Many people dream about a Walt Disney World vacation. I mean, how can’t you? Remember the saying “Quarterback so and so, you just won the super bowl what are you going to do next? I’m going to Disney World”
While a WDW vacation is amazing. It does have some drawbacks. Some very big drawbacks that many people only glimpse over or leave out all together. Many bloggers don’t want to piss off the house of mouse and I get it.
Some things you can figure out on your own like the ridiculous prices. Others you have to dig a little more deeply to find. Today we are going to go over the things most people won’t tell you about a Walt Disney World vacation.
Don’t get us wrong. We love a Disney Vacation and usually go every year. That doesn’t mean these things don’t bother us. We have just gotten numb to them.
Prices
Any second grader can tell you that the price of a Disney vacation has gotten more expensive year after year. Five years ago a family of four could visit Disney in the summer for a week with a 5 day park hopper ticket at a value resort for under $3,500 (don’t believe it? Check out this post from 2019). If you timed your trip right you could have even got it for under $3,000.
Today good luck getting that same trip for under $4,500. But what changed in the last 5 years? The cast members’ pay didn’t go up. The value resorts didn’t add new amenities. Many of the “free” things we would get in the past are either completely gone (bye FastPass and Magical Express) or now you have to pay for it like magic bands.
Okay, the theme parks did add a couple of new rides. Rides like Tron, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Rise have all opened in the past couple of years, But you know what! Universal has had a couple of new rides open in the last couple of years too! And their prices haven’t gotten ridiculous, yet.
Disney World does offer tickets starting at $109 for one day. To find that price it is only available for 21 different days in August and September on select Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The rest of the year the price for a single day non park hopper ticket is over $130 on average.
The cheapest days in February (a historical “slow” time in WDW), were $134 and that was only two different days. The most expensive is $164 and that is on a whopping nine different days. The average cost of a ticket in February is $152.
Now the cost of tickets does get cheaper the more days you add to it. But the cost of a single day one park ticket is a little pricey. Oh and just so you know that “cheap” price is for Animal Kingdom. It will cost you more for the other parks. Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom will cost you at least $20 more.
The resort prices have also gotten crazy over the last couple of years. They were overpriced before and now they are REALLY overpriced. The All Star Resorts are priced at $160 on average per night.You can find a standard room for as little as $117 per night or as much as $269 per night.
Disney’s POP Century resort will run you on average $209 per night. You can find a room at POP for as little as $163 a night or as much as $348 a night.
Campsites over at Wilderness Lodge are the cheapest option. In August you can get them for as cheap as $71 per night. However, they can cost as much as $180 per night.
A stay at the Deluxe Resort Contemporary will cost you on average $609 per night. You can find a standard garden wing room for as little as $508 per night or as much as $927 per night.
Most of the cheaper prices can be found on weekdays in January and February. The most expensive prices are found the week of Christmas in 2024.
Over the past couple of years a few things that used to be free you now have to pay for. The basic Magic Band was free. Now you will have to pay for it if you want to use one which you don’t need to have but it does make getting into your room and the park easier.
Getting from MCO (the airport) to your Disney Resort used to be included too! Now you will have to find your own way to Disney.
WDW now also charges you to ride some of the most popular rides. You don’t need to purchase a pass for the rides but if you want to guarantee a chance to ride it (if it’s not broken down) you need to purchase an Individual Lightning Lane. This will cost you anywhere from $10 to $25 per person per ride (up to 2 rides per day). Not all attractions offer Individual Lightning Lanes.
On top of paying for a ride you now have the chance to pay in order to skip the lines on other attractions too! Disney Genie + replaced the FREE service FastPASS. Disney Genie+ will run you anywhere from $15 to $35 per person per day. Those prices really add up for a family of four.
Everyone knows a vacation at Disney World is going to cost you an arm and a leg. Just some people are not aware of how much it really does cost.
I can’t remember ever seeing a deal on tickets like buy 5 days get 2 days free. However, Disney usually runs some kind of discount on hotel rooms. You can also find throughout the year when you can book a vacation with free dining.
Just do the math when they offer free dining. Usually with free dining they also have a room discount. Sometimes the room discount will save you more money than the free dining plan will. You just need to price out the different options.
Theme Parks
The four theme parks at Walt Disney World are packed with many amazing things to see and do. However, each one is not created equal. Magic Kingdom has so many things to offer that it would take you a couple of days to try and complete everything.
Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom should both have their own days to explore. EPCOT should be explored in at least two days. Of course, this all depends on what type of family you are. If you just want to do the thrill rides you might just want to get a one or two day park hopper ticket. If you just want to eat amazing food, a one day visit to EPCOT is a must. Huge star wars fan? Well you are off to spend the day in Hollywood Studios.
Another thing that is sometimes said is the crazy lines. We are not just talking about the wait times for rides. Everywhere you go you will run into lines. Lines for characters. Lines for food. Lines for merch.
Lines are everywhere. Magic Kingdom has the most lines out of all four parks. This is because it is the most popular and also the smallest. It also has the most things to do.
It also seems that a lot of people visiting the theme parks forget basic manners. You will encounter guests arguing with Disney cast members over almost anything. People will try to cut in line. Whole families standing in the middle of a narrow walking path so almost no one can get by.
You may also encounter fights between guests. This could be either verbal or physical. While WDW can be the happiest place on earth. Sometimes it is down right ugly.
Also be mindful of strollers. Strollers are everywhere you go in the theme parks. Don’t be surprised if you get “ran” over by someone pushing a stroller. You just need to remember that THEY (think) are the only ones in the park……
This also goes with motorized scooters. This is why it is important to not stop in the middle of a walkway. Not everyone is paying attention to where they are going. Everyone is wrapped up in their own world.
There really is no way to prevent some of these things in the theme parks. You could spend the extra money on Disney Genie+ in order to have a shorter wait on most rides. You could use mobile order to skip the lines while getting food.
Just remember to pay attention to your surroundings and pack your patience. You will need it.
Lots of time together
One thing that might sound like a good idea and it is for the most part is all the time you will be spending together. If you think about it, on your week-long vacation you will be getting up between 6 and 8 every morning and not going to bed till 9 or later at night. You will be together that whole time.
Most of us only spend an hour or two together in the morning and a handful of hours together before bed each night. On a Disney vacation you are together the whole time. You will be hot, overly exhausted, and overstimulated. Arguments will probably happen.
Just remember to try and relax and take your time. Grab a Citrus Swirl from Sunshine Tree Terrace in Magic Kingdom (My favorite WDW Snack) and find a bench and people watch for a little bit. If you look around, many guests will be having the same issues as you do.
While we love our family sometimes it helps to break up into the smaller groups. Let the kids go on a ride by themselves if they are old enough. Take in the scenery on the people mover. Grab a snack and sit on a bench by yourself.
Don’t let the pressure get to you. You wanted to spend time with your family and now you are. It might be a little more than you are used to but it’s better than being at home and going to work everyday.
While you can find many other things people won’t tell you about a WDW vacation. These are some of the bigger points that many leave out. By no means should any of these points make you not take a vacation to Disney. You just want to be aware of them.
Was there anything else that we missed? Do you have anything you would add? Let us know in the comments below.
Kozmo Photos 