Disney Plans

Is It March Yet?

    I wanted to start off this post by telling you what I use to plan everything.  GOOGLE!  I mainly focus on Google Docs and Forms.  Why Google?  User friendly, although I will admit it’s not as “pretty” as Microsoft…it’s FREE!

    I’ve basically finished my Disney plans…so our hotel, car, non-park days, and of course park days.  Below is a breakdown of everything and a link to my Google Doc for Disney.  As I’ve mentioned we’re not staying on Disney grounds.  Sorry not sorry but I would rather save money for future trips and events.  Even if it’s your first time I don’t see the point in spending $10k on a trip to an amusement park.  I spent LESS than that for TWO big trips in 2022 (8-day cruise which included our drink package & a room with a balcony and a 7-day trip to Yellowstone with car rental, hotel, flight & all the fun stuff). Although there are benefits to staying on site so don't like me discourage you if that's your choice.

HOTEL - We just used hotels.com.  I’m not going to share where we are staying.  I personally pick anything that is 3+ stars.  I don’t need a Disney themed room or hotel; you’re mainly sleeping there.  Past trips we’ve had balconies, kitchens, multiple bedrooms (depending on how many people we go with), and pools.  ALL that for LESS than what you pay for on Disney property.  YES, we have to pay every day to get into the park, but our hotel is so close (5-10 minutes tops) that we are still saving a few THOUSAND dollars.

CAR - We shopped around using AAA.  Personally, a little compact car is all we need.  We are flying down to Disney with just backpacks. CRAZY? No, we’ve done it (although we're not traveling with a baby). These days with all the gadgets and techniques they have to help you pack it’s simple.  We’re visiting my parents when we go to the Keys, and they will be driving down with what we will need for there.

FLIGHTS - Everything has gone up in price and it’s INSANE!  However, we booked the earliest you could and sort of got a good deal.  It killed me because the week before we are traveling the flights were like ½ the price…but what can you do?

Disney Plans!

Below are some sites I used to gather my information.  These are just some of my favorites.

• All Ears - (this is where I got prices for most food & drink.  This site had MOST places & seems to be updated fairly often)

• MK Food Blog - (this like other sites I found by going to google and typing in “Best 50th Anniversary Disney Snacks” which was what I was focusing on at the time. Multiple sites & blogs came up.  I searched through a few, found my 3 favorites, and narrowed down the list.  Personally, it helped when they included pictures. I did each park separately although some sites & blogs bunched them together.)

• Disney Dining - (this is the main Disney site which helped with times since not everything is open all day believe it or not.  It also helped with where I can mobile order.)

• Disney Entertainment - (this was for Disney shows, parades, etc. It breaks everything down into rides, shows, parades, and even height requirements.  I was able to get the show times & location from here.)

• PHOTO SPOTS - I used mainly Pinterest.  I just typed in “Photo Spots in Magic Kingdom” (or whichever park I was focusing on). I also went to “street view” for restaurants and stands to see what they look like.  For example, the Anadapur Ice Cream Truck is BEAUTIFUL in my opinion and definitely want to capture that.

    With so many choices in food & drinks I narrowed our list down by what we like and what I thought sounded best.  I included what I would like, what my daughter would like, and what we both like.

Here is a link to MY personal Disney Plans:

Disney Doc

Note: This is a copy of my Doc since my main Doc included hotel stay and other personal information. Also, some info may be missing since Disney has yet to post times & information.

    To further explain what you are looking at, each park has sections, so I used that to help me organize everything.  Remember that this is MY personal list.  So, if you've gone or plan on going these might not be places or items you like.

• The Camera 📷 - marks where I would like to take a picture if I get a fun snack or drink
• The Blue Font - is anything special for the 50th anniversary, 100th anniversary, or other special events happening in the parks
• The Green Highlight - is what we REALLY want to try

My list will probably need adjusting prior to visiting since late January is the 100th Anniversary of Disney, February the International Garden & Flower Festival starts, and early March Disney might add some St Patrick's Day or Easter stuff (not sure yet).  

Also, just a heads up these days you need a reservation for EVERYTHING, (even rides if you so choose which will cost you).  However, the only reservation we made was to Oga's Cantina in Hollywood Studios.

    Overall, I have every park broken down INCLUDING Disney Springs.  I also added a few extra places for our “down time” ...as mentioned the Mets Preseason game, mini golf, food shopping, etc. I did not include the extra stops in the link.

    So, with my long list explained and out of the way, through my research I came across some apps that could be helpful (will keep you posted after the trip if they were or not).

• Play Disney (games & entertainment while on lines for rides)

• Lines WDW (which you need to sign up for apparently. Haven’t done it yet. Not sure it’s worth it since Disney has its own app that does this.)

• WDW Food&Wine (this tells you latest events going on & what they include, locations, AND PRICES…as of this moment it’s still focusing on Christmas/New Year's so I’m waiting for the previously mentioned events to be added)

• TravelSpend (people use as a guide for spending. I’ll use it to keep track of gift cards. This is my first time using the app, so we’ll see).

    As for a packing list I do that about a week prior to the trip. I do add things to a small pile or bin so I know where it is & won't use or lose it beforehand.   For example, I put in the Loungefly backpacks & ears we got for Christmas, water purifying water bottles, and some Disney outfits we also got for Christmas.

    I’m currently on a deadline for a scrapbook I’m working on from our Yellowstone trip so I’m going to be focusing on that then I will begin plans for the Keys!

 Any questions, suggestions, or comments let me know.

Happy Planning!

Look forward to my next post where I'll focus on how I plan a day I have to drive far to a game or event worth it.