Family FAQ & Quick Guide

Not really.

If you have been to Disneyland, one of our biggest pieces of advice is do not plan Walt Disney World like a bigger Disneyland.

Walt Disney World is much larger, involves more transportation, more walking and more decisions about where you stay, how you get around, which parks you visit and how you pace your days.

There is also much more to enjoy outside the theme parks. Your resort, pool, dining, recreation, Disney Springs and slower days can all become part of the vacation.

There is not one best hotel for every family. The right choice depends on your budget, children’s ages, room needs, transportation preferences, dining plans and how much you want to enjoy the resort itself.

We have personally stayed at Art of Animation, All-Star Sports and Coronado Springs and have visited several other Disney resorts.

When comparing resorts, consider:

• Room size and sleeping arrangements
• Transportation options
• Pool and recreation
• Dining
• Location
• How much time you plan to spend at the resort
• How important convenience is to your family

No.

There are many hotels around Walt Disney World, including participating Good Neighbor and Disney Springs area hotels that may offer a different combination of location, amenities and pricing.

🏨 One option we often look at

Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando – Disney Springs Area

It is located near Disney Springs and offers family friendly amenities including complimentary breakfast, an evening Kickback, scheduled transportation to the four Disney theme parks and Early Theme Park Entry for eligible guests.

Off-site hotels can have different transportation, booking rules and Disney benefits than Disney Resort hotels, so we look at the entire picture before recommending one.

Yes, and this is one of the biggest differences families should prepare for.

Walt Disney World is much larger than Disneyland. You can spend significant time walking through the parks, walking to transportation, waiting for transportation and getting from one destination to another.

That can be especially noticeable with younger children, grandparents or anyone who gets tired after a long day.

If you are traveling with younger children, we recommend seriously considering one.

And this is true even if your child has mostly outgrown the stroller at home.

A full Walt Disney World day can involve significantly more walking than a normal day at home. A stroller can provide a place for tired legs, naps, snacks and belongings.

You can bring your own stroller or look into renting one in the Orlando area. The right choice depends on your child’s age, your itinerary and how much you value having your own stroller with you.

Yes. Independent theme park nanny services are available in the Orlando area, and some can accompany families into Walt Disney World.

Depending on the service, a nanny may be able to help with younger children, stroller support, snacks, breaks, naps, pictures or simply keeping up with children who want to do different things.

Some services also offer care at your resort or hotel.

You have several transportation options, and the best one depends on where you are staying and where you are going.

🚌 Disney Buses

Disney buses connect Disney Resort hotels with the theme parks and other Disney destinations.

🚠 Disney Skyliner

The Skyliner provides gondola transportation between select Disney resorts and destinations, including EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

🚝 Monorail

The monorail connects Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and select resorts.

🚤 Boats

Water transportation is available on select routes between resorts, parks and Disney Springs.

🚐 Minnie Van

Minnie Van service is a paid point to point transportation option within the Walt Disney World area.

It depends on the entire trip, not just Disney World.

If your vacation is primarily Walt Disney World, you may not need a rental car. Airport transportation plus Disney transportation can work well for many families.

A private airport transfer can also be an option if you want someone else handling transportation between the airport and your hotel.

A rental car may make more sense if you are also visiting Universal Orlando Resort, other Orlando attractions, the beach or additional destinations outside the Disney area.

Walt Disney World offers several ticket options. The right one depends on how you want to spend your park days.

🎟️ Base Ticket

Generally allows admission to one Disney theme park per day.

🎢 Park Hopper

Allows you to visit multiple Disney theme parks on the same day.

🌊 Water Park and Sports

Adds visits to select water parks and other eligible sports or recreation experiences.

🎢🌊 Park Hopper Plus

Combines Park Hopper access with additional eligible water park, sports and recreation visits.

Disney ticket names, pricing, included experiences and rules can change, so we always recommend checking the current options before booking.

It depends on how your family likes to eat and how you want to handle your vacation food budget.

Disney Dining Plans can be added to eligible Walt Disney Travel Company vacation packages and bundle certain meals, snacks and beverages into your vacation.

Disney offers different plan options, and plan details can change from year to year.

Some dining experiences require more than one meal entitlement, and gratuities are generally not included.

We prefer to look at what your family is realistically likely to eat rather than automatically adding a dining plan because it sounds convenient.

We have eaten at many Walt Disney World restaurants, and these are some of the experiences we especially enjoyed.

🌺 ‘Ohana

Located at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.

Visit ‘Ohana

🥂 Citricos

Located at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.

Visit Citricos

🐭 Chef Mickey’s

Located at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

Visit Chef Mickey’s

👑 Cinderella’s Royal Table

Located inside Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom.

Visit Cinderella’s Royal Table

❄️ Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White

Located at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.

Visit Story Book Dining at Artist Point

Walt Disney World dining reservations can generally be made 60 days in advance.

Popular restaurants, character dining and special dining experiences can fill quickly, particularly during busy travel periods.

If a particular restaurant is important to your family, we recommend planning for that reservation window rather than assuming you can find a table at the last minute.

Want more than a few family photos in front of the castle? Walt Disney World offers several ways to capture your vacation, and they are not the same thing.

📷 Memory Maker

Memory Maker is the photo download package. Disney PhotoPass photographers are available throughout Walt Disney World, including locations in all four theme parks, select character experiences, select attractions and other locations. You can also get Magic Shots and other Disney PhotoPass photos.

Think of Memory Maker as a way to capture your vacation as you experience it. You stop for photos when you see a PhotoPass photographer, and Memory Maker gives you access to the applicable photos from your vacation.

Learn more about Memory Maker

📸 Capture Your Moment

Capture Your Moment is a dedicated photo session inside one of the four theme parks. These sessions are designed for families, celebrations, first visits, birthdays, anniversaries, proposals and other special moments.

Sessions are currently 20 minutes and are available at all four theme parks, with locations varying by park and experience. The session itself is booked separately, and photo downloads are not automatically included.

If you have Memory Maker, Memory Maker One Day or an eligible Annual Pass with Disney PhotoPass downloads, you can download the photos from your Capture Your Moment session along with your other eligible PhotoPass photos.

Explore Capture Your Moment

✨ Signature Portrait Sessions

Signature Portrait Sessions are the more personalized resort photography experience. These are private 40-minute sessions with Disney PhotoPass photographers at select Disney Resort hotels.

Unlike Capture Your Moment, these sessions take place at select resorts rather than inside the theme parks. Disney currently lists locations including Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, with availability subject to change.

Signature Portrait Sessions currently include photo downloads and photo retouching, making them a different experience from simply purchasing Memory Maker or booking a Capture Your Moment session.

Learn more about Signature Portrait Sessions

Maybe.

Lightning Lane options can help reduce standby time for certain attractions, but they are not automatically necessary for every family or every park day.

Consider:

• How many park days you have
• When you are traveling
• Which attractions are priorities
• How much waiting your family is comfortable with
• Your budget

For the right family, a Disney Private VIP Tour can be an incredible experience.

It may be worth considering if you:

• Have limited time
• Want a highly personalized experience
• Prefer having someone else handle more of the logistics
• Are celebrating something special
• Have a larger budget
• Want to maximize your park experience

It is a premium experience and a significant additional investment, so it is not right for every family.

Walt Disney World offers seasonal and after-hours events that can add something completely different to your vacation.

🎃 Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

This special Halloween event takes place at Magic Kingdom on select nights during the Halloween season.

🎄 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

This separately ticketed holiday event takes place at Magic Kingdom on select nights during the Christmas season.

✨ Disney Jollywood Nights

This holiday themed event takes place at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on select nights during the holiday season.

Event dates, entertainment, offerings and pricing can change from year to year.

Absolutely.

Many families choose to combine Walt Disney World with Universal Orlando Resort, including Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure.

The important thing is to look at the entire vacation before simply adding more park days.

Consider:

• How many Disney park days you want
• How many Universal park days you want
• Hotel changes
• Transportation
• Rest days
• Your children’s ages and interests
• How much time you actually have

Yes.

Walt Disney World can be combined with a cruise before or after your park stay, including cruises departing from Port Canaveral.

Depending on your vacation, we can also look at adding a beach stay, other Orlando attractions or additional destinations.

The key is making the entire trip work together.

• Hotel nights
• Airport transportation
• Luggage
• Transportation to Port Canaveral
• Park days
• Rest days
• Cruise timing

We recommend considering travel protection whenever you have a significant amount of prepaid, nonrefundable travel investment.

Depending on the policy, travel protection may provide benefits for covered trip cancellation or interruption, emergency medical expenses, baggage issues and other covered situations.

Coverage varies by policy, so we help you look at what is actually included rather than assuming every plan provides the same benefits.

You do not have to spend every day in a theme park simply because you are in Orlando.

In fact, on longer family trips, we often recommend building in at least one day with no theme park scheduled.

Sleep in. Swim. Have a character breakfast. Explore your resort. Visit Disney Springs. Enjoy a leisurely dinner. Let the kids play.

You paid for the entire vacation, not just the theme park tickets. Your resort and everything around Walt Disney World can be part of the experience too.

Definitely check before you book.

Eligible United States military members may have access to special ticket offers and military lodging options.

Travis is a Navy veteran, and we have experience looking at military travel resources.

Shades of Green is a military resort located on Walt Disney World property, and eligibility requirements apply.

If you qualify, let us know before you book so we can help you look at the available options.

Walt Disney World can absolutely be expensive.

The best thing you can do is understand the total cost before you book.

Think about:

• Hotel
• Tickets
• Transportation
• Airport transfers or rental car
• Parking when applicable
• Food
• Lightning Lane
• Memory Maker
• Special events
• Special experiences
• Souvenirs

Sometimes spending more on the hotel can make the trip easier. Sometimes spending less on the hotel gives you more money for experiences.

You can plan Walt Disney World last minute, but waiting can mean fewer hotel choices, less desirable dates and limited availability for popular dining and experiences.

Starting earlier gives you more opportunity to compare resorts, tickets, dining, transportation and the overall pace of the trip.

We also prefer planning early enough that your vacation does not become a giant checklist of reservations and deadlines.

Do not ask:

Ask:

A family traveling with a toddler may need something completely different from a family with teenagers.

A multigenerational family may need more rest and transportation planning than a family with older kids.

A family celebrating a birthday may prioritize completely different experiences than a family trying to maximize attractions.

Your Walt Disney World vacation should be planned around your family, your priorities and your budget.