The recent mid-year announcements surrounding this year’s EPCOT Festival of the Holidays, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, and Disney Jollywood Nights can only mean ONE THING: Disney World is GEARING UP for the 2024 Holiday Season!

And how about YOU? Does all this news make you excited to plan your own yuletide festivities in The Most Magical Place on Earth? If so, one of the most important things you can tackle at the beginning of any kind of vacation planning is your budget… and that’s especially true of traveling during the Most Wonderful (and, alas, Most Expensive) time of the year. To that end, we’re breaking down a budget to find out exactly how much it costs to visit Disney World over the Christmas holiday.

But Ho-Ho-HOLD ON! Before we begin, let’s note some logistics… To plan out this budget, we’re taking a hypothetical family of 4 to Disney World from December 23rd through December 26th, 2024. (This year, December 25th — Christmas Day — falls on a Wednesday.)

DFB PRO TIP: Fret not, my friends. Santa Claus absolutely knows how to find folks who travel to Disney World during his midnight ride!

Our Festive Family: The Traveling Party

Our traveling family is comprised of two adults, one 12-year-old child, and one 6-year-old child. In regards to Disney pricing, please be aware that any guest age 10 and older is considered an Adult, and Children are ages 3 to 9. (When it comes to a Disney World vacation package, guests under 3 years old do not require theme park tickets, and are not eligible to participate in the Disney Dining Plan). So, just keep in mind that our family’s 12-year-old is priced as an Adult for vacation components such as park tickets and the Disney Dining Plan, while our 6-year-old is priced as a Child.

Our crew will arrive at Disney World early on the 23rd and depart late on the 26th, which means all four family members will need Disney World theme park tickets for all 4 days, a hotel for 3 nights, and food for all 4 days. We’ll look at those components, of course, and we’ll also consider a few optional extras as well.

Depending on where you live, transportation to and from Orlando can be one of the biggest expenses to factor into your budget. Granted, some folks live within a doable driving distance from Disney World. But our hypothetical family will be flying, so we’re pricing out plane tickets and will include that expense as part of the budget.

WHO’S READY FOR SOME MATH?! Yeah, okay, me neither… but doesn’t knowing that it’s Disney math make it just a wee bit more fun?

Flights

“I’M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!” And “I’M GETTING THERE BY PLANE!” (That’s the lesser known slogan 😉 ! ) Let’s check out airplane ticket prices. Of course, if you’re driving, you’ll want to factor in the cost of gas for your journey.

We scoped out a variety of airports and airlines (and looked at a few different major cities) to price out our family’s plane tickets using the airlines’ websites to research the cost. Each price below represents a round-trip ticket to the Orlando International Airport (MCO) for one person, with flights departing on the morning of December 23rd (as available) and returning on the evening of December 26th (as available).

Here are the pricing examples we researched:

• Chicago Midway to Orlando International Airport: Delta Air Lines – $684; Frontier Airlines – $398; Southwest Airlines – $688
• Los Angeles to Orlando International Airport: American Airlines – $717; Delta Air Lines – $693; Spirit Airlines (*Red Eye both ways) – $744; Southwest Airlines – $846
• Atlanta to Orlando International Airport: Delta Air Lines – $408; American Airlines – $388; Frontier Airlines – $268; Southwest Airlines – $310

Obviously, the cost to fly varies greatly depending on the family’s home airport. For the purpose of this post, let’s say the family is flying out of Chicago and has chosen Frontier Airlines, which will cost them $398 per person, resulting in a total cost to fly round-trip to Disney World of $1592.

We also need to factor in an additional item: the cost of transportation to and from Orlando International Airport and Disney World.

Options include — but aren’t limited to — taxis, rideshares such as Uber and Lyft, and a $2 bus each way through Lynx. Our example family is opting to book the Mears Connect (Driven by Sunshine) Standard Service for the cost of $121.00 roundtrip. (The breakdown is $16 per adult each way, and $13 per child ages 3 to 9 each way.)

Click HERE for more information about Orlando International Airport!

Total Cost So Far (Plane Tickets and Airport Transportation): $1,713

Disney World Park Tickets

It’s time to gear up for celebrating the holiday in the parks, and for that, the family will need Disney World theme park tickets!

Disney World tickets operate with variable (or surge) pricing based on both the park of choice and the date, so while 1-day tickets start at $109 per day for adults (ages 10+), you can expect to see higher prices around the holidays based on higher demand for the season. The good news is that multi-day tickets (as opposed to single-day) bring the price per day down a bit.

There are a few options for Disney World park tickets. You can choose a single-park ticket, which allows you to visit 1 park each day. Or you may opt for a Park Hopper ticket, which means you can visit multiple parks in a single day (up to all 4 theme parks, if you like). Now, there are also options such as Park Hopper Plus which grant access to Disney World’s water parks and more, but since the focus here is experiencing the holidays, we’re not exploring those (though you can check out all of the various ticket options here). The best option will depend on your personal preference and how much time you have in Disney World.

The price for a ticket is a bit lower for children ages 3 to 9. However, we need to factor tax into the price. For the family of 4, we priced a 4-day ticket with admission to 1 park per day (without Park Hopping included), with the total coming to $2,704.78 (including tax).

When we add Park Hopper, the total increases to $3109.49.

The family will be in Disney World for 4 days with plans to spend a day in each of Disney World’s four theme parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, so we’re going with the 1-park-per-day ticket option.

Keep in mind that if you’re going to be in Disney World for just a couple of days but still want to visit every park, you’ll need to purchase a ticket with the Park Hopper benefit.

Here’s Your Guide to TICKETS at Disney World

Total Cost So Far (With Flights): $4,417.78

Total Cost So Far (Without Flights): $2,704.78

Disney World Resort Hotel Reservations

Okay, now we’re figuring out exactly where Santa will be able to locate our family to fill those stockings on Christmas Eve. That’s right… we’re choosing a HOTEL!

Four people can easily be accommodated in a single Disney World hotel room. Of course, we should note that, for the purposes of this post, we are ONLY looking into Disney World Resort hotels (which come with some guest-exclusive perks like Early Theme Park Entry).

That said, there is certainly no shortage of hotels including the Disney Springs hotel options on Disney World property plus others close by. Booking a non-Disney-owned hotel could certainly save some money; you may just need to factor in transportation to and from the parks if your particular hotel doesn’t offer a free shuttle service, or parking for the theme parks if you intend to drive your own car.

For our example, however, we’re looking at one hotel in each of Disney World’s three Resort categories: Value, Moderate, and Deluxe. The Deluxe hotels are almost always the most expensive, but guests at these hotels do get some extra perks, including access to Extended Evening Hours. Deluxe hotels also often (though not always) boast the best transportation and closest proximity to the parks. For example, all three hotels on the Magic Kingdom Monorail loop (including Disney’s Contemporary Resort, which you’ll see in our list below) are Deluxe Resorts.

Here’s a breakdown of the prices at various Disney World hotels for a visit with the family checking in on December 23rd and checking out on December 26th, 2024. (Don’t forget: you can still visit a Disney World park on your check out day: simply ask the front desk to hold your luggage through Bell Services until you come back to pick it up!)

• Value Hotel — Disney’s Pop Century Resort (Standard Room): $346/night; after taxes and fees, the total comes to $1,168.88
• Moderate Hotel — Disney’s Port Orleans Resort — Riverside (Standard Room): $431/night; after taxes and fees, the total comes to $1,454.64
• Deluxe Hotel — Disney’s Contemporary Resort (Garden Wing Room — Resort View): $946/night; after taxes and fees, ​​the total comes to $3,192.75

For this trip, the family is booking Pop Century Resort for $1,168.88.

In addition to this being the most affordable option, guests at this hotel can take advantage of the Disney Skyliner, which provides transportation to EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. (This unique transportation option is also available from Disney’s Art of Animation, Disney’s Riviera, and Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, which serves as the hub for the entire Skyliner system.)

SOMETHING TO NOTE*: For the purposes of this post, we have priced out individual room rates for the Disney World hotels mentioned above (unconnected to any sort of Vacation Package). So this does NOT account for any Specials Offers or discounts for which you might be eligible.

For example, you can currently book discounted hotel rooms and free Park Hopper benefits on select dates beginning October 6th through December 25th. With this deal, you can save up to 30% on hotel rooms most nights from November 24th to December 25th, 2024. Additionally, you can save up to 20% on most Sunday to Thursday nights from October 6th to November 21st, 2024. You can also get free Park Hopper benefits when you take advantage of this offer and upgrade to a Walt Disney Travel Company room-and-ticket package. The Walt Disney Travel Company room-and-ticket package must include non-discounted 4-day (or longer) date-based theme park tickets to qualify. FIND COMPLETE DETAILS for this deal HERE.

BTW, you might consider talking to our friends over at Small World Vacations. Their travel agents can keep you posted on any discounts you may be eligible for at no extra cost to you!

Additionally, certain guests (such as Disney World Annual Passholders or Florida Residents) may be eligible for other room-only discounts. You can check out our Disney Deals and Discounts page to find all the latest options for your trip during the holidays or anytime!

We keep track of ALL the Disney World Resort hotel discounts HERE!

For now, here is the running total of individually priced trip components so far…

Total Cost So Far (With Flights): $5,586.66

Total Cost So Far (Without Flights): $3,873.66

Dining

It’s time to factor in prices for one of our FAVORITE parts of any Disney World vacation, no matter the time of year: FOOD!

Paying Out-of-Pocket

There is no shortage of great places to eat all over the theme parks, hotels, and Disney Springs (especially during the HOLIDAYS!).

Let’s say that the family brought their own breakfast or perhaps had groceries delivered to their hotel. So, for the purposes of this budget, we’re going to look at the cost to feed a family of 4 at 1 Quick Service restaurant and 1 Table Service restaurant every day for four days. (Again, one member of our family is 6 years old, and is therefore eligible to select options from Kids’ Menus at restaurants all around the Resort.)

There are so many ways to plan dining in Disney World. Maybe you’d rather have 2 quick-service meals and a few snacks; or maybe you’d opt for a less expensive hotel and splurge on several table-service meals, including a Character Meal or perhaps a Signature restaurant.

Basically, though, having a single quick-service meal and a single table-service meal is a fairly standard game plan when it comes to keeping costs reasonable while enjoying great food.

Check out the BEST Disney World restaurants HERE!

Generally, you can budget about $16 per person for a meal at a Quick Service restaurant (averaging out the cost of 3 adult meals and one Kids meal) and about $35 per adult for a meal at a Table Service restaurant, and $16 per child ages 3 to 9.

For Quick Service examples, the family could each get something like Corn Dog Nuggets, fries, and a soda at Casey’s Corner in Magic Kingdom for $20.57. On another day, they may each grab the famous Totchos and a drink from Woody’s Lunch Box in Disney’s Hollywood Studios for a total of $14.98. Many Quick Service locations offer Kids’ Meals (such as Woody’s Lunch Box), which include a side item and drink and are typically under $10.

For a Table Service meal, our family might visit the Jungle Skipper Canteen in Magic Kingdom, where adults may choose entrées like “Tastes Like Chicken” Because It Is for $28 or “Hardy Har Char” Siu Pork for $29. And they might dine at La Hacienda de San Angel in EPCOT and order Tacos de Camarones for $32 or perhaps Alambre de Res (Seared Tenderloin) for $35.00. Kids’ Meals at table-service restaurants tend to be $16 per child or less.

With our general plan of $16 per person for each Quick Service meal, $35 per adult for each Table Service meal (to include wiggle room for non-alcoholic beverages), and $16 per child for each Table Service meal, that brings our dining total to $740. We’re going to add in a bit more for snacks (because who doesn’t want snacks?) and round up to $820 total.

But there is — as of January of 2024 — another way to go about this…

Total Cost So Far (With Flights): $6406.66

Total Cost So Far (Without Flights): $4,693.66

Disney Dining Plan

The Disney Dining Plan made its return following a lengthy hiatus on January 9th, 2024. Disney currently offers two versions of the Disney Dining Plan for different budgets and dining tastes. Plans are an optional add-on to your Disney World trip (including a stay at a Disney owned-and-operated hotel).

Inclusions and pricing for each plan are as follows:

Disney Quick Service Dining Plan

Each person on the meal plan will receive credits for the following, per night:

• Two Quick Service meals (entrée or combo meal at lunch and dinner and a beverage); Guests under 21 years of age can choose one non-alcoholic beverage (including specialty beverages for guests 10 years old and over — i.e. Artisanal Milk Shakes,  Fresh Smoothies, Premium Hot Chocolates, or Soda, Coffee or Tea — where offered). Guests 21 and older can can choose either one non-alcoholic beverage (including specialty beverages where offered) or one single serving mixed cocktail, beer, or wine (where offered) within their meal entitlement.
• One snack/nonalcoholic drink
• One Resort Refillable Resort drink mug per person, per package

2024 Cost: 
$57.01 per adult per night ages 10 and up
$23.83 per child per night age 3 to 9

Disney Dining Plan (also called Standard Disney Dining Plan)

Each person on the meal plan will receive credits for the following, per night:

• One table service entrée, dessert (lunch and dinner only), OR full buffet;
  • Guests under 21 years of age can choose one non-alcoholic beverage with their Quick Service and Table Service meal (including specialty beverages for guests 10 years old and over — i.e. Artisanal Milk Shakes,  Fresh Smoothies, Premium Hot Chocolates, or Soda, Coffee or Tea — where offered).
  • Guests 21 and older can can choose either one non-alcoholic beverage (including specialty beverages where offered) or one single serving mixed cocktail, beer, or wine (where offered) within their meal entitlement.
• One quick service meal, including entrée OR combo meal;
  • Guests under 21 years of age can choose one non-alcoholic beverage with their Quick Service and Table Service meal (including specialty beverages for guests 10 years old and over — i.e. Artisanal Milk Shakes,  Fresh Smoothies, Premium Hot Chocolates, or Soda, Coffee or Tea — where offered).
  • Guests 21 and older can can choose either one non-alcoholic beverage (including specialty beverages where offered) or one single serving mixed cocktail, beer, or wine (where offered) within their meal entitlement.
• One snack/nonalcoholic drink
• One Resort refillable drink mug per person, per package

2024 Cost: 
$94.28 per adult per night ages 10 and up
$29.69 per child per night age 3 to 9

The prices for each Plan as seen above above are shown per guest, per night. If our family opts for the Standard Disney Dining Plan, it will add $1250.12 to their vacation cost.

Click HERE to find a full list of 2024 Disney Dining Plan Restaurants and Meal Credit Requirements

Yes, the Standard Dining Plan is obviously more expensive, in this instance, than the out of pocket costs as seen in the example above. However, there are meal inclusions to consider such as alcoholic beverages for of-age guests (and specialty beverages like milkshakes). And the Standard Dining Plan also opens up options such as using a Table Service meal credit to dine at select Character Meals such as Minnie’s Holiday Dine at Hollywood and Vine Restaurant in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

What is known year-’round as Minnie’s Seasonal Dine presents the chance to meet and greet Minnie, Mickey, Goofy, and Pluto in seasonal outfits during a buffet meal that likewise presents food options that fit the season, too! As with other specialty dining options, this meal comes at a higher cost of $63 per adult, and $40 per child ages 3 to 9… but on the Standard Disney Dining Plan, it “costs” no more Table Service meal credits than a traditional Table Service meal, such as La Hacienda de San Angel as mentioned above.

THIS is where your willingness to sit down and do some number-crunching comes into play, so you can determine whether or not your group can maximize the value of the Disney Dining Plan.

We’ve also assembled some additional resources to help you think it through:

• Why You Definitely Should Buy the Disney Dining Plan in 2024
• Why You Definitely Shouldn’t Buy the Disney Dining Plan in 2024
• Is the Disney Dining Plan Worth It in 2024?

Total Cost with Out-of-Pocket Food (and Flights): $6406.66

Total Cost with Out-of-Pocket Food (without Flights): $4,693.66

Total Cost with Standard Disney Dining Plan (and Flights): $6836.78

Total Cost with Standard Disney Dining Plan (without Flights): $5123.78

And that’s it! We’ve covered all the bases and then some, and it’s looking like a very merry holiday in Disney World indeed, complete with flights, a hotel reservation, park tickets, and a food budget.

Now let’s say you’re considering your own Disney yuletide shindig… there are a few extra options and items to consider that may increase the cost if you’d like to factor these into to your budget. However, as you’ll see with our first items, some seasonal offerings are only available on select dates a bit earlier in the season. And guests who visit earlier in the season (before Christmas through New Year’s), will likely find lower costs for budget factors including flights, hotels, and theme park tickets.

Let’s check out a few additions you may want to factor into the budget beyond those basics…

Extra-Ticket Holiday Events

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

This year, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party takes place in Magic Kingdom on select nights from November 8th through December 20th. Sad news: this means that our hypothetical family of 4 will miss the event, since they will fly in on the 23rd… but you may very well be planning to party with Mickey and the gang during your trip!

The required tickets for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party range in price from $169 to $219 for adults (ages 10 and up) and $159 to $209 for children (ages 9 and under). Prices vary by date, and are generally more expensive on the weekends or the closer you get to December 20th.

Guests with tickets to the event can enter Magic Kingdom starting at 4PM (even if they don’t have a park ticket), and the party lasts from 7PM to midnight. Once inside, guests enjoy plenty of festive fun only available at the Party. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party features special shows like Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration! Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade is another merry highlight of the Party (complete with Santa Claus and the famous Marching Band of Toy Soldiers), as is the Holiday Fireworks spectacular: Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks!

Click HERE for ALL the info you need for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party!

Even though our example family cannot attend, we still want to present the total for a family of four (still with 3 guests at adult pricing and one at child pricing) for your reference. Including tax, the total to attend the Party on December 20th (which is one of the dates at maximum price) is $922.31 with tax included. Of course, if you visit earlier in the season (on November 11th, for instance, which is one of the minimum priced evenings) the cost including tax is less, coming in at $709.31.

If you are hoping to attend Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, you can buy your tickets now!

Disney Jollywood Nights

Disney Jollywood Nights is another separately ticketed event that will take place on thirteen select nights from November 9th through December 21st, 2024 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. As part of the event, guests can view the Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! nighttime fireworks and projections spectacular, enjoy exclusive treats, meet OVER 20 rare characters, and more!

The required tickets for Jollywood Nights range in price from $159 to $179. Prices vary by date, and are generally reach the highest price on Saturday evenings, as well as most dates in December. Also, be aware that ticket prices are the same for both adults and children ages 3-9.

Get the WHOLE SCOOP on Jollywood Nights HERE!

Again, even though our example family cannot attend due to their chosen travel dates, we still want to present the total for a family of four for your reference. Including tax, the total to attend Jollywood Nights for most dates in December is $179, so the total is $762.56.

P.S. Tickets are also available for Disney Jollywood Nights now!



Lightning Lanes

An additional, but optional, way to maximize your time in the parks is by purchasing Lightning Lane access for attractions. Lightning Lane Multi-Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass allow guests to bypass standby lines at select rides in the parks and instead enter the Lightning Lines.

You can read all about Lightning Lanes here, and you can get an idea for pricing for the service here (which, like tickets, varies by date) to consider if this is an expense you would like to add into your vacation budget.

Other Items to Consider

A few other things you may want to consider include the cost of merchandise in the parks and stroller rentals for a younger one (or perhaps mobility assistance rentals) if needed for your party.

Single Stroller rentals cost $15 per day for a single day or $13 per day for multiple days. (If you have two little ones, Double Strollers are available for $31 per day for a single day or $27 per day for multiple days.)
Wheelchair rentals cost $12 per day for a single day or $10 per day for multiple days. ECVs (Electric Conveyance Vehicles) are also an option, coming in at $65 per day.

Learn more about Stroller Rentals in Disney World here.

Souvenirs in the parks can cost as little as under $5 for small trinkets and as high as thousands of dollars for designer collections!

Of course, you can’t go wrong with a classic Disney World souvenir like Minnie Mouse Ears (averaging around $35) or perhaps a lovely Christmas tree ornament (around $25) to commemorate your holiday visit.

It’s best to set a souvenir budget before your trip so that you don’t accidentally spend more than you intend.

Ways to Save

WHEW! We’ve discussed a LOT, haven’t we? And our trip costs are… also A LOT. But stick with me… there are ways to save money to bring those costs down. You could:

• Travel earlier in the season, if possible for your family, to avoid higher pricing for park tickets, hotels, and Lightning Lane access on those most in-demand dates. (Remember, the holiday festivities begin in most of the parks on November 8th, save for EPCOT, which will begin to celebrate on November 29th);
• Choose the Quick Service Dining Plan over the Standard Dining Plan; or, if paying out of pocket for food, opt for more Quick Service meals over Table Service meals;
• Consider hotels off of Disney property, or consider Disney Springs Area hotels.

And, above all, remember that there are promotions and discounts for which your group may be eligible… even during the holiday season. Again, we have provided costs of the various aspects of the trip above individually — your group may be eligible for Vacation Package discounts, room-only discounts, or other promotions. Our friends at Small World Vacations can assist you in creating a magical and affordable vacation, no matter the time of year you travel.

But if you are heading to Disney World for the Holiday Season, we absolutely wish you a VERY MERRY one, indeed!