…Annd we’re back for part 2 of my Disney Vacation Planning Tips. My family and I had a super fun trip to Walt Disney World this past July. And because of the many trips we’ve made to Disney, I thought I’d share some of my top planning tips with you!
By the way here’s where you can find Disney Vacation Planning Part 1, in case you missed it.
As a recap, the first three steps in planning your Disney vacation is to (1) Do Your Disney Homework and discover all that Disney Parks has to offer, (2) Decide When and Where to Stay in which I recommended staying on property and (3) Book It! and set your vacation in motion . My next planning Tip is the key to helping moms (or dads) have a good time along with the rest of the family.
4. Make a Daily Plan
Ok, now I know you A-Type personality folks are squealing with glee right now, while others are hiding and shivering in some corner at what they just read. But hear me out. Making a plan for each day will do a few things to help you have a fantastic Disney vacation with your family. Below is a sample of one of our two days at Magic Kingdom on this trip. I had a hard copy as well as an electronic version on my phone. (I need help, I know).
Firstly, a daily plan will help you get a realistic perspective on what you can actually accomplish in a day at a particular Disney park. For me it helped me take my families must see/do wishlist and fit it in while also helping me eliminate what just won’t work for us time-wise.
Secondly, a daily plan will take the guesswork out of the day to day. No more waking up on one of your vacation days and trying to figure out “ok, so what should we do today?” No. Everyone has an idea of what we want to see and do and so momma isn’t the only one trying to keep everyone on schedule. Can I get an amen?! Just sayin’!
We followed the schedule with the expectation that our just turned 3 year old may need to do something different from time-to-time. We were totally ok with changing what we planned and adjusted accordingly.
5. Add a Little “Pixie Dust” to Your Vacation
Adding a little “Pixie Dust” to your vacation simply means that you can add little details to your vacation experience to make it feel extra special and… magical. Here’s a few ways you can do it…
Get Some Ears!
You’ve read that right… Ears! Mickey/Minnie Ears that is! Before you head out on your trip there are tons of small shops I’ve found on Esty and Instagram that make hand made Ears for folks heading to Disney or just because. They have tons of ears with Minnie bows in all sorts of theme’s, colors, designs, etc. Some small shops even have Mickey ears that guys will dig.
Can you buy Mickey/Minnie ears in the parks? You totally can! But there is something to be said about the folks that have been making these detailed, handmade Minnie/Mickey ears.
Rock a great ‘T’!
T-shirt, that is. I hold to the same small shop philosophy on this one as the Mickey/Minnie ears above. There are lots of shops out there making gorgeous, funny, clever, and beautiful T-shirts you will love. I did!
I saw so many, it was hard to just pick one. So… I bought a few! The T-shirt pictured above is from OhYeahApperel.com. They have great shirts and pins too! More on pins and pin trading in another post. 😉
Here’s another shirt I loved and just had to have (below)!
My Disney/Harry Potter Mashup Shirt (above): “My Patronus is a Mickey Waffle” is from the Easy shop PolkaDotsandPixieDust. My husbands Shirt: “Hakuna Matata is from Target. Kids shirts are also from Target.
Here’s another Harry Potter/Disney Mashup ‘T’ from PolkaDotsandPixieDust (above). Love!
My source for amazing ears and T-shirts is once again Esty, Instagram and other small shop direct sites. Use the search terms “disney shirts” or some variation of that to see all of the options out there.
Up Your Magic Band Game
When staying on Disney property (any of their resorts), you will receive a Magic Band 2.0, that is your key (literally the key) to everything. It will open your room, it’s the ticket to the theme parks, it gives you access to your Fast Passes, it’ll capture all of your park photos and give you access to them online (if you purchased Photo Pass-optional) and let you purchase food and credit it to your dining plan (optional).
Since you’ll be wearing it everywhere while touring the parks and staying at the resort why not personalize it and make it your own?
This year I purchased a Magic Band bow for Karis in the style of her favorite Disney Princess, Ariel. We absolutely loved it! Ours was from the Easy shop MouseOnMainstreet. Love, love, love their bows. The pride they take in their product and customer service is hard to find. Can’t wait to get my next bow!
So that’s it! Those are some of my top tips on Planning a Disney Vacation Everyone will love!There are so many, many ways to prepare for a trip to Walt Disney World. I’ve offered some fun ways to get ready because that’s what Disney is all about. Fun! And there’s lots of fun to be had.
What about you? How do you get ready for your trip to Disney? I’m always on the lookout for new and fun things!
Awesome tips for personalizing a Disney trip!
I am so a plain T-shirt/no hat kind of guy, but even I was tempted by the pics to step out of my box. So fun!
Yes! Next time you go, wear at least 1 T-shirt! They have some real goodies out their. Very fun! I had to restrain myself. I saw so many good ones!