Alternatives to Disneyland 2022/2023
I first did this post three years ago and was confident in my pricing of both Disneyland vacations and international travel alternatives. It’s time for an update! Disney prices go up every year, but in this era of inflation other travel costs have gone up as well, so I’ve updated all Disneyland and other travel pricing below.
Overall Disneyland Vacation Thoughts
Our kids have never been obsessed with Disney, but we’ve never been anti-Disney either. We’ve been to Hong Kong Disneyland once, Disney World twice, and Disneyland maybe ten times (we were annual pass holders for several years). We’ve also done three Disney cruises in Europe, have another Disney Cruise booked in the Caribbean (March 2023) and we even traveled to Antarctica with Adventures By Disney. Especially when the kids were younger, they were constantly watching Disney movies and being subjected to Disney commercials on the Disney Channel, and they would ask to go to Disneyland frequently. So we would drive down in the morning, spend the day, stay overnight, and by lunch the second day, without fail, they would be ready to head home. Then they wouldn’t ask to return for about six months, at which point they had forgotten about the heat and the lines and tantrums.
But we lived less than two hours away. For a family without annual passes who’s flying in from out-of-state, it’s a much more expensive proposition. How expensive? There’s no perfect answer, since every family is different and it varies by date, but the basic elements are the same. For a family of four, you need four plane tickets, a shuttle between the airport and the hotel, a hotel (let’s say for five nights), park passes (I’m assuming Park Hopper tickets for four days), and food. I’m doing the basic calculations below. And then I’m going to list some international destinations where you can take your kids for less. Maybe think about skipping Disney, especially if you’ve been before, and showing your kids the world instead!
How Much Does a Disneyland Vacation Cost?
Airfare to Disneyland
For flights, I checked prices five months in advance for June 6-11 (5 nights, not peak season yet but some schools are out) from Kansas City, Denver, Houston and New York to Los Angeles. Looking at basic non-stop economy fares (no luggage) on primarily low-cost carriers, Kansas City is at $457, Denver $178, Houston $217 and New York $340, for an average of $298. So I’m calculating round-trip airfare at $1,192 per family of four to Disneyland.
Shuttle to Disneyland
The Disneyland Express shuttle has now stopped operating, but Prime Time Shuttle is an option. An SUV shuttle from LAX to Disneyland is pricing at $120 each way including tip, or $240 total.
Note that Uber/Lyft are roughly the same price, or maybe a little bit less. An alternative would be to do two one-way car rentals, as there are numerous drop-off locations close to Disneyland. That could save you a little money. I’m going to leave my estimate at $240 though for this post.
The Cost of Disneyland Tickets
One-day Disneyland tickets are priced based on the dates you’ll be there. Tickets start at $76/day for non-residents but can easily be a lot higher than that (I found $128 on some dates I checked). That’s for one park. If you want a park-hopper ticket, add $60 to that.
2022 multi-day Disney tickets (regardless of dates) are:
- Two Days: $255/adult or $240/child for one park, $315/adult or $300/child for both parks.
- Three Days: $330/adult or $310/child for one park, $390/adult or $370/child for both parks.
- Four Days: $360/adult or $340/child for one park, $420/adult or $400/child for both parks.
- Five Days: $380/adult or $360/child for one park, $440/adult or $420/child for both parks.
For this Disneyland vacation, I’m selecting the 2022 4-day Park Hopper ticket for a family of four (all over 10 years old), which is $1,680.
Disneyland Hotels
This is the big variable. We’ve stayed at all of the on-site hotels (Paradise Pier, Disneyland Hotel and Grand Californian) as well as at several of the hotels on S Harbor Blvd. We always prefer to stay in one of the Disney hotels. They’re simply more convenient, and the Disney theme adds to the overall experience. When I think back to visiting Disneyland as a child (from Colorado, so it was a big deal), I remember the Disneyland Hotel and monorail as much as anything at Disneyland itself.
For my hypothetical June dates above, Paradise Pier is pricing at $444/night, Disneyland Hotel is $693/night and the Grand Californian is $815/night, plus taxes for all of those. Choosing Paradise Pier (through Disney’s site) gives a total 5-night price of $2,597. I’ll use that in my overall calculations. But if you want to save money, the other top-ranked hotels near Disneyland (in TripAdvisor’s top 20) are averaging $220/night plus taxes for the same dates. Add in the 15% tax and you’re at $1,265, or roughly $1,300 less.
Disneyland Food Prices
Your kids are likely going to want to do a character breakfast one morning. Most are priced at $49/adult and $29/child right now. Add in 20% and you’re at $187. Other breakfasts I’ll price at an average of $50. You may want a sit-down meal somewhere, or you could run to Starbucks for coffee, pastries and breakfast sandwiches. $50 seems like a reasonable average. So that’s $200 for 4 mornings, and $187 for the character breakfast, or $387 total.
Lunch will likely be in the parks or at Downtown Disney. Again there’s a wide range of options, but I’m going to assume lunch at $60/day during your trip, or $300 total for 5 days (including possibly an airport meal).
Dinner will again likely be in Disneyland or California Adventure, or in Downtown Disney. Looking at menus online, if you’re including drinks, this could easily be $100/day, or $500 total.
Disneyland Packages
A lot of people have found this post while Googling Disneyland Packages. I have no idea why, since that’s not even a term I included in the original post. As far as I can tell, there really aren’t any Disneyland Package deals to be had. If you buy hotel rooms and park tickets together on Disney’s website, you’re simply paying the same thing you would pay if you booked them separately. And I haven’t seen deals elsewhere. Disney has no incentive to discount its product. So my grand total below is accurate – there’s no amazing package deal anywhere to get around it.
Grand Total
Not including souvenirs or snacks, I’m calculating that a five-night Disneyland vacation costs $6,896 for a family of four. You could spend less by staying offsite and dining more cheaply, or could easily spend more with different flights, different dates, and nicer onsite hotels. I’ve seen ballpark averages in the same range for a 4-5 day Disneyland vacation with an onsite hotel, so this seems like a reasonable figure.
Where Else Can a Family of Four Go for $6,896?
We’ve traveled to 63 countries with our kids so far, and all seven continents. Some trips are expensive. Some aren’t. And a lot of them are subsidized by our use of frequent flier miles. I highly recommend earning miles throughout the year from flying and credit card spending/bonuses, and then applying those to your family trips! But for the sake of the below calculations, I’m assuming that you’re not using miles to offset any travel costs. And I’m looking at June travel, similar to the above Disneyland calculations. I’m also not including family travel insurance – hopefully you have a policy whether you’re going to Disneyland or elsewhere.
1. Costa Rica
Costa Rica has become popular the past few years, with good reason. It’s not far from the US. English is widely-spoken. There are animals and beaches and cloud forests and activities like zip-lining. The food is great. And it’s generally safe and easy. We’ve visited twice, heading to Herradura and Punta Islita. In June you could fly from Houston to San Jose non-stop for $356, or from LA for $211, or New York for $177 non-stop. That’s an average of $248/person, or $992. Two hours from San Jose is the Los Suenos Marriott. It’s $1,784 for six nights. We paid $230 for round-trip transfers. Day trips with guides/drivers were generally $160. Assume two of those, plus something like zip-lining, and inflation and you could be at $800 for activities.
The breakfast buffet at the hotel, if it’s not included in your room rate, is $28/person. The hotel has resort prices for lunches and dinners, but there are also great, inexpensive restaurants a short walk down the beach. I’m going to assume $250/day for food, but you could easily eat for less. Six days = $1,500.
2022 Total = $5,306
2. Paris
Have you always wanted to see Paris? Did you realize that you could visit, even in June, for less than it costs to go to Disneyland? Airfare in mid-June (four months from now) is $775/person from NYC, $1,016 from LAX, $1,021 from Kansas City, $1,027 from Denver and $1,333 from Dallas. So the flights are going to vary considerably depending on where you’re coming from. The average of those fares is $1,034, so for a family of four that’s $4,136 – the majority of your budget. Hotels in Europe can be difficult for a family of four or five, so rent an apartment. There are hundreds available in mid-June, and I found a great two-bedroom one that sleeps four in the 11th arr. for $1,629 for six nights. Metro tickets might be $100. Food isn’t expensive – we typically have croissants for breakfast and sandwiches or crepes for lunch. And for dinners we frequently have picnics at the Eiffel Tower (Champ de Mars). Assume maybe $100/day for food, or $700 including your travel day. That leaves you with $300 for museums, walking tours, cooking classes or anything else you may want to do – and more if you were able to get cheaper plane tickets or use miles.
2022 Total = $6,865
3a. Maui
I had several requests to add Hawaii to this post, so here you go! And I’m including Maui and Oahu, since the pricing is fairly different for the two of them. The average airfare in June from five cities to Maui is $708, or $2,832 for a family of four. This highly-rated condo with a great view in Napili is $2,373 for six nights including taxes. A rental car for the week is $727 and assume $50 for gas. Budget $130/day for food, so $780, even though with a condo it’s possible to eat for a lot less. Otherwise there aren’t a lot of expenses when you’re in Hawaii, since you’ll be relaxing and exploring the island.
2022 Maui Total = $6,762
3b. Oahu
Airfare to Honolulu is averaging $2,702 in June for a family of four and good flights. There are a lot of good Waikiki Beach hotels for under $300/night in June. For this calculation I’m going with Waikiki Marina Resort at the Ilikai, rated 8.8 on Hotels.com. It’s only $1,440 for six nights. The last time we were on Oahu, in 2021, we skipped a rental car given the high prices, booked airport transfers for $70 round-trip and a full-day tour of the island for $500. I’m budgeting $160/day for meals since, being based in Waikiki, you’ll be tempted to dine at some of the nicer restaurants, so $960, but that can easily be lower with frequent take-out and groceries from ABC Stores. Add in $400 for parasailing and you’re still well under a Disneyland vacation.
2022 Oahu Total = $6,072
4. Banff, Canada
We love Banff! It’s stunning, there’s a lot to do, and it’s Canadian – so there’s poutine! Pricing tickets to Calgary in mid-June from the same five departure cities as Paris, I’m finding average fares of $391, or $1,564 for four. And most of those are non-stop flights. A car rental for the week is $343. The Fairmont Banff Springs and Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise are amazing properties, but to come in under budget you could go with the Rimrock Resort Hotel at $393/night, or $2,693 for six nights including taxes. The US Dollar is strong right now. I’d budget $150/day for food, or $900, but you can likely do better than that.
A lot of activities are going to be outdoors – and free. If you want to rent canoes on Lake Louise, budget $200 for two for an hour. A wildlife safari is roughly $50/person. I’d budget $800 for activities over the course of six days to be safe.
2022 Total = $6,300
5. Iceland
I hesitate to put Iceland on this list, as it’s become very popular the past decade, but it’s an extraordinary destination. Pricing tickets in June from five cities, I find average fares of $700 for good flights, or $2,800 for four. And there are other flights with longer connections that are lower.
Once you get to Iceland it’s expensive – but no more expensive than Disneyland. The top-ranked Reykjavik hotel on TripAdvisor, the Reykjavik Residence Hotel, is $331/night, or $2,207 for six nights with taxes. A car for the week is $386. With the car you can do day trips to the major sites, including waterfalls and geysers – virtually all of which are free, other than gas. The Blue Lagoon is roughly $156 for two adults at off-peak times. Kids 13 and under are free. Meals can easily add up to $150/day, but for six days ($900) that’s still within your budget, with a few hundred dollars left over for gas and shopping.
2022 Total = $6,449
6. Sydney, Australia
I wanted to include to Sydney to show that you can even get to Australia for just a little more than a trip to Disneyland – and stay one more day. Airfare (again from an average of five cities) in June is $1,232/person, or $4,728. Early June is the end of fall in Australia, so the weather is going to be a little cooler, but it’s still Australia, and still amazing, and less expensive than the summer. I’ve never stayed at the PARKROYAL Darling Harbour, but it’s highly-ranked on TripAdvisor and in a great location, and only $1,307 for six nights in June. Then you’re just talking about entrance fees and other activities ($500), local transportation ($200, including to/from the airport), and food, which I’m going to budget at $120/day ($720 total), but can really be as cheap or expensive as you want it given that Sydney has everything to offer.
Note that airfare is higher in June 2022 than in past years due to lower supply and higher demand. When all of that settles out again, Sydney pricing should come down below $7,000. And of course if you use frequent flier miles for your tickets, the entire trip will be very inexpensive.
2022 Total = $7,455
7. Elsewhere!
And don’t limit yourself to those destinations. Depending on airfare from your home cities on the exact dates you want to travel, you could likely get to Bali, Rome, Hong Kong, Santiago, Dubai, Panama City or literally hundreds of other cities (as they’re opening up post-Covid) for under $1,000/ticket. With a wide range of lodging and food options everywhere, you could visit much of the world for less than it costs to spend five nights at Disneyland. Sure, go to Disneyland or Disney World once. But then take your kids everywhere else! It’s worth it!
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Ha, I love this post. I think a lot of people think that traveling over seas with kids is out of their budget, but they will drop lots on a Disney vacation. I think especially now that their are crazy amazing airfare deals from all over. You can get to Europe from 200-400 bucks, Asia for 400-500, Africa for $500, and Australia for 500-600. Those are such amazing prices.
I totally agree with you.
Thanks Ebene! Absolutely, the cheap airfares help. I was only looking at June prices, but if I wanted to include Italy, Tokyo, etc… I easily could have by picking other months.
YES! Last year when we were at Disney we were thinking the same thing. We saw a family of 10 going in the park and we were trying to guess how much that cost especially eating all their meals inside the park! It’s insane. Much of my own family things traveling internationally is unobtainable because of the cost yet they have taken their entire family to Disney – there’s a huge misconception that international travel is expensive especially when you have something so relatable to compare to for US citizens!
Exactly! And I stuck to five easy/safe destinations for this post – places that I would hope are as non-intimidating as Disney for people who may not have traveled internationally. But as you know, there are so many places that are slightly more adventurous that are dirt-cheap for luxury and amazing experiences.
Disney feels more intimidating to me than these destinations you shared! 😬
Yes! The hundreds (thousands?) of websites with Disney Tips/Hacks don’t help. You feel like you can’t just show up and enjoy Disneyland. You have to plan. You need a strategy to make sure you get on the major rides. You have to do things in the right order. Essentially you have to defeat other parents who are trying to get their money’s worth too. Go to Banff though and you can just find a lake and relax. Head to Paris and wander around and enjoy the culture. No pressure.
Yes! Finally someone speaks about this! I think Disney is becoming too much now and people can do much more with the money! We were in Florida last month but skipped Disney and did a lot more on the same budget. Our son is almost 3 and not into Disney (yet). For example, we found Kennedy Space Center to be an awesome destination for kids and parents alike.
Absolutely! I listed international destinations, but yes, it would be easy to have extraordinary experiences in the US, and even around Orlando, for far less than Disney World costs.
Please give a list! I want these!
A list of places in the US cheaper than Disney World and Disneyland? Basically everywhere. You could go literally anywhere in the US for a week, including Hawaii and Alaska as long as you can get decent airfare, for less than the cost of a Disney vacation. On my blog I write about everywhere we’ve traveled in the US, from California getaways to Houston, Chicago, Montana, Wisconsin, Cleveland… The list goes on.
Sorry I should have clarified more. I want a list of places (International) that are super cheap (i.e Marrakech) and exotic yet fun for a family with 3 daughters under 7.
Thanks!!!
I haven’t studied exact costs to create a list like that, but I’d start with Thailand, Morocco, Bali, Vietnam, India and Panama. Maybe add Georgia, Macedonia, Greece, etc… And try Googling something like “cheap places to travel 2019”.
This is a good list to start: https://www.outsideonline.com/2242491/six-spots-where-us-dollar-strong-right-now.
I tell my sister-in-law (who loves really DOING Disney World with my niece and nephew) this all the time. Our daughter is almost 3 and we’re expecting #2 (so really too young to fully enjoy Disney) and they’re happy anywhere, so I’d rather go somewhere that I’m really likely to love and remember.
I love these suggestions and look forward to traveling every year. Two years ago, we took our family of four on a five country sled-guided tour of Europe (Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, United Kingdom). We used the App Hopper to buy round trip airline tickets for $514 each! It made going to Europe affordable.
My family would prefer visiting and relaxing in a new country over lines and rides any day. You can’t beat the food, people, culture. You can’t just sit down on a bench eating fresh pastries while people watching in peace at a theme park like you can in Lucerne or Fussen.
Thank you for this article. I have more places to visit now!
Agree 100%! Travel is magical, and especially slow travel without crowds where you can sit and dine and experience local culture. I love relaxed Switzerland! And Italy. And France. And Norway. And…
Your kids have been to Disney a ton. It’s not their thing cause they’ve done it. Not to mention, they travel all the time. Disney is a must do. A rite of passage IMO. Staying on property is way expensive. I highly recommend Disney for those who haven’t been. It’s really special. It is hot and hard too. I remember e tickets! Once you’ve been, then branch out. We have family who have NEVER taken their 7 children. It would be a challenge financially, but totally doable. Now the kids are nearly all grown up. Too late for the magic as a child.
Absolutely, Disney is magical for young kids. I asked my kids to describe their visits to Disneyland and they all used the world “magical”. So yes, people can spend their money however they want. If they believe that Disney is a rite of passage, they should go. I’m good with my numbers as the average figure for a visit. The on-site hotels constantly sell out. People pay these prices and more every day.
On the flip side, you know what word I don’t hear mentioned very often with Disney anymore? Fun. A lot of people simply don’t consider it fun, or the happiest place on earth. As you say, it’s hot and hard. It’s a lot of work. There are hundreds of websites out there with Disney hacks. You need to plan your visits. And given what our kids have directly taken from travel – independence, an appreciation of other cultures, empathy, a passion for different foods, skills like sketching and navigation, and more – I can confidently say that they have gained nothing from 10+ visits to Disney properties. Magical? Yes. So go. But think beyond the magic. When is the last time you had a really fun day at Disneyland or Disney World? Can it be done? Sure, there are perfect days there. But a trip to Paris, or Thailand, or Iceland, or Italy, can be so much more – for you and your kids.
Wow! This really puts a lot into prospective! I am taking my teens with us to Disney World next year because they have not been yet. After that, I am really going to consider some of these other places on your list. Maybe Disneyland Paris? Who knows?!!
Absolutely! And a girl commented on another post of mine yesterday that her family spent $19,000 to visit Disney World and Universal Orlando. Crazy! I haven’t been to Disneyland Paris, but we went to Disneyland Hong Kong a few years ago and it was great – two fun Disney days for my daughter and then lots of exploration and culture in an amazing destination.
We did Disneyland Paris a few years ago when our son was in kindergarten. We got a fabulous deal (meal plan included!) staying on property at the Davy Crockett Ranch (we had a 2 bedroom cabin) and got to see the Eiffel Tower and Versailles while we were there. Extremely memorable and lots of fun. 🙂
I love this post. I visited Disney World a ton as a kid because we had a family friend that worked there and got us in for practically free. I would have loved to have been exposed to other parts of the world earlier in my life, but I’m not sure my parents could have afforded it. I would like to point out that you can visit all of these places you mentioned for much less as well by choosing cheaper lodging and not eating out so much. We did a Banff and Glacier trip for our family of three for 8 days for $2,500. Kids can find magic in just about anything, and I’d much rather we viewed experiencing new cultures as a necessary rite of passage rather than a trip to Disney World. I don’t think we would take our kids unless they really wanted to go and put in some hard work to earn the trip.
I agree. Most places can be traveled to for less money than this, but I chose the same date range for everywhere and a similar level of service. Disneyland can be cheaper by choosing alternate hotels and meals, as can Sydney, Banff, etc…
Was your Banff/Glacier trip during the summer? Where did you fly from?
Yes to everything in this post! We are just on the plane home from a trip to see friends in LA and soak up the sun in Palm Springs. We figured since we were in the area we would spend a day in each park at Disneyland. It cost us $2500 for 48 hours for just hotel and park tickets! I spent the entire time either on my phone getting the darn Max Passes or waiting in line for a 2 minute ride. Our morning “Magic” hour was spent with thousands of people waiting in line at security only to wait in another line to get into the park. We were physically exhausted at the end of the two days. As we were leaving the park to head to Palm Springs, my 8 year old son said “mom, I Liked Plopsaland way better.”
Plopsaland de Panne in Belgium cost us 100 Euros for the four of us total. And it was an amazing time! And we got to experience a lot of Belgium as well.
So yes, 100% agree that there are so many other options to spend that money elsewhere.
Thank you for the comment Casandra! I’m sorry for your terrible Disney experience! My kids love European amusement parks too. Yes, much more economical.
Just found your blog and love it. Looking for our next adventure! We skipped Disney World so far and spent two weeks in Australia last Thanksgiving with our 6 and 10 year old! Where to next….
Everywhere! My Top Spots section may give you some ideas.