How to Plan the Best Disney World Vacation

You’ve finally decided to take the plunge and take your family on a trip to Disney World. Now what? Your first trip to Disney can be truly magical, but it’s going to take a little planning to get there.

The key is, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming, and it doesn’t have to feel like work. For me, planning our trip is almost as much fun as the trip itself. According to a 2010 study, just planning or anticipating your trip can make you happier than actually taking it.

My goal in this guide is to help make the planning process as simple, and enjoyable as possible.

Choose your dates

Decide where to stay

One of the questions I get asked the most is, “Should I stay on Disney property?” I have done both, and my answer to this question is: It depends! Like anything else, you should evaluate the needs of your group.

Many people will tell you that in order to truly experience the magic of Disney you need to stay inside the “Disney bubble”. While I love staying on property, there are also many benefits to staying off-site. The most notable benefit is cost. Read more about choosing to stay onsite vs. offsite here 

Staying Offsite

There are some beautiful hotels nearby that are considered “Good neighbor hotels” You can book a good neighbor hotel at a fraction of the cost compared to official Disney Resort hotels. They also offer transportation to the parks, and other perks such as discounted tickets or vacation packages. You can find more information about Good Neighbor hotels here.

If you are traveling with a large group, a great option could be to rent a large home nearby and split the cost. There are several popular resort communities with restaurants and amenities similar to what you would find on Disney property. When we traveled in October 2021 we stayed at Encore Resort at Reunion and we had a great time! We were within 20 minutes of the parks, our group of 10 had plenty of space to spread out.

One of the potential downsides of staying off-site can be transportation. You do need to factor in the cost of a rental car, parking, or rideshare services if you are not staying at a resort that offers complimentary transportation to the parks. Many nearby hotels and resorts do offer a shuttle, but the hours and process can sometimes make this a hassle. Just make sure you take transportation into account when making your choice.

Staying On-Site

If you are staying on Disney property you will need to choose between over 25 Disney resort hotels. Disney hotels are broken out into three tiers: Value, Moderate, and Deluxe. A few things to consider when choosing your resort:

• Budget: Cost can be one of the biggest factors when choosing a resort.
• Amenities: What types of amenities are important for your group?
• Location: How far is the resort from the parks you will visit most?
• Transportation options: Do you prefer to walk or use a monorail, skyliner, ferry, or bus?
• Dining options: Is having a table service restaurant
• Room size: If you have a larger travel party, you may want to choose a resort that offers suites, or rooms that sleep 5.

Staying on Disney property also has it’s perks. These include:

• Free transportation to Disney Parks and Disney Springs
• Early Theme Park Entry each day
• Extended evening hours for Deluxe resort guests on selected nights
• The ability to book the Disney Dining Plan when availabile
• General “Disney Magic” of being on property

Once you have completed these steps you can book your trip. You will also want to make sure you download the My Disney Experience (MDE) app. This is where you are going to manage your tickets, reservations, dining etc. for your trip.

Plan your park days

Now that you know when you are going, and where you are going to stay, it’s time to decide when you will visit each park, and make your park pass reservations.

At this time, Disney is still requiring park pass reservations to enter each of the parks. It doesn’t seem like this is going away anytime soon, so be sure to check availability and make reservations as soon as possible when planning your trip. There are separate calendars for theme park tickets only, resort guests, and annual pass holders. Be sure to use the correct calendar that applies to you.

Your crowd calendars are going to come in handy here to choose the days that will be least crowded for each park. My high-level recommendations are:

Magic Kingdom: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

Epcot: Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday

Hollywood Studios: Weekdays

Animal Kingdom: Any day including weekends

You will also want to decide if you want to visit one of the 2 water parks (Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon) or spend some time in Disney Springs.

Personally, water parks are not really my jam. But many people swear by adding a water park day into the mix.

I highly recommend spending some time in Disney Springs. In addition to great shopping, it has some of the best restaurants on property.

Determine Transportation

How will you get to Disney World? Do you need to book flights, or will you drive? If you are flying, how will you get from the airport to your resort? Will you be renting a car? These are all questions you will need to answer, and will affect your budget as you plan.

Decide on dining options

This is one of my favorite steps, and one I spend WAY too much time thinking about. There are so many fantastic restaurants on Disney property that it can be really hard to choose.

Currently you can book dining reservation 60 days prior to your visit. That doesn’t mean you need to know exactly where you will eat every meal during your vacation that far in advance. However, you will want to be sure you have a list of your top choices so you can secure a reservation for those hard to book locations. This includes:

• Any character dining
• Ohana
• California Grill
• Le Cellier
• Space 220
• Victoria & Albert’s
• Fireworks dining packages

I try to have all my table services choices made in advance so I can book them as soon as my 60 day window opens. This is not required, but it does put you ahead of the game. You can always cancel or modify your reservations if you change your mind, or if something else pops up.

Create a touring plan

This is the step that can really put you ahead of the pack, and help you get the most value out of your Disney World vacation. It’s also the step that a lot of people skip.

Now, if you are one of those spontaneous, free spirit kind of people that feels restricted by plans- hear me out. I’m not saying you need to plan every moment of your trip. In fact, I think it’s really important that you don’t OVER plan. But, if you walk into a park with no idea what you want to do or see, you are going to wind up overwhelmed and disappointed.

Go into your day knowing that it is not going to go exactly as planned. Someone will have to take an unexpected bathroom break, attractions may close for parts of the day. Someone is going to get cranky. It happens. You absolutely must be flexible when it comes to Disney. But, there are a few things you can think about ahead of time that will set you up for success.

• What time do you plan to be at the park? Are you planning to be there as soon as the park opens for rope drop? Will you be staying for fireworks? Are you planning to take a mid-day break? This is important information so you can fill in your most popular attractions at the most strategic times so you can avoid long lines.
• What are your must do attractions? Have each person in the group choose their must-do activites. This should be a total of 5 or less attractions for the day. Set the expectation that anything above and beyond that list is a bonus. I’m not saying that’s all you will be able to do. It just helps to keep stress levels and disappointment to a minimum.
• Are you planning any sit down meals? Table service meals typically take longer, so you will want to factor that in to your day. If you have dining reservations for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, (which I do not recommend) that is going to take a big chunk out of your touring time for the day.
• Plan time for rest. Whether or not you plan on taking a mid-day break to head back to your resort, you will need to factor in some rest time. This could be as simple as finding a spot in the shade or air conditioning to enjoy a snack and a drink. One of my favorite things to do on our Magic Kingdom days is to hop on a monorail and visit a resort during the hottest and busiest part of the day.

Conclusion

It’s no secret that planning a Disney World vacation can require a lot of work. The good news is, with a little planning and preparation, you can have a truly magical experience. Having a basic knowlege of the the steps involved can really help you to beat the overwhelm, and get the most from your money. Who knows, you may even enjoy it!

I hope you find this guide helpful. Leave me a comment with which step in the planning process is your favorite.