Putting the Puzzle Together: The Steps in Planning the Best Disney Vacation!

My latest Plan for another family

Planning a trip to Disney World, especially a FIRST trip, can seem like a daunting task.  Where do you start?  After it's all planned how do you stay on track?  I will show you my method for planning the most magical vacation possible!

I start by simply mapping out the days in Disney and then charting hours/extra magic hours/parade and fireworks times.  I use the calendar on the Disney World website.  You can easily switch from Park to Park.  Click on the day you plan to visit and it will give you a breakdown of the schedule for the day.

When you click on a specific day:

I then draw up a basic plan for park going and dining within the area I am planning to visit on specific days.  I use the online dining reservation system.  If you are looking for a specific restaurant, you can type in the name.  If you just want to see what is available in the park or resort you are visiting on a specific day, you can use the filters to see what is available.  For example: Let's say you want a dinner reservation in Magic Kingdom on December 20 for 4 people.  Just fill in the drop down boxes like this:

The computer will generate your choices:

The next step consists of making sure each park has ample time on the agenda and that there is a bit of purposeful relaxation sprinkled throughout as well.  Disney has wonderful pools and outdoor movies to fill all your down time!  We don't want Disney guests tuckering themselves out too much!  I decide which attractions are considered "not to be missed" and which restaurants sound the most delicious and make sure I have those things figured into the schedule.  Sometimes I like to throw in an extra experience!  When the plan is in place, I begin putting everything together in a small binder.

the inside of the binder

I print out each days plan and paste it on a 4x6 index card.  I make sure that the days date, dining reservations, attractions not to be missed, and transportation tips are all included and marked clearly.  I color code the restaurants according to dining plan credit.

tips on what to carry into the parks

I include a key so that the colors are understood and the guests know what acronyms like "CM" mean

The back of a day's plan

I suggest not carrying the whole notebook into the park, but rather just the day's plan.  I put the index card into it's own 4x6 photo sleeve.  I like to use the kind already hole punched for the smaller binder.  I found these in the "binder section" at Staples.  This way you can use the photo sleeve to carry Key To The World Cards, Photopass cards, FastPasses, etc.  You can add more photo sleeves for actual photos after the trip!

These I.D. holder reels are perfect for attaching to the holes of the photo sleeves and then clipping to the inside of whatever bag you are taking into the parks. I picked these up at Staples.  Before the trip, I leave the I.D. holder clipped to one of the binder rings along with a Disney themed Kooky pen.

The days itinerary clipped to the inside of a bag

The back of the index card

At the end of the day, I use the back of the card to jot down a few things I especially don't want to forget.  This helps when you try to make a scrapbook after you are back home.

Add extra photo sleeves after your trip to display your memories

The notebook is handy when you are vacationing, and a start to memory recording after you are back home!

XO, Ami

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