When planning a trip to a Disney theme park, one of the first decisions you’ll need to make is whether to purchase park tickets separately or as part of a vacation package. There are pros and cons to both options, and the best choice often depends on the details of your specific travel plans.
The Potential Benefits of Disney Packages
The main potential advantage of purchasing Disney theme park tickets as part of a package is cost savings. Disney packages bundle together park tickets with hotel accommodations and sometimes other add-ons like dining plans or airport transfers. By packaging multiple elements of your vacation together, Disney is sometimes able to offer discounts that could make a package cheaper overall than purchasing each piece separately.
Some key ways Disney packages can lead to savings include:
- Room discounts – Packages will frequently include discounts on Disney-owned hotels of up to 25% or more.
- Park ticket discounts – Packages may bundle park tickets at 10-20% off gate pricing.
- Dining plan discounts – Disney Resort packages can include a dining plan for a discount of up to 20% compared to regular pricing.
- Deals during slower seasons – Disney will offer packages at significant discounts during slower times of year to incentivize travel.
- Bundling discounts – Sometimes discounts are offered on packages that bundle tickets with hotels, dining, etc. that are not available when purchasing those items separately.
In addition to potential cost savings, another advantage of packages is convenience. Having park tickets, accommodations, dining and other elements bundled together into one booking can significantly simplify planning. This makes packages especially appealing for first-time Disney travelers who may find navigating separate purchases more complicated.
The Potential Drawbacks of Packages
Although packages can offer major savings and convenience benefits in some cases, they also have some potential drawbacks and limitations to be aware of:
- Limited flexibility – Packages require you to book everything together in advance and changes can be difficult and costly.
- Requirement to stay at Disney hotel – The best package discounts are usually reserved for guests staying at a Disney Resort hotel.
- Minimum stay requirements – Many packages have minimum stay lengths such as 3-5 nights during peak seasons.
- Potential for excess costs – Packages with dining plans and other add-ons may lead some guests to overspend on food or other extras.
- No savings during peak seasons – Packages frequently don???t offer significant discounts during the busiest travel seasons.
The limited flexibility of packages is especially important to factor in. With a package, you are locked into specific hotel dates and ticket dates. If plans change, making alterations to packages can be very costly in terms of change fees or new booking prices. For guests who might need more flexibility in their plans, purchasing elements like park tickets and hotel stays separately can allow for easier date modifications.
Comparing Ticket-Only Pricing
In order to determine if a Disney World package is cheaper than buying separately, you???ll need to break it down and look at the ticket pricing:
Disney World Ticket Types
Disney World offers several tiers of single day tickets at different pricing levels depending on the dates you visit:
- Value: Lowest priced days typically during off-peak seasons
- Regular: Standard day prices during common travelling times
- Peak: Highest priced days during the busiest times like holidays or summer
The exact calendar for each tier changes annually, but this model allows Disney to charge more during predictably busier seasons. Disney also offers multiple day tickets ranging from 2-10 days on its websites. These range from small savings over single day tickets to nearly 35% off on 10-day tickets.
When comparing package pricing, pay close attention to whether the included tickets are 1-day or multiple day. Packages with 6-10 day ticket tend to offer the best ticket savings.
2022 Disney World Ticket Prices
Below were the single day, per-park ticket prices for 2022 tickets:
| Tier | Adult Price | Child Price (ages 3-9) |
|---|---|---|
| Value | $109 | $104 |
| Regular | $129 | $124 |
| Peak | $159 | $154 |
To visit all 4 Disney World theme parks required buying a 4-park Magic Ticket. For reference, here were the 2022 prices for 4-park magic tickets by length:
| Ticket Length | Adult Price | Child Price (ages 3-9) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Days | $283 | $270 |
| 3 Days | $343 | $327 |
| 4 Days | $395 | $375 |
| 5 Days | $415 | $395 |
| 6 Days | $435 | $415 |
| 7 Days | $455 | $435 |
| 8 Days | $475 | $455 |
| 9 Days | $495 | $475 |
| 10 Days | $515 | $495 |
These prices offer savings of 10-35% compared to buying single day tickets. When pricing a Disney World package, compare the included ticket length and type to the rates above to value the ticket portion.
Factors Affecting Package Savings
Whether or not a Disney World package saves money over individual purchases depends heavily on the details. Here are some key factors that impact potential savings:
Resort Hotel Tier
Disney has a wide range of resorts from budget to luxury levels. Packages with Value resort hotel tiers tend to offer the best room discounts of up to 25% off. Discounts on Deluxe resorts are typically lower at around 10-15% discounts in packages.
Dates of Travel
Disney packages offer the biggest hotel and ticket discounts during off-peak times in fall, early winter, and spring. Savings are lower and packages less likely to save money during peak Spring Break, summer and holidays.
Ticket Length
As shown above, packages with longer 6-10 day tickets bundled offer better ticket discounts. Packages are less likely to save money if only including 1-2 day ticket lengths.
Number of People
Larger families can find better package savings by taking advantage of bundled ticket and hotel room discounts. Packages can be less competitive for couples or solo travelers where bundle discounts provide less benefit.
Add-Ons
Packages with lots of add-ons like dining plans and upgraded park hopper or waterpark tickets are less likely to save money over buying those items separately.
How to Calculate Package Savings
To determine if a specific Disney World package saves money, follow these steps:
- Break out the base price of the room nights at the included hotel and compare to the regular room rates for your travel dates. Calculate the room discount percentage.
- Check the main Disney World tickets page to find the regular price for the included ticket length and days. Compare to package ticket pricing to find the ticket discount percentage.
- Research add-on costs like dining plans separately to see if they are discounted.
- Calculate the total discount % on the package price by factoring any discounts on tickets, hotel, and add-ons.
- Compare the total package price and discount % to estimated costs of purchases all elements separately.
Doing this full price comparison is really the only way to determine if a specific Disney package is cheaper than buying everything individually. Since deals vary by resort, dates, and other factors, there is no universal rule of thumb.
Third Party Packages
In additional to packages offered directly by Disney, many third party sellers like travel agents, airlines, and booking sites also offer competitive Disney bundles. These can include perks like discounted airfare, airport transfers, expanded hotel choices outside the Disney resorts, and bonus features.
The savings calculation process is largely the same as for Disney packages when comparing third party options. Look at the base pricing on included elements vs buying separately. Also pay attention to any added perks like airfare credits that can improve the deal.
Room-Only Discounts
Instead of a full vacation package, one option is to book a room-only discount at a Disney resort hotel. These discounts are offered at certain times of year at rates 10-35% below rack room rates. This allows you to score resort hotel savings without a package.
Comparing a room-only discount price to package rates at your preferred hotel is a great way to assess potential savings either way. If the package doesn???t save much more on the room + tickets after accounting for discounts, a room-only sale may be the better deal.
Purchase Separately
Don’t forget that purchasing park tickets, hotel rooms, dining, and other elements separately remains an option as well. This gives you maximum flexibility in choosing hotels, ticket options, dates, etc.
Run the numbers on a package vs buying separately across your entire stay. While there are sometimes significant package savings, other times buying separately can be cheaper or offer more customization.
Ways to Save on Tickets
If purchasing Disney World tickets separately, here are some of the best ways to save:
- Buy longer multi-day tickets – As shown above, the longer the ticket, the deeper the discount.
- Consider late close theme park tickets – These allow late entry some evenings at lower prices.
- Look for special add-on promotions – Occasional promotions will offer discounts on adding park hoppers, waterparks or other options.
- Seek out ticket reseller discounts – Reputable resellers sometimes offer modest 5-10% discounts on tickets.
- Consider third party packages – Check sites like Expedia or Costco for potential ticket and room bundles.
Tips for Saving on Disney Packages
If you’ve decided a Disney World package makes the most sense for your situation, here are some tips for maximizing potential savings:
- Book further in advance – Booking at least 4-6 months early allows access to the best discounts.
- Travel in shoulder seasons – Plan around fall, early winter, or spring breaks for lower rates.
- Research carefully – Cost compare multiple package quotes in detail.
- Be flexible – Shifting dates around popular holidays and weekends can improve deals.
- Only add what you’ll use – Avoid overpaying for excessive dining, park hoppers you won’t use, etc.
- Consider less expensive resorts – Value or moderate resorts offer some of the best room discounts.
Conclusion
Disney World vacation packages can offer major convenience and savings in many situations. But they aren’t always the cheapest option when compared closely to purchasing park tickets and hotels separately.
Carefully run the numbers on any package under consideration based on your specific dates and needs. Packages are most likely to save money during off-peak periods, on longer 6-10 day tickets, and when staying at value resort hotels. But the only way to be sure is to compare total pricing and discounts against individual purchases.
With the right homework and number crunching, you can determine whether a Disney World package or separate purchases make the most financial sense your upcoming magical vacation.
