There is no one size fits all Disney vacation, but with all the videos, advice and checklists fellow guests share on social media, it’s easy to develop FOMO and feel like you need to do it all.
“I got very overwhelmed,” said Nezhat Baygie, who planned her family’s first trip to Walt Disney World last year. “All of these parents are doing all these extravagant things and then on the other hand, you’ve got the people who just find every single way to do literally everything for free.”
She did her research then chose a different path for her family.
“Running from ride to ride, going across the park back and forth to make these reservations, that would have made us miserable. It’s a vacation,” she said. “We needed to be able to go with the flow.”
One of the most freeing things you can do at Disney World is play the parks by ear or as Elsa famously sang, let it go.
Are reservations still required at Disney World parks?
With few exceptions, most guests will need to make theme park reservations until Jan. 9, when reservations will no longer be required for date-based tickets.
Annual passholders will need to continue making park reservations next year if they want to enter parks before 2 p.m., outside of select good-to-go dates when reservations won’t be required.
Additionally, reservations are highly recommended for popular table-service restaurants like Cinderella’s Royal Table and experiences like lightsaber building at Savi’s Workshop or makeovers at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Space is limited and reservations, which open 60 days in advance, fill up quickly.
“We made our park reservations, and that was really it,” Baygie said.
Can you go to Disney without planning?
At minimum, you should make park and hotel reservations. For as much as you’re spending on a Disney vacation, you want to make sure you can actually get in. And while there are certainly enough hotels on and off Disney property to find a room any time of year, you may find fewer choices at higher prices booking last minute.
You’ll also want to plan for any experience you have your heart set on. For instance, if you want to ride Disney World’s two newest attractions, TRON Lightcycle / Run and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, it’s worth learning how to join their virtual queues because neither of them offer traditional stand-by lines.
Before their trip, Baygie and her family identified a few top priorities for each park. For everything else, they decided: “We get done what we get done, and what we can’t get done, we just don’t, and it’s that simple. You just have to understand that there’s no way to do it all, so be happy with what you get to do.”
Pro tip: It also helps to plan for the weather. It can be rainy or sunny any time of year. Packing ponchos and sunscreen in advance can save you from paying premiums at the parks.
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How do you do Disney without planning?
The key to enjoying Disney World without planning is to be flexible.
“We did not rope drop. We got up when we got up,” Baygie said. “We got there by say 10 a.m. each day and stayed until close, and we sat down while we needed to sit down. We would grab a snack or something and take a break if our feet were tired and then we’d get up and wander around again.”
You can check showtimes, attraction wait times, character appearance locations and more on the free My Disney Experience app and pay to save time in line with Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lanes.
“We weren’t going to pay extra to stand in a shorter line,” Baygie said. “Amusement parks are lines. That’s part of it. That’s expected.”
Her family also stuck to quick-service meals.
“My daughter said ‘I’d rather have more park time than spend time sitting and eating food,” she recalled. “OK, your trip. That’s great. Knock that off the table. That’s not something we need to budget for.”
You can find plenty of popular treats at quick-service venues, like oversized cinnamon rolls at Gaston’s Tavern, cheeseburger bao buns at Satu’li Canteen and loaded potato barrels at Woody’s Lunchbox. You can also snack your way across EPCOT festival booths and other World Showcase eateries. However, if you arrive and regret not booking character dining or other table-service meals, go ahead and check the app as fellow guests cancel last-minute.
No reservations are needed for parades or nighttime spectacular shows. Just make sure to arrive early enough to get a good view.
What should you not forget at Disney?
Disney fans have all sorts of advice on what to skip and do at each park.
“There will be people with vastly different points of view,” Baygie said. “That doesn’t mean that just because that was their perfect trip that that is your perfect trip.”
“My biggest recommendation is decide what type of flow works for your family the best, and not just one person,” she added. “Because if you have everything set the way that one person wants it to be, is everybody else really going to be OK with that? How much stress is there going to be?”
She advises families to not get wrapped in the hype of trying everything.
“We don’t have regrets with how we did things,” she said.
If you go with the flow, you’ll be surprised by how much you can do, too.
