Planning Timeline

When planning a Disney trip, there are so many things to think about and do.
In order to help stay on track, I put together a schedule of what needs to be done and when to help keep it all organized.

6- 12 (or more) months ahead

Decide when you want to go

• Review best times to do based on on-property room rates.  Lower rates means lower number of people in the parks. For details on how to review room rates, click here.
• Check out parade videos on YouTube for the time you are planning to go.  This will give you a good feel for the crowd levels at that time of year. It will also give you a feel for how warm or cold it might be based on how people are dressed. 

Consider the Disney Dining Plan
Look into the Disney Dining Plans.  Take into consideration how you like to eat on vacation.  Having a Dining Plan can make the trip feel like an all-inclusive experience.  Look at the differences in plans and pricing here.  There is also a spreadsheet to help with this decision from SeeYaReelSoon.

Decide on resort and room

• Decide where you would like to stay.  Do you want to stay on-property or off?  What are your preferred resorts?  In what kind of room do you want to stay? 
• The earlier you make reservations, the more likely you are to get the room and resort you want.
• Consider renting Disney Vacation Club points to save some money.  This may also allow you to have larger accommodations if you have a party of more than four. I have looked into this but haven't yet had the opportunity to do it.  It is on the list for our next trip.  If you are interested in looking at this option, check out DVC Rental Store
• Consider what parks you would like to visit the most often during your trip.  Staying close to them will help to maximize park time.
• Make your reservations!

6 months ahead

Pick your park days

Determine which park(s) you will attend on each day of your trip.  I have found the crowd calendar from TouringPlans a valuable resource for this information.  There is a charge for the service, but it is less than $25 for a year's subscription.  You can also use their calendars to check for special events, fireworks, parades, and Extra Magic Hours that you may find helpful.

Get My Disney Experience account all set up

• Create your Disney username and password (if you don't have one already).
• Log into the site and enter your confirmation number for your reservation if you are staying on property.  If you are not staying on property, enter your ticket information and assign the days upon which you plan to use your tickets.
• Provide any necessary details required for your traveling party.  This will make it easier to track your whole group, It will also allow you to select Lightning Lane experiences together, when you are closer to your travel date.
• As you make park plans (like where you are going on each day) enter the details into My Disney Experience.  That will help you to keep track of your plans.
• As you making Advance Dining Reservations, be sure to place the confirmation numbers into My Disney Experience.  This will keep your information all in one place. You can also make dining reservations via My Disney Experience.
• Download the Disney World application to your smartphone.  You use the same username/ password information to access the information anywhere, including while you are at the park on your vacation.

60 days ahead

Make Advance Dining Reservations  

If you are staying on Disney property, you can make dining reservations for the first 10 days of your trip.  If you are staying off-property, you can make dining reservations for only dates between 0 and 60 days of the present day.

• I typically make reservations based on what park I will be in on a given day.  
• Be sure to plan for special meals like Character Dining or Fantasmic Dining Package as early as possible to improve your chances of getting the experience you want.  Some of these experiences require a deposit and must be made on the phone with an agent by calling 407-WDW-DINE (407-939-3463). 
• When scheduling, try to have a few different restaurants for any given meal, in case my first or second choice isn't available.  
• Be flexible on times.  While you might want to have dinner at a "reasonable" hour, you might be able to pick up a snack in the afternoon and settle for that later dinner reservation if it is somewhere you really wanted to experience.
• Consider making reservations at nearby resorts rather than in the park itself.  It has been our experience that the resorts have great table service restaurants and it gives you a little break from the hustle and bustle of the parks.
• If there is somewhere special you want to eat, but cannot secure reservations at the 60-day mark, keep trying.  Often people will cancel reservations as plans change.  What wasn't available 60 days before might be available two or three days before.

Magic Bands

• If you are staying on property, your room key, park ticket, and Lightning Lane passes are all linked to your Magic Band.  For more information straight from Disney, click here. 
• You can purchase at a discount one band per guest on the reservation.  For each guest, you will be allowed to pick a band and assign a name.  The name will be placed on the reverse of the band (which is nice in case you have duplicate colors). The deadline for selecting these customization can be found on your My Disney Experience account.  For US residents, Magic Bands will be delivered to your home about 30 days in advance of your arrival date. For others, they can be picked up at the front desk of your hotel.
•  If you purchase the Magic Band +, you will have access to additional in-park experiences. My family really enjoyed the bounty hunter experience within Galaxy's Edge at Hollywood Studios.
• You do NOT have to be staying on property to use a Magic Band.  You can purchase them at multiple locations, either within the parks or at Disney Springs. You link the band to your My Disney Experience account, and then you can use it for park entry and Photopass locations. 

Just before you travel 

Memory Maker
Consider if you want to purchase Memory Maker.  If you purchase it before you arrive, there is a discount from the regular price ($185 rather than $210).  If you are going with children, plan to visit lots of characters, and/or really like the ride photos, this might be a good option for you.  I like that it provides you with digital copies and a digital release, so when you want make a canvas of the family photo in front of Cinderella's castle you can do just that!

We purchase this for every Disney World trip we take.  This makes it easy and convenient to get pictures of the whole family. Honestly, it is the one time we are guaranteed to have all of our smiling faces in the picture. 

There is an additional option to purchase it for just one day for $75.

Lightning Lane selections 
If you are staying on property, you can log into My Disney Experience seven days in advance of the first day of your trip. If you are off-property, it is three days in advance.

Lightning Lanes are broken into two classes: Lightning Lane Single Pass and Lightning Lane Multi Pass. 

Lightning Lane Single Pass is used to pre-schedule a time for the most in-demand rides at each park.  These passes are purchased per person per day. The rides they can be purchased for are:

• Magic Kingdom- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Tron Lightcycle/ Run
• Epcot- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
• Hollywood Studios- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
• Animal Kingdom- Avatar Flight of Passage

Lightning Lane Multi Pass is used to schedule times for other rides and experiences in the parks rather than waiting in stand by lines.  There are two tiers of experiences, and you can only 

You can make changes to these selections from now through your trip, so don't feel like this is your only opportunity.  However, if you want to experience Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and Splash Mountain all before noon, this might be your best way to make that happen.

Well, that is all I can think of for now.  If I come up with anything more, I will be sure to come back and update this list.  If you have something you think I should add, please post it in the comments below!

How can I see room rates?

I will admit to being in a constant state of planning a trip to Walt Disney World.  Most of these trips never happen, but I like to consider different options regarding time of year, dates of travel, etc.

Part of this consideration is the price per night for the room.  But how do you find that when the site always gives you the package price?  I'll show you!

Go to the Disney World website https://disneyworld.disney.go.com.
Put in your travel dates, number of guests, and resort in which you are interested. Click the  green View Rates button on the right side.

Next you will be presented with information regarding that resort's option.  Change the radio button to reflect "Room" and you should get something that looks like this:

Under the price, on the right hand side, there is a blue link that says "Rate Details" just above the blue Select button. Click on that link and you will get a screen that looks like this:

From here, you have two different paths you can follow.
If you are pretty sure you want to travel around the dates originally provided, then you can use the arrows on the right and left to move the dates forward and backward.  This is an easy way to look at the price differences for weekends versus weekdays or even what the following or prior week's prices are.

If you are really open on your travel dates, you can click on the blue link on the bottom left "View Rate Calendar". This will show you the per-night prices on a calendar.  Again, you can use the arrows to move forward and backward in time.

To go back to the prior window, simply click on the blue "View Price Per Night" link on the bottom left.

I hope this helps to give you some different options for reviewing room rates.  If you have questions or comments, please put them in the comments below and I will get back to you.

What is Pin Trading?

When you are in the parks, you may notice visitors wearing lanyards adorned with pins.  While it might just be a bit of bling, it might also be that those visitors are looking to trade pins with one another.

Like most Disney collectibles, pin trading can range from purely social and low-key to highly competitive and intense.  Because they are collectibles, different kinds of pins are available.  Some are available only in certain parks, some are limited editions, some are available only as sets, some are only available to cast members... Each one of these features changes the value of the pin to the more serious traders.

When we went to the parks with my daughter, we thought it would be fun for her to participate in pin trading. In order to participate, we needed to have the two primary elements: a lanyard and trading pins.  There are a number of ways to get these items, so I thought I might touch on a few of them for you.

When you arrive at the parks, many of the souvenir stores have prepackaged lanyard and pin combinations.  These are usually matched sets, where the lanyard and pins feature the same characters or there are sets based on characters from a specific movie.

Within the parks, you can purchase pins individually or sets of pins.  Sometimes the pins are sold as sets at a discounted price over the individual pins.  Again there are pins you can only get by purchasing in a set.  It is also important to note that the same pins are not available at all venues.

You can also purchase lanyards and pins outside of the parks before your arrival.  While I didn't see a large discount on the cost of the lanyards, I can say that you can buy pins at a greatly reduced price from eBay.

For our trip, I purchased regular sports lanyards from a local sporting goods store. I then purchased some spools of one inch ribbon (for a dollar each) and plastic identification badge sleeves from a local craft store.  Using my sewing machine, I stitched different ribbons to each of our lanyards to make them a little more Disney-ready.  I also attached one of the plastic identification sleeves to each of the lanyards to hold our park passes.

From eBay, I purchased a set of 50 pins (there were five of us going).  When you purchase the pins from eBay you can get them at a price of $1-$2 per pin.  In the parks, these same pins could cost $5 each.

Ready to Trade
Once you are in the parks, there are two primary venues for trading.  The first is trading among park guests. Most guests are open to trading if they are wearing a lanyard with pins.  Bear in mind that not all pins are created equal, so you can look forward to some negotiations.

The second is trading with cast members.  Each cast member has a fabric panel (called a hip lanyard)containing pins that are available for trade.  Some cast members wear a green or teal hip lanyard.  These cast members can only trade pins with children between 3-12 years old.

Each day we put new, trade-ready pins on her lanyard.  Each night we took off the lanyard the pins she wanted to keep from the trading she did that day.  By the end of the trip, my daughter had a collection of pins and fun memories of trading for them.

If you want some additional information about Pin Trading, check here.

What is there to do outside the parks?

I will admit that when we go to Walt Disney World I like to stay on property and be totally immersed in the Disney experience.  However, that doesn't mean that you have to go into the parks every day.  There are a number of things that you can do at the WDW Resort that do not require a park pass.  Here are a few options for you to consider:

Time at your Hotel
All of the resorts have pools, some more heavily themed than others with standard amenities like water slides and lounge chairs.  There are also playgrounds at most resorts, allowing the kids to climb, slide, and interact with other kids while you just kick back with a beverage and watch the fun unfold.

The Animal Kingdom Lodge also offers different animal and Africa themed activities throughout the day. We attended one session about how flamingos and pelicans eat, and another about the musical instruments of Africa and what each instrument's sound represents.

Time on the Water
Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon offer a number of different options from the marinas at the Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian Resorts.  There are other marinas available as well, check out your specific resort as well as other resorts in the area to see what is available.

You can go bass fishing, complete with a guide, large pontoon boat, live bait (the guide will bait your hook for you), and plenty of places to test your skills.  This is strictly a catch-and-release excursion, but it is a nice quiet break from the parks.

You can also rent a watercraft and cruise around the lake by yourself.  There are a number of different options here.

You could also show your more adventurous side by going parasailing, waterskiing, or wakeboarding.

From the water you can watch the Wishes fireworks over Cinderella's castle by booking a Pirates and Pals Fireworks Cruise. While the price may seem steep, it does include beverages, snacks, a character meeting with Captain Hook and Smee, and seeing some spectacular fireworks without the crowd on Main Street.

Time at Downtown Disney
Downtown Disney is broken into three sections: West Side, Marketplace, and Pleasure Island.

West Side has a number of restaurants, an AMC 24 movie theater, some shopping, DisneyQuest, and the venue where La Nouba is performed.  DisneyQuest is a giant indoor amusement park where you can create your own virtual roller coaster and then ride it, play virtual reality games like white water rafting, and all kinds of "regular" video games. La Nouba is a Cirque du Soleil production.  It is a performance rooted in circus entertainment, but is really more of a theatrical experience.  My husband went into the theater pretty skeptical, but in the end was really impressed. It really is something to be experienced and is difficult to describe. You can see a little bit of it here.

Marketplace is specifically focused on shopping, and features "World of Disney" the world's largest Disney Store (be prepared to get lost).  There are also a number of restaurants, and some must-stop places for me like the Disney's Days of Christmas (where you can get a personalized ornament for the tree) and The Art of Disney where you will find animation art, sericels, and figurines.

Pleasure Island has gone through some different incarnations over the years.  Once primarily a night club district, it has now been converted to restaurants and shopping.  Some areas have been set aside for future development, so I am anxious to see what this evolves into in the future.

Time on the Links
Walt Disney World boasts several world-class golf courses.  You can bring your clubs with you on your flight, or you can just rent some at the course.  The courses offer carts equipped with GPS, so you won't have to work too hard on vacation.  You can also schedule golf lessons with certified professionals, including a play-along option where they actually play the course with you so they can help with all the different aspects of your game.

There are also two miniature golf courses where you can play a quick game with the family.

Time in the "Wilderness"
At the Fort Wilderness Cabins and Campgrounds, they have several offerings to consider.  They have horseback riding, carriage rides, wagon rides, bicycle rental, and pony rides.  One of their trademark offerings is "Chip 'n Dale's Campfire Sing-a-long." Gather around a campfire, make smores, meet the characters, and then watch a classic Disney movie under the stars.

I hope this tempts you to spend some time outside the parks enjoying some of the other resort amenities while you are on vacation.  Oh, and I guess there are other parks in Orlando too, like Sea World and Universal Studios that you might want to check out.  But remember, I like to stay in the "Disney Bubble" when in Orlando...

What is Character Dining?

It is possible to have a magical meal with one (or more) of your favorite characters while you are visiting Walt Disney World.  This is what Disney calls "Character Dining." This is particularly exciting for the younger members of your party, as well as the young at heart.

It is important to note that particular characters are present only at particular venues. Additionally, not all venues are created equal.  Depending on your dining preferences and your character preferences, you may have a number of different opportunities from which to choose.

Character experiences vary from Mickey and Friends to Alice in Wonderland, from Disney Princesses to Mary Poppins.  Dining options can vary from standard buffet fare to table service.  For a listing of all available Character Dining experiences click here.

It is important to note that reservations need to be made in advance for these meals.  Disney Dining Plan is accepted for the meals, but you will still need to make a reservation and secure it with a credit card.  The card will not be charged if you attend your character meal and use your Disney Dining Plan to pay for your meal.  If you will not be able to make your reservation and do not cancel the reservation in time, then the card will be charged.

If you plan on dining with the characters, please remember to bring your camera and an autograph book.  This is because the characters will visit your table, take pictures with your kids (and you too if you want), and sign autograph books.

Princess Aurora signing our autograph book with the big pen.

Don't feel obligated to buy one of the pricey autograph books at the gift stores, you can bring one of your own from home.  We packed a composition book I found at Target with Mickey on the cover and it worked just great.  The one special concession we made was buying a thicker pen for the costumed characters to use to sign the book.  This is because some of the costumes have thick padding in the gloves which makes a standard-width pen difficult to grip.

If you have a little princess in your party (like I did), then dining with the princesses is something to consider.  It is important to note that getting a reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table is very difficult.  While it is amazing to eat in the castle centerpiece of the Magic Kingdom park, don't feel too badly if you have to settle for a reservation at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in the Norway Pavilion at Epcot. That is where we had our princess lunch. Now to let you in on the things I wish I would have known beforehand...

When you arrive at your venue, you will need to check in with your party.  At this point we were given a little slip of paper with some basic information on it. Then we waited a long time for our group to be called to enter the venue. It seemed really odd to me, since we had a reservation for a specific time. 

Once we entered the building, I understood the delay.  Each party was having pictures taken with the "princess of the day."  Our first picture was of the whole group attending the character meal.  Our second was just the princess and my daughter.  I must say, seeing Belle crouch down in that giant yellow ball gown to be on the same level as my four year-old was amazing. Once the professional photos were taken, Belle stayed down there for family members to take additional photos with our own cameras.  Belle did this for every family that entered the venue that day. No WONDER it takes forever to get in!

Once inside we were seated at a table,  we ordered our drinks, and were invited to get something from the appetizer buffet.  While there were some unusual things on the buffet as a nod to being in the Norway pavilion, there were also many standard offerings like meats, cheeses, and mixed greens. While we waited for the remainder of the lunch crowd to be seated, we ordered our entrees from a variety of delicious offerings.

The Princess Parade

Once the lunch seating had been completed, they closed the front doors and several Disney Princesses entered the dining hall.  Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Ariel, and Belle were in attendance for our lunch, which began with a Princess Parade.  Children were invited to find their favorite princess and follow them around the hall.  Amazingly, my shy four year-old went into another section of the hall and stayed there, swapping princesses as they struck her fancy.

Once the parade was completed, lunch was served (I had the roasted chicken which was delicious). While we ate, each princess made a visit to every table in the venue, posing for pictures and signing autograph books. Those young ladies had to deal with everything from screaming babies to children climbing on them, but they handled it all with the dignity and grace of a real princess.

Patient and impressive princess

Toward the end of our meal, I was surprised when a cast member approached the table with a package. Inside were prints of the two photos that were taken with Belle when we arrived.  I hadn't really understood all the details, but this is part of the "Imaging Package" that comes with this character meal.  It was really special to have the professional pictures of my little princess with a "real life" Disney Princess (particularly when it didn't cost me anything extra).

Please note, the number of photos you receive is dependent on the number of people in your party.  We received two photos because there were five in our party.

In the end, I am glad that we had decided to have lunch with the princesses.  It was truly a magical experience. When I asked my daughter about it, she didn't remember that we had lunch there... Come to think of it, she didn't really eat much for lunch.  She was too busy posing with the princesses and getting their signatures.  However, for me it sure beat standing in line to meet all of them!

Great Places to Dine

It isn't very fair to tell you all about making reservations but not about some of the great places you should consider making one!

Please bear in mind that these are simply my favorites. This is certainly not a one-size-fits-all kind if thing, since eating preferences vary by individual. Each restaurant is unique and will serve menu items reflective of the period or part of the world reflected in the restaurant's theme.  However, this is Walt Disney World, so all venues will have a selection of standard fare available for the less adventurous in your group.  Child-friendly favorites like chicken nuggets or pizza will be on the menu as well.

Some of these are my favorites because I have been there and had great experiences. Others are places I have read about and want to try because others have had great experiences there. I will distinguish personal experience from external feedback in my description of the restaurant.

Magic Kingdom

• Liberty Tree Tavern- I have not eaten here myself (frankly because I have not been able to get reservations on my chosen date), but this restaurant is family-style cooking of classic comfort foods like pot roast with mashed potatoes and gravy.
• Citricos at Grand Floridian- Just a short monorail ride outside the park, this restaurant is in the main building of the Grand Floridian resort.  Food is prepared with a Mediterranean flair, typically with a nod to couscous or risotto rather than rice or potatoes.  I had a wonderful scallop appetizer and beautifully prepared filet during my last visit.
• California Grill at Contemporary- As you would imagine, the food here has a California vibe.  Specialties here include cedar plank salmon.  I have not eaten here, but if you choose to make a reservation consider making one during the fireworks show over the Magic Kingdom.  The restaurant will dim the lights and play the music that accompanies the performance.  Dinner AND a show! Once again, this is a restaurant I have wanted to try but failed to secure a reservation.

Epcot

• Coral Reef - Located inside The Seas with Nemo and Friends Pavilion this is primarily a seafood restaurant, but that doesn't mean you can't find anything else on the menu.  One of the coolest features of this restaurant is the windows into the giant saltwater tank featuring a Caribbean coral reef.  My husband and I ate lunch here once and were entertained for the whole meal by a sea turtle who decided to hang out by our window.
• Akershus Royal Banquet Hall- Located in the Norway Pavilion, this is where our little princess got to meet Disney's princesses.  To be honest, I figured we were a captive audience because of the character experience so the food would be questionable at best.  I was pleasantly surprised both by the quality of the food and the quality of the service.  I'll write another post later about "Character Dining" that will get into more detail...
• Restaurant Marrakesh- Located in the Morocco pavilion, this restaurant serves Northern Mediterranean fare.  It also features a belly dancer (check the park schedule for performance times), which may encourage the males in your group to help you find the restaurant.  We have eaten here two of our past three visits and have really enjoyed the food. This restaurant is not typically busy, so it is a good place to know about in case you don't have dining reservations and find yourself hungry in the World Showcase.
• Le Cellier Steakhouse- Located in the Canada pavilion, this is supposed to be one of the best places to get a steak.  I haven't been there yet, but the feedback about the quality of the steaks here has been consistent in all the guidebooks I have read.
• Flying Fish- This restaurant is located at the Boardwalk resort, which is just a short walk (or boat ride) from the World Showcase to the Epcot resort area. While I wasn't impressed the first time we dined there, we gave it another try on our last trip and loved it.  I must say, our service there was EXCELLENT and our waiter was kind and attentive to a very tired four year old.  Just what we needed after a long day in the parks.

Hollywood Studios

• 50's Prime Time Cafe- This is my all-time favorite restaurant in this park.  Be prepared for a little unexpected behavior, as the wait-staff are your "cousins" who will point out when you have your elbows on the table or don't eat your vegetables. Last time we ate there, I was questioned by my "cousin" upon my return from the restroom "Did you wash your hands?" When I said I had, she insisted I tell her the color of the soap!  It is a really fun time, and all the staff are totally in character for the whole of the meal.
• Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano- While I have not eaten here, I have a number of friends who have and enjoyed it.  This is one of the restaurant that offers a "Fantasmic Dining Package" that provides designated seating for that evening's performance of Fantasmic.  We did this once with the Hollywood Brown Derby, and it was really nice to avoid the crowd and waiting to get into the venue.  With this reservation, they take you in through a different entrance and usher you to an area of reserved seating.  Then just sit back and enjoy the show!

Animal Kingdom

• Yak and Yeti- This restaurant serves Asian-style fare, including barbecued spare ribs.  Our dinner here was good, as well as the service.  Don't be confused by the Yak and Yeti Cafe next door (like I was) which was a good place to get some fries and a frozen lemonade while we were watching the parade.
• Jiko - The Cooking Place- This restaurant is located outside the park at the Animal Kingdom Lodge- Jambo House.  While it has changed over the years, it is still one of our favorite restaurants.  They have a beautiful lighting display that mimics the sunrise and sunset.  The hanging fixtures look like a flock of birds.  It is an amazing venue.  The food and service is excellent.  The wine cellar boasts wines from Africa and the food has a Northern African flavor.
• Boma- Flavors of Africa - We did not eat here until our most recent trip.  To be honest, we weren't sure the food at a buffet-style restaurant would be worth the trip from the park to the resort.  After eating there, I was really GLAD it was a buffet.  This makes the food so much more accessible.  Sample "...dishes inspired by the varied flavors and seasonal dishes of over 50 African countries, from the coast of the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean. (from the Disney site)"  Not to worry, there are also more mainstream items available for the less adventurous in your group. Try a little bit of this and a little bit of that, see what you like, then go back for more.  Leave room for dessert, because the Zebra Domes are awesome.  

Well, those are my top-picks for restaurants.  Do you have any favorites that you feel like I have overlooked?

How Do I Plan My Park Days?

I mentioned in my post about making dining reservations that part of my process is to know which park we are going to on which days.  I thought it might be helpful if I explained this in a little more detail.

There are a number of factors that play into our decision about which park we will visit on a particular day.  The first thing I do is a little research on the park hours and events during our visit.  You can get this information from the Disney World site. Use the calendar on the right of the pane to select the first day when you will be at the parks. With this selection, you should see the park hour information update on this page. 

Your first question might be "What are Extra Magic Hours?" These are extra hours the park is open and available for guests staying at the Walt Disney World Resort hotels.  In order to be in the parks during these extra hours, you have to provide proof that you are staying on resort property.  Not all attractions within the park will be open, but those that are most popular will certainly be available. 
One important note...The park that offers Extra Magic Hours on a particular day will be the busiest park on that day.  Therefore, there are two different plans of attack.  You could either spend the day in the Extra Magic Hours park to partake in the extra time, or you might want to avoid that park and enjoy another park with fewer people.  As a third alternative, you could enjoy one park during regular park hours then enjoy only the Extra Magic Hours in the other park.  However, if you plan to do this, you need to have the "Park Hopper" option on your park passes so that you can visit two different parks on the same day.

Now that you have a feel for Extra Magic Hours, let's get into some of the other details available elsewhere.  I typically like to visit the parks during off-peak times.  During these times, things like the fireworks do not run every night.  I use this link to find information about fireworks, parades, and other events.  Just select the month for your trip and review the calendar.  For example, if you look at December 5- 9, 2012 you will see that Illuminations will be performed at Epcot each night at 9:30.  However, Wishes will be performed at Magic Kingdom only twice during that window.  One performance on 12/5 at 8pm and a second on 12/8 at 10pm. 

Once I have this information collected, then I start the planning process.  I put together several lists:

• A "Must Do" list for each park we plan to visit including rides, events, activities, entertainment, or other items we want to see and do in that park
• A "Desired Restaurants" list for each park we plan to visit.  This list is only for table service restaurants where I might like to get reservations. 
• A list of the dates we will be there, including the details of our partial travel days (arrival time, departure times, etc.)

Next put together a single piece of paper for each day we will be in the parks.  We were in-park for seven days, so I started with seven sheets of paper. The paper is not titled with the date, but rather with the name of a park.  For example, on our last trip we had a 4 1/2 year old, so we knew we would be spending plenty of time at Magic Kingdom.   Of my original seven pieces of paper, three were titled "Magic Kingdom." I also knew that we wanted to do a Princess Character Meal at the Norway Pavilion at Epcot (from the "Must Do" list), so I entitled one sheet "Epcot." I continued to title sheets based on the parks we wanted to visit and the items on the "Must Do" list.  Allocate days based on the length of your "Must Do" list at that park. 

Once this work is done, then I start to fill in some of the date details (be sure to use pencil, because they may need to change a few times as you work through the details).  Using the fireworks example above, I know that one of the "Magic Kingdom" sheets need to be assigned to December 5th or 8th if the Wishes fireworks are on our "Must Do" list.  If I want to take advantage of Extra Magic Hours, then I can assign those parks to those dates. Finally, fill in the remainder of the dates to fill in the remainder of your trip.

Using my real-trip example, our day at Epcot wasn't dependent on Extra Magic Hours or the Illuminations fireworks performance.  Instead, it was dependent on being able to get a reservation for the Princess Character Meal.  Because we are not early risers, I wanted either a lunch or dinner meal. I went to the online reservation site to make a reservation, but I could not find one to suit my family on the day I had originally planned for Epcot.  When I swapped the dates for our visits to Animal Kingdom and Epcot, I was able to find a lunch reservation that worked for us.

Once I have pinned down which parks we will visit on which days, then I make all the table service reservations using the "Desired Restaurants" list.  This list contains several different options for each park, so that when I go to book the reservations if one restaurant isn't available I can just move to the next on the list. I write down the restaurant, reservation time, and confirmation number on the appropriate sheet so that the information for a particular day stays in one place.

After all the planning and reservations have been made, I put together a spreadsheet that contains all the information we will need for the trip.  All of our flight information, confirmation numbers (flight, hotel, dining, etc), and park plans (day-by-day including dining details) are placed into this single document.  I print this document for myself, but I also email it to a web-accessible email account.  That way if I lose my original copy I just need to get online to retrieve another.

I hope these details help you understand how I go about planning my park days.  I can't say my method is perfect, but it certainly helps me to make sure that we make the most of our time inside Walt Disney World.


Let me know if you have a special way that you plan your in-park time.

Do I need dining reservations?

For table service restaurants, you have the option to make Dining Reservations. Generally speaking this is not a reservation per se, but rather somewhere between a traditional reservation and call-ahead seating. While it does not guarantee you a table at your selected time, it does place you in the queue ahead of people who have not made similar arrangements.
It is easiest to think of a reservation as a Fast Pass for table service restaurants. However, unlike a Fast Pass, you can make arrangements 180 days prior to your arrival.
While it isn't mandatory that you make dining reservations, it will save you time if you make reservations before you arrive.  Like most of you local table service restaurants, there are high-traffic times where you will wait an hour or more for a table.  I would prefer to spend that hour enjoying the parks rather than waiting to eat, so I always make dining reservations for our sit-down meals. Additionally, there are several venues where reservations are almost required, like dining inside Cinderella's Castle (Cinderella's Royal Table), Character Dining, or Victoria and Albert's at the Grand Floridian. 


Here is how I go about making my reservations:

• Plan a park for each day, typically based on extra hours, firework times, and other special attractions. 
• Determine which meal or meals we would like to have at a table service restaurant. 
• Find restaurants that have available seating for that meal, either in the park or near the park at a reasonable time for my family. I typically have a list of restaurants I want to visit at any given park (or resort) which helps in the decision making process. (Another post on that later!)

Be sure to have paper and pen ready when you go to make your dining reservations, because you are going to get a LONG reservation number to write down.  While you won't need this number when you check in at the restaurant for your reservation, it will be necessary if you want to verify your dining arrangements online.


There are a number of ways to make your arrangements before your arrival:

• By telephone call 407-WDW-Dine
• Online via this link

Once you are at the parks, choose one of these options:

• On your smart phone with the Disney Parks app
• Via your hotel concierge desk
• Customer service locations within the parks

The one thing I cannot encourage enough is to be flexible about what you consider "in the park" dining.  If you plan on being in Magic Kingdom, remember that the Magic Kingdom resorts (Contemporary, Polynesian, Grand Floridian) are only a monorail ride away.  Wilderness Lodge is also available via a boat launch right outside the park.  Animal Kingdom Lodge also has some incredible restaurants if you are willing to leave the park and go for a short bus ride.  Consider taking some time away to enjoy a meal outside the park rather than the hustle and bustle within.

When is the Best Time to Go to Disney World?

One of the first questions I am normally asked is "When is the best time to go to Disney World?"  Unfortunately, the answer really depends on a number of different factors.

The first factor most people consider is how busy the parks will be.  The more people there are in the parks, the longer you will have to wait to ride the rides, to eat, and to move from place to place.  Therefore, most prefer to find the time when the parks are not too busy.

If you have children, then you are often forced to work around a school calendar.  Most schools frown upon you pulling your children out of school for a vacation during the school year, but I will leave this up to you.  I can tell you that the busiest times at Walt Disney World are when school is NOT in session.  Therefore times like summer, the few weeks around Christmas and New Year, and a good portion of March and April (Easter and Spring Breaks) are busy.  They are also the time of year when you will pay the most for on-property hotel rooms. 

Do not despair. Look for times in the school calendar that might be specific to your school or your area of the country.  For example, my daughter had a Thursday and Friday off in October for teacher in-service days.  We considered flying out right after school on Wednesday, spending Thursday through Monday in the parks and returning home on Tuesday.  We could have had five days in parks, with only two additional days out of school.

If you are not bound to a school calendar, then you can avoid the busiest times in the parks (which means you can also avoid the highest priced hotel rooms).  There are a few easy ways to determine how busy the parks are expected to be:

Check the price-per-night for on-property rooms 
You can do this by going to the Walt Disney World site.  Then go to "Places to Stay" on the menu bar, and then select "Book a Resort Hotel Room."  Provide some basic information about dates you are considering and how many people are in your party.  Select "Continue." Now you are presented a number of different Resort Categories.  Pick the type of resort you prefer and a set of options will be provided to you.  On this page you can see the price per night for the room.

So, assuming the school calendar for Fall of 2012 has those two in-service days again in October, I can check for the rates for October 25-30th as a Value Resort.  The offer for the All-Star Music Resort has the room rate as $110/ night for Thursday, Sunday, and Monday with Friday and Saturday nights at $125/ night.

If I look at Thanksgiving weekend instead, November 22-27, then the rates for the same room are $149 for Thursday and Friday, $125 for Saturday, and $110 for Sunday and Monday.

A different way to look at rates is to pick a specific resort and drill down to see the rates.  For example, I looked into the Coronado Springs Resort.  This tells you the "Season" and the specific dates that apply to that season.  There is a drop-list on the right allowing you to check out the different season. As you change the season selection, you will see which dates apply to that season and the different room rates for those dates.  Again, the lower the rates, the lower the expected volume in the parks.

Check out YouTube
I know it sounds a little crazy, but hear me out.  Look for videos of the parades posted around the time of year you are thinking about going.  If there are lots of people crowding the street to watch the parade, then there are lots of people in the parks. Look at the difference in the number of people in this October 6th video compared to this Christmas time video.

Remember when you were out of school
Because the school calendar hasn't really changed THAT much since then :) If you have fond memories of trips over the summer or spring break, you can bet there are parents hoping to make those same memories for their kids.

Check out the Disney offers
The best offers are made when the parks are not busy.  You can find offers directly on the Walt Disney World site here.  If you are a Chase Disney Rewards Visa member, check out the members' benefits site.  They tend to post offers there a little earlier than when they are released to the public, but you need to have a Disney Rewards Visa in order to take advantage of these.

Other things to consider
Please understand that different times of the year, as well as the volume of guests in the parks, will play into your park experience in unexpected ways.  For example, one or both of the water parks will be closed over the winter for maintenance.  If you really wanted to go to Blizzard Beach, then November may not be a good choice.

If you love to see the fireworks, you may only have a few evenings when they are available.  When we went in November 2010, we didn't get to see Wishes because it only played twice while we were there and we had other plans (like character dinners) on those evenings.

I hope these suggestions help you to determine when is the best time for your group to visit Walt Disney World.  No time is the perfect time, you just have to make sure it is the best time for you and your traveling party.