So you’ve decided you want to go to Disney World! That’s awesome! That’s amazing! That’s…. overwhelming.
There is so much to see, do, and plan when you go to Disney World. And I’m someone who has traveled a LOT. But I’ve never encountered a vacation that requires the level of planning that Disney World does. So where do you start?
Let me walk you through the steps for planning your Disney World vacation.
The first thing you need to do is to decide what your budget is. I can’t help you with this part. Only you know what’s best for your family, and for your wallet. And really Disney can be done for a variety of budgets.
Maybe you like a more low key vacation. Your resort is just a place to catch some sleep between parks. You aren’t a big foodie and don’t mind bringing your food into the park to save money on food. You can probably do Disney on a smaller budget!
Maybe you know this is your one and only chance to go to Disney and you want to go big or go home. High-end resorts and plenty of sit down restaurants. Add-ons and extra ticketed events until 1 am sound like your thing. You’ll be setting aside a bigger budget for your Disney blow out!
Maybe you’re somewhere in the middle. Nice accommodations (but you don’t need top of the line) some restaurants and some quick service. Maybe a few fun add-ons for your Disney adventure.
Really only you know how your family vacations and what your budget is. Know that I have seen Disney World vacations for as low as $3000 (for a family of 4), and as much as $10,000 (for a family of 4). I have created samples of various budgetsso you can get an idea of what you might be spending on what.
Prices, events, and crowds can all vary depending on what time of year you decide to travel.
In general, holidays and school breaks are going to be a more popular time to visit the parks. Knowing this, you can expect rates to be higher during these times. That being said, summer is no longer the crazy busy season it used to be.
In recent years, the busiest times have changed. June and August aren't nearly as crowded as they used to be, and crowds seem to be growing in the months of October (Food and Wine Festival, Halloween parties at the parks, and Fall breaks at many schools are all factors), November (People celebrating Thanksgiving and time off of work and school), and December (Winter breaks and Holiday events at the parks).
Take a look at our month by month breakdown of weather, activities, and events that might impact crowds to decide what dates work best for you.
Once you have an idea of dates that work for you, you can price out resort options.
There are 29 resort options available on Disney property. 5 value resorts, 5 moderate resorts, 8 deluxe resorts, and 11 resort villas. There are also campsite options. Not to mention offsite hotels and resorts.
If you shop around for offsite hotels, keep in mind that you miss out on the perks of staying on Disney property. These perks include complimentary transportation from Orlando airport, early access to the parks, and free transportation to the parks.
To check out more information on each Disney resort, look at our individual resort breakdown.
Next, you will want to decide what type of tickets you will need for your trip. When buying tickets for your trip, you’ll have 4 different options.
Base tickets are going to be your cheapest option. They will allow you into one park per day. Park Hopper tickets let you bounce from one park to another in a single day (Park hopping is allowed after 2pm, and you must visit your first park with reservation before you can head to the second park). If the resort you picked is walking distance to a park this might be a great option. Park Hopper Plus tickets let you hop from park to park, and also give you access to water parks, mini golf, and golf.
You can find more in-depth information regarding your ticket optionshere.
You also have the option of adding Genie+ to your tickets. Genie+ allows you to purchase Lightning Lane access on select rides. This means that you can select rides in the app, and be given a designated time to come back and skip the regular standby queue.
Genie+ costs $15 per ticket per day, and can be added on a day by day basis the day of your visit.
You can read more about Genie+ and how it works here.
Are you flying or driving?
Renting a car?
There is a lot to consider when deciding how you'll get around Disney World. First you'll need to decide how you are getting from the airport to Disney World Resort. You'll find all of your transportation options from the airport here.
Are you set on a resort on the monorail line or are you ok with Disney buses to get to the park?
You'll want to familiarize yourself with the transportation within Disney World before your trip. Learn about the buses, monorail, Skyliner, and boats so you know what to expect with Disney World transportation.
There is a seemingly endless list of restaurants and snacks at Disney world. But did you know you also have the option of bringing your own food to the park?
You have the choice of paying for meals as you go or prepurchasing a meal plan. There is no wrong answer here. You can check outmy post on the pros and cons of buying the Disney dining plan.
For some families the cost of the dining plan makes a ton of sense, for others, you’ll find yourself at the end of your trip with a ton of unused food credits. Even if you don’t buy the dining plan you can always just pay for meals as you go. Either way, eating at Disney World can EASILY be a huge chunk of your vacation budget. I usually tell people to expect about 1/3 of your budget to go towards food purchases.
If spending this much on food sounds awful, you can always havegroceries delivered to your hotel, and pack your food for the parks. Food, drinks, and even small coolers (think something that will fit under a stroller) can be brought in to the park with you. There are tons of ways to save money on foodwhile at Disney World
Once you know how often you want to be eating at the park you can pick restaurants that appeal to your family and your taste buds. You’ll want to have a general idea of what parks you want to be at on which day. The last thing you want is to be running from park to park to get to your dinner reservation.
60 days out you can book your reservations for sit down dining for your entire stay. If you are on site and your stay is 7 days long, at 60 days from your check-in day you can book dining for your ENTIRE stay. So really you can book 67 days out. It is another perk of staying at a Disney resort. I suggest booking hard to get reservations first (instead of going in order by day). And if you know something is a hard to get reservation (Be Our Guest Restaurant for example) you might want to try and grab a dinner reservation for that spot towards the end of your trip to give you better odds.
Once you have your resort reserved, your flights and transportation sorted out, and your restaurants reserved you will want to come up with a game plan for your park days.
You will need to make park reservations for each day of your trip. To learn how to make park reservations read the full article here.
Congratulations! You have all of your basics covered for an amazing trip!
But even with all of the amazing things you have planned, there is always room for a little extra magic. While definitely NOT necessary for an amazing trip, there are several fun extra items that you can add to your trip. Genie+, Dessert parties, holiday parties, before and after hours tickets, tours, and more. While these can vary depending on the season, there are always fun extras available.
I have listed the pros and cons of some of theextra ticketed items if you are considering adding one of these to your vacation.
I hear you. I have been to Disney World many times. And I love the planning. But I do realize that the planning is not fun for everyone. If you need help planning, I suggest working with a Disney specific travel agent. Not only can they book your trip, but they can help you plan your entire itinerary.
Get a free quotehere!
I am happy to help! Contact me.
See you at the parks,
-Julie
Are you ready to book your Disney World vacation?
We can book rooms, tickets, dining, and FastPass+, and even watch out for discounts that could save you thousands. All at no charge to you.
