I’ve really gone and done it this time. I got a decent tax return this year and instead of doing something responsible like paying off my car or adding to the renovation fund, I’ve booked a six-day, five-night trip to Disney World for my family. I’ve been thinking about it for awhile, and when I saw a commercial for some special discounts, I figured I’d look into it. The next thing I knew I had contacted a Disney travel agent and that was that.
My timing was fortuitous because not only was I able to snag a 20% discount on park tickets, I was also able to get the 30% resort discount. So instead of going for one of the budget or moderate hotels, I was able to grab a great room at the Animal Kingdom Lodge with a savanna view. It’s still way more than I was planning on spending, but what can I say? I couldn’t help myself.
Disney World Itinerary
So now comes the hard part – the Disney World itinerary. I’m not one for planning tons in advance when it comes to vacations, but between dining reservations, Fastpasses and transportation, planning ahead of time for Disney is an absolute must.
Here’s what I’ve come up with:
Monday – Arrival around noon. Take some time to relax, check out the pool, then off to the Magic Kingdom by late afternoon. If we can all stay up late enough we’ll stay for the fireworks.
Tuesday – Animal Kingdom for 9am, stay as long as we can handle it, and make our way to Disney Springs for a 5:00pm dinner reservation. If we need a break at the hotel before dinner we’ll do it. After dinner, we’ll probably be tired so we’ll call it an early night.
Wednesday – No parks. We have one rest day for the week, so we’ll hang by the pool and maybe walk around some of the other resorts. Whenever we’re ready we’ll head to Disney Springs for dinner and a walk around.
Thursday – If the weather holds up we’ll head to Typhoon Lagoon for a few hours. The kids love water parks so it’s a must. Back to the hotel in the afternoon then dinner and “Soarin” at Epcot. We’ll stay for the nightly show.
Friday – Spend the day at Hollywood Studios. Back to the hotel in the afternoon and then back to the Magic Kingdom for our last night. I figure we should do fireworks on our last night, no?
Saturday – We’ll be getting to the park for an 8:55am breakfast reservation at the Crystal Palace. I’m really hoping if we get to the park for 8:25 they’ll let us in early so we can take some photos of an almost empty park! Then fit in a couple of rides or attractions before we head back to catch the Magical Express to the airport.
Am I crazy? Does this make sense? I figure I’ll plan for this magical Disney World itinerary, but if things change while we’re there we’ll go with the flow. It’s going to be H-O-T while we’re there, so I definitely don’t want to overdo it.
This is my first time planning for a family, so if anyone has any Disney World itinerary tips for me I’d love to hear them!
**Edited
Forget everything you just read! I contacted a Disney Travel Agent (Laura at Click the Mouse who is FANTASTIC) and she advised me to do things a bit differently. She said we were far more likely to get the fast passes we wanted if we visited the major attractions later in the week. So Monday will remain the same, Tuesday is Typhoon Lagoon and Epcot, Wednesday is still a rest day, Thursday is now the Animal Kingdom, Friday is Hollywood Studios and Saturday remains the same. The kids are a bit bummed that Hollywood Studios is so late in the trip, but I have a feeling it won’t matter once we get there. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Photos courtesy of Unsplash, Pixabay & Magic Guides
