Your Guide To Making a Disney World Vacation Memorable — & Magical
After an exhilarating day of riding on a safari through a lush savanna, spotting gorillas on a leafy hike and helping to uncover dinosaur bones, our family of five traveled to Paris for dinner.
It was the end of the final day of our family’s first trip to Walt Disney World in Florida, and we’d spent an epic day at Animal Kingdom before heading to EPCOT. After a quick zip between Disney parks via shuttle bus, our family was seated at the World Showcase’s France Pavilion at a beautiful Parisian brasserie.
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As we savored a delicious spread of cheese, charcuterie and baguettes, we reflected on our adventures at the four Disney theme parks (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom). My kids (ages 4, 4, and 7) unanimously agreed: this was the best vacation ever. Here’s what we learned on our trip, and everything you need to know to make a family vacation to Walt Disney World magical.
Plan for One Full Day Per Walt Disney World Park
When tackling Disney’s theme parks with young kids, remember that there are miles of ground to cover. Decide which parks you want to visit and then set aside at least one day for each of them.
At the Magic Kingdom, some of our favorites were the vintage classic attractions “it’s a small world,” Prince Charming Regal Carousel (formerly Cinderella’s Golden Carousel), Peter Pan’s Flight and the Enchanted Tiki Room. At EPCOT, we enjoyed a thrilling boat ride through Frozen’s Arendelle on Frozen Ever After (which replaced the prior Maelstrom ride) and the gentle water journey Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros.
At Animal Kingdom, my kids loved spotting graceful giraffes and cheetahs on Kilimanjaro Safaris, and adored the spectacular stage shows Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo: The Big Blue…And Beyond! At Hollywood Studios, some of my favorite memories are of exploring the Planet Batuu at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and catching the stage show Disney’s Beauty and the Beast – Live On Stage.
Go Park Hopping at Walt Disney World
While allowing enough time to see each park on your list is essential, the ability to “park hop” with young kids is also a sanity-saving upgrade that I was grateful for.
We only spent one day at EPCOT, but our Park Hopper tickets allowed us to return to dine “around the world” during the other evenings of our trip. We dined at Norway’s Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (with princesses!), danced to German Polka music at Germany’s Biergarten Restaurant and enjoyed table service near the Eiffel Tower at France’s Chefs de France.
Since days with little ones can be unpredictable, the Park Hopper option (which allows guests with park tickets with Park Hopper benefits or annual passes to visit more than one park in a day) also allowed us to make promises such as “We can ride Spaceship Earth tomorrow,” and mean it.
Must-Do: Character Dining at Walt Disney World
Since this was our first Walt Disney World trip with children in tow, it was my first experience with character dining. I highly recommend it, especially because many of the character dining restaurants also have excellent cuisine.
At Hollywood Studios, we ate a delectable lunch at the classic diner Hollywood & Vine, where a rotating parade of Disney characters entertained our kids. Minnie and Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Pluto and Donald all stopped by in festive springtime outfits to take photos and banter with my children.
At Animal Kingdom, we dined on flavorful African-inspired fare at Tusker House, where classic characters (this time in safari-themed outfits) stopped by our table frequently. The staff and characters even sang a joyful song and danced down the aisles. My kids loved it.
For fans of Winnie the Pooh, The Crystal Palace on Main Street, U.S.A., is the spot for character dining with all of the friends from Hundred-Acre Wood. Just make sure to make dining reservations ahead of time, since the restaurants offering character meals can get busy.
Give Kids Space to Play at Walt Disney World
As tempting as it can be to go on rides all day, I realized quickly that young children need time to just be kids.
At Animal Kingdom, my kiddos gravitated to The Boneyard, an expansive open-air play space where they scaled rope ladders and bridges, climbed through caves, slid down slides and laughed and played with other children. There is ample seating for parents, too, offering a much-needed place to relax while the kids play.
At EPCOT, we loved playing in water on the self-guided outdoor trail Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana, and at the Magic Kingdom, my children adored climbing through the treetops at the spectacular Swiss Family Treehouse.
These interactive spots for playtime can be found at all of the parks, and they’re especially restorative for little ones.
Rent a Disney Stroller (or Two!)
Walt Disney World’s four theme parks are bigger than they seem — and even if your kids haven’t used strollers in years (like ours), you’ll want them. While we somehow made it through a full day at the Magic Kingdom without them, we ended up renting two strollers the following day at Hollywood Studios (a double stroller for our 4-year-olds and another for our 7-year-old). The strollers proved invaluable when the kids needed a break.
The stroller rental process is easy and seamless. We were able to prepay for the number of days we needed them and simply picked them up on our way into each park (the rentals transfer, so no need to lug strollers between parks). While we didn’t always use them (it’s easy enough to leave strollers parked when not in use), it was nice to know that option was there when the kiddos needed them.
This guide to renting strollers at Disney has essential info for families on this topic, including how to make yours stand out in a crowded buggy parking lot.
Take Breaks at Walt Disney World
For younger kids who need quiet time, Disney’s Baby Care Centers are a wonderful option for little ones needing a break. These centers are located in each of the parks, and provide a quiet place to avoid meltdowns, have a snack or reapply sunscreen.
Geared mostly for babies and nursing moms, they’re also a great option for toddlers that need a break, with restroom facilities, a main room with a television, changing room and a private nursing room with rocking chairs. There is also an on-site shop with snacks, sunscreen, over-the-counter medication and clothing available for purchase.
While we didn’t utilize the Baby Care Centers on our trip, we made sure to take numerous breaks throughout the parks to rest and recharge.
Skip the Lines
If you’re planning to do rides with young kids at the theme parks, Lightning Lane Passes are a lifesaver. Lightning Lane entry allows you to bypass long lines and join separate (much shorter) lines for certain experiences. Lightning Lane Passes are available in both Multi Pass and Single Pass options. A Lightning Lane Premier Pass option will also be available starting in October 2024.
However you buy them, Lightning Lane access allows users to skip waiting in long lines — something that made our Disney experience much better. This also helps immensely when separating for rides; at Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios, my daughter and husband went on the Slinky Dog Dash rollercoaster while her younger siblings and I grabbed a snack. They were back in a flash because they’d used Lightning Lanes to skip to the shorter line.
While Disney offers Rider Switch — the chance for adults to go on a ride one at a time while the other waits with young children, without having to wait in line again — we didn’t mind skipping the higher-level rides. One day when all the kids have surpassed the height requirement, we’ll return to try the thrill rides.
Get Fabulous Walt Disney World Photos
If you want great family photos of your Disney vacation, Disney PhotoPass is a worthwhile add-on.
The service allows you to have professional photos taken at locations throughout Disney’s theme parks, and the Memory Maker option allows you to pay one price for all of them. Disney’s MagicBand+ made this especially easy, allowing each photographer to simply scan my band to have the photos instantly appear in the My Disney Experience app on my phone.
One thing our family particularly loved was “magic photos,” which allow photographers to magically make something appear in a photo that wasn’t actually there. We have a photo of our 4-year-old daughter holding Beauty and the Beast’s Lumière on her palm, as well as a photo of the kids with Peter Pan’s Tinkerbell. These are photos we’ll treasure forever.
Stay On-Property at a Walt Disney World Resort
This trip marked our first time staying at a Disney Resort Hotel, and the experience was phenomenal.
We stayed in a Cars Family Suite at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. With exceptional service (including online check in), three swimming pools, a Finding Nemo-themed playground and kid-friendly hotel rooms, the resort had everything we needed and more.
The resort offers a wide selection of both standard and family suites, each meticulously themed to Disney’s The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo or Pixar’s Cars. Our suite came complete with a murphy bed, sofa bed, kitchenette, living room, two full bathrooms and master bedroom.
The dining options at the resort’s Landscape of Flavors food hall were great, too, offering quick service and extended hours (perfect when we came home hungry late one night after staying up to watch the Fantasmic! Fireworks show at Hollywood Studios).
Ride Walt Disney World’s Skyliner and Monorail
The best part about staying at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort was its amazingly easy transportation options to the four theme parks. We didn’t drive at all while staying at the resort (nor will you need to if you stay at any of the on-property Disney resorts).
Our favorite form of transportation was the Disney Skyliner, a gondola system that offers views from private gondolas while soaring through the air to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. Water taxis and ferries are also an option to get to Disney Springs and from deluxe resorts such as Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
We used the frequent Disney buses to get to the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom (accessible via a bus stop in front of Animation Hall, the main building at the resort), and used Disney’s Monorail system to park hop between the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT.
Walt Disney World Details
All four of Walt Disney World’s parks (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom) are 30 minutes by car or charter bus from the Orlando International Airport, the Orlando Brightline station and the Orlando Amtrak station. Parking is free for guests of Disney resort hotels (and select annual passholders); all other vehicles will pay a daily parking fee that starts at $30 per day.
If you’re staying onsite at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel, you won’t need a car to get to the parks. Transportation via Skyliner, bus and Monorail is complimentary, with private Minnie Van transportation available via Lyft in a whimsical red and white polka-dotted “Minnie” van (for a nominal fee).
We didn’t drive at all during our trip; we took a Brightline high-speed passenger train from our home in South Florida to the station at the Orlando International Airport, then took the Mears Connect charter bus service to our Disney resort hotel (and then the reverse on the way home). I’d recommend it to anyone.
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