Planning a Walt Disney World Vacation basics

Greetings Disney planning friends

Visiting Walt Disney World seems to be a right of passage for people of all ages and backgrounds. Some of us have been fortunate to visit often while others make it a once in a lifetime visit. Whether you visit one time or make Walt Disney World an annual trip, these back to basic tips will help get you started planning some magic!

Step 1.- Pick a date. There are many wonderful times to go to Walt Disney World, and you really can’t go wrong anytime of the year… with a little proper planning of course. The trick is you have to pick a date that will work best for you and your family and plan around that. I can plan a wonderful vacation for any season, but I can’t plan how it will affect your life. School and work life are big things to consider when traveling. Are the kids older and missing a test or sports is a big deal? Or is your work very busy in the month of April? Once you figure out what time of year works best we can narrow down dates. I would suggest for first timers or those of you who visit once in a while to avoid all major holidays; Christmas week, Thanksgiving, & Fourth of July are some the busiest times of the year. With Christmas week being the absolute busiest week of the year. Not that you can’t have a wonderful trip, you can, just know it will be crowded. Once you have dates picked out the next thing to think about is the length of your visit. In general a week is a nice amount of time to visit. Sunday to Saturday is very popular this will give you enough days to visit the parks & maybe even gave a day off in between! But if shorter amount of time works for you, any Disney trip is better than no Disney trip! One thing to know is it doesn’t matter how long of a trip you plan you can never get it all done!

Step 2. - Picking where to stay!! I have been adding resorts to my list & post a ‘Where to stay Wednesday’ post each week, please check them out & feel free to ask me any questions. Disney has a resort for every budget and family size. Although some of my favorite benefits of staying onsite are starting to disappear.; no more Magical Express in 2022 & no more complimentary magic bands, even with those perks gone I still find a lot of value of staying at a Disney resort. I love being close to the parks & not having to worry about transportation once I have arrived. Each and every Walt Disney World resort will offer transportation to and from all the theme parks & Disney Springs. Some deluxe resorts will be walkable to a theme park or two, or even Disney Springs. Walking is my personal favorite way of coming and going in and out of the theme parks. A benefit of using the Disney buses or other modes of Disney transportation (monorail, boat or gondola) is it will drop you off closer to the main gate than any taxi, ride share, or off site resort bus can. When you’re staying onsite you can charge things back to your room, and even have them delivered to your hotel. Something I have found handy when we passed a must get item and didn’t want to carry it with us all day. Starting later in 2021 will be Early Theme park entry. This benefit will allow Walt Disney World resort guests to enter each of the four theme parks a half hour early each morning. Getting into the parks early will be key to getting onto some of the most popular rides or getting an emptier park picture with the family.

Step 3. - Picking how many days in the parks you would like. Walt Disney World consists of four theme parks and two water parks. If you’re a first time visitor or looking to tighten your budget I suggest one park per day. Walt Disney World is a huge property about the size of Manhattan & getting around can take some time. With so much to do and see at each park you will want to take time to soak it all in. What park to pick will depend on the age and interest of your party. Magic Kingdom is a must do park for everyone! There are so many rides, characters & snacks in this park you will want a full day, or maybe two here. One of my families favorite parks has always been Animal Kingdom. When my daughter was little she loved just watching the animals and playing the games in Dino-Land. Now that she is older, she still loves the safari & animals but now it is more about the thrill rides like Everest! Animal Kingdom has some great places to eat & meet characters too! We love Tusker House, Yak & Yeti, Satu’li Canteen, Tiffins & Nomad Lounge to name a few wonderful places. Hollywood Studios is currently the hottest park. With Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge & Toy Story Land Hollywood Studios has something for everyone & every age! Star Wars is pretty cool to check out, even if you’re not a Star Wars fan they did an amazing job with this land. Lastly is Epcot, my personal favorite. Epcot is currently undergoing a facelift but there is still a lot to do and see here. Like eating & shopping around the world, it kind of is a perfect combination.; eat & shop! You can dine around the globe on delicious cuisine. Depending on the time of year you’re visiting you may be lucky enough to visit during one of their festivals. Epcot hosts a variety of festivals through out the year; Festival of the Art, Flower & Garden, and Food & Wine. I love all of them! They seem to be getting longer and longer each year too, so with any luck you will be there for at least one of these amazing events!

Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival

Step 4. - Booking your trip! Any Walt Disney World package will be a $200. deposit per room, with the balance due 30 days prior to check in. I tend to say book your trip early, the earlier the better. This way you’re locked into a great price & if a promotion comes out I apply it & save you money! The earlier you book the more options you will have with what room category you’d like. After your trip is booked you can make park pass reservations https://youtu.be/DaSNs3SYOkc After the parks have been reserved the fun planning can begin! Time to think about dining reservations & matching t-shirts.

5. Step 5- Make dining reservations! If you have not guessed already, I love eating in Disney world. There are a lot of great spots to grab a quick bite or snack but some of my favorite meals require an advanced dining reservation. This is a great benefit to staying onsite, you can book all of your dining 60 days prior to check in (previously 180). This is key if you have a must do reservation at a popular spot. You will have a much better chance at grabbing the reservation you desire if you try for it a little later in the week. Becuase those staying offsite or going for one day can book their dining reservations 60 days prior to when they want to eat, giving Walt Disney World resort guests a leg up!

Planning a Walt Disney World vacation at different times of the year require different types of planning; ie summer is different than Christmas time, a RunDisney trip is different than a first visit. But each trip follows the basic steps I mentioned above. Once you have your dates, resort, number of days in the parks it is time to book your trip!! The best part of booking a Walt Disney World trip is the fun planning!! Where to eat & what rides to hit up. Stay tuned for more blog mosts about planning at different times of the year and I will share my best tips to make your trip extra magical!