7 Things I Wish I Did BEFORE My Last Disney World Trip

It’s no secret that a trip to Disney World is expensive. From theme park tickets and accommodations to airfare or gas, the costs to book a trip are high. Then, there’s the question of spending while on your trip…

It can be very easy to drop a lot of money at Disney World if you’re not careful. In fact, it’s likely you may end up spending more ON the trip than it cost to book the trip. However, there is a way to keep your spending in check at Walt Disney World: BUDGETS. Next time you’re heading to the “Most Magical Place on Earth”, do your best to stick to the following to ease the pain on your wallet.

Meal Budget

So, let’s begin with meals. Now, food at Disney World is expensive; there’s no way around it. However, if you look at the menus of the restaurants you plan on eating at beforehand — which you should do, since you’ll likely need to book Advanced Dining Reservations beforehand — you should be able to formulate a rough idea of what each person will be ordering each meal, and budget accordingly.

Non-Meal Snack Budget

Beyond breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you should also put aside a rough snack budget. After all, DOLE Whips, ice cream, popcorn, Mickey Pretzels, and the like are arguably just as important to the Disney experience as any other meal.

Quick note: when it comes to meals, depending on how much you think you’re going to spend, you may want to consider the Disney Dining Plan. The current 2026 prices look like this:

• For adults, the Quick Service Disney Dining Plan will cost $60.47 per person, per night.
• For adults, the Standard Disney Dining Plan will cost $98.59 per person, per night.
• For children ages 3-9, the Quick Service Dining Plan will cost $26.16 per person, per night.
• For children ages 3-9, the Standard Disney Dining Plan will cost $31.94 per person, per night

There is one major discount to keep in mind, however: For the duration of 2026, you can get a FREE dining plan for kids (ages 3 to 9) when you purchase a Walt Disney Travel Company package that includes a room at a Disney Resorts Collection hotel and a dining plan for each Guest ages 10 and up. Always, always keep a lookout, as Disney will occasionally drop free dining for your entire party as a discount, and that can be a real money saver.

Drinking Around the World Budget

For the… older guests, drinking alcohol is just as important to a Disney trip as any food or drink, especially when it comes to Drinking Around the World at EPCOT. However, those drink prices can add up QUICK, so it’s important to have a separate budget set aside, particularly to imbibe on those international cocktails and beers. And of course, having a budget will also keep you from potentially over-imbibing, which is never a good idea.

Souvenir Budget

With food and drink out of the way, let’s move on to the next most “important” budget: Souvenirs. From ears to clothing to collectibles and pretty much every kind of product in between, the amount of souvenirs available at Walt Disney World can be overwhelming, and potentially lead to massive overspending if you’re not careful. Best way to go about this is to set up a daily souvenir budget — either one for the whole party or a certain amount per person — and STICK to it.

Transportation Budget

While all of Walt Disney World’s property is connected by a transportation apparatus that includes buses, boats, monorails, and the Skyliner, you should still set aside a budget for any potential off-property transportation, including an Uber or shuttle from the airport (We still miss you, Magical Express!)

Lightning Lane Budget

Finally, whether it’s buying Lightning Lane Multi Pass or an individual ride Lightning Lane Single Pass, you should set aside some money prior to your trip to plan and purchase any desired skip-the-line passes as soon as possible.  7 days in advance of the first day of your stay for the duration of your stay (up to 14 days) if you’re staying at a Disney hotel, and 3 days if you’re staying off property.

If all of this budgeting sounds overwhelming, we’d recommend putting the budgets on Disney Gift Cards…

…. that way you can keep everything neat and organized. 

This also makes it easier to set an exact number. You can keep track of how much you spent as you go and buy gift cards for exactly how much you plan to spend. On top of that, you can often save a few bucks before your trip by buying gift cards at places like Sam’s Club or Target! So it’s a win-win!

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Have any Disney budgeting tips? Let us know in the comments below.