Disney World vs. Disneyland: The Real Cost Breakdown for Families
Written by
Dawn Allcot
Edited by
Rebekah Evans
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Disney World Resorts in Orlando, Florida, is a premium theme park widely recognized as one of the best in the world. Disney’s Magic Kingdom, one of four parks in the resort (plus two waterparks), was ranked second behind Tennessee’s Dollywood by TripAdvisor as “Best Amusement and Water Parks in the US.” Disney’s Hollywood Studios, also part of the resort, ranked fourth. Disneyland in Anaheim, California, the original Disney property, ranked No. 11 on the list.
Even though comparing the two parks is a lot like comparing apples and oranges, let’s see how much Disney World costs versus Disneyland.
Also here is how much it costs to visit each of the 12 Disney Parks.
Things That May Impact the Cost
Disney World (WDW) is huge compared to Disneyland. There’s a lot more physical ground to cover,” said Redditor jesscrochetstuff in r/DisneyPlanning, responding to a traveler from Australia planning a visit with two young children. “WDW is a much grander experience in terms of things to do and see if you’re committed to a longer trip. The costs also add up significantly though,” jesscrochetstuff explained.
A typical trip for a family includes theme park tickets, food, accommodations and transportation. Since transportation depends heavily upon where you’re traveling from, we’ll leave it out of the comparison. If you live within driving distance of either park, you can save a lot of money by skipping airfare and ground transportation. Keep in mind that you can save money at both parks by eating off-site at area restaurants, packing snacks and drinks and choosing less expensive accommodations.
Keep in mind, when you travel also affects costs significantly, with peak times like the December holidays costing more than an off-season visit.
Total Costs of Disney World vs. Disneyland
For many families, a trip to Disney World in Florida is a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. The blog Mousehacking.com recently estimated the baseline price for a Disney World vacation for a family of four (two adults, one child 10 years or older and one child three to nine years old) at $7,093, including a five-night stay at a Value Resort (Pop Century) five-day tickets without the Park Hopper option, Lightning Lane Multi Passes for Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios and quick-service meals and snacks, along with two table service meals.
Mousehacking.com provided a similar summary for a family of four at Disneyland and quoted the price at $6,511, which is only slightly cheaper. However, the “baseline” trip to Disneyland was only three days and four nights, while the baseline trip to WDW spanned five nights.
Let’s break it down and see if we can determine if either park is actually cheaper or if it depends on where you’re traveling from and how you choose to spend your money. We’re going to do three nights and four days at both parks, but keep in mind, you may not be able to cover all of Disney World in that time without Lightning Lane passes.
Disney World Cost Breakdown
For the most savings, we chose a package in mid-November encompassing three nights at the Art of Animation value resort with four days of park tickets (one park per day). The total came to $4,233.61 for a family of four with two kids over 10.
Most Disney enthusiasts agree that unless you intend to eat off-site, the Disney Dining Plan provides tremendous savings. If we opted for two quick-service meals plus one snack and a refillable drink mug per person, the cost would go up to $4,943.29. If we swapped one quick-service meal for a table-service meal, which would include character dining, the cost would be $5,407.05.
Of course, if we added Park Hoppers, a rental car, air transportation, travel protection or other perks, the price would rise.
Disneyland Cost Breakdown
Unlike Disney World, Disneyland has only three hotels to choose from. We opted for the cheapest, the Pixar Place Hotel. With 4-day park tickets (no Park Hopper), the cost was just $3,851.35. That’s already less than Disney World. Disneyland doesn’t offer dining plans. But Redditors said people could expect to spend $5 to $10 on a snack and $15 for quick service meals.
So that would equal $20 to $60 per person, per day, depending on if you do any character dining or table service dinners. Four days times four people at our estimated maximum of $60 per day is just $960, still less than the Disney dining plan with table service. That doesn’t include beverages, of course. It’s likely food won’t break your budget at Disneyland and may be cheaper than the coveted Disney World Dining Plan.
Disneyland vs. Disney World Ticket Costs
If you’re evaluating ticket costs alone, a one-day ticket for Disneyland can run from $104 to $206 depending on when you want to visit, with prices dropping as you extend the number of days. But tickets aren’t advertised below $103 per day right now.
On the other hand, Disney World tickets for ages 10 and up run $119 per day. A three-day, three-park ticket for adults is just $89 per day right now through September 22, 2025, according to Disney World’s website.
In general, Disneyland is cheaper than Disney World, with less expensive food and cheaper hotel options, according to our research. You can also enjoy the whole park in less time, which means you can keep your vacation short to save money. But if you’re looking for a three-day ticket right now and plan to stay off-site without taking advantage of on-site park benefits, Disney World tickets are, surprisingly, less expensive this fall.
Editor’s note: Pricing and availability may vary.
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