Ryan here. The Callahans love all things Disney. The movies, the music, the characters, the merchandise, we love it all. We especially enjoy being at and thinking about being at Disney World. Our son W made his first trip at 14 months and has been twice since. He often ‘tends’ we are all at Disney World. We planned to take J on his first trip at 9 months this November, but cancelled because of COVID. Part of the fun of a trip to Disney is the planning and lead up. I get a lot of joy from the anticipation of the trip, selecting fastpasses and making a tentative schedule.
After a handful of trips over the past decade, I’ve seen how important planning can be in maximizing enjoyment. I’ve also noticed how frustrating it could be without some basic knowledge of the theme parks, the reservation systems, and the resorts. With that said, this is the start of a series of posts on making the most of your vacation, starting with a handful of basic tips for planning a trip to Disney World.
Don’t try to do everything
The vastness of Disney World and the theme parks can be overwhelming. Focus too much on hustling to the next attraction or rushing to squeeze more into your day, and the magic can disappear. Sometimes the best next thing is to take a seat and soak it all in.
Make dining reservations and fastpasses
Dining reservations can be made up to 180 days ahead, even if you don’t have park tickets or resort reservations. The reservations at the most popular restaurants at the best meal times fill up quickly.
Make 3 fastpass+ selections per day, up to 60 days in advance if staying at a Disney resort, or up to 30 days in advance if staying off property. Even more so than dining reservations, fast passes for the most popular attractions can be gone within minutes (Avatar Flight of Passage at Animal Kingdom, Slinky Dog Dash at Hollywood Studios, for example). Selections can be made for your entire trip starting at 60 (staying on property) or 30 days (if not staying on property) in advance based on the first date of your park tickets.
Don’t Give Up
If your preferred attractions and dining reservations are not available, don’t give up. Keep checking for fastpass+ and dining reservations leading up to your trip. Our family decided to go to Disney World last year relatively last minute, but we were still able to eat at some of our favorite restaurants and ride popular attractions. We frequently checked for fastpasses in the days leading up to our trip, and it paid off.
Stay In the Disney Bubble
If you have the means, stay on property. Even staying at the ‘value’ resorts provides a great experience. Outside of being able to select fast passes earlier, the convenience of using Disney transportation, extra magic hours (extended theme park hours for guests staying on property), and not having to leave the Disney ‘bubble’ all make staying at a Disney resort worth it.
If you have the means, splurge for the park hopper passes. Having a family with young kids, we’ve found we want to spend multiple days at Magic Kingdom, and don’t necessarily need a whole day at the other parks. We are a family that likes to stay until after the park closes and clears out, and that often means heading to Magic Kingdom in the evenings, or splitting days between two parks.
Use the Disney App
Use the My Disney Experience app. The app allows you to adjust your day on the fly at the park by moving around fastpass+ reservations, adding more fastpasses after using your initial 3, and keeping track of your day. It’s an essential tool at the parks for us.
Some of our favorites Disney activities:
- Eating at the Rainforest Cafe in Disney Springs the evening we arrive at Walt Disney World
- Meeting Buzz Lightyear in Tomorrowland in Magic Kingdom (W’s favorite)
- Staying after the park closes to shop at the Emporium on Main Street USA in Magic Kingdom
- Eating dinner at San Angel Inn Restaurante overlooking the Three Calleberos boat ride in the Mexico Pavilion at Epcot
- Watching Finding Nemo, the Musical at Animal Kingdom
- Walking through Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios
- Riding the Skyliner, even if just from a park to a resort and back.
- Seeing characters at the Festival of Fantasy parade at Magic Kingdom
- Eating breakfast at Chef Mickey’s at Contemporary Resort on the day we leave before the drive home
- Taking a ride around the Magic Kingdom resort loop on the monorail
I had planned to keep this post relatively short but Disney is a topic I could probably write a book about if I had the time. These basic tips for planning a trip to Disney World should provide a good starting point for families and cover the essentials. We are glad to answer any questions about planning a trip to Disney World. It’s a place that has brought our family a lot of joy over the past few years and we can’t wait to go back!
Check out other travel related posts.
