Everyone dreams of that perfect vacation to the Happiest Place on Earth! But we all know that spending money can quickly cause stress. Since I’ve been to Disneyland A LOT, I know exactly what expenses to account for when figuring out your Disneyland vacation cost. How much are things like tickets, hotels, food; here’s the breakdown of expenses.
- Tickets
- Hotels
- Food
- Souvenirs
- Transportation
- Special Events
- Estimated Disneyland Vacation Cost (2-day, 3-day, 4-day, 5-day)
Tickets
The first major expense that surprises most first time Disneyland visitors are the tickets. Most people try to visit for two or three days. And at Disneyland, I highly recommend a Park Hopper ticket since it’s easy to “hop” between the two parks. It’s a very different experience from Disney World in Florida.
Park Hopper tickets allow you to visit both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park on the same day. A 1-park per day ticket means you will only be able to visit one of the two parks on a single day.
Current Disneyland Ticket Pricing (2020):
Until February 20th, 2020, you can get 2019 prices for tickets at Get Away Today! That can save you up to $75 depending on your ticket!
1-day tickets are available but are priced on a demand-based pricing tier. There are value, regular, and peak prices based on the specific day you chose to visit.
Expect to pay $104-$154 for an adult 1-park ticket and $159-$209 for an adult park hopper 1-day ticket. Children are $98-$146 for an 1-park ticket and $153-$201 for a 1-day park hopper.
2-day Park Hopper: $200 adult / $275 (child age 3-9) (1 Park per day: $235 adult / $220 child)
3-day Park Hopper: $365 adult / $345 (child age 3-9) (1 Park per day: $310 adult / $290 child)
4-day Park Hopper: $395 adult / $375 (child age 3-9) (1 Park per day: $340 adult / $320 child)
Be sure you know that once your child turns 10, they’re considered an adult for tickets and specialty dining meals.
If you purchase a 3-day+ ticket, you’ll receive Magic Morning Early Access into Disneyland Park (on select days). Your daily admission rate goes down the more days you have on your ticket, so a 4-day ticket will be less per day versus a 2-day ticket.
You can also save money buying through a third-party versus directly from Disneyland. Get Away Today is one of my affiliate partners and typically offers the most competitive pricing on Disney tickets.
You can also save with them by booking a vacation package. If you book a stay of 2+ nights plus at least 2 park tickets you can use the code ‘StuffedSuitcase’ to get $10 off your package.
MaxPass
You’ll also need to decide if you want to add MaxPass onto your tickets. MaxPass lets you book FastPasses from your phone instead of having to run around the parks to the FastPass machines.
I highly recommend budgeting for MaxPass since it’s the best way to maximize rides, limit wait times, and gets you the Disney PhotoPass service. However, it is an added expense of $20 per person per day.
For a family of four, this means adding $80 per day for your tickets. If you don’t know the parks well, if you’ll only be in the parks for a day or two, or if you really love taking photos around the parks and getting ride photos then I highly recommend it.
If you only want the photo perk, one person in your party can pay the $20 and save all the images. However, if you’re booking FastPass reservations each person in the party has to pay for the service.
You can add MaxPass to your tickets when you purchase or when you’re in the parks. You can’t start making FASTPASS reservations until you’ve entered the parks (through turnstiles).
Get my full tips on using Disneyland MaxPass and Fastpass.
Hotels
Budgeting for your hotels at Disneyland can be all over the board. There are definitely budget options available off-site as well as upscale properties on-site and nearby. You’ll need to decide what your hotel priorities are when choosing your hotel.
Based on my trips from the past ten years I’m going to give you an idea of what to budget for your hotel stay. These are estimates and will vary based on your accommodation location, travel season, and whether you’re staying on-site or off-site.
Budget Off-Site Walking Distance: $130-$190 per night
Moderate Off-Site Walking Distance: $200-$250 per night
Disney On-Site: $375-$700 per night
One of my best Disneyland tips is to stay within walking distance for a trip to Disneyland. You’ll save a lot of time and money if you don’t drive and park. You could always take Uber or Lyft to and from the parks if you do stay further away, but again, that’s an added expense and takes extra time.
If you’re planning on staying 4 nights for your vacation here is approximately what you’ll need to budget for three sample properties (searched for dates in August):
Anaheim Camelot Inn & Suites:
$151/night ($705 after taxes and fees for 4 nights)
Residence Inn Marriott Anaheim Convention Center:
$213/night ($1000 after taxes and fees for 4 nights)
Disneyland Hotel:
$489/night ($2288 after taxes and fees for 4 nights)
You can book packages that include your hotel and tickets, but be sure to price out whether there is a savings by booking together. The Disney cancellation fees can be different on packages versus booking the hotel separately.
Also, Get Away Today offers great deals on hotel and ticket packages that can save you money when you bundle. If you use the code ‘StuffedSuitcase’ to book your package you can also get $10 off.
Food
Here’s another expense that can have a wide range. We’ll often try to save money by booking a hotel that has a complimentary breakfast. Lately, we’ve been preferring to stay on-site so that isn’t an option. I’m estimating the average prices for quick service and table service meals in the parks.
Quick Breakfast
- Adults $9 (including coffee)
- Kids $5
Table Breakfast
- Adults $15
- Kids $8
Lately, our favorite spot to grab breakfast is at the Starbucks in Downtown Disney. We like to splurge and stay on-site so it’s easy to mobile order a breakfast pastry at Starbucks and pick it up on the way into the parks.
If you’re dining at a table service restaurant, you’ll want to budget approximately $12-$15 for adults and $8 for kids. Character breakfasts are also extremely popular and will cost you about $35 for adults, $20 for kids.
Quick Lunch
- Adults $15
- Kids $8
Table Lunch
- Adults $20
- Kids $10
For lunch in the parks, we’re all about quick-service restaurants. Part of that is because we want to maximize our ride time and since our girls are older, they can go a little longer.
If you have younger kids you might want to book a table service lunch, since it can give everyone a chance to recharge. Hot weather days are great times to book a table service meal since you can often escape the sun in the restaurant.
Quick Dinner
- Adults $15
- Kids $8
Table Dinner (Blue Bayou)
- Adults $40
- Kids $12
Most of the lunch and dinner menus are the same, so the pricing will be the same for both meals. Blue Bayou is probably one of the most sought-after meals to book at Disneyland, and the most expensive. The restaurant is located inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and you might get seated on the water’s edge and get to watch riders float by.
There are also World of Color and Fantasmic! Dining Options that will average $50-$75 for adults which include a ticket to access a special viewing section for the show.
Snacks
- $5 per person
I highly recommend you enjoy some Disneyland snacks. Most of the favorites include popcorn buckets, churros, dole whips, and Mickey pretzels; the parks are full of yummy snack foods! Just make sure you budget enough for 1-2 snacks a day!
Souvenirs
For our family we don’t do a lot of souvenirs, it’s all about the experience. When our girls were young, we would allow them to have one “frivolous souvenir” like a light-up balloon or bubble blower, and one “lasting souvenir” like a stuffed animal or piece of clothing. I would budget $15-$25 for smaller souvenirs and $40-$85 for clothing items.
We did splurge for the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique a couple of times since that was an experiential splurge and the dresses were enjoyed for a year or two after the trip. That will run you $65-$225 depending on the package you choose. Some families collect pressed pennies as their souvenirs which will just cost you 51¢ each.
You might choose to buy some custom Disney shirts before your trip, too.
Transportation
If you’re flying to Disneyland, you’ll want to arrange transportation to the resort from the airport. Of course, you can rent a car, but for this calculation, I’m assuming you’ll take a transfer service from the airport to the resort.
Unfortunately, the Disneyland Express shuttle that SuperShuttle used to run is no longer an option. They were the best option for families but went out of business in January 2020.
One option that is more than an Uber but has great reviews is Anaheim Town Car Services. You’re looking at $125 OW and $225 RT for a town car. They also can provide car seats, a huge benefit for families that need car seats but don’t want to bring them on the trip.
A cheaper option is Prime Time Shuttle. My research shows it costs $70-$80 for a one-way private SUV, however, I will note that they have some bad reviews so buyer beware. You will need to provide your own car seat for children under 8.
Often rideshare like Uber and Lyft can be your best price at about $50-$60 one-way, however, they might not work for your family. You might have to order an Uber XL to fit your luggage into the car with you (3+ riders) and that will cost you around $80-$90 OW. Also, car seats are required for children under 8.
If you’re driving to Disneyland, you’ll have to budget for parking expenses. On-site you can expect to pay $25 for parking at the parks and hotels. If you’re staying off-site most of the area hotels charge a nightly parking fee as well.
Special Events
There are a few special events at Disneyland every year. Some require additional tickets, such as Disneyland Halloween and Christmas. These special event tickets cost about $110-$150 per person and only grant park admission a few hours before the event starts, so you can’t use these special event tickets for a full day in the parks.
Another special event to consider if you’re attending in the spring is the Food & Wine Festival. It doesn’t cost extra to attend but you’ll probably want to increase your food budget since you can visit food kiosks around Disney’s California Adventure and buy specialty dishes.
And as I mentioned above, you can book a specialty dining package for World of Color and Fantasmic! that is a flat fee but gives you access to a special viewing section for the show.
You can also book a guided tour while at Disneyland. They have holiday-themed tours, a “Walk in Walt’s Footsteps” tour, and even VIP tours.
Estimated Cost of a Disneyland Vacation
Using the breakdowns from above I’m now going to estimate how much does it cost to go to Disneyland for various vacation lengths. These calculations will be based on 2 adults, 1 youth (10+ years old), and one child (3-9 years old) and include park hopper tickets with MaxPass.
2-Day Vacation
Budget $1996
2 nights budget hotel, 2-day park hopper tickets with MaxPass, quick service lunch, dinner, and snacks in the parks (assuming breakfast is at your hotel), $50 souvenir, $116 for RT shuttle transportation from SNA.
Moderate $2337
2 nights moderate hotel, 2-day park hopper tickets with MaxPass, 2 quick service meals, 1 table service meal, and 1 snack each per day in the parks, $150 souvenir budget for family, $116 for RT shuttle transportation from SNA.
Disney Hotel $3081
2 nights on-site Disneyland Hotel, 2-day park hopper tickets with MaxPass, 2 quick service meals, 1 table service meal, and 1 snack each per day in the parks, $250 souvenir budget for family, $116 for RT shuttle transportation from SNA.
3-Day Vacation
Budget $2593
3 nights budget hotel, 3-day park hopper tickets with MaxPass, quick service lunch, dinner, and snacks in the parks (assuming breakfast is at your hotel), $50 souvenir, $116 for RT shuttle transportation from SNA.
Moderate $3115
3 nights moderate hotel, 3-day park hopper tickets with MaxPass, 2 quick service meals, 1 table service meal, and 1 snack each per day in the parks, $150 souvenir budget for family, $116 for RT shuttle transportation from SNA.
Disney Hotel $4276
3 nights on-site Disneyland Hotel, 3-day park hopper tickets with MaxPass, 2 quick service meals, 1 table service meal, and 1 snack each per day in the parks (substitute 1 character meal for a quick service breakfast), $250 souvenir budget for family, $116 for RT shuttle transportation from SNA.
4-Day Vacation
Budget $3035
4 nights budget hotel, 4-day park hopper tickets with MaxPass, quick service lunch, dinner, and snacks in the parks (assuming breakfast is at your hotel), $50 souvenir, $116 for RT shuttle transportation from SNA.
Moderate $3793
4 nights moderate hotel, 4-day park hopper tickets with MaxPass, 2 quick service meals, 1 table service meal, and 1 snack each per day in the parks (substitute a character meal for a quick service breakfast), $150 souvenir budget for family, $116 for RT shuttle transportation from SNA.
Disney Hotel $5181
4 nights on-site Disneyland Hotel, 4-day park hopper tickets with MaxPass, 2 quick service meals, 1 table service meal, and 1 snack each per day in the parks (substitute a character meal for a quick service breakfast), $250 souvenir budget for family, $116 for RT shuttle transportation from SNA.
5-Day Vacation
Budget $3437
5 nights budget hotel, 5-day park hopper tickets with MaxPass, quick service lunch, dinner, and snacks in the parks (assuming breakfast is at your hotel), $50 souvenir, $116 for RT shuttle transportation from SNA.
Moderate $4336
5 nights moderate hotel, 5-day park hopper tickets with MaxPass, 2 quick service meals, 1 table service meal, and 1 snack each per day in the parks (substitute a character meal for a quick service breakfast), $150 souvenir budget for family, $116 for RT shuttle transportation from SNA.
Disney Hotel $6046
5 nights on-site Disneyland Hotel, 5-day park hopper tickets with MaxPass, 2 quick service meals, 1 table service meal, and 1 snack each per day in the parks (substitute a character meal for a quick service breakfast), $250 souvenir budget for the family, $116 for RT shuttle transportation from SNA.
Hopefully, this cost breakdown will help you prepare for your trip to Disneyland. Check out all these other great Disneyland posts to help you plan.
My Best Disneyland Tips
How to Use Disneyland FASTPASS and MaxPass
Disneyland Planning Checklist
Hotels Near Disneyland
Day Trips Near Disneyland
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