I'm new here. How much would it cost for a solo traveler?

[giobsar]

HI, I'm new here. Long time Disney enjoyer, never visited Disney world, and would love to make new friends here as well.

I've always wanted to have a trip to Walt Disney World, and i'd like to start saving up, but i'm not sure how much it would cost me.

In your own experience for a full solo trip maybe 5-6 days with a visit to all 4 parks and good meals throughout the trip, gifts/merch, and preferred to stay at one of their hotels.

so far I'm thinking $2000-3000 would be good enough for what I want? I would love to hear from the more experienced goers

 

[Skippyboo]

You can price it out on the WDW website- hotel, tickets put in dining plan for food costs. Hotels and tickets prices are date based so your hotel will cost more in December versus September.

 

[fla4fun]

The price will vary a lot based on which hotel you select. It’s a lot cheaper at the All Stars than at the Grand Floridian or Poly. I agree with the poster who suggested going to the Disney website and pricing out different options.

I have stayed solo at WDW many, many times. The room renovations at the value resorts made the rooms very comfortable for a solo guest, since the second bed folds up and gives you a lot of floor space. I actually prefer them now to the moderates and deluxe/DVC resorts. But I would suggest looking at the amenities list for each level of resort, and pricing out some at each level as well, so you have an idea as to what you get for your money in each price range.

Food will be another big expense to budget for. You can get a package which includes the dining plan along with your tickets and room, but many people have said that the dining plan is more about convenience than saving money. When I go solo, I usually stick with quick service meals, as I can be more spontaneous and focus on attractions that way. However, some people prefer taking a breaks in a table service restaurants instead. You can look at the menus for the individual restaurants on their website as well to get a ballpark figure to budget per day, and to compare what you might order against the cost of the dining plan.

For a first time visit, I would suggest that once you decide on a budget, add in an extra ten percent overall for unexpected expenses that perhaps you didn’t consider. Maybe you will be tired at the end of the day and choose to take a ride share back to your resort instead of Disney transport. Maybe you will find one more souvenir than you had planned for. If you don’t spend the extra, you haven’t lost anything, but if you need it and don’t have it, it could put a damper on your trip.

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

Its pretty easy for you to figure this out yourself by going to the Disney website and pricing it out.

 

[TinkAgainU]

I would guess $3,000 minimum - but as others said - flight and hotel charges can vary a Lot.

Hotel

Airfare & Baggage Fees

Airport Parking or Uber to Airport

Dog Sitter

Car Rental or Ubers in FL

WDW Tickets (Include Genie+ or ILLs)

WDW Special Events

Sit Down Meals

Souvenirs (Hard to avoid lol)

Trip Specific Clothes

 

[disneydreamer1980]

As others have said, dont forget to factor in money for incidentals like tips, tax, extra drinks throughout the day, Ubers and so on. They really add up. You can save up money to spend on property on Disney gift cards and buy them at a small discount (5% off using target red card at target, Costco/sams club usually also have discounted Disney gift cards). Have fun!

 

[kylenne]

Like others have said, it varies wildly depending on your preferences and priorities, just like a trip with other people would. Accommodation is most likely going to be your biggest expense and that has a very wide possible range. Many solo guests prefer Pop due to the Skyliner access and hitting the parks hard, but I still have a lot of down time on my solo trips thus I value deluxe level amenities and walkability to parks so I can take resort breaks quickly. Thing is, I’m an AP and always fly down on points, so what I save on tickets and flights tends to go toward my resort. I also do a lot less TS dining on solo trips, tending toward lounges, so that’s another area I save on.

All this to say, I would consider how you want to do the parks, what your ideal trip would look like and what your priorities are when determining your budget. If all you want to do is commando tour and just need a place to shower and sleep, it doesn’t make sense to stay at a more expensive resort. If the idea of going to more than one park in a day is unappealing, you won’t need hoppers. And so on.

 

[zackiedawg]

I'd say you're in the ballpark. You can run an average of around $400 per day if you're staying at one of the budget properties, eating some table service mixed with some quick service throughout, to around $600 per day if you're doing park hoppers, Genie+, lightning lanes, and higher end restaurants plus cocktails/alcohol. That's for hotel, food, tickets, and averaging in flight and transportation. Buying gifts/souvenirs would be added. Of course, you could bust those numbers wide open if you're doing all high-end restaurants, staying at the most expensive resort, and doing lots of wines/high-end cocktails at dinner and after, or buying any of the 'special' packages like night safaris, backstage tours, or a concierge.

 

[Mtraynom]

I just booked my first solo trip, and I wanted to stay in a deluxe. I rented DVC points and it was so much cheaper. If you can plan ahead, you might want to look at that as an option.

 

[Becca43]

Agree with the advice above to plan out your trip using the WDW website as it will vary a lot based on where you would prefer to stay and dine. Plus, the time of year will also have an impact as well. That said, I did a solo trip to WDW in January of this year that is similar to what you are describing (5 nights, 6 days totals, with one day at each park), and I am happy to share roughly what it cost me:

• Hotel (Disney's All-Star Music Resort): ~$710 USD incl. tax
• Tickets (4-day standard ticket via Undercover Tourist): ~$550 USD incl. tax
• Flight (round trip): ~$340 CAD incl. tax
• Mears to and from MCO to hotel: ~$34 USD incl. tax

I think those were the biggest expenses for my solo trip on a budget, so hopefully that gives you a ballpark re: the essentials. Of course you then have to factor in dining and any extras as per your choice (ex. Genie+, ILL, souvenirs, etc.), so it really does come down to time of year, preferences, and where you are travelling to Orlando from. But hopefully this is helpful as a starting point. Happy travels!

 

[giobsar]

I just booked my first solo trip, and I wanted to stay in a deluxe. I rented DVC points and it was so much cheaper. If you can plan ahead, you might want to look at that as an option.

renting dvc points? how much would that cost? i've been reading up on it but im not exactly sure how those work

 

[Mtraynom]

renting dvc points? how much would that cost? i've been reading up on it but im not exactly sure how those work

I used David's Vacation Club rentals. On the website, you can choose the dates you are interested in, and it will tell you how much each resort would cost. It saved me quite a bit, I could not afford to stay at Boardwalk without renting points.

 

[kwdw]

I’ve done multiple solo trips this year and the price of the trips has varied widely. I tend to book a standard room All Star resort to not waste money on lodging. For me, the room is great for a solo. I order groceries and water and even though I always have leftovers, I save bunch. Most trips, I’ve spent very little in souvenirs (<50 dollars) but this upcoming trip I plan to buy a few things I’ve been thinking about and plan to spend 200-300 dollars. For a first timer, souvenirs will be higher unless you are resistant.

David’s or DVC Rental Store are both great for renting DVC points and I recommend both companies, but as an AP holder this year, I got 35% off a stay at SSR for this next trip on the Disney website and hence, I’m splurging on a nicer resort this time. It’s still way more than a discounted room at a value. I did one DVC rental this past year, too

Alcoholic drinks, coffee drinks, and lots of sodas can impact your budget, too. I drink a ton of water and little else. Drink choices could easily impact your budget by $30-$75 per day.

I would not get a dining plan as solo. Look for room discounts instead! I do eat some TS meals solo, and for first timer, I recommend no more than one a day. But note, this next four day trip, I expected to eat one TS meal. Groceries in my room, QS meals and snacks are planned this trip. While lots of solos like lounge dining, I don’t. Some solos won’t do a character meal alone, but I do.

Basically, you can spend $500 a day or $2000 a day very easily, so you gotta decide your price point.

Lodging is the biggest price point decision.

 

[disneyfam22]

When my husband and I went in November 2021, we spent 4 days at WDW and 1 day park to park at Universal Studios. Spent total of ~$2800 including lodging, transportation, pet boarding, theme park tickets, food, souvenirs, etc

 

[CoachBeard]

My last trip January of this year broke down as such:
- 8 day park hopper $784
- Renting DVC points 2 nights Boulder Ridge (studio), 5 nights SSR (studio), 2 nights Riviera tower studio $2360
Flights LAX>MCO round trip $573.65
Airport parking $190
Genie + $275 (approx)
Allocated for food/drink/souvenirs/tour/sangria class $2200

I saved and paid for this using a bonus and also saving money. Selling things I had over the course of 11 months post booking the rooms.

So in total give or take I spent about $6300 for a 10 day trip. I did not go a very budget conscious route and next time around I will probably not buy genie+ and probably eat more frugally since I’ve experienced the nicer restaurants and checked them off the list. Booze was a big part of that bill too.


Edit: I should also note that I paid for nearly everything on site with gift cards. I was able to get a deal on 2 $250 cards from Costco at a discount and the rest I purchased using my target red card for 5% off so I saved a few hundred bucks that way.

 

[jazzsmith]

For a 5-6 day trip with visits to all four parks, good meals, and staying at a Disney hotel, your budget of $2000-3000 sounds reasonable. Consider reading MakeMyTrip reviews for potential deals and packages that could help you save some money. Don't forget to allocate some extra funds for souvenirs and unexpected expenses. Have an amazing trip!

 

[MIGrandma]

I just booked my first solo trip…today. I am staying 7 nights at Port Orleans Riverside, with 6-day park ticket with park hopper, and quick service dining plan and it was $3467.45. I still have to pay for airfare (from Detroit, Michigan) too. And there will be extras like Mears for transportation to/from the airport, tips, drinks, etc.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

Edited.