How to do minimal planning for a Walt Disney World holiday

After speaking to many families about travelling to Walt Disney World, I understand some are concerned about the planning involved in getting the most out of these holidays. I absolutely love planning holidays, so it suits me perfectly, but here are some suggestions for families who want to go without spending as much time planning meals and rides:

1. Eat at quick-service locations
Although Disney dining reservations can be made 180 days before your arrival date and we book practically all our meals this early, it is perfectly possible to holiday without any reservation. In Animal Kingdom, we enjoyed a relaxing and unplanned lunch in Nomad Lounge last year, and this beautifully-themed lounge is somewhere I would have wanted to return to in order to escape the crowds and enjoy the delicious small plates. There are also plenty of quick-service locations for food like in any standard theme park, so you can easily avoid booking restaurants if table-service meals are not for you. Disney also offers mobile ordering at many quick-service locations, so you may even be able to order your food on your phone when you decide to eat and then go and collect the order when you’re notified it is time to pick it up.

2. Book a 1-day, 1-park ticket with pre-selected FastPasses
If you don’t want to look into booking FastPasses, Walt Disney World offers single day tickets with pre-selected FastPasses. I think this could be a good idea, particularly for Magic Kingdom where there were some decent choices, if you only want to get a feel for the parks and find it difficult to read up on rides and book in advance. However, the pre-selected tickets do not include the difficult-to-get FastPass reservations like Seven Dwarf Mine Train in Magic Kingdom, Frozen Ever After in Epcot, or Flight of Passage in Animal Kingdom.

3. Book a VIP tour or private VIP guide
If you’re happy to pay more for your Disney magic and you’re mainly there for the rides and attractions, a VIP tour or private VIP guide might be the best option. For a private VIP guide, prices vary between $425 and $625 per hour (excluding park admission) depending on the season, and there’s a minimum duration of seven continuous hours. The private guides can be booked up to 180 days in advance, and there can be up to 10 guests in the party. There are also a range of VIP tours that can be booked.

Tags: Disney, Family attractions, Family travel, Orlando, VIP, Walt Disney World