Planning for Walt Disney World in 6 Easy Steps

Congratulations! You’ve made the exciting and magical decision to take a trip to the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida! There’s no better place on earth if you’re in the market for a getaway like no other. That’s because there’s so much to see, do, experience, eat and watch at Disney World. And since the choices in magic are limitless, you’ll need to be intentional and purposed in your planning, but it doesn’t have to be hard. Here are 6 easy steps to take to ensure you’re doing your part in planning the most magical vacation possible.

1. Start planning early.

Because there are so many choices in ways in which you can experience the magic at Disney World, you’ll have to start your planning as soon as you know you’re going to the parks. Every vacation under the sun requires planning, but Disney planning is even more imperative. That’s because you won’t be alone during your visit. In fact, about 50 million people visit Disney World each and every year, so you’ll need to plan for the things you want to experience. This includes planning which resort hotel you’d like to reserve, choosing dining venues you’d like to experience and more. Starting early is key.

2. Book your resort hotel room.

Disney World has more than 25 resort hotels at which Guests can stay during their time in the parks. Each uniquely-themed resort hotel is a bit of a getaway all by itself. Some of the resorts have wildly popular restaurants that showcase even more popular character dining experiences. Each Disney World resort hotel has one-of-a-kind swimming pools, attractive amenities and magical activities you’ll only find at Disney. All you have to do is choose one—and that can’t be harder than you think. The good news is that you can’t choose a bad resort hotel; it just might take you several trips to stay in all the ones you want to enjoy! Once you pick the hotel for this trip, be sure to book your stay early. Disney allows Guests to book their resort hotel room(s) up to 499 days in advance, and if you’re visiting Disney during peak seasons, you’ll be glad you booked your room as far in advance as possible!

3. Make your dining reservations.

This is one of the most important parts of planning your Disney World vacation. That’s because though there’s a seemingly endless number of table-service dining venues that allow reservations to be made, there can also be an endless number of fellow Guests jockeying for position on the reservation list of the aforementioned restaurants, and some of those restaurants book solid very quickly. Restaurants like Cinderella’s Royal Table and Be Our Guest Restaurant at Magic Kingdom are two of the most difficult venues at which to score a reservation. So be sure to begin making your dining reservations up to 180 days in advance of your stay. Do this by calling (407) WDW-DINE or by accessing the MyDisneyExperience app.