Planning your first trip to Walt Disney World can be a little overwhelming. You need to make a lot of crucial decisions. These decisions including how long to visit, when to go, where to stay, how many park days, if you want dining reservations, etc. The good news is there are plenty of resources available to help you, including right here on MouseHouseNews.net. We sincerely hope we’re your number one choice for planning information and tips!
We’ve established that there are a lot of aspects to planning a magical Disney vacation. There are three things I want first time visitors (or anyone who hasn’t been to Disney World in awhile) to know. These basic pieces of knowledge will provide a solid vacation-building foundation.
Do Some Research
This one probably feels a little obvious. However, you would be surprised at how many people think they can just show up in Disney World and accomplish everything they want to do (including the most popular attractions, dining, or experiences they’ve heard about from others) without any basic planning. It’s true that a Disney World vacation used to allow for more spontaneity. All you needed to do was know when you wanted to go and where you wanted to stay. While it’s still possible to just “show up” for your vacation, understand that may mean you’ll miss out on some experiences.
Choosing Where To Stay
The number of Disney Resorts Collection Hotels alone makes research essential. Among Disney’s 25+ resorts, you can find everything from budget-friendly Value Resorts to intricately-themed Deluxe Resorts. Determining where to stay is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make. Therefore, it’s best to be informed about your options. Finally, don’t forget to look for Special Offers you can apply to save some money on your trip!
Thinking About What To Do
Once you’ve figured out your hotel situation, you’ll need to think about what you’d like to do on your vacation. Popular attractions, in-demand dining, and Enchanting Extras means you should do some research to establish priorities ahead of time. Even knowing simple information like which attractions or characters are in each park is helpful. Remember, activities go beyond just the theme parks, too!
Keep in mind that you shouldn’t try to plan every single minute of your day. It’s important to have a basic plan (think bullet points), but still remain flexible. Again, I’m not advocating you rigidly plan out every aspect of your vacation. I simply want to impress upon you the importance of knowing what’s available to you and what you may want to accomplish. Lines may be longer than expected, attractions may be down, things may go wrong! Don’t sweat the small stuff or let unexpected situations stress you out.
Deciding Where To Eat
You can easily make it through your vacation by visiting snack stands or Quick Service locations at resorts or in the parks. However, if you want to consume more formal table-service meals, you’ll need to do some planning. There are literally hundreds of restaurants on Disney property! All of Disney World’s restaurants have menus (with pricing) on their website and the My Disney Experience app. Disney Resorts guests can begin making advanced dining reservations 60 days before their trip (for the length of your trip, up to 10 days). Those not staying in a Disney Resort can make dining reservations 60 days prior to the specific date when you wish to dine. Advanced reservations for the most popular restaurants will fill up immediately at the 60-day mark, so it’s important to decide in advance where you would like to eat. That way, you can grab a time slot.
If you can’t get a reservation for a given restaurant, you don’t have to give up hope yet. Keep checking back on the website or My Disney Experience app! Other guests are constantly amending their plans, so reservations could ultimately become available. On the day of your visit, you can also inquire about walk-up availability, although availability isn’t guaranteed.
Understand That You Can’t Do Everything In One Trip
If you took the time to do some research, you’ll immediately see that it’s impossible to do everything in Disney World during one single trip. This is exactly why some of us love going back again and again! There are always new things to discover. In fact, I’ve found that it’s fun to add at least one new-to-me experience each time I go. This makes every trip unique, and you may just discover a new favorite thing that wasn’t previously on your radar!
During your planning process, look at the rides, entertainment, dining, resort activities, and other options available to you. Think about your own personal preferences, and the type of vacation you want to have. Depending on the length of your stay, choose a few “must-dos” that you would like to accomplish. Those are the experiences you should prioritize during your trip. Beyond these highest priorities, anything else you do will feel like a bonus! It’s all about staying flexible. In the end, while you can’t do everything in one trip, you can always come back again!
Making The Most Of Your Theme Park Time
If you would like to experience as many attractions and shows as possible, I do have a couple of suggestions for making the most of your park time:
- Early Theme Park Entry can give you a head start! All Disney Resorts Collection hotel guests have the Early Theme Park Entry perk. You can arrive at the parks and be admitted 30 minutes prior to park opening for the general public. This might not seem like a lot of time, but you’d be surprised at how many attractions you can get done before the crowds arrive and lines start to build for the day.
- Consider staying at a Disney Deluxe Resort. Although pricey, these resorts do have the added benefit of Deluxe Resort Extended Evening Hours. In specific theme parks on select dates, guests of these resorts can stay in the park for two additional hours after it has closed to everyone else. Lower crowds = less time waiting in lines!
- You may want to attend a Disney After Hours event. These separately-ticketed, limited-capacity nighttime events are offered in select parks on specific dates. Attendees get three hours in that theme park after it has closed to the general public. Again, lower crowds means more rides with less waiting in line. As an added benefit, you can get into the park with your After Hours ticket a couple of hours before the park even closes (typically, as early as 7:00pm in 2026).
Add In A Midday Break Or Full Resort Day
Some people approach a Disney vacation with a theme parks rope-drop-to-park-close-every-day mindset. If you love doing as much as possible in the theme parks, more power to you! However, I cannot stress enough the importance of planning some periods to rest into your vacation. After all, who wants to return home feeling like they need a vacation from their whirlwind vacation?!
Longer Stays
You can add in a break in a couple of ways, depending on the length of your vacation. For longer stays, I highly recommend taking a full resort day somewhere in the middle. What that day looks like for you is dependent on your preferences.
- Disney Resorts Collection hotels have amazing pools, so maybe you’ll want a pool day. Each resort’s feature pool has daily poolside activities. For a more relaxing/quiet experience, check out the leisure pool at your resort.
- You can also take advantage of the many resort activities offered at your resort or other resorts on property. Look for the Activities Schedule posted at your resort or on Disney World’s website. Many activities are complimentary!
- How about a day of resort hopping? Resort hopping is when you travel around to different Disney resorts for shopping, dining, or just exploring the scenery. This can be a fun way to experience other resorts, and maybe discover where you want to stay on your next trip!
Shorter Stays
If your vacation is shorter, or if you simply don’t want to devote a whole day to relaxing, at least plan some time to rest during your day. Your theme park ticket allows you initial entry as well as the ability to exit and re-enter the same park on that same day. Any of the above ideas are also great for taking a midday break.
- For instance, if you’re at Magic Kingdom, why not take a boat or monorail over to some of the nearby resorts for lunch or dinner?
- The Disney Skyliner provides easy access from EPCOT and Hollywood Studios to multiple resorts including Disney’s Pop Century Resort. Again, perfect for some resort hopping, dining, and shopping.
- No matter where you’re staying, you can take Disney transportation back to your Disney resort for some pool time or even a nap in the afternoon when it starts getting hot. Then, head back to the theme park for an evening of fun.
To Summarize
Disney World trips are exciting, but they do require some planning. The goal of every Disney World vacation is to have a good time. Taking a few small steps before and during your vacation will allow you to more fully embrace the magic, maintain energy, and create positive lasting memories.
If all of the planning gets to be overwhelming and you’d like some help planning your next magical trip, click the button below to get a free Disney World vacation quote from MouseHouseNews.net’s Marcus. He’s a Travel Specialist who will walk you through every step of the planning process when you book with him, and there’s no additional fee to you!
Stay tuned to MouseHouseNews.net for more tips and information that will aid in planning your next Disney vacation. Follow us on YouTube for additional magic straight from Disney World (be sure to Like and Subscribe)! We’ll see you real soon!
