On Sunday night, November 20th, 2022, the shocking news dropped that Bob Chapek, CEO of the Walt Disney Company since February 2020, had been fired and would be replaced by former CEO Bob Iger. The initial reaction from Disney theme parks fans was one of joy and relief. Many had soured on the Disney parks experience for what they saw as nickle and diming things that used to be free. The general consensus online is the cost of a trip to Walt Disney World has increased while the experience has lost some of its magic. But how much has the cost increased? How many services that used to be free do you have to pay for now?
Over the Thanksgiving holiday of 2019, I booked my family a trip to Disney World for mid-February 2020. This past Thanksgiving 2022 weekend, I decided to price out the same exact trip for mid-February 2023 for fun in order to do as direct of a cost and experience comparison as I could. A pre-versus-post COVID Walt Disney World vacation comparison. Here’s what I found.
Walt Disney World 2020 Trip – Actual Cost
I booked our 2020 Disney World vacation on Thanksgiving Day, 2019. We stayed at the Pop Century Resort (due to the newly opened Skyliner) from Tuesday, February 11th to Saturday, February 20th (the week before President’s Day). During our visit, my son was six years old and my daughter was just under three, so we only had to purchase park tickets for three people (two adults, one child). We got 3-Day tickets with admission to one park per day where we visited Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Magic Kingdom.
The magic of a Disney vacation used to begin well before you set foot at the resort. One of the first steps was selecting which color MagicBand you wanted. These colorful wristbands could be used for entry to your hotel room, theme park entry, FastPass+, and Disney Photopass. They would arrive in some fancy packaging and would help get you excited for your trip at no additional cost.
MagicBands x4 = $0
If you were using the free Magical Express bus service to get from the airport to the resort, they would send you luggage tags in the mail as well. The Magical Express really was magical, especially for a family with young kids. You checked your bags at the airport and the next time you saw them would be after they magically appeared in your resort room. I cannot state how convenient and hassle free it was.
Magical Express Transportation = $0
With MyMagic+ we were able to reserve three Fastpasses per day for no additional cost. This allowed us to skip the lines on major rides like Frozen Ever After and Seven Dwarves Mine Ride.
FastPass = $0
We did purchase the Memory Maker photo pass service and we thought it was totally worth it. The photographers really go the extra mile to get that perfect shot.
Memory Maker = $169
Our room and ticket package included coupons for a free round of golf at Disney’s Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course which we took full advantage of (for better or for worse).
We also added on a quick service dining plan that included resort refillable cups as souvenirs. One thing I love about having a dining plan: it’s all paid for before you leave for your trip so you don’t have to think about money or be shocked by the cost of food items.
As for the experience, we had an amazing time surprising our kids with a trip to Disney World, as can be seen in the video below. There were so many magical moments.
The biggest headache was the stress of trying to get to Hollywood Studios in time and getting our boarding pass for what many consider to be the best ride at Walt Disney World – Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Since the Skyliner didn’t open early enough and the line for the bus was long, we spent $26 on the Minnie van service to take our family directly to the park (still a very stressful ride but we made it into the park in time and got a boarding group).
The total cost for all of the above was $2,598.45. That’s roughly $520 per day. Or $650 per person including the three year old.
Walt Disney World Pre-Covid Total Cost: $2,598.45
Walt Disney World 2023 Trip – Potential Cost
When I priced out our pretend 2023 Walt Disney World trip, I tried to keep as many of the variables the same as possible. I researched the trip the same time of year (Thanksgiving) to occur over the same time period, February 14 through 18, the week before President’s Day. Four nights at Pop Century would cost $1,000. Now I don’t have the exact cost of just the hotel room from our previous stay but I believe this cost did increase.
4 nights at Pop Century = $1,000.14
Even though my daughter is older, I priced out the trip as if she were still three so we would need the same amount of tickets. Disney World tickets are roughly $149 per person per day (does not include park hopper).
3-Day 1 Park-Per-Day Tickets = $1,338.17
MagicBands are no longer free. The cheapest ones I see on shopDisney are $34.99!
Magic Bands x4 = $139.96
*update: I was informed you can buy new MagicBands for as cheap as $10. You don’t *need* Magicbands anymore but again we are going a direct comparison.
Since the Magical Express is no more, you have to find an alternative way to get from MCO to your resort hotel.
Round trip bus transportation = $90
Genie+ = $20 x 3 guests x 3 days = $180
Lightning Lanes = $102 for Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride ($12/each) and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance ($22/each)
Just to keep the comparison the same, we’ll through in the cost of a round of miniature golf = $14 + $12
Disney’s Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course = $26
(Update: I’ve been told you can still get golf for free).
Currently, the dining plans are still suspended, so I estimated $120 for food per day. Do you think that is too low? Let me know in the comments below.
Dining = $480
I did not add the cost of a Minnie Van because I assume boarding groups are not a thing and you can use LL to get on Rise.
Total estimated cost of taking the same Walt Disney World vacation in 2023 is…
Walt Disney World Post-Covid Total Cost: $3,553.27
Walt Disney World Cost Comparison Summary
To take the exact same trip just three years later is an increase of $955 or roughly 37%. However, since my daughter is older, if we took this trip now it would actually cost $3,975.37, an increase of $1,377 or roughly 53% increase.
Sep 27, 2023: Updated the graphic to better clarify the direct comparison aspect. As you can see, with inflation adjustment added, the biggest variable that increases the cost of the trip is food.
But it’s not just the cost increases. The trip would also be less convenient and magical. Additional headaches I would anticipate include:
- Purchasing MagicBands
- Purchasing and managing transportation separately
- Waiting for suitcases at baggage claim and dragging them around the airport
- Researching and understanding the differences between Genie/Genie+, how they work, if you really need them, etc.
- Researching Lightning Lane and being on your phone most of the day while in the park
- No dining plan
And on top of it all, I haven’t even begun to try to understand the theme park reservation system.
By this quick research, it does indeed appear you will pay between 30 and 50% more for your Walt Disney World vacation for a lesser experience rife with more potential headaches.
Do you agree with all my cost estimates for 2023? Have you been to Walt Disney World pre and post Covid? What’s your experience been like? I’d love to hear from someone who has visited on both sides of the pandemic. Let us know in the comments below!
Recent Discussion