How to pick your Disney Vacation Must-Do’s

Your trip to Walt Disney World is just that, YOUR trip. It’s not your neighbour’s trip or your sister’s trip, it’s your trip. Okay and likely your families. But to have a memorable and successful trip for you and yours, you need to make sure you are making the best plans for you. With so much to see and do at each of the theme parks, water parks and resorts it can be very overwhelming. So let’s put together a template for coming up with some must-do’s for your vacation, so you don’t spend time doing an attraction and miss out on something that you would have loved.

1. What’s the Big Picture?

Heading to Walt Disney World is celebration enough but there are times when a visit to the most magical place on earth is a part of something bigger. Are you celebrating a loved ones birthday or someone’s first trip or maybe a honeymoon. If there’s a reason behind your trip then let that be the main focus. If you’re celebrating someone’s birthday then make sure they get their birthday button, make sure they get to meet their favourite character, make it about them. Is is someone’s first trip? Then make sure to do those first experiences, like meeting Mickey Mouse, eating at Cinderella’s Royal Table, riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Don’t let the excitement of being at Walt Disney World take away from what you are celebrating. Keeping this in perspective will help narrow down the things you must do on your Disney days.

2. Look at what’s available.

Plan ahead. Check out the different attractions, entertainment and parades available at each of the parks. And from there pick the ones you HAVE TO DO! Because friends, there’s no way you can do it all. If you can, all the power to you, but you have to assume you can’t. So do your research and see all the things that are available to you, based on the height and interest of those you’re vacationing with. Also, go beyond just the parks. There are many special events that happen at the Disney resorts, and a few are free of charge: A Magical Moment at the Grand Floridian and Sing’a’long Campfire with Chip’n’Dale are among them. There’s also fantastic dining to be found at the different Disney resorts including character dining. And don’t forget about the Halloween and Christmas parties at the Magic Kingdom. So do a big large search of what is happening during your stay to be able to make sound choices of what you can’t miss. Type in the month you are visiting in the search bar above to find out what special activities are normally taking place at that time of year.

3. Ask.

Talk to those you’re vacationing with, yes even if they are the smallest of small. On our last vacation we all had a must-do list and it took us to places we had never been before. Our son wanted to meet Lightning McQueen so we went to the Art of Animation Resort for a morning and took all kinds of pictures. I wanted to eat at places I had never dined before so we ended up finding fantastic places I had never known existed. Ask your fellow travellers now while you’re doing your planning. If they say at the end of their park day they had really wanted to meet Belle but you’re already eating dinner and then planning to watch the fireworks you could have a very disappointed guest. So steer clear of the Disney melt downs by asking ahead of time what everyone wants to do and let that steer your Must-Do list.

4. Favourites. 

Does anyone have favourite characters or favourite rides. Well then make those top of your must-do’s. Meet those characters once, twice or three times. If you have a Cinderella lover in your house then make sure to head to one of the three places you can meet her at a dining experience. Have someone who loves Space Mountain? Then go there first thing and then have a FastPass later so they can do it more then once. Yes, it is very fun to try new things, I’m all for that, but when you know you love something don’t miss it and fit it in more than once if you can. When we travelled to Disney as young adults, my sister and I would use our final day as a greatest hits, where we’d park hop to get in all our favourites. But of course when you are travelling with a big group or with younger kids that can be harder to do. Put those favourites first because you never know what your day will hold or how busy it will be. So make these favourites the top of your must-dos.

5. Browse Social Media. 

Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook can be your greatest resource when coming up with your must-do’s. With so many areas of Walt Disney World, it can be very overwhelming to narrow down what you want to do. Checking out different peoples pictures and posts can expose you to things you didn’t even know existed. That’s how I always come up with my Food Goal list. If you’re using Instagram, simply search a hashtag of what you’re looking for. #Disneyfood is one of my favourites to follow, there are so many delicious snacks and meals found at the different parks and resorts and people love to share them. On Pinterest, many bloggers like myself use pinterest to promote the information they share on their website, so if you’re looking for must do’s for a certain park then type it in. Hundreds of options will pop up. Collect some ideas to make a list of your own.

By having must-do’s you can maintain a focus of what your days at Disney are going to be like. Keeping you relaxed and enjoying the magic instead of rushing to get in all the aspects of each park. There is so much to take in and by having your list you can enjoy what’s in front of you instead of glancing at the next thing. Happy Planning, Friends.