{ Disney } Vacation Prep- Part 1

This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Our family just came back from… wait for it… Walt Disney World! We had an amazing time! I really truly love Disney Parks, the fun we have and the memories we make.

We stood at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort for 5 nights. Too short, in my unbiased opinion. 😉

This was our second Disney resort stay (in a row) and our 5th Disney Park visit in a row! We have family in Tampa, so we usually would stay there and drive down for the day. But last year and this year we have flipped the script and have stayed in a Disney resort and then drove up to Tampa to make more memories with our beloved family!

I’ve learned a lot while planning my trips to Walt Disney World, so I want to share with you what I’ve learned so far in planning a Walt Disney World Vacation and my favorite ways to get ready for my Disney trip. And let me tell you, planning is so important when you go to WDW (short for Walt Disney World). The place is huge! With 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, and a gazillion resorts (might be an accurate number) it’s easy to get overwhelmed and maybe even feel like you didn’t get to do everything you wanted to, to get your money’s worth. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t recommend packing in your day with activity from dawn till way past dusk with little ones. But that’s why the planning is important and helpful in everyone have a great time at Disney.

And now for the moment you’ve all been waiting for… My top learnings (in no particular order).

1. Plan, Plan, Plan…. and did I mention plan?

Take some time to research what’s available for you to do at Walt Disney World. Watch YouTube videos with your family and let them chime in on what are some of their “must do’s” for the parks you plan on visiting.

Research the best attractions to use your FastPass+ on. Read articles and blogs on how to plan your days at the park to maximize your time and spend less time waiting on lines. Some lines have had 130 – 300 minute wait times. I’ve been able to plan to do most of the rides I’ve wanted and not spent more than 20 minutes waiting in line.

I have so many ideas on this, it might become it’s own blog post. Or a vlog maybe…? 😉 Meanwhile, checkout my “Disney-ing” board on Pinterest!

2. Try to Stay on Property.

Disclaimer: Yes. Disney is expensive. However, they do have resort rooms at many different price points. So don’t dismiss the idea of staying on property with out exploring all of your options first. With a little bit of planning (see #1 above) you can have the fully immersive Disney Experience.

Here are a couple of reasons why staying on property is great:

Fast Pass+ When staying on property you have access to booking your Fast Pass+ selections 60 days before your vacation. People who only have tickets to the parks (but not staying on property) have access 30 days prior. This is important because you will get first dibs at the rides that have the longest waits. This can be so very helpful, especially with some of the wait times I’ve seen at the parks. Some of the hardest to get are Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (Magic Kingdom), Frozen Ever After (Epcot), Toy Story Mania (Disney’s Hollywood Studios), Avatar Flight of Passage (Animal Kingdom). The last one has had wait times around 200 minutes or more… Yikes!

Full Immersion Experience No I’m not talking about Baptism. I’m talking about experiencing the magic and the wonder that Disney is SO VERY GOOD AT! When staying at a resort, Disney just knows how to help you feel like you are special and that you are a part of the world(s) they’ve created there. There is nothing like it! So exciting, so fun, just… magical!

Stay tuned for some more Disney Prep ideas, coming soon.

What are some ways you like to get ready for vacations? Leave a comment below. I’d love to know!

Rosie V.