When we first decided to plan a trip to Disney World, I imagined it would be fairly simple.
You book flights.
You book a place to stay.
You buy park tickets.
Done.
Except… that is absolutely not how Disney planning works.
Planning a Disney trip is basically a full-time hobby that involves spreadsheets, group chats, snack research, ride strategy, and children asking every single day how many sleeps are left.
Here are some things I definitely didn’t expect when planning a Disney trip.
How Much Planning Actually Goes Into It
I knew Disney trips took planning, but I didn’t realise quite how much planning.
You start looking at park tickets and suddenly you're learning about things like:
• Genie+
• Lightning Lanes
• Park reservations
• Early entry
• Rope drop strategies
At one point I felt like I needed a university degree in Disney logistics just to understand how to get on a ride.
People talk about Disney planning timelines like military operations.
“Book dining reservations at exactly 60 days.”
“Be ready to book rides at 7am.”
“Have a park strategy.”
I thought we were just going on holiday.
How Expensive Everything Can Be
Disney is magical… but it is also not cheap.
Between flights, accommodation, park tickets, food, souvenirs and all the little extras, the costs add up quickly.
And then there are the things you didn’t think about at first:
• travel insurance
• airport parking
• spending money
• park snacks (so many snacks)
• themed outfits for the kids
At some point during planning I had to stop calculating totals for the sake of my own sanity.
How Excited the Kids Get
I expected the kids to be excited.
I did not expect the daily countdown questions.
“How many days until Disney?”
“Can we meet Mickey?”
“Will there be fireworks every night?”
They have very specific expectations about which characters they want to meet and which rides they want to go on.
Apparently we are now personally responsible for arranging meetings with half the Disney universe.
How Many Packing Decisions There Are
I thought packing would be simple.
Clothes.
Swimwear.
Sun cream.
But Disney packing is its own category.
Now I’m researching things like:
• comfortable walking shoes
• cooling towels
• refillable water bottles
• portable chargers
• ponchos for rain showers
• autograph books for characters
Apparently you can walk 10–15 miles a day in the parks, which means shoe decisions suddenly become extremely important.
How Helpful the Disney Planning Community Is
One thing that has really surprised me is how helpful other Disney travellers are.
There are entire communities dedicated to sharing tips, advice, and park strategies.
People genuinely want to help each other have the best trip possible, which is really lovely when you’re trying to figure everything out.
Although it can also lead to discovering even more things you didn’t know you needed to plan.
The Anticipation Is Part of the Magic
Even though planning a Disney trip can feel a bit overwhelming at times, there’s something really special about the countdown.
Watching the kids get more and more excited.
Choosing Disney outfits.
Talking about which rides we’ll go on first.
The anticipation has already become part of the experience.
Right now we’re still in the planning stage, so I’m sure there will be plenty more surprises along the way.
But if one thing is already clear, it’s this:
Planning a Disney trip might be chaotic, complicated, and occasionally overwhelming…
…but it’s also incredibly exciting.
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