Hi Heather! Welcome to planDisney! Preparing all the details, including expenses, of a Walt Disney World Resort vacation is an important part of planning! While your vacation is perhaps a few years away, you can begin to get an idea of the cost by heading to the
Walt Disney World Resort website.
When you arrive at the site, look for the heading that states, “Build Your Vacation.” For purposes of getting a rough idea of expenses, when prompted to provide your travel dates, consider entering generic travel dates for the number of days that you’re planning on visiting. You’ll then need to enter the number of adults and children in your travel party. If you’re planning on visiting the Disney Parks, I recommend selecting the “Package” option when booking your vacation. This will include a resort hotel and tickets for the Disney Parks! Once you enter all your information, you will be provided with a vacation quote. Use that quote to begin your vacation expense planning and saving. Keep in mind that costs are subject to change. While you wait to book your vacation, I recommend starting to save for your vacation.
When you're ready to book your vacation, you will need to make an initial deposit. Consider the deposit your first “payment” toward your vacation. You will be able to begin making payments through your My Disney Experience account. You can make payments at any time, in any amount. Your final payment, covering the rest of the vacation cost, is due 30 days before your arrival date.
I’m happy to recommend a few cost-saving tips too! First, consider getting a Disney Visa credit card. You can earn points that can be redeemed to pay for things such as your resort hotel and theme park tickets. This has been very helpful for our family! Also, when thinking about a Walt Disney World Resort hotel, you can book in the
value, moderate, or deluxe resorts. I find the value resorts to be very reasonably priced! Finally, check out the
special offers that are frequently available on the Walt Disney World Resort website! These deals often result in tremendous savings for families!
Happy Planning!
Jonathan