We love Disney World! I think families are either in one of two camps—the Disney LOVERS or the Not-So-Much. We are wholeheartedly part of the first camp! And I say this as someone who does not love crowds—I’m actually a crowd avoider. I don’t do local festivals and carnivals because I cannot even handle that kind of chaos! But Disney just does it so well—even when it’s crazy busy, crazy crowded—it is the most beautifully organized crazy I’ve ever seen! As we navigate the park, I feel like I’m in my own little family bubble (truth—my family bubble is large)—and we may bump into 1,000 other family bubbles as we wander through…but we are together, and all is right with the world.
How to Plan a Disney Vacation–With Flexibility
If you are looking for advice on micro-planning your Disney trip—Sweet Friend, this is not the list for you! We have taken our crew to Disney World four times (Jason actually snuck in a 5th trip with just my big girls). It seems like we average a trip there about every 3 years, and we have never planned out our entire day. That doesn’t mean we don’t have a plan or strategy—but we leave a lot of the day open to adventure and enjoy the flexibility! We have always been able to ride the rides we want and not wait very long in lines—and we’ve been there in the peak of the summer and over Labor Day weekend! It’s Disney—not rocket science! Let’s keep this simple and fun!
My 6 Month Guide to Planning a Disney Vacation
I do hope that my planning outline will help you feel organized and give you an overarching plan to carry you through 6 months of Disney vacation planning. There is a lot of information online about Disney planning—it can be overwhelming. So if you’re feeling overwhelmed—please don’t stress! You’re going to have a great trip!
If You Don’t Have 6 Months to Plan…
Also—side note…If you are reading this and don’t have 6 months to plan your vacation, you are good—no worries! We have done some seriously last minute Disney trips…I’m talking—we are leaving in a few hours kind of wildness (we were in our 20’s and had two babies). One caution I’ll add about last minute planning—depending on when you are traveling and where you want to stay, it definitely gets harder to find a room at one of the Disney Resorts!
6 Months Out:
1) Create a My Disney Experience Account.
2) Book Hotel Room or Disney Resort.
3) Book Airline.
4) Create Loose/Tentative Itinerary
5) Search for the best deal on park tickets if you haven’t bought them as part of a resort package.
*We have bought tickets from Undercover Tourist—they have some really great deals! Subscribe to Disney Tourist Blog—they’ll help keep you posted on deals! Their emails are the best things in my inbox!!
6) Begin Researching Restaurants:
We love the restaurants at Disney—they are so much fun and serve great food! Yes—pricey…but when you get home you’ll think you’re getting a deal everywhere you eat for a least the next month! I used the reviews on Disney Tourist Blog to help me make some dining decisions (I think planning where I’m going to eat is literally my favorite part of planning a Disney trip!)
Here are some of our favorites to help you get started:
Magic Kingdom: Liberty Tree Tavern (Table Service), Jungle Navigation Skipper Canteen (Table Service), Columbia Harbour House (Quick Service)
Epcot: Chefs de France (Table Service), Space 220 (Table Service), Rose & Crown (Table Service), Nine Dragon (Table Service), Tangerine Cafe (Quick Service)
Hollywood Studios: Brown Derbry (Table Service) Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre (Table Service), 50’s Prime Time Cafe (Table Service)
Animal Kingdom: Tusker House (Table Service)
3 Months Out:
1) Finalize Travel Arrangements.
2 Months Out:
1) Make Dining Reservations!
2) Make Pet Arrangements.
3) Call Vet and have any documents faxed to kennel.
4) Get any necessary pet vaccinations.
5) Evaluate needs for clothing or luggage.
1 Month Out:
2) Put holds or change delivery dates on any monthly services (ie…food delivery or Amazon Subscribe and Save).
2 Weeks Out:
1) Confirm Kennel/Pet Arrangements.
2) Place Hold on Mail.
3) Arrange for neighbors, family, or friends to pick up packages, water plants, care for any other pets, take out/bring in trash cans.
4) Arrange any transportation—we used Mears to pick us up from the Orlando Airport and take us to our hotel. I highly recommend!
5) Check medications—order any refills that will be needed.
Week of Trip:
1) Do laundry—get it caught up and ready to pack!
2) Go to the store! Grab any toiletries you need and any snacks you would like to pack for the hotel—we brought pop tarts, fruit snacks, and graham crackers to keep our little people happy. Our snacks were all packed into a carry-on, which held our souvenirs on the way home! **Get medications in case kiddos get sick on the trip!!
3) Clean the House!
4) Pack! (Don’t get too stressed about this—if all the clothes are clean and you have all your purchases made—this can be done the day before!!)
5) Add the My Disney Experience App to your phone!
6) Run dishwasher night before you leave!
7) Have pet supplies ready for anyone watching your pets or for taking to kennel.
8) For those staying at a Disney Resort–you can make Lightning Lane Reservations 7 days out from the 1st day of your trip! If you are staying off-property, make any Lightning Lane Reservations 3 days out!
Getting Out the Door!
1) Get pets settled.
2) Make Beds.
3) Empty all trashes.
4) Take Out Trash.
5) Empty Dishwasher.
6) Empty Washing Machine—moldy towels are not fun to come home to!
7) Load up the car with luggage!
8) Adjust Home Thermostats.
9) Adjust Lights.
10) Grab: Wallet, Photo ID, Airline Tickets, Disney Park Tickets!!
Have an AMAZING vacation and make lots of special family memories!!
Don’t miss my post about 5 Must Have Items to bring on your trip! If you have any questions, please feel free to shoot me an email: jen@jenmerckling.com (email link on the sidebar) or leave a comment below! And if you have any Disney Tips or Recommendations—please share them in the comments below!! Disney changes their procedures and policies from time to time—all the information I’ve provided is current through October 2024–but the very best place to stay up-to-date is the Disney Tourist Blog!! Happy Planning!!
With Love,
Jen xo
