The One Question You Need to Ask Before Planning a Disney Vacation

Hello and welcome to the blog here at Unlocked Magic! If you’re dreaming of a Walt Disney World vacation, you’ve come to the right place. My name is Deni, and I, along with my family, moved from Maryland to Central Florida in 2013. Our sole mission was to live as close as possible to Walt Disney World, and I’m happy to say that we’ve loved living here ever since. 

My mission here at Unlocked Magic will be to help demystify the journey of planning a Disney World vacation while also helping you roll into your vacation as informed and aware and possible. There’s nothing worse than spending all the time, money, and effort to get to the Magic to find out once you’re here that something you really wanted to experience isn’t available. Been there, done that. Pull up a chair, friends. Let’s start at the very beginning with one of my biggest pieces of advice.

Let me say something that might be hard for you to hear, but will ultimately help you frame your Disney World vacation plans a bit more realistically. Said in a whispered tone as I lean across this imaginary kitchen table toward you: You won’t be able to do it all. Deep, cleansing breath. Read that again.

I know, I know. That’s not very magical of me to say, but it’s true. I remember the moment years ago that this occurred to me. I was in the last moments of a week-long Disney World vacation with three generations of my family only to realize – in the middle of EPCOT’s France pavilion – that I hadn’t done it all. I’m a pretty easy-going kind of person, but when it dawned on me that I would be flying home with rides I hadn’t enjoyed and snacks I hadn’t savored, it felt awful. I don’t want that for you. 

My biggest piece of advice for you as you begin even contemplating planning a Walt Disney World vacation is to look into the loving eyes of the cherished people who’ll be accompanying you on said vacation and ask them for the top three things that they feel they absolutely must do/eat/experience while in the Magic. I’m not saying that you’ll be guaranteeing that their must-dos will be accomplished; you are simply gathering intel. And, dear reader, that is half the battle. Once equipped with this information, coupled with the knowledge that “doing it all” is impossible, planning that trip of a lifetime becomes several steps easier. Trust me. 

Walt Disney World consists of four theme parks, two water parks (with funky operating seasons), a huge shopping and entertainment complex, and over twenty resorts with snacks, theming, and shop-ortunities of their very own; vacationing here isn’t for the faint of heart. This is where this blog comes in. Over the weeks, you’ll get advice from me and we’ll work through planning your vacation together. Before you know it, you’ll be snapping selfies in front of Cinderella Castle with the best of ‘em.

For now, you have just one mission: find out the top three things that your traveling companions believe to be their must-dos. Once you have those things in mind, you can reverse engineer your trip from there. And please be sure not to leave your top three must-dos off the list; you’re the trip-planner, after all. You deserve a medal, a Mickey bar on Main Street, and Soarin’ Section B, Row 1 (even though the Imagineers have now fixed that whole the Eiffel Tower is bent thing…ahem). 

In the articles to come, we’ll cover the Disney World resorts, the decadent snacks not to miss while in the parks, the current in-park construction that threatens to throw a monkey wrench in your plans, and the attractions are truly worth that rope-drop early morning wake up call. For now, you’ve got your work cut out for you.

I’m excited that we have such a fun-filled adventure ahead of us! Let’s get to planning your Walt Disney World vacation!💪