Intimidated by Disney prices and planning? No need to go to Paris. Just come to California!

My dear friend and fellow travel blogger Dia Adams wrote a post last week for Fortune magazine that stirred up a fair bit of controversy in the Disney travel space. Her contention? It in a world of ever increasing prices at Walt Disney World, it may be cheaper for American travelers to go to Disneyland Paris instead. She crunched the numbers on two sample vacations for spring break 2025. Believe it or not, Disneyland Paris beat out Orlando by a few hundred bucks.

She also pointed out in a follow up piece on her own site just how complicated Walt Disney World vacations have become. It's possible to spend many thousands of dollars, and still have a frustrating vacation due to all of the pre-planning and pre-booking that Orlando requires. There's a major learning curve that many Americans don't want to or simply can't tackle. If you don't do the work for Disney World, you may find you've spent a lot of money and haven't gotten enough value for it.

This post is a little different than the posts I usually publish on Trips with Tykes, but I couldn't help but jump into this fray. I love a good-spirited debate with smart people, especially when it comes to Disney. Over a decade ago when I started blogging, bloggers used to "talk to" each other in off-the-cuff blog posts like this. A lot of us have been interested of late in getting back to blogging basics and finding our personal voices again - especially in an online world filled with cookie cutter AI garbage. So I hope you will indulge me in this little experiment and come along for this ride!

Why Disneyland in California Might be Even Better

I agree wholeheartedly with Dia that the foreign Disney parks offer a unique value and experience. After all, I've personally gone out of my way to visit Hong Kong Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and most recently - Tokyo Disney - with my family in our travels. But I also suspected that there might be a solution to the Disney problems she identifies a little closer to home.

The Disney destination I visit most is the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. I suspected I could put together a comparable vacation at Disneyland for less than the numbers she was crunching for both Orlando and Paris. I also believe that the average guest can successfully experience Disneyland with far less pre-planning and researching than the Florida parks and at least equivalent to the preparation required to visit Disneyland Paris -- if not easier than that.

Crunching the Numbers: Disneyland vs. Disney World vs. Disneyland Paris

So to test my hunch, I used the same parameters Dia set out in pricing out a sample Disneyland vacation. She chose a peak spring break travel week, from April 8-15, 2025, for a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 Disney-aged kids). She chose regular (not basic) economy flights from New York City, including a checked bag, and a higher-end Marriott hotel property near each Disney park for a week.

How did the numbers shake out?

Airfare

As you might imagine, flights from New York to LA are a little more expensive than flights from New York to Orlando. Still, I was able to find a bundled option aboard ultra low cost carrier Spirit Airlines to LAX for the same travel dates. This fare included a seat assignment and checked bag for $250 per person.

Related: Tips & Best Airports for Flying to Disneyland

Total flight costs:

• NYC to Orlando (Dia's numbers): $786
• NYC to Paris (Dia's numbers): $2794
• NYC to LA (my numbers): $1000

Note that travelers based in the middle of the country or closer to the West Coast may find airfare to Disneyland quite comparable or even cheaper than airfare to Orlando.

Hotel

In Orlando, Dia chose the Walt Disney World Dolphin, a Marriott hotel. It is independently-run but gets some of the Disney World perks and is within walking distance of two of the four Orlando Disney parks.

In Paris, she selected the Marriott Vacation Club d’ile de France that has townhouse residences near the theme parks (but not within walking distance).

I looked at Marriott properties near Disneyland. There are two obvious comparable options, both of which are on my list of the top family-friendly hotels within walking distance of Disneyland.

The first is the Westin Anaheim Resort, a new convention center property that personally really impressed me on a recent stay. I think most guests would find it even nicer than the Dolphin, and certainly more comfortable for sleeping a family of four thanks to its standard room configuration that features two queen (instead of two double) beds. A 7 night stay for the same April dates costs $2735.

The other hotel I considered is the Residence Inn Anaheim Resort/Convention Center, a high-rise hotel with suites that have full kitchens plus free breakfast. This hotel is more comparable to the Marriott Vacation Club property at Disneyland Paris. A 7 night stay in a one bedroom king suite (with queen sofa bed for the kids) for the April dates is $1999.

Total hotel costs:

• Walt Disney World (Dolphin): $3,123
• Disneyland Paris (Marriott Vacation Club d’ile de France): $2,638 (note this is for 6 nights because one night on a Paris trip would be spent in-flight)
• Disneyland (Residence Inn Anaheim Convention Center OR Westin Anaheim Resort): $1999-$2735

Tickets

Last but certainly not least is admission to the parks.

Dia assumed a family would spend 4 days of a 7 day vacation in the Orlando theme parks, and included 4 day Park Hopper tickets. Because guests to Disneyland Paris rarely visit the parks for that many days due to the resort's smaller size, she included two Park Hopper days in the theme parks plus tickets to two other major Paris attractions for the other days: Versailles and the Eiffel Tower.

I priced out two Disneyland ticket alternatives:

• 4 Day Park Hoppers: The first option I considered is fully comparable to the Walt Disney World vacation parameters and includes 4 day Park Hopper tickets to Disneyland. Total cost: $2216.
• 3 Day Park Hoppers + Tickets to LA Attractions: Most guests don't tend to do four full days at Disneyland due to its smaller size. It has two parks like Disneyland Paris, but has more to offer in both parks overall, so I thought 3 days in the parks is what most guests would want to experience in California. For the extra day, I priced in tickets to two of Los Angeles's family-friendly tourist attractions: the planetarium show at Griffith Observatory (shoutout to my brother-in-law who may be the actor narrating your show there!) and entrance to the La Brea Tarpits. Total cost: $2052.

Total ticket costs:

• Walt Disney World: $3,067
• Disneyland Paris: $1,156
• Disneyland: $2052-$2216

Totals

Totaling all these vacation elements, the Walt Disney World Orlando vacation came out to $6975 while the Disneyland Paris one was $6,669.

My Disneyland vacation alternative? It cost between $5051 to $5951, depending on which hotel or ticket configuration you select.

As I suspected, Disneyland could come out about $1000-$2000 cheaper than a comparable Disney World vacation in April 2025. Disneyland can often cost 4 figures less than Disneyland Paris too. And that's before you have to figure in the cost of passports ($130 per person!), which plenty of Americans don't have already and would need to add into the calculation.

Why Disneyland Is Easier for the Novice to Plan

But what about the pain points and learning curve required to visit Disney?

Every time I talk to a friend planning a first Disney World vacation, I know I feel a little nuts hitting them with a barrage of explanations about things like early theme park entry, deluxe evening hours, and the Disney dining plan.

Don't even get me started on Lighting Lane Single Pass vs. Lightning Lane Multi Pass (with tiers!) vs. Lightning Lane Premier Pass. Didn't know to pre-book three Lighting Lane Multi Passes 7 days in advance of your trip? Good luck with that. Plus, Walt Disney World has four parks to navigate, hundreds of dining options, and a few dozen Disney hotels to consider.

You certainly don't eliminate all of these pain points going to Disneyland Paris. Going overseas can be a logistical challenge in and of itself with currency conversion and language barriers and new transportation to master like trains. Disneyland Paris has tools to learn like Premier Access (two different types just to make it complicated) and early entry all its own.

That said, Disneyland Paris is indeed simpler than Walt Disney World, with shorter standby lines for guests who don't learn the minutiae and all the lingo. You can pick up a lot of it on the fly.

Disneyland in California is much more like Disneyland Paris in terms of preparation and planning. Most things you might want to add to optimize your day can be done on the day you are in the parks. Want a Lightning Lane to cut some lines? You book those at Disneyland once you enter a theme park (not 7 days early). Lightning Lanes for most rides at Disneyland usually remain available well into the afternoon and evening, unlike at Disney World where some rides sell out days in advance.

To be sure, you can dive deep into gaming out complex strategies at Disneyland. Experts like me certainly get a thrill out of doing just that (see my rope drop strategies for Disneyland and Disney California Adventure to see just how obsessive it can get). But that really isn't necessary to have an enjoyable day at Disneyland. Because of the proximity of rides and the fact that plenty of rides don't have Lightning Lanes which make standby lines that much longer, amateurs can usually experience more attractions in a day at Disneyland than at Walt Disney World.

Final Thoughts

Although I think my home park Disneyland wins the battle for now, I do want to acknowledge that none of these numbers are cheap when it comes to travel. A family could likely go to Southern California for a full week and spend less than half of what I have budgeted for all of these trips. That trip might include visiting world-class beaches, museums, nearby national parks, and seeing the sights of greater Los Angeles or San Diego.

Disney is more of a luxury good these days, unless perhaps you are a local able to pop in for a single day or are able to take advantage of a special ticket deal if you have a flexible schedule (Related: Tips for Saving Money on a Walt Disney World Vacation). But for those guests who want to experience something Disney, it seems there is a strong case to be made that Disneyland in California offers the very best Disney value at the moment for most American visitors.