Disney World Vacation Planning in 6 Simple Steps

Are you considering a trip to Disney, but are concerned about the  Disney World Planning? There are a lot of steps including paying for tickets, resserving your dining reservation, deciding if you are going to buy Lightening lane, and planning your daily itinerary. But with our simple step-by-step process, it can be very simple  and EASY for Disney World vacation planning . We’ve even included a free printable wdw planner.

Disney World Vacation Planning

Are you overwhelmed with the thought of planning a trip to Disney World?  There are a lot of choices and even more information out there telling you what to do and what not to do. It can be overwhelming!  But planning a trip to Disney World can be simple. I promise! Just use my convenient Disney World Planning Form and follow these 6 straight forward step and you will easily plan a stress free and magical Disney vacation for your family. Our family goes to Disney several times of year and there is always something new, different, and magical that makes each trip so special. I hope this helps you plan the best vacation to make precious memories with your family!. Besides all our Disney trip planning tips, our Plan the Best Vacation website offers tons of other helpful advice for planning family travel from Disney to best family cruises,  beaches to family destinations worldwide!

disney world planning

1. Pick a Date and Reserve Your Disney World Resort

If at all possible, you want to start planning your Disney vacation 6-12 months before you’d like to go. This allows you to watch for special promotions and deals. In 2024 there was a free dining promotion that came out 9 months before hand! Remember, you only need to pay a $200 deposit and it is fully refundable until 30 days before hand so planning is the way to go. In addition, you will get your first pick of resorts which do fill up and allows you to ask for time off of work too. HINT: If Disney decides to throw out a special offer after you book, you can get those applied to your existing reservation by your travel agent! Other Considerations

• Best Time to Visit Disney World
• Length: How Long to Stay at Disney World
• 8 Reasons to Stay at a Disney World Hotel
• When to Take Kids to Disney World to help you plan the perfect time for your Disney family vacation. Plus don’t miss how to keep costs down!
• What the weather will be
• What rides are closed for refurbishment.
• Is a Moderate Hotel Worth it?
• Disney World Hotels for Families of 5+ (including Art of Animation Family Suites)
• Art of Animation – Disney Hotel Review

2. Organize and Make your Plans

Unlike Disneyland whose main guests are locals who come and go on a whim, Disney World is home to guests from all over the world who plan their yearly vacation in advance. Lucky for you Park Passes are no longer required as of January 2024 and Disney World Dining has not gone back to the 6 months mad dash! So you can now have a great vacation even if you decided to visit Disney World with only 2 months lead time! 61 days before you visit it’s time to make a plan. Check out the park opening times and perhaps the crowd calendar and pick what parks you will visit which days. Now decide what restaurants you want to eat at (we can help here!). 60 days before your visit – Log into your account at 6am and make reservations for dining. If you are staying on site you can reserve your entire stay as soon as the first day hits that 60 days countdown. For off-site guests you will need to wait for each day to hit the 60 day mark. If you haven’t done so already, now is a great time to order your matching family disney vacation  t-shirts if you are into that kind of family fun =) THere are tons of styles on etsy with all sorts of sizes and colors. NOTE: Once again you can use your park hopper to move to a second at any time you want, so start at Epcot to get onto Guardians of the Galaxy then hop on the monorail or skyliner to hit some other favorite rides!

Walt disney world trip

3. Reserve Disney Dining 60 days in Advance

Ever since the closures, they only allow dining reservation 60 days in advance. In some ways I like it better, you can plan a “last minute” trip and still have a shot at getting into your favorite restaurant, but the reservations are harder to get than ever. You need to set your calendar to remind you at EXACTLY 60 days before you arrive, 6am EST to book those meals. If you have a package you will be able to book all dates beginning with 60 days from your first night. That means you will get a headstart of 60 days + how many days you are there. So… some more coveted restaurants may be sold out before your 60 days even open. Try to grab those fro the end of your stay. The best Disney World Restaurants will book up far, far in advance; even more than 60 days out because of the 60 + 10 day trip means people have been reserving them for up to 70 days in advance. So whether you plan on eating a lot of meals at Disney World parks or just picking a couple special restaurants to visit during your tip, you need to pick them and reserve them 60 days in advance. Not sure which reservations are “the good” ones; here are some suggestions and review to help you decide:

• Top 5 Disney World Character Dining
• Best Quick Service Restaurants at Disney World
• 12 Restaurants Worth Visiting at Disney World
• Disney’s Be Our Guest Restaurant is a Don’t Miss!
• Disney World Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
• Disney’s Polynesian Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show
• 8 Best Snack Credits for Disney Dining – Magic Kingdom

4. Make Your Disney World Itinerary

You will want to have a basic plan in hand before you go to Disney World or you could spend all day debating about what ride to do next, just assume you will ride most rides! But you need to have a plan of attack, which rides to do first, which ones to prioritze, do you want to add in shows, etc.  Use my free printable Disney Planning Form at the bottom of this page and make your plan.

• Print off a Park-by-Park Touring Plan and get familiar with with park:
  • Magic Kingdom (with free printable 1 day Touring Plan or 2-3 Day Touring Plan)
  • Epcot  (with free printable 1/2 day Touring Plan OR 1 day Touring Plan)
  • Disney Hollywood Studios (with free printable 1/2 day Touring Plan OR 1 day Touring Plan)
  • Animal Kingdom (with free printable 1/2 day Touring Plan OR 1 day Touring Plan)
• Disney World Planning Tips: (here are my best planning tips)
  • 23 Disney World Tips
  • 10 Ways to Beat the Heat at Disney World
  • Disney World for Grandparents (with lots of tips and advice!)
  • 15 Ways to RUIN a trip to Disney World
  • 7 BEST Shows at Disney World

wDW planner

5. Pack for Disney World

Packing for Disney is fun because it means it’s almost time to go on vacation! I suggest  taking a peak at this Printable Disney Packing List 2-3 weeks before you are going to make sure you have everything. It seems like someone is always running low on socks, has holes in all their shorts, or something. I like wearing matching colors on park days no only for pretty pictures, but more importantly it is easier to see my family if we are all wearing yellow =) HINT: Because of how much you will use your phone for pictures, checking time, using the Genie system (ride wait times, dining reservations, possibly Genie+ rides or Lightening Lane) you will drain your phone battery quickly. I HIGHLY suggest bringing a portable phone charger. Once you know you have everything you can pack 3-7 days early to make sure everything fits in the suitcase, is within your airline weight limits, and is accounted for.

• 5 Things you’ll Want to Bring on a Disney Vacation
• FREE Disney World Stroller Labels
• Traveling with Children: 24 Tips for Flying with Kids

6. Each Day at Disney World – Get in Virual Que and purchase Genie+, And Lightening Lane

The newst rides tend to have the most demand and longest lines. Disney has tried to balance lines and create a better user experience by using a virtual que. Basically, you can get in line at 7am or 1pm from the convenience of the Disney ap. Click the button and join the virtual que. The spots will be gone in miliseconds and if you don’t get it you will need to wait until the next window to try again. Once in the park you will need to get in line within an hour of your boarding group being called. It is slightly annoying if you are accross the lake in the world showcase and you have to blitz back to Guardians of the Galaxy, but it does seem to keep the line more manageable. Sadly, the days of the FREE Disney World Fastpass system are gone, and they have been replaced with a paid version cause Genie + that costs $35+ per day or more per guest. The prices fluctuate based on usage and popularity! But Genie+ does not guarantee you will get on every ride. In addition, Genie+ does not cover every ride, The 2 premium (most popular) attractions in each park are not included in the Genie+. To experience these rides without waiting in line you will need to purchase a timed Lightening Lane for every guest – the cost fluctuates based on the day you visit and demand. You can pay up to $22+ per person for a timed entry to Star Wars Rise of the Resistance! Genie+ works a lot like the old Fastpass+ system using your mobile ap to make a selection of your desired attraction. Like the old Fastpass system you may only experience 2-3 attractions on busy days or depending on what attractions you choose. You cannot reserve them ahead like the old system and you can ONLY each ride ONCE. You cannot repeat a ride. If you hop to another park, you will need to purchase Genie+ for the other park as well. Eek!

• 7am Make first selection – hotel guests can make their first selection before the parks open! I suggest grabbing Slinky Dog at Hollywood Studios or an equally popular attraction like Peter Pan at Magic Kingdom. Note: Slinky Dog will fill up super quickly within the first 5 minutes!
• After you use your first Genie+ selection (or 2 hours after the park opens) you can use your phone to select your next ride. Select another major ride! If you choose Buzz Lightyear it will be available quicker, but Big Thunder Mountain could be gone for the day.
• Use your 2nd Genie + selection and while still in line (after scanning) start booking your next experience. At this point you will take what you can get. If you are lucky you will be able to do the round again, but somedays you may only get 3.

So is it worth it?

• For a family of 4 you are talking about $100-140 extra cost to your day for Genie+, up to $175 if you do Genie+ with one popular Lightening Lane EEK! It can add up quickly.
• WIthout it, you will spend precious time waiting in line. So for popular rides it does make the day more enjoyable and allow you to experience more in a day. But like I shared, it is expensive!
• If you are going for limited time and have the $ it may be worth it for you…. but for those of us who remember the good old days when it was included, we are having a hard time swallowing this added expense in addition to the fact you can’t plan them ahead and there is no guarantee how many you will get to experience. I’ve heard horror stories of guests only getting to use ONE! But then again, I’ve used it and successfully ridden 5-6 Magic Kingdom rides.
• There are some additional perks like special photo lenses that are fun to play with and stories.

Note: You do NOT need to puchase Genie+ AND Lightening Lane if you only want to experience Space Mountain.

• Learn about the Best Character Dining Disney World
• 15 Must Read Tips if you have the Disney Dining Plan (we got it free again this year in 2024!)
• Don’t miss these best Disney World snacks
• You’ve got to try the best Disney World restaurants
• Tips plus the best Disney World quick service restaurants
• Find out how much does it cost to go to Disney World
• 6 simple steps for Disney World vacation planning
• Plus which is better Disneyland or Disney World

Have a GREAT Disney World Vacation!

Editable Disney World Planning Guide

Get organized and don’t miss a step as you plan for your next family vacation in Disney world with this convenient free printable Disney World planning sheet.