How Much Does a Disney Cruise Really Cost for a Family of 4?

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Wondering how far your budget it going to go if you want to sail on a Disney Cruise?

If you are thinking of sailing on a Disney cruise with your family it is important to know whether or not this is going to fit into your budget. And what factors will influence the cost of your cruise.

The cost of a Disney cruise depends upon:

• How many people sail
• Which Disney ship you choose
• Your choice of stateroom
• The date that you sail
• How many days you sail

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Taking all of these things into account let’s have a look at some different options for a family of 4 wanting to sail on a Disney cruise with budgets of:

• $3000
• $5000
• $10,000

The other thing that we actually have to think about is what these costs include.

Here I am only showing the cost for the cruise.

That includes accommodation for 2 adults and 2 children in the stateroom shown. Taxes and port fees are included.

All prices shown are up to date on 27 February 2025, and the lowest possible cost for each stateroom category is shown.

There are of course other costs involved with sailing on a Disney cruise, such as transportation to the port, travel insurance, gratuities, port excursions, onboard activities, souvenirs.

If you want to find out what is included go to:

What is Included on a Disney Cruise and What is Extra

For an explanation of how tipping works here is a guide:

Disney Cruise Tipping – What You Need to Know

What Does a $3,000 Budget Get a Family of 4?

I have to admit that when I was writing this I was surprised at what is not within this budget. I could not find a Disney Wish sailing for a family of 4 for $3,000 or under. Even the 3 night sailings were at least 10% over this budget.

And it is challenging to find options for this price point, unless you go a little over budget.

Disney Wonder Baja Cruise

It is possible to sail on a 3 night Disney cruise from San Diego for just a little under $3000 for a family of 4 if you opt for an inside stateroom.

If you want to take a repositioning cruise from Vancouver to San Diego for 4 nights you can still come in slightly over budget.

Disney Magic and Disney Dream from Fort Lauderdale

There are plenty of options within the $3,000 budget for Disney Magic sailings from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

These prices are for 3 night sailings with a port stop at Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point.

On this sailing you can even book a Verandah stateroom if you go $4 over budget.

You can sail on a 3 night cruise from Fort Lauderdale on Disney Dream with a port stop at Lighthouse Point for less than $3000.

You will see that the Verandah stateroom is priced less than the Inside and Outside Stateroom. The reason for this is that this is a guaranteed stateroom so you will not book a specific stateroom. DCL will choose one for you in the category that you choose. It is all explained here.

There are even some dates on for a 4 night cruise on Disney Dream from Fort Lauderdale which will get you onboard for $3000 and under.

Disney Destiny from Fort Lauderdale

This budget will even get you onboard Disney Destiny. This brand new ship will be launched in November 2025 and is a sister ship to Disney Wish and Disney Treasure.

Disney Cruise from Galveston

You are going to have to stretch that budget a little as well if you want to sail on a 4 night Western Caribbean Cruise from Galveston on Disney Magic.

Cruises from Australia

Disney Wonder embarked on a new adventure to Australia and New Zealand starting in 2023.

If you are a family of 4 there are a number of options for short sailings that will get you a Disney cruise with a budget of $3,000.

The lowest priced Disney cruise for a family of 4 that we could find is a 3 Night Disney Magic Cruise from Melbourne.

There is also a 3 night cruise from Sydney that comes in at that price point.

Also from Aukland, New Zealand, for a 3 night cruise.

Disney Cruise from Singapore on Disney Adventure

No I know this one comes with the extra costs of traveling to Singapore and this will be a deal breaker for many, but there are options for cruses on Disney Adventure which are priced at less than $3000.

There are also some options for a 4 night Disney Adventure cruise in that price range.

$5,000 Budget

We have seen that with a $3,000 budget you can sail on a Disney cruise with a family of 4, but your options are limited.

There are many options between the $3000 to $5000 budget, but let’s look at if you are able to go to $5000.

If you have $5,000 you have a lot more choices.

Including Disney’s second newest ship Disney Wish. She sails 3 and 4 night itineraries from Port Canaveral, Florida. All sailings have a scheduled port stop at Disney’s private island Castaway Cay and sometimes Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point.

You will be able to find a 3 night cruise that fits within this budget, but a 4 night is going to be difficult to snag.

Here are some dates that $5,000 will get you a 4 night Disney Wish cruise:

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There are some dates that will get you onboard for under that $5000 for a family of 4.

Disney Destiny 5 Night Cruise

Surprisingly there are some Disney Destiny 5 night sailings that come in under budget – although as you will see from the second of these prices, usually the budget is going to have to stretch to get onboard this new Disney ship.

Disney Wish 4 Night Cruises

These dates have a port stop at Castaway Cay and Lighthouse Point. You will even get a Verandah stateroom for 4 if you go a little over budget or sail on some dates.

Disney Fantasy 5 Night Cruise with Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point

Your $5,000 will get you to Disney’s new private island Lighthouse Point on the ever popular Disney Fantasy on a 5 night cruise.

Sailings from San Diego

If you pick an inside or outside stateroom on Disney Wonder for these 4 night Baja cruises you will still have some of your $5000 left over.

Cruise from Galveston

Your budget will stretch to a 5 night cruise from Galveston on select dates.

Alaska Cruises

It is possible to sail on a Disney Alaska cruise within this budget – but there aren’t many dates available if this is your bottom line.

This is for a 5 night Alaska cruise in 2026 on Disney Magic.

There are even some dates that will get you on an Alaska 7 night cruise for this budget or a little over – although most dates are still out of this range.

European Cruises

A European cruise is on many people’s bucket list – but is it possible within this budget for a family of 4?

There are several 3 night cruise options from Southampton in 2026 available in this budget. This is a 3 night cruise with a port stop in Rotterdam (for Amsterdam).

Australia and New Zealand

There are lots of options here. Many of the 2, 3 and 4 night cruises will be within budget.

The longest cruise I found in this category is a 5 night Cruise from Sydney.

$10,000 BUDGET

Obviously this opens up a lot of options for your party of 4.

Let’s look at some of the cruises and staterooms this higher cost will make available.

Alaska Cruises

Those Alaska cruises that your $5,000 just couldn’t get you on, become possible when you double your budget! But for most dates, it still won’t get you a Verandah stateroom for 4.

I found a couple of dates in 2024 that will get you that coveted balcony.

Europe

This much larger budget finally gives you a lot of options for a cruise in Europe.

If you are looking for one of the best values on a per-night basis, and have a lot of time to spare, a Transatlantic cruise is always one to look at.

This 13-night cruise from Southampton to Cape Canaveral will even give you plenty of change from $10,000 for a verandah stateroom for 4. Add another $1,000 and you can sail concierge.

If this doesn’t fit in with your plans, what about a 7-Night Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona? This is well within the $10,000 budget.

You can also sail on a 7-Night Western Europe cruise from Southampton and have some money left over even if you book a balcony stateroom on Disney Fantasy.

If you are dreaming of a 7 night Greek Islands cruise this will also fit comfortably into this budget, even for a Verandah.

Disney Treasure

Disney Treasure is the newest ship in the Disney fleet. There are some dates available that will get your family of 4 onto this beautiful ship within the $10,000 budget.

She is sailing 7-Night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries. Here are some sample prices:

Final Thoughts

This gives you an overview of just how much a Disney cruise costs for a family of 4 and the different choices that increasing your budget will give you.

I have been following and writing about the costs of Disney cruises for over a decade now.

And over the last few years, with the exception of those “bargain” days immediately after the pandemic, the prices have definitely been going up. And going up pretty quickly.

The best time to book is generally still as close to opening day as you can get.

I know there are some exceptions when guarantee staterooms become available closer to sail dates, but these can’t be relied upon. And if you want a specific sail date and stateroom then still the best way to save is to book as early as you can.

It is interesting too if you compare what the prices were in 2024. Here is an article that I published a year prior to this one, which shows you how prices have changed.

Remember that there are other ways to save on Disney cruises which could mean that more possibilities come within your budget.

Here are some resources to help you save:

Disney Cruise First Timer Money Mistakes to Avoid

The Easiest Way to Save Money on a Disney Cruise