One of the questions I get asked all the time is how much does it cost and is it worth it! And while I will always encourage people to book the Disneyland trip, I think it is good to be prepared and have an idea of your budget the actual costs involved so you can book the perfect holiday for you.

Here’s a full breakdown of how much it really costs for Australians heading to Disneyland California in 2025.

Flights

This is based on an average of flights from Melbourne > LAX. Costs appear to be similar between Sydney and Brisbane also.

We flew from Melbourne using Qantas Points and it saved us a fortune. It cost us $350 return per person and 83,800 points.

• Economy return from Melbourne to LAX: Around $1,400–$2,200 AUD per person

Keep an eye out for sales, or if you’ve got a stash of points, use them!

• What We Paid: $350 per person (taxes) return plus 83,800 Qantas Points
• Budget: Around $7000 for a family of 4

Pre-Travel Costs

Before you’ve left your house, you’ll need to consider costs like Visas, insurance and anything else you might need. Renewing passports and new luggage can get pricey.

• What We Paid: ESTA Visa $32AUD each, Travel Insurance $230AUD

Disneyland Tickets (2025 Pricing)

The ticket structure has recently changed. And we ended up going all in and got Park Hopper tickets with Lightning Lane, and honestly, it was worth it for us. It meant we could bounce between Disneyland and California Adventure and skip wait times on the major rides. We packed in so much more this way – especially helpful when you’re only there for a few days and coming from the other side of the world.

We booked out tickets on Klook, using my discount code “OLIVIAWHITEKLOOK” and applying reward points from previous bookings which took around $180AUD off.

Tickets are tiered based on dates at the park so it can vary a bit but averages are:

• One Day Ticket: $225-$360AUD
• One Day Ticket + Park Hopper: $370-$440AUD
• One Day Ticket + Park Hopper + Lightening Lane: $380-$480AUD
• 4 Day Tickets: around $544AUD
• 4 Day Ticket + Park Hopper: around $691AUD
• 4 Day Ticket + Park Hopper + Lightening Lane: $896AUD

These prices include the current Disneyland 70th offer on Klook. You can use the code OLIVIAWHITEKLOOK for up to 10% off. You can also use cashback sites like Cash Rewards, which we got 2.5% when booking.

• What We Paid: $1061AUD per person for 4 Day Park Hopper with Lightning Lane

Klook.com

Accommodation

We stayed at the Hilton Anaheim, and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s not a Disney hotel, but its walking distance to the parks took us about 10 minutes to the gate. The rooms were spacious, clean, and there’s even a Starbucks in the lobby.

There is also a shuttle bus to the park which costs $6USD a day, but we opted to walk because it was slow stopping at other hotels.

But if you are wanting to compare, here are some options:

• On-property (Disney Hotels): From $800–$1,500 AUD/night
• Major chain hotels nearby: From $250–$600 AUD/night
• Budget motels nearby: From $200–$300 AUD/night

• What We Paid: 3 nights at Hilton Anaheim $1,290AUD with $131AUD in Cashback from Cash Rewards

Klook.com

Airport Transfers + Transport

We Uber’d straight from LAX to our hotel in Anaheim and it cost us $120AUD. Super easy, especially when you’ve just done a long-haul flight. Los Angeles transport system is terrible and our other options were buses taking us hours or hire and car and we had no confidence driving on the other side of the road. If you were going to other places it might be worthwhile looking into car hire or if you are travelling as a family. 

Here are some options I priced:

• Shuttles: $30–$50 AUD per person
• Private transfers: around $200AUD
• Car Hire: Around $550AUD for a midsized for 4 days

• What We Paid: $345AUD to and from the airport, as well as half dozen local Ubers around Disneyland area (to Walmart, Target etc)

Food, Snacks & Souvenirs

In the park, we mostly did quick meals and snacks to keep moving, but it still added up fast. We also did a Walmart shop for snacks, breakfast and drinks so we didn’t eat much outside of the hotel.

This might not be realistic for families, but we intended for this to be a relatively budget trip so we weren’t eating out at restaurants and didn’t make any character bookings.

Food in the Parks:

• Quick service meals: $10–25USD each
• Churros: $5.75USD ($8.92AUD with current conversion)
• Table service/Character dining: $50–90USD per person

• What We Paid: In total, I spent $440AUD on food for the 4 days.

Budget around $100–$150AUD per person per day = $1,200–$1,800AUD for 4 days for a family

Merch:

This is always a factor for me, because naturally I want all the ears and spirit jerseys. But I did restrain myself this trip. With the exchange rate, ears cost around $45AUD and jerseys around $120AUD.

What We Spent: In total, I spent around $240AUD on merch, including gifts (Ears, lightsaber, etc)

Costs At A Glance

Category	What I Paid (1 Person)	Estimated Cost (Family of 4)
Flights	$350 + 83,800 Qantas Points	$1,400 + 335,200 Qantas Points $3998 (current sale on Qantas) $4000-$7500 (average)
Pre-Travel Costs	$263 (ESTA & Insurance)	$480-$600
Park Tickets	$1061 (4-day Park Hopper + Lightening Lane using Klook discount code)	$2,500 – $4,000 (depending on ticket type)
Accommodation	$645 ($1,290 for 3 nights, split between 2 people)	$1,200-$4,000
Transfers	$345	$300-$1000
Food & Drinks	$440	$800-$1200
Merchandise/Extras	$240	$400-$1000
Total Estimate	$3344 (Also received $261 in cashback from bookings)	$7880-$15,500 (depending on flights, accommodation tier, tickets etc)

As you can see, there is a lot of variation and depending on what kind of holiday you want, you can spend a little or A LOT!! But here are some tips for keeping costs down if that’s your preference.

Tips for Keeping Your Disneyland Trip on Budget

• Use Qantas Points – best hack ever. And can save you thousands straight up
• Book with Cash Back sites like Cash Rewards or Shopback
• Stay offsite at places like Hilton Anaheim or Hyatt Regency Orange County. I have stayed at both, so close, and half the price.
• Go mid-week or off-peak (Jan–March or September) for fewer crowds and cheaper tickets. Check crowd calenders.
• Buy snacks and drinks at Walmart or Target down the road.
• Buy tickets via Klook – often cheaper than direct and with discount codes.
• Ticket types – not everyone wants to park hop or use Lightening Lane

Things to Consider When Planning

• Jet lag is real – We used the Timeshifter app to help manage our jet lag and hit the ground running straight into Disneyland on day one. It worked brilliantly for us as two adults – but let’s be honest, this might not be viable with toddlers or kids who melt down at 3pm. If you’re travelling with little ones, factor in a rest day either side of your park days or having breaks in your day.
  
• Park hopper and Lightning Lane aren’t for everyone – We did 4 days with Park Hopper and Lightening Lane and absolutely made the most of it. We were in the parks for at least 10 hours a day, racking up 35,000 steps daily. It worked because we’re adults who don’t nap and can walk 10km before breakfast – but for families with younger kids, that pace might not be sustainable. In that case, you could:
  
  • Skip Park Hopper and just do one park per day
  • Do more days, tickets get cheaper the more days
  • Only get Lightening Lane for one or two days where you want to knock out the big rides

• Lightning Lane takes effort to manage – This was a big one. I spent a LOT of time on the Disneyland app planning our ride times, watching availability, and juggling bookings to make the most of our Lightning Lane access. The bigger your group, the harder it is to get overlapping time slots, and if you’re not already familiar with the system, it can feel a bit overwhelming. It’s absolutely worth it if you’re ride-focused – but just know it’s not a “set and forget” type of add-on.
  
• The Aussie dollar is not your friend right now – With the exchange rate sitting low, everything costs 10–15% more than it feels like it should. Budget with a buffer and try to prepay anything you can in AUD to avoid that currency conversion sting.
  
• Plan smart to avoid burn-out – Especially for kids, spacing out park days or starting a bit later in the morning can make the whole trip more enjoyable. The magic’s still there, even if you’re not rope-dropping every day. Even as adults, we were exhausted by the end, it was not a relaxing holidays – but we knew that going into it. We aimed for maximum efficiency!!

Disneyland can be a big spend – but it’s also big magic. And you can do it smarter, I honestly think going in with a solid plan, some Qantas points, and realistic expectations makes it 1000x better.

I’ll also share some more info on our itinerary for the parks each day and tips for utilising Lightening Lanes and other tips for getting the most out of your park days!