While some people think of Walt Disney World as a place designed for kids, that’s not entirely the case. In fact, some parts of Disney World aren’t kid-friendly at all. The elegant, AAA Five Diamond Award-winning restaurant Victoria & Albert’s doesn’t allow kids under 10, and Jellyrolls — a dueling piano bar — is for vacationers 21 and up.

A trip to Disney World for couples or adult friends can be fun and worth taking. But even without kids to add onto trip costs, a Disney trip for two is not cheap.

The average cost of Disney World for two adults can easily top $4,000 for a seven-night trip, and that’s for frugal travelers. Couples who want to splurge on the fanciest rooms and restaurants, perhaps those traveling for a honeymoon or proposal — or those who simply want to travel in style — should budget at least $10,000 for seven nights.

A NerdWallet analysis sought to find out how much a trip to Disney World for two costs, accounting for line items across these four categories:

Park tickets (and add-ons, like Genie+).

On-property hotel room rates.

Food at park restaurants.

Add-on activities, like spa treatments and tours.

Because Disney offers options for a range of budgets, NerdWallet categorized the average cost of a Disney vacation for two into three price tiers: Value, Moderate and Deluxe (which is the same classification that Disney World uses for its hotels).

A frugal couple might be fine booking a Value hotel with minimal frills and only dine-at-counter service restaurants or carts. But other adults might purchase extras to improve the experience, like line-skipping privileges or larger rooms — all variations accounted for in the average price estimates listed below. Read more about NerdWallet’s methodology at the end of this article.

Here’s how much you should anticipate spending per day, per person (with hotel prices based on double occupancy), based on travel style:

The average total Disney World cost for 2 adults

Here are NerdWallet’s estimates of a Disney vacation for two, broken down by travel style and length of trip:

Each Disney budget listed above assumes daily theme park tickets, three meals per day and overnight stays at a Disney-owned hotel with both travelers sharing one room.

Disney World ticket prices

Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom can be a romantic spot for couples, but it's also one of the most family-friendly parks, which means kids everywhere. (Photo courtesy of Disney)

Disney World ticket prices vary by park and date.

One-day Magic Kingdom Park tickets average $160, making it typically the most expensive of the four Walt Disney World theme parks. Magic Kingdom may be the most iconic and features romantic spots like Cinderella Castle (which might be ideal for a Disney proposal), but it’s also viewed as the most family-friendly park, which means more strollers to dodge.

Meanwhile, Epcot tends to be the cheapest Disney theme park — which is a plus given it’s often considered the best Disney World park for adults anyway. About half of the park is devoted to World Showcase, which consists of 11 mini subsections themed to a different country, including Norway, China and Morocco. Each serves up food and beverages (including alcohol), and some have rides, too.

Disney World ticket prices drop the longer you stay. For example, five-day, one-park-per-day tickets average $643 (that’s $129 per day).

Optional Disney ticket upgrades include Lightning Lanes, which are priority queues for certain attractions, and Park Hopper tickets, which allow multiple park visits per day. Upgrades aside, here’s how much you should expect to spend on Disney tickets for two adults, based on number of theme park days:

Disney World hotels

The myriad of Disney-owned hotels offer options across price points. They range from Disney’s All-Star properties — which start at $128 per night, according to Disney trip planning website Touring Plans, and are considered Value properties — to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, which starts at $780 and is one of the most expensive Deluxe hotels.

Specific room rates vary based on check-in date and specific property, but here are average prices broken down by type and trip length, according to NerdWallet’s analysis:

Average Disney World hotel room costs

Even Disney’s cheapest hotel rooms are more expensive than what you might find elsewhere in the Orlando area. The average daily room rate across Orlando is just $186.49, according to Visit Orlando’s 2022 Travel Industry Indicators. That’s about 35% less than the $286 average price for the cheapest Disney resort.

Disney World food

NerdWallet researched average meal prices to find an estimate for the Disney World cost of food. Value meals consisted of an entree and drink, while meals placed in the Moderate or Deluxe tier (all served at table service restaurants with waitstaff) also included either an appetizer or dessert.

Here were average Disney World meal prices per person, based on restaurant tier:

Average Disney World food costs

Other activities and expenses

NerdWallet’s calculations did not factor in miscellaneous items and souvenirs, which you might want to account for when estimating your own trip to Disney World.

But NerdWallet’s seven-day trip estimations did consider other entertainment and activities, which are add-ons that Disney refers to as its "Enchanting Extras Collection." They include scuba diving, golf lessons and dessert cruises aligned to sail during the fireworks. (NerdWallet did not add the costs of these extras for shorter trips, given that most people would be devoting their time to the theme parks).

At Disney Springs, you can pay about $25 per person to ride in the world’s largest hand-painted helium balloon. (Photo courtesy of Disney)

Someone seeking a behind-the–scenes tour on a budget might book the $35, one-hour Behind the Seeds tour that takes you into Epcot’s fish farm and greenhouses. Longer and more expensive tours include the Animal Kingdom’s $199 Wild Africa Trek tour, which involves three hours of hiking, off-roading in a safari vehicle and traversing a rope bridge.

For couples taking seven night trips, here’s how much extra NerdWallet estimates you should budget for Disney World extras (for two people):

Value: $284.

Moderate: $443.

Deluxe: $911.

While not everyone will opt for these activities, many adult travelers might incorporate Disney Enchanting Extras in their budget for Disney World.

How couples can visit Disney World on a budget

Couples should expect to spend a minimum of $700 if staying on Disney property for one night and visiting the parks for one day.

For three-night stays (and two theme park days), costs inflate to a minimum of $1,800. And for seven-night stays with five theme park days, expect the trip to cost at least $4,000 if you’re low-frills. However, you might spend more than $10,000 across seven nights if you vacation like you’re keeping up with the Joneses. And that’s all before accounting for the cost to actually get there.

Planning a trip to Disney World on a budget is entirely possible. I proved it by paying just $1,600 for a five-day trip to Disney World that would have cost about $4,000 based on the receipt. To make it happen, I stayed at a “Good Neighbor Hotel” (more on those below), which was paid for with hotel loyalty points earned through the sign-up bonus on a Hilton-branded credit card. I also purchased discount Disney tickets through a travel agent.

Here are some strategies for couples planning a trip to Disney World on a budget:

Take advantage of the free or cheap activities outside the Disney parks, many of which are especially-appealing to adults.

Book Disney Good Neighbor Hotels, which are hotels owned by other large hotel chains. Cash rates are typically cheaper than those at Disney’s own hotels, and they can sometimes be booked for free (assuming you have hotel points earned through frequent stays or credit card rewards).

Commit to Disney’s free mass transit. While families might require a rental car to use their own car seat, adults can get away with relying solely on Disney’s extensive transportation network of boats, monorails, buses and gondolas, which are free to use.

Don’t be afraid to order the kids' meals. Particularly if dining at a counter-service restaurant, no one will know if you’re ordering a kids menu item to be consumed by an adult.

Methodology

To better understand what an average trip to Disney World for two adults costs, NerdWallet gathered more than 200 ticket prices, 550 Disney-owned hotel room rates and 100 additional activities and restaurant prices between April 2023 and April 2024. NerdWallet aggregated those figures to build sample trip budgets based on travel style and trip length and ultimately to determine how much a Disney trip for two costs.

NerdWallet’s trip costs start once you’re on property, thus don’t account for parking, airfare or driving costs. Here’s what’s included in each price tier:

Because Walt Disney World ticket prices vary by park, one-day ticket prices were based on Magic Kingdom admission. Two-day ticket prices were based on Magic Kingdom and Epcot. In addition, NerdWallet’s analysis did not account for Park Hopper tickets, which allow access to multiple theme parks per day.

And of course, these budgets for the average cost for a trip to Disney should be used to estimate — rather than determine — your own Disney trip costs. Couples who pack their own snacks might spend less on Disney food. Meanwhile, those using their Disney trip as a shopping spree should account for souvenir costs, alongside other potential extras like PhotoPass.

Sam Kemmis and Carissa Rawson contributed to this report.

(Top photo courtesy of Walt Disney World)