Overall prices for airline flights, hotels, entertainment and food have increased rather significantly over the past several years, making it more costly to take a vacation. And of course travel costs could be higher depending on when you decide to travel, where you decide to stay and what you decide to do.
Since the Endless Summer family is theme park fans, we wanted to take a complete look at what would it cost to take a three-day luxury weekend getaway (for both a two-person couple or a larger family) to The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. This “estimate” will take into account a flight, deluxe hotel accommodations, theme park tickets & upgrades, transportation costs, food & beverages and extras like souvenirs.
The Walt Disney World Resort is one of the most visited destinations not only in Florida, but throughout the United States. With four amazing theme parks, two water parks, dozens of resort hotels and a shopping / dining / entertainment megaplex in Disney Springs, its the perfect place for a vacation.
What is the Cost of a three-day Luxury Weekend at Walt Disney World (2023)?
Couples Luxury Weekend to Walt Disney World
- Flights: $950.36
- Transportation: $150.00
- Theme Park Tickets: $823.34
- Hotel: $1,836.00
- Food & Beverages: $1,195.00
- Souvenirs / Extras: $300.00
TOTAL: $5,254.70
Family of Four Luxury Weekend to Walt Disney World
- Flights: $1,900.72
- Transportation: $150.00
- Theme Park Tickets: $1,627.20
- Hotel: $1,836.00
- Food & Drinks: $1,942.50
- Souvenirs / Extras: $450.00
TOTAL: $7,906.42
Anticipated Itinerary
With travel time needed during the three-day weekend, it is anticipated that there will be around two and one-half days at Walt Disney World. Airline departure will be Friday morning with an anticipated arrival at the Orlando International Airport around noon. Departure to return will be Sunday late afternoon.
Our theme park days will take full advantage of the Disney Genie+ system as well as the fee-based Individual Lightning Lanes. Utilizing these add on services will save considerable time waiting in line for the park attractions and maximize the enjoyability of the trip.
Friday
Arrive at Orlando International Airport, transportation to Walt Disney World and check in to an on-site luxury hotel. The remainder of the day will be spent at the Magic Kingdom including dinner at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant and the dessert party at the Tomorrowland Terrace for the Disney Enchantment evening fireworks show.
Saturday
Saturday will be the busiest day at the parks as the day will begin with a Disney Monorail Ride to EPCOT to explore both Future World and the World Showcase with a character lunch at Chip ‘n’ Dales Harvest Feast at the Garden Grill in Epcot’s “The Land Pavilion”. Around mid-afternoon we transition to Disney’s Hollywood Studios via the Disney Skyliner to explore Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and the other many great attractions at this park.
Later in the evening the plan is to travel back to EPCOT for the Fireworks Dining Package at the Rose & Crown restaurant. A great English meal along with an exceptional view of Harmonious fireworks show will cap off a busy, but extraordinary day.
Sunday
Sunday will be the most relaxing day on the itinerary. The day starts with breakfast at the Grand Floridian Café following by lounging at the resort’s pool or at the sandy beach along the Seven Seas Lagoon. There may be some shopping at the boutiques in the hotels along the Disney Monorail loop or even a quick trip to Disney Springs for a late lunch before departing to go home.
The cost breakdown for your luxury Walt Disney World weekend vacation
There are a number different ways to travel from budget vacations to lavish trips staying at the finest hotels and visiting the fanciest restaurants. For this post, we are providing cost estimates for just a luxury weekend vacation at The Walt Disney World Resort.
Airline Flight Costs to Orlando
Depending on your specific location and when you want to travel, these factors will have an impact on the cost of your flight to Orlando. The Orlando International Airport is a hub for JetBlue, Southwest and Spirit Airlines but also offers a wide range of additional airline options.
To get a idea of the specific cost, we used the flight search tool from Expedia.com to determine our options. Since a large amount of travelers come from the New York metropolitan area, we chose to depart from Newark Liberty Airport as our departing airport and used the weekend of July 29, 2022 (Friday) to July 31, 2022 (Sunday) for our travel pricing.
Since this is a “Luxury” trip, the focus was on convenient travel times as opposed to the lowest cost. Flights were fairly well priced during this weekend and we found a non-stop on Spirit Airlines at convenient times for $475.18 per person which included taxes and fees.
- Newark to Orlando: 9:00 AM – 11:55 AM (July 29, 2022)
- Miami to Newark: 5:50 PM – 8:40 PM (July 31, 2022)
There was also an option for a “Boost It Combo” which allows travelers to pick their seat in advance – the cost increased the fare to $613.16 per person. This option was not chosen in the cost analysis.
Airline flight cost for a two-person weekend in Orlando: $950.36
Airline flight cost for a four-person weekend in Orlando: $1,900.72
Source: Expedia.com
Transportation Costs
Although Walt Disney World offers transportation throughout the resort, you will still need to get to and from the airport as well as potentially travel outside of the property itself. So transportation costs will also vary based on where you are going and what you want to do.
Following is a estimate of transportation costs during your visit to Walt Disney World which is anticipated to be the same for both a couple or a family of four.
- Selected: UberXL service to and from Walt Disney World (arrive & depart): $50.00 each way / $100.00 total
- Optional: Car service to and from Walt Disney World (arrive & depart): $150.00 each way / $300.00 total
- Other estimated transportation costs: $50.00
Transportation costs for a luxury weekend at Walt Disney World: $150.00
Theme Park Ticket Costs
From single-day admission tickets, Park Hopper tickets and annual passes, Walt Disney World offers a number of theme park ticket options. Since this is just a weekend trip, we elected to purchase a two-day ticket with the Park Hopper option that allows us to travel between all of the four theme parks at Walt Disney World.
During peak summer days in July, the cost of a two-day ticket with the Park Hopper option for an adult ages ten and up was $338.47. Prices for children ages 3 to 9 is $328.73 per person.
Since this is luxury visit, guests will want to purchase the Disney Genie+ add on for $15.00 plus tax per person per day as well as individual Lightning Lane entrances for the following attractions:
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure: $9.00 plus tax per person
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance: $15.00 plus tax per person
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind: $17.00 plus tax per person
Theme park costs for two adults: $823.34
Theme park costs for a four-person family: $1,627.20
Source: Walt Disney World website
Hotel Costs at Walt Disney World
Hotel costs in Walt Disney have an extraordinarily wide range and within the past year, prices have increased substantially. Guests can stay on-site for around $150 per night at a value hotel or over $1,000 a night at the Four Seasons Resort.
Four a luxury weekend, we chose Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa since it is one of the nicest properties at Walt Disney World and provides Monorail access to both the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. The hotel also features a number of pool areas, a white sandy beach, and houses a number of the best restaurants at of Walt Disney World.
Surprisingly there were limited room options for the weekend of July 29, 2022 (Friday) to July 31, 2022 (Sunday). Views are important when staying at the Grand Floridian and the best available room for this weekend was a two queen bed theme park view room in an outer building which sleeps up to 5 guests. The cost for this room is $816.00 per night plus taxes and fees (12.5%) per the Walt Disney World web site.
Hotel costs for a luxury weekend at Walt Disney World: $1,836.00
Important note: We did look at combined hotel & theme park ticket “packages” but the cost savings was not significant enough to note for this estimate.
Click here to learn more about Walt Disney World Hotels
Food & Beverage Costs at Walt Disney World
Just like on any vacation destination, it could be pricey to eat and drink at Walt Disney World. There are a number of options which range from grab-and-go to formal table-service dining experiences.
Meal costs highly depend on alcohol purchases so for the purposes of this estimate, we have NOT INCLUDED THE cost of any beer, wine or specialty cocktail consumption in the totals shown below
Based on the itinerary shown earlier, following are the anticipated meals for the weekend:
Friday
- Lunch: Quick service dining at the Gasparilla Island Grill in Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort ($20.00 per person)
- Dinner: Tony’s Town Square Restaurant at the Magic Kingdom ($60.00 per adult, $40.00 per child)
- Late Night: Disney Enchantment Treats & Seats dessert party at the Magic Kingdom ($114.00 per adult, $69.00 per child)
Saturday
- Breakfast: Quick service dining at the Gasparilla Island Grill in Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort ($20.00 per person)
- Lunch: Chip ‘n’ Dales Harvest Feast at the Garden Grill (character dining) in Epcot’s The Land Pavilion ($55.00 per adult; $36.00 per child)
- Dinner: Rose & Crown Fireworks Dining at Epcot for Harmonious ($89.00 per adult; $39.00 per child)
Saturday
- Breakfast: Full service breakfast dining at the Grand Floridian Café in Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort ($30.00 per person)
- Lunch: Planet Hollywood at Disney Springs ($30.00 per person)
As indicated above, the cost of alcoholic beverages are not included in our estimates. Taxes and gratuities were included which increase the overall cost of the meals by 25%.
We also added $150.00 for snack and drinks when visiting the theme parks as well as when sitting at the pool.
Theme park costs for two adults: $1,195.00
Theme park costs for a four-person family: $1,942.50
The 20 Best Restaurants at Walt Disney World
Souvenirs & Extras at Walt Disney World
Souvenirs, shopping, spa services and more can add up quickly at Walt Disney World. While this is hard to anticipate and completely dependent on the individual traveling party, we budgeted $150.00 per adult and $75.00 per child for the weekend.
Souvenirs & Extras for two adults: $300.00
Souvenirs & Extras for a four-person family: $450.00
Total cost of a luxury weekend trip to Walt Disney World (2022)
As indicated in the individual categories above, a the three-day luxury weekend at Walt Disney Would would cost $5,254.70 for an adult couple while a family of four would cost $7,906.42.
Now the above reference estimates are a guide for you to use when planning your next trip to Walt Disney World. Could it cost more? Absolutely yes it can and especially if you choose additional premium entertainment & dining options than what we selected above.
But could you do it for less? Of course you can by traveling “off season”, staying at less expensive hotels and by booking your flight well in advance. You can also cut back on the food, drinks and entertainment – but isn’t that the reason you are taking a vacation?
