How to Plan a Walt Disney World Trip: Our Advisors' Step-by-Step Guide

Planning a Walt Disney World trip is overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. There are 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, 25+ on-property resorts, 400+ restaurants, and a planning ecosystem that’s been refined over 50+ years. Most first-time families spend their entire trip realizing what they should have done differently.

Our advisors plan Walt Disney World trips constantly. This is the framework we walk every client through — the 8 decisions that need to happen, in the order they need to happen.

1. Decide when to go

This decision drives everything else (price, crowds, weather, available events). Factors:

• Seasons. Disney prices and crowd levels vary by value / regular / peak seasons. Value (mid-January, late August, early November, early December) gets you the lowest hotel rates and shortest waits. Peak (Christmas/New Year’s, Spring Break, Thanksgiving week, July 4th week) gets you the longest waits and highest prices.
• School schedule. Pulling kids out of school = value-season options. Going during school breaks = peak crowds.
• Weather. Florida winters are mild but can dip into the 40s at night. Summers are hot, humid, and bring daily afternoon thunderstorms. Hurricane season runs June through November (peaks August-October).
• Special events. EPCOT’s four seasonal festivals (Festival of the Arts in Jan-Feb, Flower & Garden in Mar-Jul, Food & Wine in Aug-Nov, Festival of the Holidays in Nov-Dec) change the EPCOT experience meaningfully. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party runs Aug-Oct; Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party runs Nov-Dec.
• Free dining and other promotions. Disney occasionally runs free-dining promotions and resort discounts — usually announced 4-6 months in advance. Our advisors apply these automatically if they’re released for your booking dates.

2. Decide how long to stay

Our recommended minimum: 6 nights / 7 days. This gets you:

• 2 days at Magic Kingdom (it’s the biggest park)
• 1.5 days at EPCOT (the World Showcase needs a full evening)
• 1 day at Hollywood Studios
• 1 day at Animal Kingdom
• 1 day for resort time / Disney Springs / a half-day rest

For a 4-5 day trip, prioritize ruthlessly. Pick the 2-3 parks that matter most to your party and accept you’ll miss things. Our advisors will help you decide what to cut.

3. Choose your tickets

Walt Disney World ticket options:

• Base ticket — one park per day
• Park Hopper — move between parks each day (recommended for repeat visitors)
• Park Hopper Plus — adds water parks, ESPN Wide World of Sports, and a round of golf
• Lightning Lane Multi Pass — separate purchase (~$15-$30 per person per day) that lets you pre-book three ride return windows + add more during the day. Worth it for first-timers. It replaces the old FastPass+ system (retired 2021).

Most of our clients opt for Park Hopper + Lightning Lane Multi Pass for first trips.

4. Choose your lodging

Stay on Disney property for first trips unless cost is the binding constraint. The benefits stack up:

• Early Theme Park Entry (30 minutes before park open every day)
• Extended Evening Hours at one park per week (Deluxe-tier guests only)
• Complimentary bus / Skyliner / monorail / boat transportation to all 4 parks and 2 water parks
• Same-room reservations at the closest resort to your most-visited park
• Charge purchases to room via MagicBand+

Resort tiers:

• Value resorts (~$150-$200/night) — All-Star Sports/Music/Movies, Pop Century, Art of Animation
• Moderate resorts (~$250-$350/night) — Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, Port Orleans
• Deluxe resorts (~$500-$900/night) — Beach Club, Yacht Club, Grand Floridian, Contemporary, BoardWalk
• DVC Villas (~$400-$1500/night) — Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, Riviera, etc.

See our complete Disney resort hotels guide for resort-by-resort comparison.

5. Decide how to get there

Magical Express ended in 2022 — you’ll need to arrange your own transportation from Orlando International Airport (MCO). Options:

• Mears Connect — paid airport shuttle ($16+ per person each way)
• Sunshine Flyer — bus alternative
• Uber / Lyft — typically $40-$60 to most Disney resorts
• Rental car — useful if you plan off-property dining or universal/sea world day trips
• Disney’s Sunshine Express — limited-route Disney-operated shuttle (program details change)

For driving guests, every resort has parking. Self-parking is complimentary for resort guests; valet costs extra.

6. Book your dining reservations at 60 days

Disney’s Advance Dining Reservation (ADR) window opens 60 days before your trip start date. This changed from the historical 180-day window in 2021.

If a specific restaurant matters to your family — be online at 5:45 AM Eastern on day 60. Signature restaurants (Be Our Guest, Cinderella’s Royal Table, Storybook Dining, Topolino’s Terrace, Space 220) book within minutes of the window opening.

Our advisors handle this for clients — we keep their preferences on file and book at the moment the window opens.

7. Buy Lightning Lane Multi Pass and plan your park days

Lightning Lane Multi Pass is a paid add-on to your ticket. Purchase opens 7 days before your park day for on-property guests, 3 days before for off-property guests. Buy as early as your purchase window allows — popular rides fill up.

Each Lightning Lane Multi Pass lets you book 3 attractions in advance at one park, plus additional ones rolling throughout the day as you use your first three.

Plan around your dining reservations, parade times, and fireworks shows. Sites like Touring Plans publish daily crowd-level forecasts to help you pick the lowest-crowd park each day.

8. Finalize your packing and check-in

The week before:

• Check-in online via the My Disney Experience app 60 days out (chooses your room category) or 10 days out (assigns specific room)
• Set up MagicBand+ if you bought one — link it to your account, charge it, configure RFID
• Download park maps to the My Disney Experience app for offline access
• Pack the essentials — see our Disney packing list guide for the 15 items we recommend
• Check the weather and pack accordingly — ponchos, jackets, layers
• Confirm transportation from the airport

Familiarize yourself with the park

Walt Disney World is 47 square miles — larger than Manhattan. There’s no way to do everything in one trip. Prioritize ruthlessly:

• Each family member picks 3 “must-do” items
• Combine the lists and identify clusters by park
• Build your park days around those clusters
• Accept that some things will wait for next trip

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The shortcut: use a Disney travel advisor

The 8 steps above are how we walk every client through their planning. The shortcut: let one of our advisors handle the planning for you. Our service is completely free — Disney pays the advisor; the price you pay is the same as booking direct.

What an advisor handles on your behalf:

• Selecting the right resort for your party
• Tracking promotions and applying them automatically
• Booking dining reservations the moment the window opens
• Setting up Lightning Lane Multi Pass purchases
• Coordinating airport transfers and any special-needs accommodations
• Adjusting plans if Disney announces changes during your trip

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Ready to plan your Disney World trip? Talk to one of our advisors — share a few details and we’ll be in touch within one business day with a custom plan. Free, no obligation.