A Disney vacation is pricey, even if you stick to the bare minimum: tickets, lodging, and food. Once you start adding the many extras Disney offers, the numbers can really add up. For many people, though, a true vacation isn’t worth the money unless it’s a bit of a splurge. After all, vacations are meant to be relaxing and refreshing. Of course, Disney isn’t exactly known for its bargain pricing. Many of their “special offers” or vacation options aren’t a good deal at all. If you’re looking for a way to kick your Disney World vacation up a notch, here are a few add-on ideas that are actually worth the money.
1. A Fireworks Cruise
Disney World offers several different fireworks cruises for both the Illuminations show at Epcot and the Wishes show at Magic Kingdom. The Illuminations cruise costs around $325 and holds up to 10 people. You get your own pontoon boat with driver, plus snacks, water, and soft drinks. If you prefer, a full meal can be ordered for an additional cost.
The Wishes cruises are offered in two different price levels: basic and premium. They both include a pontoon boat and driver, snacks, water, and soft drinks. There are two main differences between the two, however: the basic cruise only seats eight guests while the premium seats 10, and the premium cruise includes music that’s piped in to accompany the show.
The basic cruise is around $300, and the premium costs around $350. These prices may seem a bit steep, but if you break it down by person, it’s quite affordable–especially for Disney standards. If you fill the boats up with ten people, the price is only $35 a piece, plus tip and tax. For that cost, you get a memorable experience, a quiet, uncrowded viewing area with your loved ones, a personal driver, and refreshments for the trip.
2. In-Room Decorations and Gifts
If someone in your party is celebrating a special occasion like a birthday or an anniversary, Disney Floral and Gifts can deliver something directly to your room and have it set up when you arrive. You can also choose something like a princess package just to make the trip a bit more special for someone in your group.
As you probably can imagine, some of these packages can be exorbitant, but others are reasonably priced. The “A Wish Come True” package, for example, is a romantic package offered for couples at Disney World. The perks of this package are offered over the course of two days. On the first day, a bouquet of thirteen roses is delivered to your room. The thirteenth rose is sprinkled with “pixie dust” for a bit of a Disney touch. The next day, the room is sprinkled with rose petals and candles, and a gift is left behind. This includes a Swarovski crystal/silver-plated bracelet with charms; a “fairy tale” wand; a poem; and a tray with champagne flutes, sparkling cider, and some chocolates.
At $365 plus tax, this package isn’t exactly cheap, but it’s well worth the price for most couples but especially for honeymooners or those who are celebrating a special anniversary.
Other reasonably priced items include Christmas stockings filled with goodies for about $75 and numerous floral bouquet options that are priced comparably to regular florists.
3. Backstage Tours
If you’re looking for something that’s a bit different than the typical park day at Disney World, you should consider one of the many tours they offer.
There are many choices to choose from here, and many of the options are very affordable. The Marceline to Magic Kingdom Tour, for example, is around $30 per person. This tour gives an overview of Walt Disney’s life and his concepts for the Magic Kingdom.
The Keys to the Kingdom Tour is probably the most popular of all the Disney World tours. It costs around $80 per person, but it also includes lunch. This tour is about twice as long as the Marceline to Magic Kingdom one, lasting around five hours total. You’ll cover most of the Magic Kingdom, including some backstage areas, like the utilidors, which are underground passages used for Disney Cast Members. Lunch is typically served at the Columbia Harbor House and is included with the tour. Many people have reported that they received a special pin as a gift once the tour was complete.
Most people will agree that $30 for a 2.5-hour tour is very reasonable, and $80 for a five-hour tour (plus lunch and a souvenir) is a great price. Since tours also require a regular park ticket, you’ll need to factor that into the cost, as well, but most people agree that they’re a great option for guests who are a little bored of a typical park day.
Toss Up: Memory Maker
Memory Maker is an add-on offered by Disney that lets you download photos from your trip for your own personal use. It includes ride photos, photos taken by Disney Cast Members throughout the parks (you’ll see them positioned with their cameras at certain areas; they’ll give you a Photopass card to download the images online later), and restaurant photos. You can even add special graphics to your photos to enhance them, like Disney World emblems or cartoon characters.
Best of all, the photos show up automatically in your account when you scan your Magic Band for any of these picture opportunities. All of this is included for one price–but it’s not cheap.
So, is Memory Maker worth it? That really depends. If you have a large group who loves to take photos, then absolutely. If you have a smaller group who loves to take photos, then probably. But, if you have a small group who doesn’t like photos, then you should probably skip it.
The total cost is $169 if you pay in advance. It’s about $50 more if you buy it once you arrive. That sounds really pricey until you consider than a single ride photo will cost you about $15. You can also opt to purchase Photopass pictures individually, but they cost $15 a pop, too. To figure out if it’s worth the money for your group, just estimate how many photos you’ll want. If it’s 11 or more, go ahead and get the Memory Maker.
Sometimes, Disney offers Memory Maker for free with your package. If this is an option for you, it’s definitely worth it since it’s free. Just remember to use every photo opportunity you can to get the most of the experience. Disney World Cast Members generally do a great job taking photos, so you don’t need to worry about quality.
One more thing to remember: Cast Members will also take a photo with your camera for free. I’ve found that they usually don’t try as hard to take a good shot this way, though. I’ve had some Cast Members who seemed a little disgruntled about it, in fact. But others have been very polite and helped us pose for a great shot. If you decide to skip Memory Maker, just know that free photos are an option, too–the quality of them is a bit of a gamble, though.
There are lots of ways to kick a Disney World vacation up a notch. Some of them are pricey, and some are very affordable. If you’re looking for a great deal, though, these ideas are a great place to start.
