Two years ago, I wrote a post on our super expensive day visiting Disney World. At the time I hoped it would be our last visit, but nope. This January we ended up getting 3-day “Florida Resident” tickets for $219+tax per person. While it’s a very good price compared to normal rates, it still set us back almost $1k before we even entered the parks.
But kids and husband really wanted to go, and I like making my family happy. As most readers of this blog know, unlike Nancy, I’m not a Disney fanatic. That said, I do appreciate Disney’s emphasis on quality and innovation. Clearly, they aren’t resting on their laurels, but constantly investing in new rides and experiences.
Of course, all of that comes at a steep price that for me personally is somewhat hard to justify. Especially when you multiply it x4. I also have a tough time with the crowds which are part of the deal if you want to visit Disney parks. But ever since they added the Star Wars section, it really piqued my husband’s interest. And of course, like most kids, mine absolutely love anything Disney-related. So my initial no turned into maybe, and then we ended up going again this year. For the last time. I think…
I will do a separate post on hotels we stayed at, as well as my thoughts on “on-site vs. off-site” argument at a later time. Right now I want to focus on the actual experience of visiting Disney parks in 2024.
Rigid planning vs. going with the flow
I’ve mentioned it before, but if you are not a planner, going to Disney parks will likely mean spending most of your day in lines. If you are into that sort of thing, you are in for a treat! For the rest of you trying to get decent ROI when it comes to your hard-earned money, you must familiarize yourself with My Disney Experience app. There is just no way around it. It is confusing and there are some weird rules you have to follow, but trust me on that one. I recommend you read this guide on Mousehacking blog for all the ins and outs. Several times.
I also recommend you make peace with paying extra for Genie+ in order to skip the line for certain popular attractions. If you don’t, you will end up wasting a lot of your precious time. And time is money when it comes to Disney parks. The cost varies, but I paid $15 per person/per day in Animal Kingdom for me and my son. Magic Kingdom can run at $20 per person or more. You should also consider splurging on individual lightning lanes if your budget can handle it. Yes, it stinks to pay extra, but this will directly impact your family’s enjoyment of Disney World parks.
Let me give you an actual example. My son really wanted to visit Animal Kingdom, but my daughter has already been there a few times. So, I took my son to the former park and the other half of the family went to Magic Kingdom. It takes us awhile to get going in the morning, so we entered Animal Kingdom around 10:30 AM. That day I actually dragged my feet on buying Genie+, but decided to go for it. I also splurged on individual lighting lane for Avatar Flight of Passage (an additional $20 per person).
As a result, we were able to do four of the most popular rides in the span of four hours: Avatar Flight of Passage, Kilimanjaro Safari, Expedition Everest and Dinosaur. We also stopped for breaks, looked at various animals and spent about an hour on a leisurely lunch. All of these rides had 1- 1.5 hour wait at the time of our visit. We didn’t end up doing Navi River Journey, but there was a good reason for that.
I checked with the ticket counter and we were able to add park hopper benefits to our tickets ($42 extra per person), something I didn’t think was possible. But I’m glad I asked. That allowed us to go to Magic Kingdom via bus and meet up with the rest of the family around 3:00 PM. On my way there I kept checking the app and was able to get an individual lighting lane for Tron ride for me and my son (extra $20 per person). If I didn’t splurge on Genie+, it would take us all day to do those four attractions in Animal Kingdom. As a result, going to Magic Kingdom would not be an option. My son was thrilled when I told him he would get both parks on the same day with the Tron ride to boot.
Note that I was very fortunate that things worked out the way they did. That day Animal Kingdom wasn’t super crowded, so most of the popular rides still had Genie+ option available by 10:30 AM. These do get fully booked up, depending on attendance level. So, my biggest piece of advice is to set an alarm at 6:50 AM, buy Genie+ upgrade and reserve your first ride at 7:00 AM on the day of your visit.
But pick wisely. For example, the most popular Genie+ ride in Epcot is currently Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and I highly recommend it. Again, you have to be quick. I ended up reserving it at 7:10 AM, and only 4:30 PM slot was still available. I accepted it, but later realized that it wouldn’t work with some of our existing plans. By 9:00 AM the only Remy’s slot available was at 8:00 pm and I reluctantly switched to it. And it’s a good thing I did, as later on Remy’s ride wasn’t available via Genie+ for the rest of the day. Of course, we could have waited in a regular line, but it would take us 80 minutes or longer. We also saved an hour waiting in line by reserving Soarin’ ride via Genie+.
Sadly, we weren’t able to get on a Frozen Ever After ride, as all the slots were taken by the time I was eligible to make my next selection. That would be at 11 AM, two hours after Epcot officially opened. So, decide which ride is non-negotiable for your family when it comes to Genie+. We were too tired to stand an hour for Frozen, though now I kind of wish we did.
Epcot was packed on the day of our visit due to spring break and Flower and Garden festival taking place. An absolute zoo, but a gorgeous one. My allergies were out of control, so I’m glad I brought some medication with me.
Two Disney rides are currently only available via Virtual Queue (free) or Individual Lightning Lane purchase. They are Tron (Magic Kingdom) and Guardians of the Galaxy (Epcot). You can’t just show up and stand in line for those, you have to plan ahead. I was able to get a virtual queue spot for both rides by getting up at 6:50 AM and refreshing the app right at 7:00 AM. That’s what I recommend you do as well. Plus, it will save you $20 per person, which is not too shabby. And that’s assuming LL will even be available later on. If you don’t want to get up at 7 AM, you will have another chance at 1 PM, but I personally wouldn’t take that risk. The virtual queue spots are usually gone within minutes, sometimes seconds.
So, the order of business goes like this. You get up at 6:50 AM and purchase your Genie+ access for everyone in your party. Once that’s done, you focus on getting a virtual queue spot for Tron or Guardians if you happen to be going to Magic Kingdom or Epcot that day. When that’s taken care of, make your first Genie+ selection ASAP. Obviously, that’s something you will have to research ahead of time.
If you are staying at a Disney hotel, you will also be able to buy an individual lightning lane at 7 AM, so prioritize that before making your first Genie+ selection. This is crucial for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance ride, less so for other attractions. Offsite guests will have to wait until that particular park opens.
If that doesn’t sound like a real vacation, it’s not! Going to Disney World is a lot of work, especially if you want to have a relatively smooth experience. You can’t do a whole lot about the crowds (though do avoid holidays if you can), but at least you can minimize standing in lines by paying extra and waking up early. Again, familiarize yourself with the Disney app system ahead of time and be prompt. Boom, that’s the secret sauce.
If you have a medical condition that prevents you from standing in line, you may qualify for DAS pass at no charge. Anxiety reportedly qualifies.
Tron ride vs. Guardians of the Galaxy
I don’t want to give any spoilers and recommend you don’t do too much research on these rides ahead of time. Both are incredible, but to me Guardians is way better, hands down. It’s not even close and my whole family agreed on this, by the way. This ride absolutely blew my mind. In fact, I think it’s worth going to Epcot just to ride Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s that good.
Tron was pretty neat, and I’m actually a fan of the original movie. But I’m really glad that I did that one first, and recommend you do the rides in that order as well.
Be aware, if you are overweight, you might not fit on Tron ride, so do some research ahead of time. Also, if you had a back surgery, you may have to sit that one out.
Overall, I give both rides thumbs up, it’s a matter of personal taste as to which one is better. But if you can only do one, Guardians it is. Do. Not. Miss.
Thoughts on booking specialty dining
We ended up going to Oga’s Cantina and Space 220 Lounge as a family, and my husband and daughter dined at Be My Guest. The last one costs $60 per person, but my husband really wanted a special time with our daughter, so I didn’t object. Out of the three places, the hardest one to get a reservation for is Space 220 Lounge, by far. In my opinion, neither experience is a must.
We originally had a reservation for Space 220 restaurant, but I switched to the lounge when I saw a cancellation on the day of our visit. Why? The cost. With the restaurant you are locked into $60 per person pre-fixe lunch, and that’s $240 for my family before drinks and tips. With the lounge you can just order drinks and appetizers, and we still ended up spending $120 total.
The atmosphere is neat since it looks like you are dining in space.
Occasionally, there are fun surprises appearing on the screen:
But I don’t think it’s worth $60 per person for lunch, so my advice is to only go if you can secure a reservation for the lounge section, not the restaurant. You have to be extremely quick when you see an available slot, as it took me three tries to finally get one to go through. Don’t be picky, take whatever you can get.
And of course, the reservation happened to be at the same time as we got called (via app) for our Guardians of the Galaxy ride. You have an hour to enter after your group is called, so I was a bit nervous going to Space 220 lounge. However, the waiter said that we can simply bring our Space 220 receipt (with the time stamp) and they will let us access the Guardians ride even if we are late. We ended up making it with a few minutes to spare.
Your best shot will be to obsessively watch for cancellations on the day of your visit, or by booking a stay at a Disney hotel (those guests get access to dining reservations before regular folks do).
Oga’s Cantina is kind of fun, but super loud. Plus, you will likely have to share a table with strangers. But it was neat to try once, though I don’t think you should go out of your way for it.
My husband and daughter enjoyed Be Our Guest dinner, but at $60 per person (before drinks and tip), it’s a very expensive splurge.
But they were happy, so I’m happy.
Bottom line: if you are on a tight budget, your money will be better spent on Genie+ and individual lightning lanes. Space 220 Lounge would be my pick if you can only afford one specialty dining, but even that is not a must. Remember, you will feel like you are in space when you do a Rise of the Resistance ride in Hollywood Studios (highly recommended and ties with Guardians as my favorite). To me Space 220 is a poor imitation. Don’t be disappointed if you can’t snap up a reservation.
How much we spent
As mentioned earlier, the 3-day tickets set us back almost $1k. Between Genie +, individual lanes, specialty dining, souvenirs and a lightsaber building experience for my husband we spent another $1k. We drove to Orlando and visited Disney parks over two weekends, so let’s add a tank of gas. Fortunately, hotels were a relative bargain, as I used IHG and Hyatt certificates for our five nights in the area. In total, we probably spent around $2,500.
I won’t sugarcoat it. A family trip to Disney will be expensive even if you cut out all the “fat” and only focus on the basics. You can reduce your expenses somewhat by applying for cards like Capital One Venture Rewards card (our affiliate link). The offer is 75,000 Capital One miles after you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months, $95 fee is not waved. You can use the bonus to offset $750 of travel charges, though I don’t believe Disney codes as travel.
Was it worth it? That’s a hard one to answer. It was 100% worth it for kids, which was the main reason we went. I will say I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, and new Tron and Guardians rides were the main reason why. I also loved looking at flowers at Epcot and trying out different foods, always a treat.
I still hate Disney crowds, but that’s not going to change anytime soon. The demand far outstrips supply, even with barriers to entry like Genie + upgrade. That’s why I don’t fault Disney for constantly raising their prices, as people are happy to pay. Well, maybe “happy” is not the right word, but you get my point.
We had many special moments in the parks, and that’s what I will ultimately remember and not the money we spent. My favorite memory is probably walking around Animal Kingdom with my son and seeing a big smile on his face. He was so happy, he even let me hold his hand. If you have teenagers, you know that’s a minor miracle!
But I think this is it for us as far as Disney parks go. Next up is Super Nintendo World that is set to open in Universal Studios in 2025. My kids can hardly wait. Ugh, I better start saving another $2k.
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
@Boonie I still enjoy it other than the crowds, but it does require a lot of preparation. And prices have become eye-watering lately. That said, Disney offers a unique product you can’t get anywhere else. I can’t offer my kids a comparable trip since it doesn’t exist.
Used to love going to Disney at least once a year especially being a DVC owner but taking a pause. Just seems like so much work and money but Epcot is my favorite park so do miss it. I’ve been experiencing other beautiful parts of Florida that are just more relaxing and very little to plan ahead!
This blog is on a Road Trip to Disneyland by the author. Disneyland is a beautiful places to travel and very interesting place too.
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@Christian I hear you! You know, I wonder why Disney corporation won’t consider building a replica of existing parks somewhere on Georgia coast or perhaps in Atlanta. It would still be warm enough to visit most of the year, and would alleviate the crowds substantially. I’m sure it’s a monumental undertaking, but seems like a no-brainer to me. The current crowds in Disney World are really getting out of control, especially in high season. The only two things Disney can do is either raise the prices or have limited number of entries each day (like at the height of Covid pandemic). The negative PR from raising prices (which are already high) would be insane, plus they have to compete with Universal Studios. And they are unlikely to turn away visitors, though they really should during certain weeks like Christmas and such.
@Projectx Wow, you sure used the heck out of that Genie+! That’s impressive. My family likes to meander and stop at shops, so it would be hard for us to replicate something like that. We did average 3 rides per day, actually.
When I went to Animal Kingdom with just my son, we were far more focused. Plus, I’m not into shopping, especially at inflated prices.
I didn’t mean to suggest that Oga’s Cantina isn’t fun. I did enjoy it, but don’t feel it’s a must-do. But it’s definitely a matter of preference, and I get where you are coming from. Also, I don’t think sharing a table with strangers is a deal breaker, just something readers should be aware of. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. I think my biggest issue was loud music which made it hard to have a conversation with my husband. Then again, it is supposed to be a party place.
I’m from Florida and have visited WDW over 30 times since it opened when I was very young. It really hurts my heart to read and see how the company rapaciously soaks visitors at every turn while also packing people in like sardines. It’s really the worst of all worlds and – corny as it sounds – it’s the antithesis of what Walt wanted. I have so many great memories of Disney World and it just distresses me to think about how the parks are destroying the opportunity for current generations to gain those same sets of memories due to a shortsighted lust for profit. Or maybe I’m just living in a past that no longer exists.
We made our “swan song” in November of 2022. Spent 8 nights on property, and also made a visit to Discovery Cove. We have many fond memories of our visits, but that was probably the last one. I think. 🙂
There’s definitely pros and cons to Genie plus. Yes, if you want to get the most out of it, you need to do your research and plan. But when you know all the tricks, it’s incredibly rewarding. You know how Disney says you can expect up to three lightning lanes in a day. One day in Magic Kingdom (during Thanksgiving week), we snagged 12. Yes, 12. And that was in addition to the handful of attractions we basically walked on in the standby line.
I’ll have to respectfully disagree with you on Oga’s Cantina. We all thought it was AMAZING, can’t miss! The energy, theming, and vibe of the place is off the charts. We didn’t have to share a table with anyone else, not that I would care if we did though. It just felt like party central in there!
Up next… Universal!
@fitt2ravels There is a ton to do in Florida beyond amusement parks. My personal favorites are St. Augustine and the Keys. I never get tired of visiting those two places. The best part is that we can get to either one in just 4 hours by car due to living in central Florida.
I don’t think having dining reservations in Disney is that critical. For one, people cancel all the time. The deadline for free cancellations is now 2 hours instead of 24. Plus, having now been to two of the most popular restaurants in Disney, I can say that both are kind of overrated. I would regret spending $300 on lunch for my family in Space 220 restaurant. I’m glad it was “only” $120 in the lounge, and even that was too much IMO.
I’ve also labeled our upcoming as our Final trip. Though when I say final it’s pertaining to being all about Disney. I mean living in NY State we will be glad to make trips to FL. But they will be centered more around FL as there is a lot to do there. Back to the Beaches, local eateries and shopping.
With that being said we are going to Disney with no dining plans. Just going to wing it. I mean we have a few places in mind so will just go from there.
@Kelly It was Staybridge Suites Orlando Royale Parc Suites using IHG certificates. I plan to do a review, for sure. The short version is that it’s a basic property with clean suites that have been recently remodeled. However, the “bones” of the hotel are quite old and it shows. Doors in the suite don’t close easily due to being warped. Breakfast room is completely packed at all times, it’s a zoo. But for $49 per night (with free breakfast) I can’t complain and would return. Location was quite good in relation to Disney parks.
Can I ask which IHG property you stayed at?
@bc Totally! I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it, as I’m not really a rollercoaster junkie. But this ride is so much more than that.
I was skeptical beforehand, but I’m pretty sure Guardians is the best ride in the entire world. Especially when you get Tears for Fears “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”.