Do you want to take your family to Disney but the thought of all the timing, long lines, and, multiple parks feels overwhelming? I planned Disney in under two months, was able to ride almost all the rides, and I’ll show you how. Download this worksheet >>>here<<< to take notes and follow along.

Each step outlined below took a few days to do some research, and then I made a decision and moved on to the next step. This is the order I planned the trip:

• booked the flights first
• booked the hotels
• bought Disney tickets
• reserved the specific parks (Magic Kingdom -> Epcot -> Animal Kingdom -> Hollywood Studios -> Magic Kingdom again, didn’t do a park hopper)
• made dining reservations (only able to get them for the Crystal Palace bc we didn’t do it right away at 60 days)
• purchased Genie Plus access after midnight the day of the visit (this is different from Disneyland where we could purchase ahead of time)

Getting to Disney

We flew to Disney, but I have also driven there. I have flown with my kids since they were 9 months old. My secret is snacks, new Five Below figure toys, stickers, snacks, playdoh and wikki stix, screen time, and more snacks. Posts coming soon on surviving >>>flights<<< and >>>road trips<<< with kids.

We used Galaxy Shuttle to go to and from the Orlando hotel. We booked them on Viator, but first clicking on Viator through the Rakuten website where you can earn American Express points for travel or for cash back. Because my travel squad included 6 people, it was a private ride. They had a car seat for my 3yo on arrival, but they didn’t have it available on departure. The departure driver was said it wasn’t required for a bus and the shuttle was considered a bus, which I didn’t love, but I let it go. Our arrival driver was amazing and very attentive to detail, so I wonder if it was driver dependent. There are bigger shuttles that might be a little cheaper, but I didn’t want to have a lot of stops. Overall, I would book a private shuttle again with this company.

Where We Stayed

Going on as many rides as possible was one of our priorities, so it was important to stay on a Disney resort to have early access to the parks. I chose Art of Animation Lion King suite to fit our family of 6. This included separate bedroom with a bathroom, second bathroom, and a table and couch that each turned into a bed, and a mini kitchen area with a microwave and sink. I had read that the pool had underwater music, which I couldn’t hear if it was on. We also only went to the pool one day since the weather was a bit cold for Florida, in the mid 60s, and the “heated” pool was just kind of warm where the water was jetting into the pool… and quickly turned cold about 2 inches later. Another benefit of this location is access to the Skyliner which connected us to Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

What We Ate

Our priority at Disney World was to go on as many rides as possible. Breakfast was often on the go, eating while we waited in line. I ordered Costco deliver through Instacart for fruits, veggies, yogurt and fruit pouches, bread, sliced turkey, nuts, and granola bars. I also ordered Ramen noodles and oatmeal for our evening meals back at the hotel, and brought instant coffee and hot cocoa powder. I packed a electric water kettle to decrease cost and time for eating. In between trail mix and fruits and sandwiches, we also ordered fast food and discounted popcorn with a Disney popcorn bucket from a friend.

We had one sit down meal at the Crystal Palace. I would have liked another one, but I wasn’t able to book another reservation with characters for the times and location I wanted. This was fine, as our goal was go get on rides, and it would have been hard to plan ahead of time when some ride plans changed last minute depending on lightning lane availability on Genie Plus. At the Crystal Palace, we got to meet all the characters from Pooh, as they circulated one by one through the dining area to each table. The food was American and buffet style.

Our Favorite Rides

As I mentioned before, our priority at Disney World was the rides. I have many opinions, and even just highlighting the most memorable rides will be a lot more words, so I will have to make a separate post about the rides.

Important Resource

Don’t forget to grab your planning guide >>>here<<<. Disney World requires a lot of planning, so fill out the guide to help you keep track of what you want to do and when. And then, leave room for the unexpected, and just enjoy the time you have with your travel team no matter what happens.