Sometimes, a Disney vacation is even more expensive than it appears.

It costs a lot to go to Walt Disney World, we all know that. However, beyond the blatant upfront costs, there are some costs baked in to a Disney trip that can been hidden to the naked eye. These are some of the bigger ones to be on the lookout for.

Hotel Costs For Extra Adults

Some people may not be aware, but the quoted rate for a given room at a Walt Disney World hotel is only for two adults. Each adult on top of that number is an extra charge, per person per night. These prices are subject to change, but at the moment it’ll cost approximately an additional $15 per adult per night for a value resort room, an additional $25 per adult per night for a Moderate Resort room, and an additional $35 per adult per night for a Deluxe Resort room. Of note, these extra rates don’t apply to suites.

For example, let’s say you’re booking a standard room at Disney’s All-Star Movies for $221 per night. If you’re a family of two adults and two kids, then the price stands as is. But if you’re a family of THREE adults, that additional adult will bring up the price of your room by an extra $15 per night — bringing your total cost to $236 instead. Here’s the loophole: IF you’re staying in a more spacious suite instead of a standard room, these extra fees won’t apply to you. So if you’re staying in, say, an All-Star Music Family Suite with four adults and a little one, you still won’t have to worry about paying extra for those two additional adults in the room.

Not-So-Free Disney Transportation

There was a glorious time, from 2005 to 2022, when Disney hotel guests were provided “free” Disney Magical Express transportation from Orlando International Airport (MCO) to their resort and back. However, that’s no longer the case. Instead, travelers’ only options are ones that will cost them more.

The main potential options are:

• Mears Connect Shuttles, which cost approximately $32 per adult and $26 per child for the standard roundtrip service, which can add a decent chunk of change to a vacation depending on family-size.
• An Uber or rideshare MIGHT be cheaper than the Mears shuttle, but the keyword is might, ask they can sometimes cost MORE, especially at peak times of day.
• Finally, there’s the Link311 Lynx public transportation route. Running every 30 minutes each day from 5AM to 11PM, the route carries from the Orlando Airport and takes you over to the Disney Springs area…for only $2! The catch? You need to get your luggage from Disney Springs to your Disney hotel, and remember, luggage is NOT allowed on Walt Disney World buses. So, if you take the Lynx, you’ll likely still need to rideshare to your hotel. Still, the cost might still end up cheaper than a Mears shuttle.

We miss you, Magical Express! Those were the good old days, right?

Click here to learn more about the PAID replacement bus service 

Ticket Prices

The base price for a one-day Walt Disney World ticket is *technically* $109. However, you’ll almost never pay $109. Instead, ticket prices will fluctuate based on the day you want to visit, the time of year you want to visit, and which park you want to visit. On top of that, Disney tickets actually become slightly cheaper on a day-to-day basis the more days you purchase. For example, a 2-day ticket price in October 2004 is gonna range around $115-$151 per day, but a 5-day ticket price during the same month and year is gonna range around $105-$126 per day.

In addition, these numbers are just for base tickets, and don’t include options for park-hopping, or park-hopper PLUS, or even water park and sports add-ons. In addition, you can also add the Memory Maker photo pass option to your ticket.

Disney World Ticket Price Increases Announced for 2025

“Discounts” Like the Disney Dining Plan

On paper, the “Free” Disney Dining Plan is a great deal, and it often is for many. However, there are some hidden costs under the surface. For example, to be eligible for the “free” dining plan, a traveler has to book a non-discounted 4-night/4-day stay vacation package (INCLUDING park hopper tickets).

Now if those were your plans beforehand, it’s a great deal. But, if you were only planning on one park a day, you could stay off-property, visit a park each day, and pay for food while still spending less than for the Disney package that includes “free” dining.

What the Dining plan DOESN’T Cover

Speaking of the Disney Dining Plan, there’s a common misconception among people that it includes EVERYthing. However, this isn’t the case. The Dining Plan doesn’t cover gratuity, for example, so you’ll need additional funds to cover approximately 18% to 20% of each meal.

In addition, the plan doesn’t cover additional appetizers or additional meal enhancements like special sides.

Click here to learn more about the Disney Dining Plan

Genie+ and Lightning Lanes

If you haven’t been to Disney World in a while, you should be aware that the current equivalent to FastPass is no longer “free.” Instead, there are not one — but two — up-charges.

The first, Genie+, starts at $15 per person, per day, and can go up to nearly $40 depending on crowd levels. This service allows guests to book “Lightning Lane” selections — which allow them to skip over those stand-by lines in exchange for much shorter waits.

Disney Genie, Genie Plus, and Lightning Lanes: Here’s EVERYTHING You Need to Know!

However, many of Disney’s MOST POPULAR rides in each of their parks WON’T have their Lightning Lanes listed under the standard Genie+ lineup and instead require an additional standalone Lightning Lane purchase. Attractions that require these additional Lightning Lanes include Rise of Resistance in Hollywood Studios, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT, Flight of Passage in Animal Kingdom, Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train in Magic Kingdom, and TRON Lightcycle Run.

Now, you CAN avoid using both Genie+ and Lightning Lane, especially in the slower times of the year, but be forewarned that you’ll have no choice but to wait in stand-by lines and may miss some of your planned rides and attractions due to time constraints.

No-Show Fees

So, theme park days can get a bit hectic, especially if you’re juggling Genie+ return times and Lightning Lanes. However, be sure to keep track of any dining reservations you’ve made because the costs of missing them can add up.

For most Disney World restaurants, there’s a 2-hour cancelation policy. If you are a no-show without canceling more than 2 hours before your reservation, the card you left on file will be charged $10 per person scheduled for the reservation. As you can imagine, that can add up quick for large families.

In addition, some Walt Disney World restaurants have stricter policies. For example, if you no-show Cinderella’s Royal Table at Magic Kingdom without abiding by the 2-hour cancelation rule, you’ll have to pay for the FULL COST OF THE EXPERIENCE (per person).

Same goes for the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue at Fort Wilderness, Sangria University at Coronado Springs, and any of the Magic Kingdom/EPCOT fireworks parties IF you fail to cancel your reservations a FULL DAY in advance. The full-day rule also applies to the La Cava Experience in EPCOT, which features a $50 no-show fee per person.

Finally, the super upscale Disney World restaurants like Victoria and Albert’s at Grand Floridian or Takumi Tei and Monsieur Paul at EPCOT — charge $100 per person as a no-show fee. Furthermore, each of these restaurants has a different cut-off time to avoid those extra no-show charges: Takumi Tei wants you to make cancellations at least 2 days prior, Monsieur Paul wants you to make them 3 days prior, and Victoria and Albert’s asks you to make them 5 days prior.

Rentals

Disney offers several rental options at its parks including strollers (between $13-$31 per day), ECV rentals ($65 per day), wheelchair rentals (from $10-$12 per day) and locker rentals located at the front of each park, which range in price between $10-$15 per day. However, if you need any of these items, there are ways to pay less.

You can look into third party options for ECVs, wheelchairs, and strollers. Speaking of strollers, you could also pick up a cheap umbrella stroller upon your arrival in Orlando — either yourself or having it delivered via a service like Instacart — using it for your trip, then leaving it behind for another family once you depart.

As far as lockers go, we’d suggest instead carrying a backpack with you to fit the essentials, and plan on pushing large souvenir purchases to the end of the day.

The Essentials

No matter how well you pack beforehand, there’s always a chance you may need to pick up an essential item at Disney. Whether that’s shoes, clothes, sunscreen, medications, or anything in-between, it’s smart to keep extra funds on hand just in case you run into an emergency. You ca find them on Disney property, however it’ll cost significantly less if you pick up or order them from a local off-property store.

Of note, the first aid centers in Disney World’s parks do offer sample-sized remedies for minor ailments (so think: Tylenol, bandaids, sunburn relief, etc.)

The $100 Authorization Hold/Tourist Tax

When you book a room at a Disney resort, you MIGHT just see a $100 hold on your credit card on top of what you already owe for the room, which is for incidentals. If you DON’T charge anything to your room, you’ll get the $100 back after your stay. There’s also an “additional tourism tax that applies to Orlando area hotels.” Because Disney World property covers two different counties (both Osceola and Orange), you can expect to pay two different tourist tax fees depending on where you stay. The majority of Disney’s resorts are located in Orange County (which has a 12.5% tax rate), BUT the few resorts that are located in Osceola County (ie: each of the value All-Star Resorts) will have a 13.5% tax rate instead. 

These are just some of the additional expenses a traveler planning a Walt Disney World vacation should need to pay for on top of the initial presented cost of their trip. Stay tuned to DFB for further Walt Disney World planning tips.

Disney World DOUBLES Annual Passholder Discount at 48 (!!!) Restaurants

Have you ever been caught off guard by any of these Disney World expenses? Let us know in the comments below.