Instead of asking “How much does Disney cost?”, it’s more useful to ask, “How much do we want to spend, and what kind of trip fits that number?”
This step‑by‑step process walks you from a vague idea to a concrete, realistic budget you can plan around.
1. Choose your trip “tier”
Start by deciding which type of trip feels right for your family right now, based on your season of life and priorities.
- Budget trip: Value resort or off‑site, mostly quick‑service meals, minimal extras
- Moderate trip: Moderate resort, mix of quick‑service and table service, some extras
- Deluxe trip: Deluxe resort or villa, more table service/character meals, special events or add‑ons
Use this as your first anchor. It doesn’t lock you in forever, but it gives you a starting frame for every other decision.
2. Set your total budget range in CAD
Next, decide on a realistic total range you’re comfortable with in Canadian dollars, before you get lost in details.
For example:
- “We’d like to stay between $7,000 and $9,000 CAD.”
- “Our absolute max is $12,000 CAD, but we’d love to keep it closer to $10,000 CAD.”
This isn’t about precision yet — it’s about agreeing on boundaries so every later choice has context.
3. Pick your dates and length of stay
Dates affect almost everything: flights, resort prices, ticket costs, and crowds.
- Decide time of year (e.g., early May, late August, early November).
- Decide trip length (e.g., 5 park days, 6 nights).
Then:
- If your dates are flexible, use that to chase lower prices.
- If your dates are fixed (school breaks, specific holidays), assume higher prices and tighten elsewhere.
This is often the point where Canadians realize they can bring the total down simply by shifting out of March Break or Christmas.
Check out the Best Times to Visit Disney World in 2026.
4. Allocate your budget by category
Now take your total budget and roughly split it into buckets. A simple starting point:
- Flights: ~20–30%
- Resort: ~30–40%
- Park tickets: ~25–30%
- Food: ~15–25%
- Transportation: ~3%
- Extras and Souvenirs: 5-10%
You can adjust these percentages depending on your priorities (e.g., if shorter lines and making the most of your time matters most, give the Extras a bigger slice to book lightning lanes).
For more details, check out How Much Does a Disney World Trip Cost.
5. Price out the “non-negotiables”
Some costs you can’t really skip:
- Park tickets: Choose your length (e.g., 4 or 5 days, base vs Park Hopper), then look at totals in CAD. Canadian Resident Offers are available for most of 2026 and assume those prices if you’re planning to visit when these offers apply.
- Flights: Get realistic estimates from your departure city for your chosen month, not just the cheapest flight you see once.
- Resort: Decide your category (Value/Moderate/Deluxe) and check typical nightly prices for your dates.
Add those three together and compare them with your total budget range.
If they already eat up most of it, that’s your signal to:
- trim days
- switch resort category
- or reconsider dates, possibly moving the trip to a non-peak period or out further before you emotionally commit.
6. Estimate food based on how you actually eat
Food is where budgets quietly blow up, especially in the Florida heat when everyone is hungrier and thirstier.
Think about your family honestly:
- Do you like sit‑down meals and lingering over dinner?
- Will you rope drop to fireworks, eating on the go?
- How many character meals do you really want, not “in a perfect world”?
Then choose one of these profiles and multiply:
- Quick‑service only plus snacks: $100 per adult/day
- Mix of QS + TS plus snacks: $150-200 per adult/day
- Character meals & table service focus plus snacks: $300+ per adult/day
Multiply by your number of trip days and family members, then compare to the food “bucket” you set in step 4. Adjust until it fits.
If using a dining plan, calculate whether:
- free kids’ dining pushes you toward the plan, or
- paying out of pocket makes more sense.
For more information, check out Dining at the Parks for details on dining.
7. Decide your approach to extras (Lightning Lanes, parties, souvenirs)
Extras are the silent budget killers because they don’t feel big individually.
List out what you might want:
- Lightning Lane Multi-Pass
- Individual Lightning Lane purchases
- After‑hours events or parties
- Dessert parties or special dining
- Souvenirs (Loungefly, toys, lightsabers, droids, magnets, keychains, bubble wands)
Then:
- Circle the must-haves.
- Put a realistic number beside each (even a range).
- Decide a hard cap for souvenirs ahead of time (e.g., “$300 total for the family” or “one big item per kid”).
Fold those totals into your extras/transportation bucket from step 4 and see if they still fit inside your overall budget.
For more information, check out Magical Extras: Lightning Lanes and Memory Maker.
8. Check everything against your total number and adjust
Now you’ve got:
- Flights estimate
- Resort total
- Tickets total
- Food estimate
- Extras & transportation
Add them up.
If the number is over your target, explore options:
- Shift resorts (Deluxe to Moderate, or Moderate to Value)
- Reduce the number of table‑service meals or special events
- Consider a lower‑cost travel window
- Trim souvenirs and “nice‑to‑have” extras
If the number is under your target:
- Decide where an upgrade would add the most joy:
- Better resort location?
- A character meal?
- A party or dessert event?
- Park Hopper instead of base tickets?
The goal isn’t to spend as much or as little as possible – it’s to spend in line with your values and priorities.
Pro-Tip: Booking only requires a CAD$280 deposit through the Disney website or an Authorized Disney Travel Agent, with the full balance due 30 days prior to your first trip day. Between the booking time and the payment deadline, you can pay monthly or you can even make payments when the exchange rate is more favourable.
Resources
Ready to budget your trip? Check out our Disney World Budget Planning Tool.
For helpful tips on saving money, visit our 20 Ways To Save Money at Disney World.
Prefer detailed guides? The Disney World Detailed Cost Guide (2026) is for you!