Going to Walt Disney World can be overwhelming, and as magical as it is, things can also go very wrong. But if you’ve ever helped someone plan their trip — or sought the help of friends who’ve been before you — you’ll know just how valuable personal experience can be. 

And that’s why we say friends don’t let friends go to Walt Disney World without this advice:

You’ve got to plan ahead!

Enjoying a vacation at the Most Magical Place on Earth requires a lot of pre-planning.  Going in without any sort of a plan in place could prove to be disastrous. Friends don’t let friends go to Walt Disney World without telling them to plan ahead using the tips below! 

Make FastPass+ Selections

During peak times, and really even non-peak times, FastPass+ are a must.  FastPasses allow you to use a separate, generally much much shorter, line for certain rides.  Not all rides have the FastPass option, but the big ones do.

Check out all of the FastPass+-eligible attractions here!

FastPasses can be booked at any time, but it’s best to book in advance whenever possible so you don’t miss out!  It’s sort of like having a reservation for the ride line. In order to do this, you will need to know when your booking window is. You’re able to book up to three FastPasses per day in advance (and then one at a time each day after you use the first three).  These can be made as early as 30 days before your visit if you’re staying offsite; you can book up to 60 days in advance if you stay at a Walt Disney World Resort. We recommend booking as early as you’re able because the most popular rides — which can garner waits of an hour or longer — go quickly.  FastPasses open up at 7AM Eastern time and some go very quickly, so planning ahead is key!

Advance Dining Reservations

Much like FastPass+, if you want to make sure you get to eat where you want (and when you want!), making plans ahead of time is crucial. Advance Dining Reservations open 180 days in advance. Some reservations are harder to snag than others. So if you’re wanting to dine inside the castle in Magic Kingdom at Cinderella’s Royal Table or enjoy a filet at Le Cellier in Epcot, you’ll want to be booking either online or over the phone at the 180 day mark. 

Keep in mind that this is a few months before you can book FastPasses, so booking your dining is what really starts to shape your daily plans.

Learn more about making Advance Dining Reservations here!

Daily Plans

This brings us to our next way to plan ahead: have an idea of where you will be each day. It doesn’t have to be broken down by the hour.  But having a rough guide (like Magic Kingdom in the morning for that Peter Pan FastPass, then Animal Kingdom in the afternoon for your lunch reservation at Tusker House) will help keep you on track.  It can be very easy to spend a few days at the parks and realize you never rode a favorite ride or tried that snack you’ve been hearing so much about.

Having a rough outline in advance can help make sure that you hit all the things that are important to you and also that you aren’t spending all your time at the same park(s).  It can also keep you from bouncing around too much. Park Hopping is great (learn more about it here), but you likely don’t want to spend your entire vacation on a bus going to/from parks each day. Having an outline of each day can be very helpful here.

Check out the AllEars calendar of events when you start planning your visit.

Be flexible!

Now that we’ve told you how very important it is to have plans in advance, it’s time to talk about the importance of flexibility. Even the best laid plans can go awry. This is why it’s important to not plan too much but to have a general plan and be ready to change things on the fly (like when someone needs a nap you didn’t plan for or you find an on-the-fly FastPass for Flight of Passage that requires you to hop over to Animal Kingdom).  

Know Your Weather

It’s Orlando, where you’re likely to see at least a little rain almost every day (and particularly in the summer).  This isn’t the end of the world. But certain rides will have to stop running until it clears up.  And if it’s raining hard enough, you might prefer to sit it out inside of a shop or restaurant while you reconfigure your plans.

You can get some tips on dealing with Walt Disney World weather here.

Rides Break Down

Unfortunately, even at The Most Magical Place on Earth, rides can break down or stop running temporarily. Sometimes this is just a short time and doesn’t affect plans. But if a ride stops running for a longer stretch of time, you’ll want to be able to rearrange plans without it being too painful. Have an idea of what else is around you, so you can hop over to another attraction while you wait for it to be back up and running.

And use your My Disney Experience app to keep track of what’s open and how long the waits are.

In-park rides aren’t the only things that can break down.  Disney transportation can sometimes foil even the best made plans. Buses hit traffic, monorails stop, Skyliners get stuck. So it’s important to plan and build in extra travel time. But we also suggest having a back-up plan in case this does happen to you.  Maybe try and get to a park early for a FastPass with the intention of riding something with a shorter line first. If you miss out on Figment because the Skyliner got stuck, you will likely still have a short line there later, but at least being late didn’t cost you your FastPass for Soarin’.  

Check out your transportation options here!

People Wear Out

While being able to book dining and FastPasses in advance are nice perks, it’s also really hard to gauge months in advance how you will be feeling on a certain day.  It’s even harder to know how other people (ahem, kids!) will be feeling a few months from now. Disney World can be very overwhelming and requires a lot of walking. It’s hot, the miles are long, days tend to start early and run late.  This is all normal and totally okay, but we recommend making sure you are getting the rest you need as well.

Planning a vacation can be so much fun. But we wouldn’t suggest overscheduling yourself. Leave windows of time where you can sit inside somewhere and rest your feet.  If you need it, make sure you have time to go back to your room and nap or freshen up, especially if you plan to take advantage of Extra Magic Hours and stay at Magic Kingdom until 1AM! It’s all so exciting six months before your trip, but in the moment, meltdowns happen, and vacation isn’t always so enjoyable if you’re dog-tired and not taking it all in. Sometimes a little rest is just what the Doctor ordered. 

What advice would you give to friends who are getting ready to visit Disney World? What advice do you wish someone had given you? Let us know in the comments below!