Ten Things that Cost $100 at Walt Disney World*

*or thereabouts

With the recent info dumps about the new Genie program and the new annual pass structure, talk about the cost of Walt Disney World is so thick you’d need a custom lightsaber to cut through it.

There are lots of ways to think about the financial aspects of a Disney vacation. TouringPlans blogger Becky Gandillion has looked at the cost per hour of various WDW trip components as well as what a vacation looks like at $2,000, $4,000, and $6,000 expenditure outlays.

I’m slicing and dicing a different way, looking at the different types of things you can at Disney World for the basic building block price of $100. Here are ten example of what you can get for about that price. (Note: some items don’t fit neatly into a $100 chunk, but I aimed to get as close as possible.)

1. One night at All-Star Movies in the off season.

The official Disney website offers some standard rooms for $129 per night. You might be able to find these same rooms for less on Priceline.com. So, give or take a bit, one night in early September 2021 will cost in the neighborhood of $100.

2. A spirit jersey.

This now classic souvenir will run you a bit under $100, depending on which style you select.

3. A single day ticket to a theme park, during the off season.

One-day theme park tickets start at $109. That will get you weekday access during much of September 2021.

4. A ride for four people on the Aerophile balloon at Disney Springs. ($25 per person)

5. A custom droid build at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. ($99.99 starting price)

6. Dinner for two at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ at Disney Springs. (Two $29.00 chicken dinners, two $13.00 cocktails, one $12.00 hummingbird cake. Tax and tip make it more than $100. Skip dessert or a drink to bring it closer to exact. )

7. Lunch for six at Casey’s Corner.

Six $11.50 hot dogs + six $4.50 fountain sodas = $96

8. One ticket to the new Cirque du Soleil show at Disney Springs.

One not-quite-nosebleed adult ticket is $119.00.

9. Water park tickets for two DVC members.

Adult DVC water park tickets are $49.00 each.

10. A night out for two at Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto.

Two $15.00 cocktails each + two $11.50 snacks + tax and tip.

When you consider the $100 chunk, you can easily see how substituting different elements of expense can change the tone of your vacation — easily making decisions like:

• If we skip cocktail night at Trader Sam’s we get close to the price of an additional hotel night.
• That hot air balloon ride will only last a few minutes, but Mom will wear that spirit jersey for years–maybe that’s a good trade off.
• The whole family can grab a quick lunch at Casey’s for the same price as a sit down dinner for just the parents.
• We could spend about the same amount for a few hours entertainment at Cirque du Soleil as for an entire day at a theme park.

How do you like to think about Disney expense planning trade-offs?