How Much Does it Cost to go to Disneyland for a Family of 4?

In this article, we are calculating the cost of visiting Disneyland for a family of four. This includes 2 adults and 2 kids. We are assuming it will be a 2-day trip with a stay at the hotel for 1 night. You will be spending 1 day at each of the parks.

Cost mentioned here is based on estimates. However, things will also change depending on the time you visit Disneyland.

For example, if you visit on any of the following times you will incur a lesser cost as compared to the rest of the year.

• January
• Late April / early May
• After the U.S. Spring Break
• Late August / early September
• Early November

This is because flights, hotels and Disney tickets are relatively cheaper during this time.

Planning for your Disneyland Trip

First things first, download the Disneyland app (App Store, Google Play). This app has everything from wait times, hotel information, dining menus, and more.

This will help you not only to plan the trip better, but also helps you in identifying the price of food, souvenirs, etc. at Disneyland.

Read about the rides and decide with your group what stuff you do and don’t tend to like. Talk with friends who have been before.

Try to plan your day so you aren’t crisscrossing yourselves too much.

Transportation to Disneyland

Depending on where you live, getting to Disneyland can be a big expense. The most popular options are flying by airplane or driving.

Flying to Disneyland

John Wayne Airport, SNA in Orange County is the nearest airport and most suitable for tourists visiting Disneyland.

However, there are several airports to choose from when booking your trip to Disneyland in Anaheim, California.

Following are six airports near Disneyland.

John Wayne Airport (SNA) to Disneyland – 13.7 miles / 17 minutes; This is your easiest option because it is close to Disneyland and the airport is easy to navigate.

Long Beach Airport (LGB) to Disneyland – 22 miles / 35 minutes.

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Disneyland– 34 miles/ 40 minutes.

Ontario International Airport (ONT) to Disneyland – 35 miles / 45 minutes.

Bob Hope Airport (BUR) to Disneyland – 40 miles / 51 minutes.

San Diego International (SAN) to Disneyland – 95 miles/ 90 minutes. This is a very remote option, but driving on the beach is good. Consider SAN if you want to include a side tour to get everything San Diego offers.

Here, we are assuming that you are flying to John Wayne Airport.

Domestic flights to John Wayne Airport cost between $70 – $200 per person. Depending on what time of year you are traveling and where you are coming from, you might even find a better deal.

If we assume the flight charges as $150 for a person, it will cost $300 for a roundtrip per person. In total, it will cost $1200 for a family of four.

Transportation charges from John Wayne Airport to Disneyland

Once you have reached the airport, you have the following ways to reach Disneyland.

Mode	Duration	Approximate Cost
Rent a Car	17 mins	$58 per day + $30 per day car parking charges at Disney
Hail a Taxi	17 mins	$59
Uber/Lyft	17 mins	$36
Shuttle Service	Depends on the number of stops	$8-15 per person
Public Transportation	2 – 3 hrs	$4

Disneyland Tickets

Disneyland tickets are expensive and to be honest, there really aren’t much ways to truly save money here. However, you can buy your passes from discount sellers such as Undercover Tourist or Get Away Today, which will potentially save you a bunch of money.

The best thing you can do is choose a cheaper day to visit since ticket prices fluctuate during the time of year, holidays, and weekends.

In this guide, we are calculating the cost of a Disneyland ticket for a family of four. This includes the cost of two adult tickets and two child tickets for 2 days.

Here is the cost of Disneyland tickets for a family of four.

Parameters	Price per ticket for 2 days	Total Price
Cost of 2 child tickets ( 3 – 9) for 2 days	$240.00	$480.00
Cost of 2 adult tickets (10+) for 2 days	$255.00	$510.00
Total Cost		$990.00

Disneyland has dynamic ticket pricing. So prices may vary based on the day of the year.

Park Hopper

A standard Disneyland ticket allows you to visit one park per day. However, there is also a Park-Hopper option available which lets you visit multiple parks each day, “hopping” between them as you please.

The park hopper feature is an added cost and will increase the total price of your tickets.

Park Hopper can add around $60 to your ticket price per person. So, total cost for a family of four is $240.

Disneyland Parking

If you are planning to have a car at Disneyland, then you have to pay $30 for car parking as well.

Disneyland Hotels

As the trip is for 2 days, we assume that you will be staying at a Disneyland hotel for 1 night.

A double-bed room at Disneyland Hotel will cost you around $445.

Should I stay at a Disneyland hotel or a nearby one to save cost?

This is a hard question to answer because it comes down to what you value.

A Disneyland Resort Hotel is an experience and your choices and planning can increase the value if you do it correctly.You’ll always get an amazing bed and clean amenities. Their customer service is usually unbeatable.

The Disney immersion is absolute with a Disneyland hotel.

However, compared to a Good Neighbor Hotel, Disneyland hotels are obviously on the higher end.

Is it worth it for the commute? That would probably be a NO unless you stayed at the Grand Californian. Even the Disneyland Hotel is actually a further walk than some closer Good Neighbor Hotels.

Sure, you get to walk through Downtown Disney or take the Monorail but that still leaves you with a bit more walking to do, especially so if you stayed at the Paradise Pier Hotel.

One thing Disneyland Resort Hotels do well is in overly catering to children. Having bunk beds, cribs, and even child-friendly food service or character dining options, it extends the Disney immersion for kids all around. This applies more so if you take breaks or naps during your visit. Some families prefer a midday break in the pool, which is fantastic at Grand Californian or the Disneyland Hotel.

Overall, if you’re on a budget, it’s probably best to stay at a Good Neighbor Hotel. However, if you value the complete Disney experience, then you can have an incredible experience at Disney Hotels.

Disneyland Food

You can bring your own food at the park. You can also have free breakfast at the hotel. This will save you from the high prices you need to pay for food at Disneyland.

You can also go into the Disneyland app or website and check out their food menus. This will give you an idea of how much you have to spend at Disneyland.

In case, you are planning to dine at Disneyland, it is to be noted that dining reservations can be made up to 60 days in advance of your arrival.

Based on reports from various travelers, $100 a day per person is fine. So, it will cost you $800 for two days for a family of 4.

Disneyland Souvenirs and Merchandise

This is really too hard to judge, but check out the shopdisney website and get an idea of the kind of souvenirs you might want to buy.

Going to Disneyland is a once-in-a-lifetime trip for many, and you are definitely going to want to bring something home with you to remind you of your magical vacation. It’s impossible to resist all the stores filled with tempting merchandise, so set aside a budget for souvenirs before you go.

 $50 – $100 per person for the trip is not an unreasonable amount. You can tell your kids exactly how much they can spend, and let them pick out whatever falls in that price range.

Should I buy Disney Genie+?

In this guide, we assume you are at Disneyland for only 2 days. So, you need to have a plan to hit all the big rides and see a couple of additional things (shows, parades) in 2 days.

For planning effectively, a Disney Genie+ is essential.

With Genie+, you can get yourself into a virtual queue to enter the shorter Lightning Lane (LL), without having to physically go to the ride to get a paper ticket. It will help you complete major attractions on time.

Disney Genie+ service will cost you $40 per ticket. So, it will cost you $160.

Lightning Lane passes

Genie Plus gets you into the Lightning Lane for all rides except ROTR, Radiator Springs and Web Slingers, which you have to buy the similarly named INDIVIDUAL Lightning Lane passes for if you want to jump the standby line.

Price ranges for individual Lightning Lane arrival window purchases are $7 to $20 per ticket. This option may be purchased one at a time for up to 2 different attractions each day.

Total cost to go to Disneyland for a family of 4

So, what is the total cost to go to Disneyland for a family of 4. In our estimate, it comes around $4,031.

Here is a breakup of the cost.

Parameters	Charges	Notes
Transportation to Disneyland
Flight Charges to and from SNA airport	$1200	$300 per person for a round trip.
Transportation charge from SNA Airport to Disneyland	$36	Uber/Lyft
Parking at Disneyland		If you travel by your car or taxi, parking charges are $30 per day.
Disneyland Ticket Cost
Ticket charges for a family of 4 ( 2 Adults + 2 kids)	$990
Disneyland Hotel
One night stay at a double-bedroom Disneyland Hotel	$445
Disneyland Food
Food charges for 2 days	$800	$100 per day per person
Disneyland Souvenirs
Souvenirs & Merchandise	$400	$100 per person
Additional Spending at Disneyland
Genie+	$160	$40 per ticket
Park Hopper		$60 per person. So, it will cost additional $240.
Lightning Lane		$7 to $20 per ticket.
Total Cost	$4,031

Tips to save cost at Disneyland

Here are some tips to save your cost and to have a hassle-free day at Disneyland.

Someone in your group needs to be very comfortable with the Disneyland app (App Store, Google Play) .

Most of the vendors prefer mobile ordering only. Add your payment method(s) to the app ahead of time, you can also add gift cards as a payment option too.

Genie +/Lightning Lanes: Get to know how it works ahead of time. It will help you complete major attractions on time.

Don’t use your Lightning Lanes for a major attraction if the Standby line is short and a manageable wait. Save the Lightning Lanes in case you want to use it later in the day.

You could start making dining reservations 60 days in advance of your trip.

Get there EARLY: Before the park officially opens at 8 am they let you through Downtown Disney, into the Disneyland park, and up to the main rotunda near the fork of Adventureland and Frontierland where it’s roped off by cast members.

And also don’t forget to carry these things while on your trip to Disneyland.

• Empty reusable water bottles (possibly collapsible)
• Rain Ponchos
• Fanny pack
• Basic first aid
• Sunscreen
• Autograph Book and pen
• Reusable straws
• Hand sanitizer
• Glow sticks and other light-up toy wands
• phone charger
• Insect repellant

Wrapping Up

Hope you get an estimate about the cost to go to Disneyland for a family of four.

Kindly let us know if you have any queries.