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Disney Florida Planning - help!

20 replies

Burntsausages · 03/01/2025 11:54

We’ve booked flights and The Boardwalk Inn accommodation and that’s it. 2 adults, 3 kids. I’ve had a browse of the Disney website, read forums about what to book and when, lighting lanes, virtual queues, dinner reservations etc but tbh I’m finding the whole thing overwhelming. I just want to turn up and enjoy myself with the kids! But apparently you HAVE TO PLAN or the whole experience will be a disaster and you’ll be queuing for hours and not be able to find anywhere to eat.

Please help, what do I need to do next? Anyone with a checklist of things I should book/sort out before we go this summer? I’m even finding the Disney experience app where you can manage everyone in your group overwhelming, I’m a bit of a tech dinosaur. TIA!

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Linens · 03/01/2025 12:00

It is a bit overwhelming to read about but once you start doing it it’s fine.
I personally found Tom Brickers guides on how to do things very useful and also the restaurant reviews etc.
The other thing to do is get on The Dibb forum and read some trip reports. You can see how others structure their days and what you might fancy doing.

AnnoyedByAlfieBear · 03/01/2025 12:26

Are you on Facebook? The It’s Orlando Time page is very helpful if you have questions. I also agree with the Dibb.

Pammela2 · 03/01/2025 13:16

YouTube videos and Facebook pages- there’s one that’s specifically for Brits if you search- will be your friend!
I actually think it will be far more relaxing when you’re there is you have planned ahead. If you don’t then I think you’ll end up overwhelmed and won’t know about the rides etc.

It is a brilliant holiday though! I learned to love the planning too!

Burntsausages · 03/01/2025 13:24

Thanks all, I’ve found the FB pages and have started scrolling! Apparently I can make dinner reservations up
to 3 months in advance, or something like that so we can book to have dinner in each of the parks we visit. Lightening Lane passes sound like a good idea, if a little pricey but worth it to avoid queues, especially in the hot weather.

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KnickerlessFlannel · 03/01/2025 13:25

We went last summer and I do think you need to plan some things or you're likely to miss out. However I reckon you can have an enjoyable experience if you plan anywhere from 33% of your time upwards.

What i would suggest is to make a list of the days that you are there and split out which parks you want to do each day. Yes, you can park hop but the travel.between parks is a bit of a waste of time imo.

Then get on to whatever socials or research and find out what upu want to do as a priority. I found tik tok the best for this, looking at different restaurants etc. Then when you have a list of restaurants/experience ces etc, you can work out what you need to book and what bits you can just turn up to. If you/kidw want to see certain characters then I would definitely recommend some character dining as it's a good use of time.

Happy to answer anything specific - disney planning could be my mastermind subject!!

Burntsausages · 03/01/2025 13:43

KnickerlessFlannel · 03/01/2025 13:25

We went last summer and I do think you need to plan some things or you're likely to miss out. However I reckon you can have an enjoyable experience if you plan anywhere from 33% of your time upwards.

What i would suggest is to make a list of the days that you are there and split out which parks you want to do each day. Yes, you can park hop but the travel.between parks is a bit of a waste of time imo.

Then get on to whatever socials or research and find out what upu want to do as a priority. I found tik tok the best for this, looking at different restaurants etc. Then when you have a list of restaurants/experience ces etc, you can work out what you need to book and what bits you can just turn up to. If you/kidw want to see certain characters then I would definitely recommend some character dining as it's a good use of time.

Happy to answer anything specific - disney planning could be my mastermind subject!!

Thank you! We plan to spend a full day in each park so MK, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and a day at the waterpark. I’ll do you suggest and look at exactly what we want to see/do in each park. Perhaps weirdly for a Disney holiday none of the kids are that interested in character dining, it’s all about the rides and general experience for them.

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BreakfastClubBlues · 03/01/2025 13:46

You can still have fun if you don't plan! It's more just working out what you want to do, so you don't miss out, but if you're not bothered then not planning is fine.

We love the planning aspect, it's part of the fun! I recommend watching YouTube videos and taking it from there.

BreakfastClubBlues · 03/01/2025 13:48

I didn't mean 'not bothered' about missing out, sorry.
I meant if there was nothing in particular you want to do and happy to just go with the flow!

Burntsausages · 03/01/2025 13:50

BreakfastClubBlues · 03/01/2025 13:48

I didn't mean 'not bothered' about missing out, sorry.
I meant if there was nothing in particular you want to do and happy to just go with the flow!

Thats ok, I know what you mean. All our holidays are very much go with the flow in Europe, this is the “big one” for the kids (13 &11) so I need to do a bit of planning/booking so they don’t miss out. They’ll never forgive me if we don’t get on the Star Wars rides!

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eurochick · 03/01/2025 13:55

We didn't do loads of planning and had a great time. We woke up each morning and decided which park to go to and just went with the flow. If you want to do the character meals at the parks you need to pre book those but we were not interested.

Linens · 03/01/2025 15:28

If you’ve only got 1 day in each park definitely check out Tom Bricker 1 day itinerary for each park with lightening lanes.
Food in the parks can be hit or miss! You may want to eat dinner elsewhere. Spending late nights in the parks is a good way to mop up rides. We might have a day in the park, hop out to Disney Springs for dinner then hop back to a different park for fireworks and a couple of extra rides! Epcot has great food though and you can easily walk there from
Boardwalk.

Burntsausages · 03/01/2025 16:27

Linens · 03/01/2025 15:28

If you’ve only got 1 day in each park definitely check out Tom Bricker 1 day itinerary for each park with lightening lanes.
Food in the parks can be hit or miss! You may want to eat dinner elsewhere. Spending late nights in the parks is a good way to mop up rides. We might have a day in the park, hop out to Disney Springs for dinner then hop back to a different park for fireworks and a couple of extra rides! Epcot has great food though and you can easily walk there from
Boardwalk.

Thanks for this, I’d been thinking we’ll likely do evenings back in the parks after a break from the heat of the day. Did you have to book restaurants at Disney Springs?

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HermioneWeasley · 03/01/2025 17:14

Check out the Disney food blog on YouTube - it’s possible to eat really well in WDW if you know some of the options. Also the snacks are amazing!

ThewonderfulworldofDisney · 03/01/2025 17:20

First of all, don't panic! You'll have an amazing time.

I would definitely work on the assumption you'll want to take a break in the middle of the day and leave time to head back to the hotel for a nap or a swim. We usually pick up some simple breakfast and lunch things on our way from the airport (bagels, cream cheese, crisps, fruit etc) or get it delivered to the hotel before we arrive. We keep these in our room fridge so we can collapse in the shade without having to run round and deal with breakfast / lunch crowds etc. Sometimes on our Animal Kingdom days we head to the Animal Kingdom Lodge instead of back to our hotel as it's closer, the main lobby is stunning, and you can hang out and watch the animals for a bit.

Secondly, I wouldn't get too stuck on booking lightning lanes. The only park I would say it's really important to book for is your magic kingdom day. For the others, provided you're happy to get up in plenty of time for early opening (as hotel guests you will have access to this), you'll likely have the biggest rides knocked out during this so it's a bit of an unnecessary expense. You should arrive AT LEAST half an hour before the official start of Early Theme Park Entry - Hollywood Studios for example often actually lets park guests in at this point. We usually aim for an hour - 45 minutes, and bring breakfast and a book with us so we're at the very front or near the front of the turnstile lines to get in.

It might also be worth purchasing for the day you go to the waterpark, as you can then pre-stack rides for whichever park you go to in the evening.

I think only three rides now use virtual lines: Tiana's Bayou, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Tron. Worth setting an alarm just before the lines open and have each member of your party on a different phone trying to get a slot. I don't think we've ever had one of us not get it. Guardians is by far the best of the three - I honestly wouldn't be that fussed about Tiana. Tron is fun but literally only lasts a minute (and makes my back hurt).

Restaurant bookings - great if you can get them. If not it's worth checking a few times a couple of days / the day before / the day that you want to go as a lot of people will release slots at that point. Would 100% recommend Homecomin' as the no.1 Disney Springs pick. We've never got a reservation, but just pitched up, asked to be added to the standby line, and window shopped while we waited. You don't need reservations for quick service restaurants, and you can also do mobile orders through the Disney app (though look to order about a half hour before you want to eat).

There are lots of lovely things to do outside the parks as well so if you're feeling overwhelmed while you're there or want a break from things you need to book you can always do one of them. One of our favourite things is to watch the Electrical Water Pageant and then the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the beach at the Polynesian - you'll likely want to see the projections on the castle the first time but this is great for repeat (and much, much more relaxed) viewings.

If you're really feeling overwhelmed then sites like Touring Plans will create a suggested itinerary for you (and their crowd calendar is useful for choosing which day to do which park). Others have already recommended the Tom Bricker plans though and these are also pretty good (and free) if you're happy to do a bit more research yourself. And the Dibb forums are a great resource!

Linens · 03/01/2025 17:29

Burntsausages · 03/01/2025 16:27

Thanks for this, I’d been thinking we’ll likely do evenings back in the parks after a break from the heat of the day. Did you have to book restaurants at Disney Springs?

We booked everything but I’m just not a go with the flow type person so preferred knowing we had a table somewhere. There are lots of QS places you don’t have to book at though! I recommend Blaze Pizza, Polite Pig and Wine Bar George. But there are loads of review sites! Homecomin I am sure was lovely but we were all recovering from a bug and couldn’t enjoy it! The new Indian place has got really excellent review too. You could also eat around Boardwalk or Epcot.

Burntsausages · 03/01/2025 18:02

@ThewonderfulworldofDisney wow this is so helpful, I feel a little less panicked now 🤣. But only a little! I think we can find a happy middle ground of some bookings and a bit of go with the flow. When you say get to the parks early, an hour early, how early do you mean?!?

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Burntsausages · 03/01/2025 18:11

Linens · 03/01/2025 17:29

We booked everything but I’m just not a go with the flow type person so preferred knowing we had a table somewhere. There are lots of QS places you don’t have to book at though! I recommend Blaze Pizza, Polite Pig and Wine Bar George. But there are loads of review sites! Homecomin I am sure was lovely but we were all recovering from a bug and couldn’t enjoy it! The new Indian place has got really excellent review too. You could also eat around Boardwalk or Epcot.

Thanks for the recommendations 👍

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Livelaughlurgy · 03/01/2025 18:18

Some Disney Hotels give you access to the parks earlier so check that out. The apps are amazing now, so you can see the menus of all the fast food places on the parks and order on your way. Which is great because some do tenders, some do burgers and some do pizza. So you see what you're in the mood for and order from the app at that restaurant and pick it up. I wouldn't bother with nicer restaurants on park days. I also found the faff of getting too and from the parks a pain so we are all dayers.

ThewonderfulworldofDisney · 03/01/2025 18:34

Burntsausages · 03/01/2025 18:02

@ThewonderfulworldofDisney wow this is so helpful, I feel a little less panicked now 🤣. But only a little! I think we can find a happy middle ground of some bookings and a bit of go with the flow. When you say get to the parks early, an hour early, how early do you mean?!?

Depends on what the park hours are when you're going.

For example, this week Hollywood Studios has official early entry for on site hotel guests at 8am, then opens to everyone at 8.30am. In practice though they tend to actually open to hotel guests around 45 minutes - 30 minutes before the official early entry time (so I would guess tomorrow this would be 7.15 - 7.30). It's not guaranteed but honestly if I only had one day to do the park I would aim to be there for 7am - 7.15am. It is early but you'll spend so much less time in lines later (and it's not so hot!).

If you search: Early Entry at Hollywood Studios: Excellent Individual Lightning Lane Alternative

Then the blog article gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect. They have other ones for the other parks which are worth looking at (Animal Kingdom for example only tends to open at the posted time, or ten mins or so early in my experience - though we do usually go in spring which is less busy so your mileage may vary).

Remember Disney will likely change park hours at least once between now and the summer as well so worth double checking the final opening times a few days before you go.

ThewonderfulworldofDisney · 03/01/2025 18:41

I should say most people don't do this though and have a brilliant time too! You can always buy the lighting lane passes and lines will go down in the evenings as well :) Have a wonderful trip.

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