How to Plan A Disney World Vacation in 10 Steps

I know the stress that can come from planning a vacation–for you, for your family, for a group. I go to Disney pretty often, so friends and family often ask how to plan a Disney World vacation. It can be a daunting task. So I am here to help you plan a trip to the most magical place on earth Walt Disney World!

I’ve been going to Walt Disney World since I was 7 or 8 years old. Of course back then it was a lot cheaper and a lot less to manage than it is now. We started taking our kids to Disney when my oldest was 4 and my middle was 2. I’ve since had 1 more and she started going when she was 7 month old. So I’ve had a lot of experience taking kids from very early ages to now when my oldest is 11.

1. First things first…when to go to Disney World?

I recommend starting at the most basic of places–when to go?

When you plan a Disney World vacation, you may have constraints with work or school schedules that restrict the times you can go on vacation. If you can’t stand the heat and humidity, I recommend going in November-March. There might be some humid days but there will also be some cooler days and evenings.

Also, crowds are worse during holidays, holiday weekends, spring break, and marathon weekends. August and September are very hot and humid, plus you run the risk of going during hurricane season. However, these two months are when schools are starting back and crowds seem to be a bit lower.

There are lots of crowd calendars floating around. I recommend looking at the times you have available and compare to see when it best to travel. I put together a post on the best times to visit Walt Disney World if you want to check it out.

2. Set a Realistic Budget

When planning any vacation, you know there is a limit to what you can spend. With Disney, you have to set that budget and work from there. There are some ways to cut costs but overall, any Disney trip is going to be expensive.

If you want to go all out, you might need to save to be able to afford all the extras. On the other hand, you can do a short trip or a budget trip and stay within your means. I help families all the time determine how to best plan a Disney World vacation within their budget and make it magical.

Just remember, there are quite a few items you need to remember on a Disney trip aside from transportation, hotel, tickets, and food. At Walt Disney World, will you purchase souvenirs? If you are staying off site you will need transportation to the parks. You will also have to pay a parking fee at the parks when staying off site. Will you be using Genie+ (another added cost that we will look at later)? And do you want to purchase Memory Maker to save all those photos from rides and cast members? These are just a few of the extras you might need to think about.

3. Where will you Stay?

You have two basic choices–will you stay on Disney property or off-site?

On-Site

Staying on-site keeps you in the “Disney bubble” and gives you complimentary transportation to the parks, Disney Springs, and water parks. Parking at your resort and the parks is free. There is a wide variety of recreation and activities at each Disney Resort. These include pools, pool-side activities, movies under the stars, arcades, playgrounds, shopping, a couple food option and much more. It all depends on where you decide to stay.

Off-Site

Staying off-site is the other option. If you have a big party that needs larger accommodations this might be best for you. If your trip is not solely Disney and you will be spending time in other places in the area, you might want to stay off-site. You can also find more affordable options off site than you might find on Disney property. Just remember to factor in the additional travel time, resort fees, and expense of a rental car into your budget.

4. My Disney Experience

My Disney Experience (MDE) is an app that is key in how to plan a Disney World vacation. It is command central for all the information you will need access to. I will be writing a whole post just on MDE and all the features that are housed on this app. You can also find My Disney Experience on the main Disney World website and you can access all the same information to plan your trip. Some features only work in the app while others only work on the main webpage. So #1 you will need to download the app to your phone to be able to use during your time in the parks.

5. How will you get there and back home?

Travel to and from Disney can be stressful with the absence of Magical Express which was discontinued at the end of 2021. So if you are driving to Disney, you know you will have your own vehicle and this is a non-issue. However, if you are flying the options abound.

Rent a Car

This can be the most expensive option depending on the length of your stay. In addition, you will need to be able to navigate your way to and from the airport and around the area. I recommend this if you are comfortable driving yourself around and if you will be on and off Disney property throughout your trip.

Shuttle Service

Mears Connect is available from MCO to area hotels, including Disney World resorts. Sanford Airport also has private shuttle service, however it is quite a bit more expensive due to being a longer distance from Disney Parks.

Ride Share

This is a popular choice for travelers. If there are 4+ in your party it can more cost effective to use a ride share over paying per person for shuttle service. It will also be quicker as you are going straight to your resort and there won’t be additional stops on your commute. Just be aware of supply/demand causing surge pricing at different times.

Private Transportation Service

Being a mom who travels alone with my kids, I really like private service or just getting my own rental car. There are several reputable car services that will provide one way or round trip service from the airport to Disney resorts. Many of these services will meet you to help with luggage and provide car seats as needed. This method will cost more than a ride share or shuttle service but it just depends on your preferences and needs. I would recommend to make note of this while you plan your trip to Disney World and book ahead of your vacation.

6. The Disney Genie and New Lightning Lane Multi-pass and Single Pass Service

So Disney rolled out Disney Genie in late 2021 and Lightning Lane Multi-pass/Single Pass in summer of 2024 to use while navigating the theme parks. Here is a quick run down of what each of them are.

Genie

Disney Genie is FREE to use park navigation portion of the MDE app. Each day of your trip you can enter the most important things to focus on and Disney Genie will make recommendations throughout the day of things you might want to do. These recommendations will include rides, attractions, entertainment and food offerings. Wait time projections can also be viewed on the Tip Board to see when is the best time to get in line.

Lightning Lane Multi-Pass

This is the “pay to skip the lines” feature, replacing the former Genie+. So there are a lot of things to know about Lightning Lane Multipass. I’m not going to get into all of them here.

The big takeaways are that lightning lanes can now be booked ahead of your trip. Disney Resort guests can book 7 days in advance of their check in date for the length of their trip. Guests staying offsite can book 3 days prior. You can make 3 Lightning Lane selections in one park in advance. Watch this video for all the details about early booking, what you can book, and what happens during your trip after you use a selection.

Lightning Lane Single Pass

This service replaced the former Individual Lightning Lane a la cart Selection. But instead of being able to use this for multiple rides and attractions throughout the day, this is pay-per-ride. Meaning you are paying to ride one attraction one time. Magic Kingdom utilizes Individual Lightning Lane (ILL) for two rides; Tron and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. All other parks only have one ILL attraction each. Attractions that utilize ILL are not eligible for Lightning Lane Multipass. Only two ILL can be purchased per person per day.

Check out this post on Lightning Lane Multipass and Single Pass for all you need to know to use the service effectively.

Check out this video on my channel for more information on the basics of the Lightning Lane service.

Lightning Lane Premier Pass

Want to splurge? This may be what you are looking for. The Premier pass is created for the guest who just wants to use the lightning lane entrance but doesn’t want to deal with reserving and waiting for window to open. This pass is available to book for only 1 park per day. It allows the guest one lightning lane entry to each eligible attraction in the specific park. The price for this pass is date based and available for early booking.

7. Make a Basic Trip Itinerary

This is my favorite part when I plan a Disney World vacation. At this point, you should know where you staying, how long you will be there, and how many days you are spending in the parks. So now this is the fun part; planning all the things you want to do on your trip!

Park Days

For this step you need to know how many days are on your ticket and whether you are park-hopping. If you are doing one park per day, you get to choose which parks to do on which days. Remember to check for any special events happening during your trip that may affect park hours. Also, if you are staying in a Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resort, you will have access to extended evening hours. These are only on specific nights at a specific park. So you might want to make sure to plan that park for that day to make the most of the extra time.

Non-Park Days

Days at Disney outside of the parks can be as much fun as days in the parks, or at least more relaxing. If you have time on your trip, I would recommend having a day to enjoy your resort. You can relax by the pool, enjoy a meal, and see what your resort has to offer.

Another non-park day activity is to visit Disney Springs. Disney Springs is a shopping and entertainment location on Disney property that has bus transportation from each Disney Resort. It does NOT require admission. Disney Springs offers shopping, great restaurants, fun snacks, a movie theatre, live entertainment, bowling and more! It’s a destination in itself.

My favorite thing to plan during my Disney World vacation is time to resort hop. I love to visit other resorts and see where I want to stay next. I also like to visit to grab food or a snack that is only available at a specific location. Resort hopping is so much fun, just remember that it can be tricky to get to some resorts. Your best bet is to take Disney transportation to the resort you want to visit.

8. Dining at Disney

Disney dining is a great way to make your vacation even more memorable. Here are a few things you will need to know about in order to plan dining into your Disney World vacation.

ADR/Advanced Dining Reservations

Did you know that many Disney World restaurants will not have day of reservations available? So if there is a restaurant that you absolutely want to try, make a reservation for it. The ADR window opens 60 days prior to your check in date.

If you stay on site, you can make dining reservations for the length of your trip up to 10 days. If you are staying offsite, you will need to make dining reservations for each day of your trip no more than 60 days before that specific day. This is another advantage of staying on site.

If your plans change, you usually have up to 2 hours prior to your reservation to cancel without penalty. If you do not cancel and no-show your reservation, your card on file will be charged $10 per person on the reservation. So please cancel if you can’t make it.

Quick Service Dining

Think of quick service as fast food style. Ordering takes place through Mobile Order in the MDE app or you can order at the counter. Then you wait to pick up your food and carry it to your table. It’s all serve yourself style.

Table Service Dining

Table service restaurants is where you will have a server come to your table to wait on you. There are a few different scenarios for this but the concept is the same. There are casual dining restaurants, character dining, signature dining, and lounges. Some dining options use buffets and family style all you care to eat meals, while others use prix fix menus or al la carte options. There really is something for everyone.

Snacks & Tips

There are so many snack options, there is no way to cover all your options here but be sure to try a few special snacks on your trip. One thing I would recommend is to purchase a popcorn bucket on your first day in the parks. You can bring it back with you on subsequent days and get refills for $2 each.

Dining Plans

There are two Disney Dining Plan options that can be added to a Disney Vacation package. These are only available to guests staying on site and park tickets must be included in the package. The Quick Service Dining Plan allots 2 quick service meal and 1 snack per person per night of stay. Both Dining Plans offer a refillable resort mug per person also. The Disney Dining Plan allots 1 table service meal, 1 quick service meal, and 1 snack per person per night of stay. The price for each of these plans are updated annually. You can find FREE Dining offers at certain times during the year also.

9. Other Things You Might Not Think About…

Virtual Queues

New rides at Walt Disney World are using virtual queues instead of traditional standby lanes. So to be able to ride the newest rides (currently Tron in Magic Kingdom and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT) you will have to join the virtual queue or purchase an Individual Lightning Lane. Virtual Queues open at 7:00 am and again at 1:00 pm. They often run out quickly so join as early as you can.

Memory Maker

This is a photo bundle purchase for you to have full access to all your pictures taken by photo pass photographers and ride photos. You have 3 options to purchase Memory Maker. First is a single day package for $75. You can pre-purchase Memory Maker for the length of your trip for $185. This options requires that you purchase a minimum of 3 days prior to your trip. You can also purchase during your trip and that will cost $215. So if you think you will utilize the service throughout your trip, you might want to consider pre-purchasing Memory Maker.

Magical Extras

There are lots of extras you can consider for your trip. Some of these include Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, Fireworks Dessert Parties, VIP Tours, Behind the Scenes Tours of all kinds, cabanas, boat rentals, and so much more. Check out the WDW website or contact your travel agent to learn more about all that Disney has to offer.

Water Parks

Walt Disney World is home to not one but two water parks. These are Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach. In recent years, only one park has been open at a time. The other seems to be under refurbishment. Single day water park tickets are around $75 at this time. You can also add water park admission to a multi-day ticket.

In 2025, all Disney Resort reservations will include FREE admission to a Disney water park on check in day. This is very exciting and looks like the attendance at the water parks will have a definite up-tick.

Special Events

Throughout the year, you will find various Special Events scheduled in each park. These can include After Hours, Halloween and Christmas parties, private parties for corporate events, private events for cast members, DVC private events, and more.

If any of these Extras or Events look interesting to you, check out the WDW website or contact your travel agent to add these to your reservation!

10. Overwhelmed? Book with A Travel Agent that specializes in Disney Destinations

Most people going to Disney are very excited to plan their trip but it can be too much information if you haven’t been in several years or this is your first trip. So my #1 recommendation is to book with a travel agent that specializes in Disney Destinations. They should be well versed in the current happenings and important information that needs to be passed along to you. They can also help to give you the information you need to make your Disney World Vacation exactly what you want it to be.

If you have a travel agent already-Great! Call them and get started booking your trip. If you are in need of one, I would love to work with you in planning your Disney dream vacation. My services are free when you book with me. If you like booking yourself but need help with logistics or itineraries, feel free to contact me and we can discuss fees for that.

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Need More Help

I am also a travel agent specializing in Disney. If this guide causes you to want additional help to ensure a great trip–feel free to email me at agreene@magicalworldvacations.com and I will be happy to assist you. My services are 100% free when I book your trip.