It can be easy to feel overwhelmed or stressed when planning a Walt Disney World vacation, or even during the vacation itself – there’s so much to do and so much to see! But, you don’t have to give up your sanity to have a great vacation. Here are some tips to have a low-stress Disney World vacation.
Have a plan
I am a huge planner, and I am also a huge advocate of having a plan for your Walt Disney World trip. While you’re in the parks, you want to relax and enjoy your time with family and friends, and this is hard to do when you’re constantly trying to decide what to do next. One of the best ways to have a low-stress Disney World vacation is to plan ahead. If you already know where you’re going when you arrive, your day will be much more relaxing. In particular, have a plan for the morning – the lines are the shortest they’ll be all day, and you can get a lot of rides done if you you’re your time well.
Make Advanced Dining Reservations and FastPasses
Once the lines do get long in the parks, it can be discouraging to think that you’ll have to spend most of your day waiting in line – but because you’re reading these tips, you won’t have to! After your morning plan helped you complete many popular rides, you can now use your FastPasses that you scheduled in advance to do more rides with little wait. You also won’t have to worry about finding a restaurant with an available table because you already made your dining reservations. Having these reservations planned ahead of time is a huge stress reliever.
Don’t plan everything to the minute
Yes, you should absolutely have a plan, but you shouldn’t plan every minute of every day (mostly because I’ve tried, and it doesn’t work). Always leave yourself some wiggle room in your schedule, as well as some free time, because everything won’t go according to plan 100% of the time. Give yourself time to stroll the parks, take pictures, and enjoy the details – having time to relax is a big help for keeping the stress out of your vacation.
Don’t expect to do everything
With all the amazing attractions Walt Disney World has to offer, it’s easy to want to do everything. In practice, it’s a bad idea. There will be some ride, some show, some something that you won’t have time for, and that’s okay. Enjoy all the great stuff you do get to do, and don’t stress about what you missed.
Schedule some down time
I mentioned this earlier, but it bears repeating – have some time to rest. The Walt Disney World parks are huge, and often crowded, and walking all day is tiring for most everyone. Tired can quickly lead to cranky and stressed, but you can often avoid this if you give everyone some time to chill and relax. Go back to your resort room for a nap, spend an afternoon at the pool, or take a break riding the PeopleMover a few times.
Be where you are
Because I am such a planner, I have a bad habit of thinking about where I’m going next without noticing where I am. This is a very effective way to miss a lot of great stuff. Do the planning ahead of time, but when you’re in the parks, let go and enjoy – be sure that you’re present for the memories you’re making, because that’s what your vacation is really about.
Elizabeth Perry is a travel planner with Modern Travel Professionals, an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, and part of The Affordable Mouse team. She's a planner, a vacation enthusiast, and quite the nerd. Even better, she's dedicated to helping you plan a fun, fantastic vacation so you can visit the worlds of your favorite stories and create great memories. You’ll be able to find the resources you need to plan a spectacular vacation, get personalized service for all your trip needs, and have a guide that knows all the inside secrets. Contact her at elizabeth@moderntravelpros.com.