You’ve finally decided to go to Walt Disney World! You’re ready to pack up the kids (or just yourself) and head to Florida. You have images of rides, characters, and castles dancing in your head. But now what? Where do you start and how do you plan? If this is your first trip to Walt Disney World, this is the guide for you!
This handy guide will help you sort through some of the questions you will need to answer. It will also serve as a starting point for tips on how to make your trip memorable. Here are some of the areas you will need to consider:
When to Go How to Get There Where to Stay Where to Eat What to Do When You Are There
Planning a trip to Walt Disney World will require a little time. Walt Disney World is big — almost 40 square miles big. That’s about the size of San Francisco or twice the size of Manhattan. There are over 70,000 cast members (the Disney word for employees) working at Walt Disney World. There are over 25 resort hotels and over 100 restaurants. All of these facts aren’t meant to scare off visitors, but instead the goals is to help you understand the size and variety available at Walt Disney World.
Know that planning a trip to a place of this size, especially a first trip, will require some important decisions. You won’t do or so it all of this first trip. And since Disney parks are always evolving, there will always be something new to do on each and every trip. Our tip is to plan this trip, your first, to see the highlights. See what interests you. Experience the things you’ve always heard about. Get a taste for the location. Know that you can always go back — and each year, many, many repeat visitors do just that!
When to Go
There are many factors to consider when deciding when to go to Walt Disney World. Consider some of the first to narrow down your choices for your first trip: school schedules, work schedules, and other activities or family obligations may narrow down the dates. Once you have taken care of your obligations, you can look at other factors.
The lightest crowds tend to be
- Mid-January through Early February
- Late April through Mid-May
- The week following Labor Day through the week before Thanksgiving
- The week following Thanksgiving through the second week in December
Notice that these also tend to be times when schools are in session. It follows that these lighter crowd times also tend to be the times when the cost of a Disney vacation is the lowest. Please note, holiday weekends (such as President’s Day in February) are much busier than the surrounding days during each of these times.
Conversely, the higher crowd times are also the most expensive. The busiest week of the year is the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. The hotel pricing for this week has its own special category. Other busy times are the weeks before and after Easter, the general spring break season (mid-March through mid-April), summer, and President’s Day Weekend.
There are some benefits to visiting during busier times though. Those include things like there are generally fewer attractions and amenities closed for refurbishment, and the park hours tend to be longer.
Along with crowds and pricing, the weather is another factor to consider. The summers in Florida are hot and humid. If you don’t like to be warm, this may not be the time for you. The summer also tends to be the rainy season, although most summer storms in Florida last a short time and disappear. It does tend to rain more often than not in the afternoon during the summer.
For a more in-depth look at these factors, visit our Choosing Vacation Dates. Consider these factors when planning your first trip.
How to Get There
Planes, trains, and automobiles are all options. Which one to choose depends on not only the budget but time as well. Depending on your starting point, driving can add a significant amount of time to your trip. But it could be the most economical. Flying is a fast way to travel, but it can cost more than driving, especially if you have a family traveling together.
You will need to often add a day each way for driving. If your time is limited, this can cut down on the park time and relaxation time.
While air travel or personal car are two of the more popular choices for getting to Walt Disney World, you can also explore the options of bus, train, or rental car. Take a look at each option to decide what would work best for your family.
Where to Stay
Central Florida has a significant number of options for your stay. There are over twenty-five on-site resorts at the Walt Disney World Resort that cater to a variety of tastes and budgets. Then there are off-site hotels, house rentals, and timeshares (not including Disney’s Vacation Club villas).
There are definite advantages to staying on Walt Disney World property. Transportation is one of those. Bus, boat, Skyliner, or monorail service (depending on the resort) is available to all four theme parks, two water parks, and Disney Springs free of charge for guests. This means no expense of driving or renting a car, and no need to find directions. While this is an easy option, it does require additional time to wait for transportation.
Another advantage of staying on Disney property is Early Park Entry. Each day, all the theme parks open thirty minutes early. In addition, for those staying at a Disney Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resort Hotels, there’s another perk. Those individuals will also be able to enjoy extended evening hours on select nights in select theme parks. This means lower crowds for getting in rides and attractions.
To see more reasons to stay at a Disney resort, visit our Benefits of Staying at a Disney Resort page. Not sure about staying on property? There are times when it makes sense to stay off-site as well. Visit our guide on deciding where to stay when taking a Walt Disney World vacation.
Ok, you’ve decided to stay at a Disney resort, but how do you know how to go about selecting which one? We have a guide to Choosing a Disney Resort that will highlight the differences between the categories of resorts. Once you settle on a category, you can see more about each resort, including amenities and rates, by visiting our Resort Guides.
Where to Eat
Right now, you may be thinking, “My vacation is many months away, why do I need to consider where I’m having dinner so far in advance?” It’s one of the differences in planning a Disney vacation and a vacation to another location.
Disney restaurants begin accepting Advance Dining Reservations 60 days ahead of time. Believe it or not, some locations will book up that far in advance. And if you have your heart set on a certain dining experience, you will need an Advance Dining Reservation. Guests traveling at crowded times (go back up to the “When to Go” section to see if you are planning during one of those times) will especially need to plan ahead.
While you won’t starve at a Disney park without planning ahead, you will potentially miss out on some great experiences. Disney Parks and Resorts have some amazing table-service venues that add to the experience of visiting Walt Disney World. Some people find the restaurants to be one of the highlights of their trips. Disney works hard to offer a wide variety of different cuisines and work to provide healthy and delicious food alternatives. Of course, you will find “traditional” theme park dining like burgers and chicken strips in the parks, but there are so many options, many guests don’t even look for these fast-food staples.
Start by exploring some of the menus at the restaurants. You don’t have to choose your exact meal, but you can see if the restaurant appeals to you and your family.
Some restaurants even feature characters. These are great and relaxing ways to visit with some favorite characters. Imagine Mickey Mouse coming to visit you at your table while you eat. Photographs and autographs can be had without a line, and with a meal. Do keep in mind that these locations will likely book up first, and oftentimes will not be available to walk up to and get a table. If characters are important to your family, we highly recommend booking at least one character dining experience on your first trip.
Another consideration for dining are the Disney Dining Plans. These are available for on-site guests who purchase a hotel package (hotel and tickets). There are a few options, with the Quick Service Dining Plan and the Standard Dining Plan being the most popular. These dining plans are a great way to get a handle on dining costs ahead of time. They also can be money savers. The dining plan that is right for you depends on how you will eat. Does your family prefer only quick-service (fast food-type) locations? Then the Quick Service plan may meet your needs. Do you like to have a table-service meal each day to have some family time to sit down and relax? Then a standard Dining Plan may work for you. If you prefer more table-service options, there are other plans as well.
Whether you choose a dining plan or not, planning for your dining choices -or at least some of your dining choices – will be a definite advantage when you get to Walt Disney World.
What to Do When You Are There
So you’ve saved, and planned, and made reservations. Now what? Have fun, of course!
That being said, even having fun at Walt Disney World requires a little advanced planning. There is so much to see and do; you can’t do it all it one trip, especially your first trip. That may be the most important thing for new visitors to remember. Even a two-week trip would leave things untouched. (I mean, there are those of us who have been going for 20 years, multiple times a year, and STILL haven’t done everything!) There are four theme parks, two water parks, the Disney Springs shopping and entertainment district, mini-golf courses, resort hotels, marinas, fishing expeditions, special events, and the list goes on. Find what appeals to you and your family and go from there.
Trying to do it all will undoubtedly lead to a less-than-magical experience. Make sure to build in some time to stop and smell the roses. While many people do go on their first trip assuming it will be their only trip and try to do it all, you may find after that you can’t wait to return. Plan some time to swim in the resort pool. Make at least one Advance Dining Reservation at a restaurant and experience the food and fun. Check out any special events that may be happening during your stay. Just make sure to make your trip memorable.
Other Helpful Tips for First Trip Guests at Walt Disney World
One thing you may want to consider using is Lightning Lanes to help you get on attractions quicker. While this does come with an additional cost that does vary depending on the day you are traveling, it can allow you to see more attractions than you would have been able to experience without it. Make sure to check out our guide to learn how it works, how to take advantage of it.
You can also see travel specials highlighting different aspects of the parks. These are available on services like Disney+ for your planning enjoyment. You can also check out our own YouTube channel for great video content.
Remember that the crowd levels will determine the number of attractions you can visit. As will the age and stamina of the travelers in your party. There is a handy guide that highlights the height requirements of specific rides. Take a look at that to determine what younger riders can experience.
There are several recreational activities to experience without being in a theme park. Our Recreation Pricing and Information guide will help you look at the experiences available and determine if you would like to add on to your first trip.
There is plenty to do without a day of tickets at Walt Disney World. There is also so much to do within the four theme parks. Each park can easily hold your attention for a day. And some parks, like Magic Kingdom and EPCOT may even take longer to explore — EPCOT because of its size and Magic Kingdom because of its classic attractions, as well as the number of attractions available.