My #1 piece of advice to get the most out of a Disney World vacation

Before you start booking, first you should define your goals for a successful trip.

My first family Disney trip was meant to be the only family Disney trip. In 2019, I planned a two-week vacation including my niece and the grandparents on both sides of the family. I wanted to make sure we hit all the popular spots, met all the favorite characters, and rode the most popular rides. I had no intention of spending another vacation and that much money at Disney — ever again. Famous last words….

While we did see most of the characters and ride some of the popular rides, we spent most of our time zigzagging across the park and going from one fast-pass reservation to the next. Everyone was tired, and we missed so much of the park and the joy of immersing ourselves in the experience. I made a lot of mistakes. 

Fast-forward to our next big trip, after COVID-19, and in the era of Genie+ ride reservations; we had a very different experience. This time, over 12 days, it was just the three of us and no zig-zagging! We intentionally walked the parks in a circle and stopped at every spot we could access. We rode our favorite rides multiple times and we saw as much as we possibly could. It was amazing. 

But here’s the thing: We still missed some stuff. 

For those planning their first trip, let me say this: You will never see it all in one trip.
It’s impossible. Disney is just too big, with too much to do in one short trip.

First, make a list

Planning a Disney World vacation is overwhelming. And there is added pressure when you get the price tag and want to make sure you get your money’s worth and everyone has a great time. 

To alleviate some of the paralysis that can happen with so many choices, there is one decision that I think is the most important one to make upfront before you book anything. You should define What is your focus or goal? Narrow that down to something achievable and stick to it. This will drive every decision you make at Disney. 

Are you going to ride the popular rides? If so, which three are the most important.

Are you meeting characters? If so, which two are the most important.

Want to see a certain show or parade?

Seriously, why are you going to Disney? Answer that question as a family and then make a list of the things you will be disappointed, or even angry, if you can’t get them done. You are spending thousands of your hard-earned dollars and there will be aspects of a Disney vacation that will leave you feeling upset if you head home not having done them. And again, you won’t do it all.

Here’s what our list looks like:

Top 5 things we must do on our next trip:

1. Ride Rise of the Resistance.
2. Ride Runaway Railway.
3. Eat at Cinderlla’s castle.
4. Attend the Not So Scary Halloween party.
5. Birthday dinner at Beast’s castle.

Why the list matters

Notice that we have limited it to five things. Some are ride-focused, and some are dining-focused. For my family, those are the top things we must do to feel like our trip was a success. 

Why only five? Because Disney is huge and if this list is too long, you increase the chances that you won’t achieve it AND you will spend your vacation panicking that you need to get the list done. Keep it to five things that will absolutely feel disappointing if you miss them. 

When planning out your trip, make these things a priority. We know we need to hit that Halloween party (seriously, we are Hocus Pocus fans and the show is nostalgic for us), and we select several days of our trip that could be good days to get tickets so we don’t limit us and miss out of that day books up. 

When it is time to book our dining, we prioritize the ones on the list and then select some others that would be a nice win if we get them. 

And for the rides, we know that Rise can be a hard one to walk onto so we budget for the Lightning Lane reservation so we can ensure we ride it at least once. We have never waited more than 40 minutes to ride Runaway Railway so we know we don’t need to spend reservation money for that one, but we will try to hit that first thing in the morning when everyone else is running to other rides.

In fact, we rarely wait more than 40 minutes for any ride.

Set the right expectations

Once you arrive on the property, you are going to be overwhelmed. People will be everywhere. Lines will be everywhere. Sounds. Smells. Distractions are everywhere. It will be natural to abandon your plans and just chase wait times or activities and lose track of what you really want to do. 

When I schedule the things on our top five list, my anxiety drops because I know we will complete them. That frees us up to wander through the park at a relaxing pace. We usually start on the side of the park closest to our next reserved activity. We keep an eye on wait times and jump into things that are 20 minutes or less. If the wait times are longer, we circle back later in the day. 

When you are not chasing too many reservations and too long of a to-do list, you can slow down and really take it in. You can be spontaneous and wander into places you would have zoomed past. You can indulge your child in a moment of curiosity. For us, our expectations are lowered a bit for what we will do and when we do so much more, it feels amazing at the end of the trip.

Icing on top

On our last trip, when we could wander the park in between those few scheduled activities, we saw so much more than our first trip where we tried to keep up with fast passes and dining reservations. We wandered into a museum in Hollywood Studios, we discovered how much we enjoy Mickey’s Philharmagic and we took the time to do KidsCot at Epcot, which our child really enjoyed. 

We came home exhausted and fulfilled, having done everything on our top five list and so much more. Everything outside of our set expectations was extra icing on top of a fabulous trip to Disney World. 

So, my very first piece of advice I give anyone attempting Disney World for the first time is to focus on your five absolute must-do activities and know that you won’t see and do it all in one trip so prioritize the ones that matter the most.

What does your family proiritize on a Disney vacation? Share in the comments below.

Mouse news
you can use.

I hate a cluttered inbox with emails I will never read, and I won’t do that to you. Each month I will send you a tip or recent Mouse news, along with my latest Disney post. Simple, quick and Disney-rific.

Subscribe

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.

Built with Kit