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Walt Disney World

Cinderella’s Castle during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom in 2018.

This is the big one. Walt Disney World Resort – four theme parks, two water parks, the largest Disney Store in the world, a gigantic shopping, dining and entertainment district, twenty-five hotels, four golf courses, mini golf, and ESPN Wide World of Sports! I don’t think I have to do much to convince anyone to want to visit the Florida Project.

If you haven’t done it in the past ten years, planning a Walt Disney World Resort vacation is rather complicated. There are a lot of things to consider and some of them change quickly, especially in 2020. Here are some top things for you to consider:

  • When do you want to visit? Are you planning around kid’s holidays, or are you free to go through the year? Do you want to attend a particular festival? Undercover Tourist has a great crowd calendar to help narrow down specific dates.
  • How long do you want to stay? The recommended number of days is six to seven. If you plan to hit the four major theme parks, I recommend at least five full days – one day for each park plus a second for Magic Kingdom if it’s anyone’s first visit.
    • I suggest throwing in a Relax Day in the middle of your vacation. This is for hanging out at your resort pool, visiting one of the two Spas (Grand Floridian and Saratoga Springs) or one of my favorite FREE activities: resort-hopping! Each one is truly beautiful. Use the monorail to easily visit The Contemporary, Polynesian Village, and Grand Floridian.
  • Do you need a regular ticket, Park Hopper, or Park Hopper+? Really depends on what you want to get out of your vacation.
  • Where do you want to stay? Disney Resort hotels are pricey, but I ALWAYS opt for one if there’s a choice. It’s pretty common to want to get up early to be at the park at rope drop to get as much magic in your day as possible. But right around 1 or 2 PM, I start to get worn down. If you’re staying on property, it’s easy, and relatively quick, to pop back to your hotel room, have a cool shower, and relax away from all those PEOPLE for an hour. Then go back and stay until the park closes.
    • In my experience, the last hour of the park’s operating hours are the least busy. If you take your break during the hottest part of the day, you can be back for closing. And you don’t have to be out of the park by closing – you have to be in line by closing, so you can usually get one more time on your favorite ride. I once went on Expedition Everest three times back to back walking straight through the queue (incidentally, I do not recommend that unless you have a strong stomach!)
  • Where and when are you going to eat? Do you need the dining plan? If so, which one? (note, dining plans are currently not available) Do you need to make reservations? Are the character meals worth it? This isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. We can talk through your particular needs and plans to figure out what will best suit you.
  • If you’re traveling with children, do you know where you can go to take a rest? If they’re picky eaters, do you know which restaurants they’ll eat at? Will you know which rides to stay away from because of height restrictions? Do you have someone to do a rider-swap with?
  • What about all the other little things to keep track of? Do you know how to book FastPasses? Do you know how to get from the airport, now that Magical Express is winding down? Are you going to get Magic Bands, rely on your phone, or pick up a Key to the World card from your hotel? Do you know which restaurants are open? Do you know which transportation methods are running? Do you know the difference between Port Orleans – French Quarter and Port Orleans – Riverside? What about Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House and Animal Kingdom Lodge – Kidani Village? Fort Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness Campground?

I don’t mean to make this seem overwhelming or turn you off of a Walt Disney World Vacation. Only to highlight that there truly are a LOT of things to consider and I’m available to turn the fire hose of information down to a trickle.

To view this e-brochure in a new tab, simply use this direct link, which also has my contact information: https://www.disneytravelcenter.com/eb17c7129e/