How to Plan a Disney Vacation: A Step-By-Step Guide

Whether you’re planning your first week-long Orlando trip for your fam, or a two-day Disneyland getaway with your S.O., you may be at a loss as to where to begin with your journey. What’s the first step in planning a Disney vacation? Which park is the best, or should we skip the parks altogether and just stay at a resort? Is it even possible to do it all on a budget? These are the questions I get asked most often, so I am sharing them all here in a one-stop guide: How to plan a Disney vacation!

Step 1. Choose the Best Destination for You

Disney World, Disneyland, and Aulani … oh my! There are so many options these days, including international parks, too. So which is the best? Well, my mom friends would say that staying local would be best for their sanity, but there are perks to each option, so take a deeper look and decide which destination is best for you:

Aulani

Aulani is straight up gorgeous, and if money is no object to you, I doubt you’ll be disappointed in your experience. But for most Disney fans like myself, we want the theme park attractions and character experience. As someone who has been to Aulani, I say save it for a honeymoon or wedding anniversary celebration and go to Disneyland or Disney World instead.

Alternatively, you can still visit Hawaii (because, duh, who wouldn’t want that?) but stay off-property at somewhere more affordable, take in all of Hawaii’s beauty, and book a character dining experience at Aulani instead. That way, you’ll get your Disney fix without completely draining your bank account.

Disneyland

Disneyland is best for people who want to feel Walt’s presence and experience the best rides. Yes, this is a hot take in the Disney community, but I said what I said: Disneyland really does have the best attractions, guys. Does this mean that the other parks don’t have fun rides? No, of course, they do, but I’ve carefully compared Disneyland and Magic Kingdom (which is based on Disneyland), and every ride at Disneyland just had that extra oomph. Meaning they were longer, they had an epic send-off or dynamic-y finish, and they just simply slapped.

Another Disneyland perk is that you won’t lose much time going between the two parks because they’re within a two- to three-minute walk of each other, so purchasing Park Hopper isn’t a total waste in this case. At Disney World, you’ll need to take public transportation and likely plan for a longer trip overall.

Disney World

Suppose you want that full-on one-week Disney vacation experience instead. In that case, Disney World is your best bet because it’s the size of San Francisco and has four theme parks, including Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Magic Kingdom, and two water parks (Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon). With that many options, you can essentially choose your adventure (i.e., have an educational experience at Epcot, go on a safari to see animals in AK, learn about TV and films in HS, etc.).

Disney World also offers more value resorts and free dining plans (there’s even a kids eat-free option for 2026!) and currently allows all resort guests to visit a water park for free on their check-in day.

International Parks

Contrary to what you might think, visiting an international park can actually save you money, and each country’s destination is charming in its own way and worth exploring.

Shanghai and Tokyo Disney tickets cost only about a third of what Disney U.S. tickets are worth, Hong Kong tickets are half the price, and Paris Disneyland has a ticket that gets you into both parks for the price of one U.S. ticket. If your crew has the patience to travel overseas and you’re planning to fly to a Disney park anyway, the cost may even out in the end, and you can enjoy the added excitement of exploring a new country. Just a thought!

Step 2. Pick Your Travel Dates

Next, you’ll want to pick your travel dates (or just one date if you’re a local only planning to do a singular Disney day). The best time to visit Disney is February, September (when kids are back in school), and November, right before the holiday festivities. You can use my free crowd calendar here to get a more in-depth idea of crowd forecast.

Step 3. Book the Park Tickets

It’s time to buy your park tickets and book your park reservation! (*If you’re not planning to visit a theme park and just want to enjoy a Disney Resort hotel, you can skip this step.)

Don’t just jump to buying tickets at face value; look at discounted ticket options:

• AAA
• Costco and Sam’s Club memberships
• My Undercover Tourist affiliate links (click here for Disney World and here for Disneyland)!

Step 4. Decide On Where to Stay

You’ll need a place to crash if you plan to do multiple Disney days. Now, I’m the kind of traveler who only really cares about the basics of lodging: safety, cleanliness, and decent parking (if I’m renting a car). If you’re like me, use your credit card points to book a free off-property hotel, or go the Airbnb route and save yourself a TON of money. If not, you can also consider:

• Good Neighbor Hotels– Good Neighbor hotels are the next most affordable option, but they’re still close to the parks and offer perks like magic hours and transportation (click here for my complete Disney Good Neighbor hotel guide).
• Disney-owned Resorts– Disney resorts are divided into value, moderate, and deluxe. They all offer that “enchanting” experience you want and come with the same kind of perks you’d receive at a Good Neighbor hotel, so it’s really up to your preference as to how fancy you want to go. While staying on the property will cost more than the Airbnb route, you get free entry to a Disney water park on your check-in day and other potential freebies like a dining plan.

Step 5. Figure Out How You’re Getting There

You’ve got your park reservations and accommodations ready to go. Now, how are you getting there? I like to use my airline points to get me onto free flights, but if you’re not loyal to a specific airline, Google Flights and Skyscanner will offer the best rates (just make sure to browse in an incognito window).

You’ll also want to ensure you have transportation while you’re in the city of your destination. If you’re staying off-property, renting a car will likely be the most feasible option, but if not, use shuttle websites and ride-share apps to estimate how much it’ll cost to get to and from the airport, as a rental car may not be necessary in this case.

Step 6. Make a (Loose) Food Budget

If you have the time, it’s best to plan out how much you’ll want to allocate for food (and souvenirs if that’s important to you). Start thinking about if there are specific Disney restaurants you wish to dine at and plan to book them two to three months in advance.

Make sure to also refer to my “My Most Affordable Way to Eat at Disney” blog, which covers everything from what you should pack food-wise to cheap Disney snack options and information about free toddler meals.

Step 7. Download the My Disney Experience or Disneyland App

You don’t need to be obsessed, but you do need to download the My Disney Experience app (for Disney World) or Disneyland app and sync your tickets on there. You’ll also be using these apps to mobile order food, setup Lightning Lane if desired, check wait times, etc. so get comfy with it.

Step 8. Consider Magic Bands and Lightning Lane

Magic Bands have become so synonymous with the Disney park experience that some people feel naked without them. To be honest, I never use them myself and navigate the parks just fine. There’s nothing wrong with getting one if you want, but just know that they’re not a necessary expense when it comes to making the most of your Disney experience. You can also use your smartwatch as a free magic band.

Lightning Lane is a fast pass you pay for to skip the lines, and depending upon the scenario, you may find it valuable. I go over in full detail here about whether or not it’s worth the price, and I also have a guide here on how you can skip long lines without paying for LL.

Step 9. Let the Countdown Begin!

If you’re a seasoned pass holder, this probably won’t apply to you, but for people who only get to visit Disney annually, there are a handful of countdown apps that families like to use to build excitement for their big vacations. You’ve worked hard for your time off and took time to plan out a big trip, so enjoy it and let the countdown begin!

Have you ever had to plan a Disney vacation? What’s your most useful tip? Share in the comments below!

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