instead of hiring a car.

Hiring a car in Orlando has become increasingly expensive in recent years. Therefore unless you’re planning to travel long distances (to the coast, Tampa etc.) the cost of hiring and then parking a car at the Walt Disney World Resort is likely to unnecessarily contribute to a large portion of your overall vacation expenses.

Taking home a souvenir from which to remember your trip to Walt Disney World Resort is often a right of passage.

However, since even the most basic souvenirs such as a magnet or pen often cost in excess of $10 plus tax, you may want to consider purchasing souvenirs outside of the Walt Disney World theme parks including at the Character Warehouse Outlets or from the likes of Target and Walmart.