So, you decided to plan a trip to Walt Disney World. Whatever brings you to Disney World, there is no time like the present to start organizing your thoughts and act on making reservations! As someone who writes and talks about theme parks for a living, I’m almost always in Disney World vacation planning mode, and I’ve had many years of developing the art of crafting a picture-perfect trip.
As we will discuss, there are a lot of details to consider while you plan your Disney World vacation. These don’t all have to be done at once; in fact, depending on how far out you start planning, you can actually space a lot of these steps out so it doesn’t feel as overwhelming. With all of that in mind, here is my 10-step guide to successfully planning a Walt Disney World vacation.
Step one: determine your vacation budget
Steps one through three sort of go hand-in-hand and can be done simultaneously. You cannot begin to make any moves on booking reservations until you have a frank look at your vacation budget. A trip to Disney World is going to cost several pretty pennies, and you don’t want your trip to come with any hidden surprises.
There are two schools of thought that I believe most vacationers use when approaching a vacation, whether they are aware of it or not. Neither one of these approaches is better than the other, but it is important to have a realistic look at how much of a budget you have to work with. Vacationers either:
- Start with a set budget and craft a vacation to fit that budget (money first)
- Start with an ideal vacation and craft a budget to fit that vacation (itinerary first)
My go-to tip for pricing out a trip is to go on Disney World’s website and actually build a vacation itinerary with your ideal dates, hotel (if staying on Disney property), etc. Check websites like Kayak or Google Flights to see what flights will cost, as well as any off-property hotel options. That will give you a good starting point to get an idea of how much your Disney World vacation will cost, and how long it may take to save.
There are many ways to save on a Disney World vacation and stretch your dollar even further, so be sure to research those as well.
READ MORE: HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON YOUR NEXT DISNEY WORLD VACATION
Step two: decide when you want to visit and for how many nights
You really can’t make a move on any other vacation planning steps until you decide when you want to visit and for how long. This means you have to consider your vacation budget right away, as the time and length of your vacation are going to have an impact on every other aspect of your trip. Remember when I said the first few steps would go hand-in-hand? This is a perfect example of that.
For example, if you’re looking to take a trip during spring break, you may have a tighter vacation budget as flights and hotels are going to cost more. In those instances, you may need to make compromises in other areas, like fewer nights at your resort or staying at a resort with a lower rack rate. On the flip side, if you’re traveling during a quieter season, you may have more wiggle room and can afford to stay at a Deluxe hotel or can maybe stay for an extra night or two at a Value or Moderate (if you choose to stay on Disney World property).
This is where you start to play with your various options and figure out what actually matters to your family. If having a nice resort with multiple amenities is important, that may have an impact on how many nights you stay. There are countless ways to tinker with your vacation plans before booking, so be sure to examine every possible option.
READ MORE: DISNEY WORLD’S LOWER-COST HOTELS GIVE YOU MORE FLEXIBILITY IN YOUR VACATION BUDGET
Step three: decide where you want to stay
Once you’ve determined when your vacation is happening, it’s time to look at what your hotel options are going to be. The two big categories are staying on Disney World property and staying off Disney World property.
If you stay on Disney World property, you’ll be much closer to the action. The parks are minutes away, with multiple transportation options at your disposal. You’ll also have other perks like the ability to make charges to your room, early entry to the parks each morning, and, if staying at a Deluxe hotel, extra hours select evenings at select parks. All of this comes at a price, and staying on Disney World property comes at a premium compared to other options.
Off-property options can range from countless hotels to vacation rentals. It all comes down to what your family needs. If you want the comforts of home, a vacation rental may be a great option. If you prefer staying at a hotel but want the most bang for your buck, look into the Disney Springs area hotels.
READ MORE: FOOLPROOF WAYS TO PLAN YOUR FIRST VACATION TO WALT DISNEY WORLD
Step four: book the big three (flights, hotel, and park tickets)
At long last, we’ve arrived at arguably the most exciting step: actually booking the vacation! Some reservations don’t need to be made until closer to the trip, but you’ll want to knock the big three out of the way as soon as you’re ready: flights, hotel, and park tickets. Remember that Park Reservations are no longer required for most Disney World guests. If you are an Annual Passholder, you still need to book your reservations as of this writing.
I’d make the argument that your hotel should be booked first, along with park tickets (you can book them at the same time if you’re staying on Disney World property). You’ll have more leeway to wait on flights for a good deal to roll around. But you still want to ensure you stay on top of these three major reservations at your earliest convenience.
I’ll add a step 4B here – if you’re visiting during a time of year when there’s an after-hours event (Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, Disney After Hours, etc.), I recommend booking those tickets as early as possible, perhaps when you’re booking the rest of the trip if tickets are already on sale.
READ MORE: THE BEST DISNEY WORLD HOTELS FOR AN ADULTS-ONLY VACATION
Step five: book ground transportation
If you haven’t been to Disney World in the past few years, there’s a new process to booking ground transportation you will want to stay on top of. Disney suspended its Magical Express service a few years ago. This meant anyone flying into Orlando International Airport and staying on Disney World property needed to re-calibrate how they get to and from the airport.
I would book my ground transportation once my flights and hotel are booked, so it’s done and out of the way. There are a few options: you can book Mears Connect (the main shuttle that operates very similar to Magical Express), or you can book a private taxi service. You can also book a ride through Disney’s rideshare program, Minnie Van.
The Mears shuttle option will be one of the most economical (as of this writing, there are no complimentary ground transportation options since Disney concluded Magical Express). If you don’t want to book a shuttle service and you prefer to stick with a rideshare service like Uber or Lyft, you can skip this step entirely and wait until you land at MCO to book a ride.
READ MORE: HOW TO SPEND YOUR FIRST DAY AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
Step six: decide if you want the Disney Dining Plan
You have to eat while on vacation, but you don’t necessarily have to pay out of pocket for all of your meals while you’re at Disney World. To give your trip a more all-inclusive feel, you may choose to purchase the Disney Dining Plan. This service is available only if you are staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel. You do not have to buy the Dining Plan at the time of booking your hotel, but you will need to make the decision prior to your trip.
The Disney Dining Plan is a pre-paid meal plan to add to your vacation reservation. There are two plans currently available: the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan and the Disney Dining Plan (yeah, it’s the same name, it’s confusing, let’s just call it the Standard Dining Plan). Each plan comes with dining “credits” that are based on the number of nights of your stay. It’s essentially a way of pre-paying for your meals, and once you’re on vacation, you don’t have to think about paying out of pocket for food (the Disney Dining Plan does not include tips or gratuities).
The Dining Plan can be added at any point up until the day before your arrival, and it doesn’t sell out, so the timing of this isn’t as critical as perhaps other steps are. However, I suggest you make the call on whether to add the Dining Plan before you make any Dining Reservations. That way, you have a better idea of how many table-service meals you will be fitting into your itinerary. The Dining Plan is also a significant cost, so you’ll want to be aware of it, if for no other reason, to keep a track on your vacation budget.
READ MORE: IS THE DISNEY DINING PLAN RIGHT FOR YOUR NEXT DISNEY WORLD VACATION?
Step seven: map out your vacation itinerary
As your vacation draws near, you’ll want to have a rough outline of what parks you plan on visiting and which days. This can be changed, but it’s a good idea to know what parks you want to visit and when prior to your 60-day Dining Reservation window goes live (see next step). So, you’ll want to start thinking of this at least 2 months before your vacation.
It doesn’t have to be so micro-detailed to the point of knowing where you’ll be hour-by-hour; we just want a general overview of when you might want to visit each park, if/when you have a day off to hang out at the resort, etc. For example, the day you arrive is an evening at Disney Springs; your first full day is Magic Kingdom; the next day is Hollywood Studios, followed by a resort day, etc.
READ MORE: MEET MICKEY MOUSE AT THESE DISNEY WORLD CHARACTER DINING LOCATIONS
Step eight: book your Advance Dining Reservations
This is my personal favorite step in planning a Disney World vacation. You can book Dining Reservations 60 days ahead of your arrival so you really know your trip is around the corner when you book these! If you are staying on Walt Disney World property, you can book for the entirety of your trip stating 60 days ahead of check in day. Otherwise, you can book dining reservations 60 days ahead of your park visit.
When your Dining Reservation window opens, you’ll be able to start booking around 6:00 a.m. EST, so you’ll want to set your alarm. Have a list of your top choices before this day arrives. Popular restaurants will be booked quickly, so it’s a good idea to have backup plans in mind.
As a reminder, if you are staying on Disney World property when your 60-day Dining Reservation window opens, you can book for the entire length of your trip (or up to 10 days, whichever is shorter). If you are not staying on Disney World property, then you have to book your reservations day-by-day. If you miss those top choices, keep checking — guests change their plans all the time, and hard-to-get reservations can pop up as your trip draws near.
READ MORE: PRIORITIZE THESE HARD-TO-GET DINING RESERVATIONS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
Step nine: decide if you want to book any add-ons, like Lightning Lane
Step nine is a sort of “catch-all” for any add-ons you may want to consider including in your Disney World vacation. These include behind-the-scenes walking tours, recreational activities, and ticket add-ons like Lightning Lane Multi Pass.
Many of these can be added at the last minute as a walk-up, but depending on the time of year you visit, you may want to secure tours and recreational activities ahead of time. When deciding whether to purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass, come up with a list of your must-do rides and attractions. You may not need to buy Lightning Lane Multi Pass on every day of your vacation.
Look into Lightning Lane Single Pass, which are separate purchases for a park’s most popular rides (think Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT and Star Wars Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios).
Lightning Lane passes can be purchased and a limited number of return times can be booked starting seven days prior to your check-in day if you are staying at a Disney World hotel and, similar to Dining Reservations, you can buy for the length of your trip when your purchase window opens. All other guests can buy Lightning Lane passes and book return times starting three days prior to their park visit.
READ MORE: AN ULTIMATE GUIDE TO DISNEY WORLD’S LIGHTNING LANE SYSTEM
Step ten: pack!
At long last, we’ve reached the final step in our Disney World vacation planning: it’s time to pack! How you pack may vary depending on how long your trip is, the time of year, and if you need any special items to throw in your suitcase for your visit. If you’re visiting during the winter months, for example, you definitely want to add some layers, hats, gloves, etc. (trust me, it gets cold!).
This is also a good time to assess if you need to pick up any new travel must-haves before your vacation. I have a roundup of tech accessories you’ll want to consider purchasing ahead of your trip that will make navigating the theme parks a breeze (I HIGHLY suggest making sure you have a functioning portable battery, even if you have a brand-new phone!).
Make sure you have your MagicBands ready to go if you already purchased them, or decide if you are buying them after you arrive. If you want them from the moment you leave your house, you’ll need to buy them online ahead of time on the Disney Store website. Otherwise, they can be purchased in nearly every gift shop on Walt Disney World property.
CLICK HERE: DECIDE WHEN TO VISIT WALT DISNEY WORLD
And that’s it, friends! There is your 10-step guide for planning a Disney World vacation. Be sure to save this guide and refer to it as you plan your upcoming trip.
10-Step Guide to Planning a Walt Disney World Vacation in 2026 was originally published on The World of Spark.
