Disney World fans hacks for affordable family…
By now, mother and father like Tarah Chieffi are used to the news delivered each 12 months in October, sure as the altering leaves but not almost so welcome: Disney is raising costs on tickets to its beloved theme parks for 2026, in some circumstances to more than $200 per day, per park.
A mom of three, Chieffi, 44, is close to as passionate about her family’s journeys to Disney World as an grownup could be, driving down from her home in New Albany, Indiana, as often as attainable. And while the latest announcement out of the House of Mouse is giving the Orlando-loving mother or father pause, it’s not going to stop her — even if she has to go to excessive measures to make recollections.
Tarah Chieffi (rear left) said she’s tried a number of atypical methods to save money on her family’s journeys to Orlando. Courtesy Tarah Chieffi
“We have taken the kids out of school,” she said of her 12-, 9- and 6-year-olds. “We’ll turn a holiday weekend into a four-day weekend, so they’re only missing one day of school — maybe they already had a Friday or Monday off.”
And while Chieffi admitted she’s doing that less and less as they become older, she likes to suggest to other mother and father not to overlook an oft-missed alternative to save big that doesn’t require lacking faculty — but only just.
“Some of the cheaper times to go are August and September; you can go on the tail end of your summer, and you’re getting under $120 for a ticket,” she explained, including that she prefers the one-day, one-park option over the pricier ParkHoppers, saying that slowing down and going this route can save roughly $50 per day, per individual.
Chieffi has taken her three boys out of faculty in order to reap the advantages of lower-peak ticket costs — but confessed that this has grown more troublesome as the children become older. Courtesy Tarah Chieffi
To save even more, there are methods to get free tickets, Chieffi said — not that she’d essentially suggest at least one she’s tried.
“We have sat in on the timeshare presentations at some of the hotels outside of Disney; if you sit in, they’ll give you Disney tickets, but we lost more of our day than I’d recommend,” she admitted. “We traded our time — but it did save us a lot of money.”
According to a 2024 LendingTree survey, 45% of mother and father are now confessing to shouldering undesirable financial debt to afford their Disney holidays, saying that they have been shocked by the high prices, and merely couldn’t afford to pay out of pocket.
Nearly half of mother and father surveyed last 12 months said they have been now taking on debt in order to afford a Disney trip. AP
And while some mother and father are vocally opposing the prices — like a Florida dad who went viral complaining about the $1,500 price of a day journey to Disney World for him and his family of 5 — theme park knowledgeable Carlye Wisel told The Post that for severe fans, there’s very doubtless no killing of the magic.
“There are many Disney fans for whom bringing their own children is a really big deal and really important for them,” said the later-in-life convert who takes her toddler daughter to both Disney World and Disneyland commonly. “There’s a nostalgia through-line — that’s part of why fans are so passionate.”
Wisel, host of the “Very Amusing” podcast, said she’d be “the first one out the door” if she ever felt like a Disney trip was no longer worthwhile.
So far, not even close.
Theme park knowledgeable Carlye Wisel and her daughter are common guests to both Disney World and Disneyland — and the pair are unlikely to stop going anytime soon, she said. Courtesy Carlye Wisel
“To me, when I’m there, I am locking in lifetime memories; I can feel them happening as I’m there. There’s something more special about spending time there than anywhere else,” she said.
Leanne Baum, 33, a New Jersey mother of two, feels a lot the same approach — even though she’s discovered it obligatory to harness her ardour for excessive couponing to help her family afford journeys to one of their favourite locations.
“Being able to save so much on our normal household budget, that helps me be able to allocate toward Disney,” Baum, who spent her honeymoon at Disney World, told The Post.
Leanne Baum (second from proper) has harnessed her ardour for excessive couponing to pay for Disney journeys for her family. Courtesy Leanne Baum
“I’m sure there can be a point where we’d [rethink], but before we did that, I’d just adjust the amount of times we’re in the parks,” she said. “When we say we’re going to Disney, we’re really going to Orlando, to the Kennedy Space Center, to Sea World or Universal. So, instead of going to all of the parks every time, we’d just cut it down.”
Cutting back is on the thoughts of Emily Zanotti, 43, who wonders how long her family of 5 might be in a position to afford the rising prices.
“This is the first time that it’s crossed $200 — every time this happens, we rethink the idea of going,” Zanotti told The Post of her response to the record-breaking news.
Emily Zanotti loves taking her three kids (pictured) to Disney World — but said that the record-breaking price increase this 12 months undoubtedly gave her pause. Courtesy Emily Zanotti Skyles
“You could go for several family vacations for what it costs for a four- to five-day trip to Disney,” she said. “And at some point, you’re looking to spend between $5,000 and $10,000 — that’s easily the cost of taking the kids somewhere like Europe or Japan.”
And while she doesn’t like the way in which that she feels Disney has been “nickel and diming” households on trip in current years, citing the wave of new revenue facilities for the parks like upcharges for fast access to common rides, a perk that used to be free, Zanotti said that the growing challenges of Disney trip affordability haven’t been a deterrent — yet.
But she has made one important change — now, she hires an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, half of a community of journey brokers formally licensed to e book Disney holidays on commission, working with shoppers free of charge.
“They have better access to discounts,” Zanotti said. “They know when the tickets and hotel rates are most expensive and least expensive — that has helped us a lot.”
What it prices to go to Disney World in 2025
In some circumstances, costs of one-day tickets to Disney parks have risen by roughly 100% in just one decade, specialists say. Getty Images
Over the last decade, the most cost effective one-day ticket at Walt Disney World has elevated by $22, a 22.68% increase. The most costly one-day ticket has gone up by $104 — almost 100% more than in 2015.
For a family of 4 (two adults, one little one over 10, and one little one between the ages of 3 to 9), the fee of a “baseline” Disney World trip lasting 5 nights will now price a wallet-busting naked minimal of $7,093, according to the quantity crunchers at MouseHacking.com.
That consists of flights, ground transportation to and from Walt Disney World Resort, a five-night keep at a Value lodge, 5 single-day tickets (without the ParkHopper option), Lightning Lane Multi Pass at two parks, meals and snacks, the specialists said.
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