Budgeting for a Walt Disney World vacation seems fairly straightforward. You need park tickets, a resort room, airfare or gas money, funds for dining, and maybe some pocket cash for souvenirs. Worrying about anything more might feel like fussing over details.
Unfortunately, there are times when a trip to the Most Magical Place on Earth can feel like navigating a minefield of hidden costs. We’ve talked about some of these before on Theme Park Tourist—sundries, airport costs, underestimating food costs. However, these are just the tip of the iceberg. The shock of expenses you never saw coming is an unnecessary stress on what should be the vacation of a lifetime.
Budgets may sound intimidating, but the truth is, a good vacation budget lifts stress off and frees you up to enjoy your vacation without stressing about where every penny is spent. If you want a truly foolproof vacation budget, don’t forget to take these 10 surprise costs into account.
1. Time off work
Image: Disney
This is one I have some personal experience with. My husband and I were so excited to plan our first Walt Disney World vacation together. We carefully budgeted for our resort rooms, our dining plan, spending money, and transportation costs. Everything seemingly went according to plan. Two weeks after our vacation, however, we couldn’t figure out why we were suddenly broke.
Neither of us had jobs that offered PTO. We had zero experience even having jobs that offered treasured benefits like PTO yet. In our excitement for our vacation, we completely forgot that neither of us would be getting paid for the time we were on vacation. I know—the things you learn when you’re young. Needless to say, we had to scramble when time came to pay the bills.
If you and/or your spouse have a relatively secure financial situation in a job that offers PTO, this is less likely to be an issue. However, for many Americans, this is one of the biggest areas where a family can get wiped out after a Disney vacation.
Not everyone who visits Walt Disney World has a job that offers PTO. Especially if it is your first family vacation of this type, this is an easy area to make a major miscalculation in your budget. You can save and plan the perfect Disney budget, but if you don’t account for the wages you are losing during your time off, you are going to have some problems with your paycheck when you get back.
If your job situation doesn’t offer PTO, add an item to your budget to cover any wages you are going to lose during the days off for your trip. Save that money up just like you’re saving for the rest of your vacation. This will offer some crucial peace of mind for when you return! It’s like you’ll be paying yourself PTO, and you won’t get caught off-guard by a less-than-magical homecoming.
2. Credit card interest
Image: Disney
It’s a fairly common practice—you booked your Walt Disney World vacation by putting everything on credit cards. Maybe you were trying to earn points or cashback. Maybe you planned to pay them off immediately, or maybe you gave in to temptation and booked a trip on credit, assuming you’ll pay it off over the year.
If you aren’t extremely disciplined in paying off your full credit balance every month, using credit cards is going to guarantee a hidden budget item that will increase your costs—credit card interest.
Experts agree it is extremely hard to eliminate credit card debt using just your minimum monthly payment. An investment as costly as a Walt Disney World vacation is going to leave you in debt for a substantial amount of time if you put the whole thing on credit cards without a solid plan to pay it off—and even if you have a plan, if that plan involves months of payments, you are going to accrue interest.
A Walt Disney World vacation is not worth putting yourself or your family into crippling debt for years. You will save money in the long term by simply saving the funds you need then planning your trip. If you insist on using credit cards paid over time for your vacation, you will need to budget for the interest that will accrue while you are paying it off. In the end, it usually isn’t worth it.
If you want to earn some travel points, save up money for your trip just like you would if you were paying cash. Put it in a secure account where it won’t get mixed up with monthly bill money. Use your credit card during the trip and pay your balance as you go using the funds you saved. Otherwise, you will have a surprise budget item you never accounted for in all that interest.
3. Fluctuations in ticket prices
Image: Disney
Walt Disney World ticket prices are unpredictable at best, but lately, price hikes have been on the rise. With Disney preparing for the arrival of dozens of hot ticket attractions like Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the Guardians of the Galaxy coaster in Epcot, and more, ticket prices have increased more dramatically than we have seen in years. If you are saving up to pay for your tickets and it’s going to take you several months, you may need to budget an extra $30-80 a ticket in the event of dramatic increases or recently introduced peak-season pricing.
If you see a good Walt Disney World ticket price, do what you can to lock it in quickly (once again—without going into chronic debt. Resist the dark side, Young Skywalker). Otherwise, you may need to consider ticket price fluctuations in your budget. Always double check if your place of work or any organizations you are a part of (e.g. AAA) have access to discounted ticket prices.
4. Parking and resort fees
Image: Jett Farrell-Vega
One of the biggest benefits of staying at a Walt Disney World resort has always been that prices are fairly transparent. Unless you are planning on using valet parking, you generally don’t have to worry about too many extra costs beyond sundries and tipping. However, that is changing.
More and more, it has been reported that some Walt Disney World resorts will start to charge for parking during peak times. This varies from resort to resort and from season to season. We recently stayed at the Boardwalk Villas and didn’t run into any parking costs. However, all signs suggest the days of free parking are going away.
The place you really need to look for hidden costs is if you will be staying at a non-Disney resort. The Four Seasons Orlando is generally pretty good about not tacking on hidden costs (beyond valet parking), but guests familiar with the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin always know not to trust the first price that pops up from either of these resorts. The Swan and Dolphin usually seem like the best deal on Disney property at initial glance, and in many ways, they are. However, when booking at the Swan and Dolphin, you must always consider the $20-25 resort fee charged daily. You get a lot with this fee, but money is money, and it will increase your price per night. Also, both the Swan and Dolphin charge nightly for parking. Other resorts surrounding Disney and throughout the Orlando area have similar practices, so be sure and read the fine print to ensure you won’t get caught off guard by unforeseen parking costs, resort fees, and required service charges.
5. Uber and Lyft (and maybe Minnie Vans)
Image: Disney
Have a tight timeline on your Walt Disney World vacation? Planning on making any trips outside of the parks where you won’t be using a rental car? Plan an item into your budget for ridesharing—and yes, I am leaving Disney’s new “Minnie Van” service off the list for a reason.
Ridesharing has become a lifesaver for many Disney guests. It is much faster than using Disney’s normal transportation, and generally, Uber and Lyft still come in cheaper than Disney’s Minnie Van service. The two areas where guests seem to prefer the Minnie Vans is that they can get closer to Magic Kingdom and they are great if you need a car seat. They also feel more official and secure if you are uncomfortable with Uber and Lyft. Other than that, most visitors are still reporting Uber and Lyft are cheaper. If you get a driver with a particularly crappy rating, you can always cancel, wait like 30 seconds, then try to book again to see if you get a better driver. Another tactic would be to switch services from Uber to Lyft or vice versa (you can use a code like “p1z52ue” on Uber or “WEHAVELYFTOFF” on Lyft to get your first ride free).
Honestly, ridesharing at Walt Disney World has become so helpful and efficient, it almost isn’t worth budgeting for a rental car anymore. If you’ll be spending most of your trip on Disney property, add a line onto your budget for a few Uber or Lyft rides. You can always spend these funds elsewhere if they aren’t needed. These are a huge stress reliever in particular for dining reservations at resorts!
6. Hidden airline and rental car fees
Image: Steve Lyon, Flickr (license)
Airlines and rental car companies always try to paint the most non-threatening picture possible of what you’ll be paying to use their business. Unfortunately, the truth is usually more unpleasant.
It seems that hidden fees are on the rise everywhere in the travel world. Some airlines have even experimented with charging passengers for use of overhead bins, and it’s very easy to miss the extra costs of things like insurance for a rental car. Maybe you decide to travel to Walt Disney World with only carry on bags but end up having to check a suitcase on the way back. Maybe you end up caving and paying for a family’s worth of inflight meals you hadn’t realized weren’t included with your ticket costs.
To avoid these hidden costs, do some research on your airline and into the fine print for your rental car company. Find out if you’ll be charged extra for anything. For rental car companies, it can even be something as simple as being under 25. Research thoroughly, and don’t be wishy washy about extra costs. Budget for that insurance, gasoline, or even that inflight snack you are sure you have the willpower to skip. You can always use these funds on your trip if you change your mind.
7. Gifts and impulse buys
Image: Disney
Disney are masters at massaging guests’ willpower and wallets to cave to impulse buys. Especially if you have kids, you are going to have a hard time not buying at least something you hadn’t planned on. We’ve shared tips for how to avoid obvious impulse buys like pin trading kits, autograph books, or unnecessary first aid items, but the truth is, you shouldn’t feel like you have to fight every impulse buy on your vacation.
Instead of trusting to an iron constitution, just plan a few impulse buys into your budget. Also plan some funds to buy gifts for families or loved ones. Take a look at what you can afford (as well as what you can carry home) and add a line to your budget for gifts and one for impulse buys. We like to call the latter our “Treat yo Self” fund. A Walt Disney World vacation needs some room for spontaneity. Plan for it!
8. Groceries
Image: Disney
We’ve talked about how buying some basic groceries can save you a huge amount of money on a Walt Disney World vacation. Eating breakfast in your room, bringing your own water bottles or filter bottle, and carrying some basic snacks can save you big.
However, if you don’t have a plan for how to get those groceries, your brilliant scheme to save could quickly fall apart. Don’t just immediately trust the resort gift shop or grocery delivery services. You’ll end up spending a little extra on both of these options. If you will be driving a rental car or personal vehicle, you can stop at a grocery store on the way in. Along with normal mainstays like Walmart and Trader Joes, Central Florida’s two major grocery stores are Winn Dixie and Publix. The latter are excellent stores with costs similar to Safeway, Albertsons, or King Soopers (depending on where you live). If you don’t have a vehicle, you will need to plan for the cost of an Uber or Lyft ride.
The easiest way to avoid this? Buy what groceries you can in your hometown and bring them with you in a suitcase or carry-on bag. Either way, it is still wise to budget for your WDW groceries.
9. Pet care
Image: Alinne Santos, Flickr (license)
If you don’t have a friend or loved one watching your furry, feathered, or scaled family members, you may be in for a surprise budget item if you didn’t account for pet care costs for your vacation. I recommend always budgeting as if you are going to have to board your animals somewhere for a fee, just in case your caretaker has an emergency. With the exception of some special dog friendly rooms at a few of the resorts (which require a special fee), you are not allowed to bring pets to Walt Disney World.
If you are local to Florida, Walt Disney World has an excellent pet resort called the Best Friends Pet Care center. Costs for boarding vary, but we have always found them to be reasonable. Our bird usually doesn’t want to leave when we bring him! I would not recommend bringing pets with you to Walt Disney World on an airplane when you won’t be able to spend much time with them—most airlines charge extra fees for pets if they allow them and require a recent veterinarian visit. Do some research on options for boarding in your area and budget as if you will have to board your pet, just in case your usual caretaker has an emergency.
10. A buffer
Image: Disney
It is always better to plan a budget with breathing room. This is a common practice used in the film industry—always pad your budget. You can’t take into account every unforeseen situation or cost which will pop up. You could call this the “Mickey’s Law” budget line or just pad all the other areas of your budget to give you some free space. Give yourself a buffer for error on any vacation spending plan. It’s well worth the peace of mind knowing you don’t have to plan for everything. If an unforeseen cost pops up, you have the breathing room necessary to take care of it and proceed with your magical vacation.
What other hidden costs have you run into on Walt Disney World vacations?
