How Much Does a Disney World Trip Cost for 2 Adults?

While some people think of Walt Disney World as a place designed for kids, that’s not entirely the case. In fact, some parts of Disney World aren’t kid-friendly at all. The elegant, AAA Five Diamond Award-winning restaurant Victoria & Albert’s doesn’t allow kids under 10, and Jellyrolls — a dueling piano bar — is for vacationers 21 and up.

A trip to Disney World for couples or adult friends can be fun and worth taking. But even without kids to add onto trip costs, a Disney trip for two is not cheap.

The average cost of Disney World for two adults can easily top $4,000 for a seven-night trip, and that’s for frugal travelers. Couples who want to splurge on the fanciest rooms and restaurants, perhaps those traveling for a honeymoon or proposal — or those who simply want to travel in style — should budget at least $10,000 for seven nights.

A NerdWallet analysis sought to find out how much a trip to Disney World for two costs, accounting for line items across these four categories:

• Park tickets (and add-ons, like Lightning Lane Multi and Single Pass).

• On-property hotel room rates.

• Food at park restaurants.

• Add-on activities, like spa treatments and tours.

Because Disney offers options for a range of budgets, NerdWallet categorized the average cost of a Disney vacation for two into three price tiers: Value, Moderate and Deluxe (which is the same classification that Disney World uses for its hotels).

A frugal couple might be fine booking a Value hotel with minimal frills and only dine-at-counter service restaurants or carts. But other adults might purchase extras to improve the experience, like line-skipping privileges or larger rooms — all variations accounted for in the average price estimates listed below. Read more about NerdWallet’s methodology at the end of this article.

Here’s how much you should anticipate spending per day, per person (with hotel prices based on double occupancy), based on travel style:

Here are NerdWallet’s estimates of a Disney vacation for two, broken down by travel style and length of trip:

Each Disney budget listed above assumes daily theme park tickets, three meals per day and overnight stays at a Disney-owned hotel with both travelers sharing one room.

Disney World ticket prices

Disney World ticket prices vary by park and date.

One-day Magic Kingdom Park tickets average $160, making it typically the most expensive of the four Walt Disney World theme parks. Magic Kingdom may be the most iconic and features romantic spots like Cinderella Castle (which might be ideal for a Disney proposal), but it’s also viewed as the most family-friendly park, which means more strollers to dodge.

Meanwhile, Epcot tends to be the cheapest Disney theme park — which is a plus given it’s often considered the best Disney World park for adults anyway. About half of the park is devoted to World Showcase, which consists of 11 mini subsections themed to a different country, including Norway, China and Morocco. Each serves up food and beverages (including alcohol), and some have rides, too.

Plus, Epcot’s rides also are often more appealing to adults versus kids anyway, from the slow boat ride through a greenhouse system called Living with the Land (think ‘It’s A Small World’ but for plants) to the intense, g-force simulating Mission: SPACE.

Disney World ticket prices drop the longer you stay. For example, five-day, one-park-per-day tickets average $643 (that’s $129 per day).

Optional Disney ticket upgrades include Lightning Lanes, which are priority queues for certain attractions, and Park Hopper tickets, which allow multiple park visits per day. Upgrades aside, here’s how much you should expect to spend on Disney tickets for two adults, based on number of theme park days:

Disney World hotels

The myriad of Disney-owned hotels offer options across price points. They range from Disney’s All-Star properties — which start at $128 per night, according to Disney trip planning website Touring Plans, and are considered Value properties — to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, which starts at $780 and is one of the most expensive Deluxe hotels.

Specific room rates vary based on check-in date and specific property, but here are average prices broken down by type and trip length, according to NerdWallet’s analysis:

Even Disney’s cheapest hotel rooms are more expensive than what you might find elsewhere in the Orlando area. The average daily room rate across Orlando is just $186.49, according to Visit Orlando’s 2022 Travel Industry Indicators. That’s about 35% less than the $286 average price for the cheapest Disney resort.

Though, Disney-owned hotels can be worth the cost. Benefits of staying at Disney World hotels include:

• Early theme park entry: Disney hotel guests can enter theme parks 30 minutes before everyone else (park admission is required). Adults who don’t mind rolling out of bed early can beat the crowds of families, who might have more trouble getting kids out the door quickly, potentially also avoiding paying for line-skipping privileges.

• Extended evening hours: In a similar vein, guests at Disney’s Deluxe resorts are entitled to stick around longer (typically two hours past the standard closing time) on some nights and at some parks. While that might be past kids’ bedtimes, adults can usually take advantage of fewer crowds.

• Free and plentiful mass transportation: Every Disney hotel is served by buses, and some hotels provide more unique modes of transit including boats, monorails or an aerial gondola called the Disney Skyliner.

The best Disney World hotels for adults vary based on how much you prioritize design and amenities versus affordability.

On the high end, NerdWallet’s pick for the best Disney World resort for adults in the Deluxe tier is Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. The elegant, New England-inspired resort has a lazy river set within its 3-acre pool complex, and is also the site of the Yachtsman Steakhouse. It also sits right up against Disney’s BoardWalk, which is a hub for nighttime adult entertainment including the Atlantic Dance Hall and the Jellyrolls dueling piano bar, both of which are limited to adults ages 21 and up.

Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter is the best Moderate resort for adults seeking a subdued stay. Themed to New Orleans’s historic French Quarter, the hotel grounds are usually quiet, thanks in part to the calm Sassagoula River that flows throughout the grounds. Its sister resort, Disney's Port Orleans Resort – Riverside, is also a worthy contender.

And if cost is most important, the best hotel at Disney World for adults is Disney's Pop Century Resort. Its location is among the best of Disney’s lowest-priced hotels considering it has its own Disney Skyliner station. Plus, given that it’s themed to the fads of the 1950s through the 1990s with touches like the 1960’s-inspired “Hippy Dippy Pool,” the hotel might resonate more with adults versus kids anyway.

Disney World food

NerdWallet researched average meal prices to find an estimate for the Disney World cost of food. Value meals consisted of an entree and drink, while meals placed in the Moderate or Deluxe tier (all served at table service restaurants with waitstaff) also included either an appetizer or dessert.

Here were average Disney World meal prices per person, based on restaurant tier:

But while Disney food prices may seem high, that’s because most dishes in NerdWallet’s analysis were far from the stereotypically kid-friendly chicken fingers and fries that some might expect from a theme park.

Affordable Disney World meals that foodie adults seek out specifically include Flame Tree Barbecue at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, which serves plentiful protein like pulled pork and ribs. At Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo, located in the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge section of Disney's Hollywood Studios, order elevated dishes like a smoky braised beef glazed in tamarind sauce, tuna poke or a “Ronto Wrap,” which is a pita-wrapped pork sausage named for the fictional four-legged herbivores that live on Luke Skywalker’s home planet of Tatooine.

The best park in Disney World for adults looking to imbibe is Epcot — mostly thanks to its World Showcase area. Try Japanese plum wine or sake at Kabuki Cafe, sip on Canadian icewine at Le Cellier Steakhouse or sample one of more than 200 tequilas at La Cava del Tequila in the Mexico pavilion. Serious aficionados might even book the $180 tasting experience with a certified Tequila Ambassador, featuring a selection of rare and unique agave spirits.

As far as the best restaurants in Disney World for adults, foodies flock to Jiko – The Cooking Place, which serves African-inspired dishes including oak-grilled filet mignon and cocoa-crusted venison loin.

And then there are the ultra-fine dining options, notably the opulent Victoria and Albert's restaurant located at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. The Victorian restaurant set under a grand rotunda dome pulls its weight in inflating the average Deluxe meal cost in NerdWallet’s analysis. The prix-fixe menu begins at $295 per person, and there’s no a la carte option available.

Other activities and expenses

NerdWallet’s calculations did not factor in miscellaneous items and souvenirs, which you might want to account for when estimating your own trip to Disney World.

But NerdWallet’s seven-day trip estimations did consider other entertainment and activities, which are add-ons that Disney refers to as its "Enchanting Extras Collection." They include scuba diving, golf lessons and dessert cruises aligned to sail during the fireworks. (NerdWallet did not add the costs of these extras for shorter trips, given that most people would be devoting their time to the theme parks).

Someone seeking a behind-the–scenes tour on a budget might book the $35, one-hour Behind the Seeds tour that takes you into Epcot’s fish farm and greenhouses. Longer and more expensive tours include the Animal Kingdom’s $199 Wild Africa Trek tour, which involves three hours of hiking, off-roading in a safari vehicle and traversing a rope bridge.

For couples taking seven night trips, here’s how much extra NerdWallet estimates you should budget for Disney World extras (for two people):

• Value: $284.

• Moderate: $443.

• Deluxe: $911.

While not everyone will opt for these activities, many adult travelers might incorporate Disney Enchanting Extras in their budget for Disney World.

Couples should expect to spend a minimum of $700 if staying on Disney property for one night and visiting the parks for one day.

For three-night stays (and two theme park days), costs inflate to a minimum of $1,800. And for seven-night stays with five theme park days, expect the trip to cost at least $4,000 if you’re low-frills. However, you might spend more than $10,000 across seven nights if you vacation like you’re keeping up with the Joneses. And that’s all before accounting for the cost to actually get there.

Planning a trip to Disney World on a budget is entirely possible. I proved it by paying just $1,600 for a five-day trip to Disney World that would have cost about $4,000 based on the receipt. To make it happen, I stayed at a “Good Neighbor Hotel” (more on those below), which was paid for with hotel loyalty points earned through the sign-up bonus on a Hilton-branded credit card. I also purchased discount Disney tickets through a travel agent.

Here are some strategies for couples planning a trip to Disney World on a budget:

• Book Disney Good Neighbor Hotels, which are hotels owned by other large hotel chains. Cash rates are typically cheaper than those at Disney’s own hotels, and they can sometimes be booked for free (assuming you have hotel points earned through frequent stays or credit card rewards).

• Commit to Disney’s free mass transit. While families might require a rental car to use their own car seat, adults can get away with relying solely on Disney’s extensive transportation network of boats, monorails, buses and gondolas, which are free to use.

• Don’t be afraid to order the kids' meals. Particularly if dining at a counter-service restaurant, no one will know if you’re ordering a kids menu item to be consumed by an adult. For example, you might want a cheeseburger pod, which is a bao bun stuffed with classic cheeseburger ingredients sold at Animal Kingdom’s Satu'li Canteen. The adult serving costs $13.29 while the smaller portion for kids is just $8.59 — a 35% discount.

And finally, take advantage of the free or cheap activities outside the Disney parks, many of which are especially-appealing to adults.

• If your idea of relaxation means going on a run, Disney has a long list of jogging paths, each of various distances (and using them for a leisurely stroll is okay, too). At night, you might get your cardio in at the Atlantic Dance Hall.

• If that’s all a little too much movement, you might curl up in a rocking chair on the back patio of Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, which overlooks four savannas that house more than 30 species of African wildlife, including zebras, giraffes, gazelles, kudu and flamingos. While there, stop for a sampling of the South African wines at the hotel’s Cape Town Lounge and Wine Bar (though the wine isn’t free).

• For entertainment, your best bet is to head to Disney’s free outdoor shopping district, Disney Springs. Many bars and restaurants play free live music on the patio, so you might be able to linger and listen without evening ordering off the menu. Don’t miss Raglan Road, which in the evenings usually features Irish musicians playing instruments including the banjo and fiddle, often accompanying Irish dancers.

Consider a Disney Cruise: Another NerdWallet report analyzed Disney Cruise versus Disney World prices and found that the average Disney cruise is typically cheaper than a Disney World vacation, especially for longer and more luxury-style vacations

Sure, Disney cruises are great for children and families, but there are plenty of adult activities including live music and variety shows that cater to adults, plus adult-exclusive swimming pools, spas and dining.

Head to the opposite coast (maybe): If you’re accounting only for tickets and food (not hotels) Disneyland is actually cheaper than Disney World. In a NerdWallet analysis, Disney-owned hotels in California averaged 49% more expensive per night than Disney World hotels, making trip costs overall more expensive. But if you can find lodging elsewhere, then a Disneyland trip will likely cost less (Disneyland tickets average 3.9% cheaper than Disney World, and Disneyland meals average 9.9% cheaper than equivalent-quality meals).

Go elsewhere in Orlando: If you’re in Orlando but aren’t tied to Disney World specifically, there’s plenty else for couples to do.

For free entertainment, visit Boxi Park, which is an outdoor entertainment complex made from repurposed shipping containers, or Old Town, which is a shopping district that frequently hosts special events including classic car shows and live music. And while Florida isn’t usually known for its wine, there are vineyards just outside of Orlando. Lakeridge Winery & Vineyards offers daily complimentary winery tours and wine tasting.

Adults might also enjoy Universal Studios, which — while still largely themed around movies and TV shows — encompasses more adult-oriented franchises (think fewer princesses and more superheroes). At Universal Studios, expect to encounter characters including Doc Brown from “Back to the Future,” the family from “The Simpsons” and classic comic book characters like Betty Boop and Popeye the Sailor Man. Thrill rides include the Jurassic World VelociCoaster, Revenge of the Mummy and The Incredible Hulk Coaster.

To better understand what an average trip to Disney World for two adults costs, NerdWallet gathered more than 200 ticket prices, 550 Disney-owned hotel room rates and 100 additional activities and restaurant prices between April 2023 and April 2024. NerdWallet aggregated those figures to build sample trip budgets based on travel style and trip length and ultimately to determine how much a Disney trip for two costs.

NerdWallet’s trip costs start once you’re on property, thus don’t account for parking, airfare or driving costs. Here’s what’s included in each price tier:

Because Walt Disney World ticket prices vary by park, one-day ticket prices were based on Magic Kingdom admission. Two-day ticket prices were based on Magic Kingdom and Epcot. In addition, NerdWallet’s analysis did not account for Park Hopper tickets, which allow access to multiple theme parks per day.

And of course, these budgets for the average cost for a trip to Disney should be used to estimate — rather than determine — your own Disney trip costs. Couples who pack their own snacks might spend less on Disney food. Meanwhile, those using their Disney trip as a shopping spree should account for souvenir costs, alongside other potential extras like PhotoPass.

Sam Kemmis and Carissa Rawson contributed to this report.

(Top photo courtesy of Walt Disney World)