Walt Disney World is definitely the happiest place on earth, but planning the best possible vacation there takes lots of time and effort. Sometimes, especially for Disney newcomers, this can make the whole experience feel a little bit overwhelming.
I’ve become our family’s “magic coordinator,” making dining reservations, securing FastPasses, and even creating daily itineraries we can reference from our phones in the park. I thought it would be fun to share some of my Disney planning knowledge with a blog series on all of the different things you need to know before you set foot in one of the kingdoms.
Here are my top six tips for planning a Disney World vacation.
1. Strategize which dates to visit carefully.
Disney parks are so popular that they are always crowded. But certain times of the year definitely keep the parks packed worse than others. December is probably the most crowded time to visit, closely followed by the summer months. If your family is able to visit during one of the “off seasons” like January, February, May, or September, you will probably spend less time waiting in huge lines.
On the other hand, special events or decorations might be your priority instead of crowd sizes. Flowers cover Epcot in the spring, fall leaves and pumpkins pop up in Magic Kingdom throughout the fall. And of course there are iconic Christmas trees and Mickey wreaths everywhere in December. Research festivals and events throughout the year at Disney to help you decide the best time to visit for your family.
My Recommendation: Since Austin and I don’t have any kids yet, we aren’t limited by their school schedules. Our favorite time to visit Disney World is September. The crowds are low, there are lovely fall decorations, and you can attend Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party in Magic Kingdom.
2. Consider the pros and cons of staying on or off property.
When you stay at a Disney World resort, you get some major perks. Disney will mail you a free Magic Band. You can reserve all of your FastPasses for the trip up to 60 days in advance. Disney will provide your free transportation to and from the parks and the airport. You can enter the parks early or stay late during Extra Magic Hours.
However, Disney resorts come with Disney price tags. And unless you rent a car, you are totally stuck with Disney transportation (even if the bus breaks down). If you do rent a car, daily parking at Disney hotels usually isn’t free. Sometimes WiFi isn’t free. And even if you stay off-property at a hotel or AirBnB, you can still reserve your FastPasses up to 30 days in advance. (More on this later.)
Many people swear by Disney resorts because the staff members are so accommodating and the facilities are so nice. I loved every experience I had in a Disney resort as a kid. But as an adult, I often find that budget outweighs everything else.
My Recommendation: If you have kids, it’s probably worth it to stay in a Disney Resort for the convenience, character experiences, and extra perks. Since Austin and I don’t have kids yet, we save money by staying in local hotels or AirBnBs.
3. Consider renting a car.
Even if you are staying in a Disney resort with free transportation, I highly recommend renting a car. You won’t ever have to worry about Disney buses running late to the airport, you can leave Disney property to buy snacks or supplies at normal prices, and you have a vehicle ready in case of emergency.
4. Always pre-book your FastPasses.
When I visited Disney World as a kid, FastPasses were little pieces of paper printed from kiosks inside the park. You didn’t really need to worry about them until the day you arrived.
Now FastPass+ is all operated from the My Disney Experience website or smartphone app. Since you can reserve FastPass+ experiences up to 60 days in advance, most of the good ones are gone by the time you arrive at the park. (I learned this the hard way on mine and Austin’s first trip to Disney together!)
If you are staying in a Disney resort, make sure to book all of the FastPass+ rides and shows you want 60 days in advance. This will save you from spending hours in line for rides like Flight of Passage or Millennium Falcon.
If you are staying off-property, you will have to book your FastPasses 30 days out from each individual day of your trip. This differs from resort folks who can book all of the passes for a week-long trip in one sitting. FastPass+ opens to off-property guests at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time exactly 30 days before the date of your park ticket. For our most recent trip, I had to wake up at 6:00 a.m. (in the Central Time Zone) several days in a row just to make sure we grabbed the best FastPasses available for each day of our vacation. While it’s not much fun to set your alarm for 6:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning, you will definitely thank yourself later when you can skip the standby lines.
5. Consider investing in dinner and a show.
Disney has special dining packages in some parks that include reserved seating for nighttime shows in the price of your meal ticket.
For example, you can reserve the Fantasmic Dining Package in Hollywood Studios to guarantee a meal with one entree and one dessert followed by premier seating during the Fantasmic show.
If you’re trying to be extra budget-conscious, you might be better off snacking on a Mickey ice cream and simply arriving early for nighttime shows and staking out the best seats. But the dining packages can be a great value depending on what you order at your meal. Read about your dining package options for Fantasmic, Rivers of Light, Epcot Forever, and the Festival of Fantasy Parade.
6. Consider the pros and cons of Memory Maker.
Disney has photographers stations throughout the parks ready to capture all of your family memories. But downloading all of these photos will require you to purchase the Memory Maker package, which costs $170 prior to your trip and $200 on the week of your vacation.
If you want some high quality family pictures but you don’t have a nice camera (or don’t want to carry a heavy camera around), Memory Maker is the perfect solution. The photographers are all using professional-quality DSLR cameras with the perfect light settings already programmed for your photo. They will also frequently photoshop some fun stickers like flying Tinkerbell or Mickey balloons into your photos to make them seem even more magical.
However, Disney photographers will also take your picture with any device you hand them, including an iPhone or even your own DSLR camera. So if you have already invested your money in a nice camera, you can bring it to the parks with you and save money instead of purchasing the Memory Maker package.
My Recommendation: If your only camera is your smartphone and you care about having really high quality pictures, I recommend utilizing the Memory Maker package. If you have a DSLR camera, I recommend bringing it with you instead.
Planning a Disney World vacation takes time, but it’s so worth it.
If you have never visited Disney World before and you just read through this list, your head might be spinning a little bit. But I promise, the magic you feel when you walk up to the castle or glide through the air on Dumbo’s back makes everything worth it.
If all of this planning sounds totally overwhelming, consider working with a travel agent. I recommend my good friend Crystal from Travel and Table.
If you enjoy vacation planning like I do, use the checklist below as your guide to stay on track. Then, check out the ultimate Disney World packing list to help you fill up your suitcase.
Have more questions about planning a Disney World vacation? Check out a few of the other blogs from my Disney Planning series right here.
The Ultimate Disney World Packing List
150 Magical Disney World Instagram Captions
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