The Biggest Dos and Don’ts For Planning Your Disney Vacation

The Biggest Dos and Don’ts For Planning Your Disney Vacation

While it is important to enjoy the moment when you are at Disney, it is also truly important to consider all of your options and do a little research. In order to really have the best vacation possible, it is great to learn a few tips of things you should and shouldn’t do when planning your vacation. Here are some of the biggest dos and don’ts for planning your Disney vacation.

Do Make Dining Reservations Ahead of Time

Many people think you can simply show up at Disney and walk into most of the restaurants. While this is the case for some, it isn’t accurate for the more desirable reservations. If you know of certain dining experiences you don’t want to miss out on, you should start making them 180 days out. This might sound drastic, but when it comes to Disney you need to plan ahead in order to get the most rewarding experience. Many of the reservations fill up rather quickly, and so picking them up as quickly as you can simply saves you that extra effort later on.

Tip: While it is important to try and snag these reservations ahead of time, you might find yourself learning about certain restaurants when it is a bit too late. You can use your My Disney Experience app to check on any potential reservations that might be available. A great way to keep an eye out for any cancellations that might occur without constantly flipping through your MDE app, is by using MouseDining.com. This website allows you to input the date and time you want for each restaurant, and you will receive a text or email when one pops up. It is important to jump on this quickly because other people will be waiting for certain reservations as well.

Don’t Forget to Budget

Oftentimes people forget to budget and really stay on this budget, and that can be a major mistakes at Disney. While you want to be able to purchase the souvenirs and enjoy the treats, you also need to be sure you aren’t going over your budget. Disney can be extremely expensive, and so it is important to keep track of your spending. It can be rather easily to go over your budget much quicker than you would expect. If you don’t have some sort of budget in place you can end up blowing it before you are even halfway through your trip.

While Disney is an expensive place, it is still rather wonderful and should be enjoyed without stressing about money. If you make sure to plan your budget and stick to it, you will get much more out of their experience. It is important to make sure you don’t miss out on certain things because you have made the mistake of going without a budget to fit your needs.

Do Make Your FastPass+ Selections

While many people don’t take advantage of FastPasses because they don’t know about them, others just don’t realize how much they can improve your trip. Some people believe that FastPasses are simply for people who purchase them by spending extra money, but this is completely untrue! Your FastPass+ selections are included with your park admissions, or your resort reservation. With your ticket you can plan FastPasses 30 days ahead of time, but with your resort reservation you can make these plans 60 days ahead.

It is vital to plan out which rides you want passes for, and have everything prepared before your 60 or 30 days mark. There are many people getting up first thing in the morning so that they can grab the absolute best passes for the hard to get rides. If you are up early enough you should be able to get everything you want, and this can make a huge difference for your trip experience. Some of these rides can have wait times of a couple hours, and of course this can put a real damper on your trip. If you don’t take advantage of your FastPass+ selection then you are really missing out on something important for the best Disney vacation.

You can schedule all of this with your My Disney Experience app, and everything will be linked together. Once your ticket and room reservation are linked, it makes it so you will be allowed access to FastPasses ahead of time and can get right to planning on the day you are ready, either 60 or 30 days out.

Don’t Overbook Your Trip

It is important not to overbook or overlap any of the important parts of your schedule. While you should plan your dining reservations and FastPasses, you should also consider parade times and firework schedules. You want to be able to include plenty of things, but if you aren’t careful you can overbook and feel a bit strapped for time. You want to have space to relax and enjoy your trip without feeling like you have to rush to make all of your reservations.

Do Purchase Magic Bands

It is helpful to purchase Magic Bands, even if you aren’t staying at one of the more official Disney resorts. If you are at a Disney resort it is a must have purchase, but it often comes included with your package. When you receive these Magic Bands they really are a great way to improve your Disney experience. You can use these for FastPass+ reservations, dining reservations, photo pass, as a room key and even to make charges to your credit card which is attached to your room.

This can be beneficial for people who aren’t staying at a Disney resort, since it can make your FastPass+ usage a real breeze. Having to take out your tickets and swipe them each time you go through a line, is exhausting after a while and can make you nervous that you might lose track of it. Having your Magic Band wrapped around your wrist makes it simple and fast to just swipe and continue through the line with ease. This is something that is great for anyone going to Disney and planning ahead, so this should be considered as a purchase you make even if you aren’t at a Disney resort which includes them with the package.

Don’t Forget About Disney Springs

Many people enjoy the parks and the resorts, but miss out on the Disney Springs experience. There is so much more to see at Disney Springs that everyone should take advantage of. There is plenty of amazing shopping, special dining experiences, and really active nightlife. There is a lot going on and many different events which are held at Disney Springs, and so this is something that should not be missed. It is a really wonderful experience with a really active environment, and plenty of shopping you won’t get to experience at the parks (even though there is a lot of shopping in the parks).

Do Check Out The Other Resorts

Most people don’t realize that you can check out all of the other resorts on Disney property, and you absolutely should! These places have some delicious dining options, gift shops and all around different atmospheres. It can be wonderful just to check out these other resorts and soak up their surroundings. You can hope around and see the different beautiful resorts and use this as a more relaxed day during your tripe. It can be nice just to take a day for this, since if you are planning a longer trip the parks can definitely be tiring and a good rest is needed.

Don’t Forget Your Confirmation Numbers

While it isn’t often an issue, it is still helpful to write down all of your confirmation numbers and information in a small notebook. If you have these numbers recorded and often printed out from your emails, it can really be a great backup for if things go wrong. While Disney is great at accommodating when things go wrong, it best to be prepared since this will make your trip much more relaxing. Having all of your confirmations printed out and with you during your trip, will ensure that if something goes wrong you have this information backed up. The app can be a bit wonky at times, and so having this information is definitely something that is highly recommended.

Do Enjoy Yourself!

In the end the most important thing is to take advantage of your opportunities and just make the most of your vacation. Disney is a magical place where you can enjoy being with loved ones and just soak up the feeling of being in another world. Enjoy yourself and take in your surroundings without allowing yourself to become too caught up in making things perfect.