You're going to Disney World! Now what??

Planning a Walt Disney World vacation can be extremely overwhelming, especially if you haven’t visited in a long time. Gone are the days of simply showing up and hoping for the best. These days, the savvy Disney-goer has booked dining reservations six months in advance and chosen specific days and times to FastPass favorite rides well before arriving on Disney property.

What should I take into the parks?

After visiting Disney many times, I've figured out exactly what I need to bring with me into the parks. I'd love to be one of those people who don't carry bags around Disney, thus skipping the inevitably long bag-check security line at the park entrances, but it's just not practical for our family.

Magic Bands

Our FastPass+ tips and tricks

FastPasses have certainly changed over the last ten years or so. Those of us who have been visiting Disney for a long time remember the days before the Fast Pass even existed. If a park was crowded, you’d just have to stand in line for the attractions you wanted to enjoy. Other than trying to enter the parks right at opening, there wasn’t much you could do. With the growing popularity of the parks, guest satisfaction began to decrease after people realized they were spending too much of their vacation waiting in line rather than enjoying the attractions.

Dispelling some popular myths...

Myth: You shouldn’t take a child to WDW until he is old enough to remember it.

What we say: Who cares if they don’t remember it? Mom and Dad will! And this is a lame argument in my opinion. A young child isn’t likely to remember any vacation, so does that mean you should stop visiting grandparents or taking other trips? No way! Disney is appropriate for any age. And so what if they don’t remember? They will surely enjoy the experience while they are there.

Our Disney rhythm

People are different and families are different. Everyone has his own idea of what the “best” vacation is, and the following is ours. It may not be right for your own family, but we thought sharing our “Disney rhythm” – the way we do it – might be helpful to others planning their own vacation.