Planning the perfect Disney vacation can be overwhelming, and trips with kids can be unpredictable. It is possible to have a stress-free Disney vacation! We’ll show you how to do less and enjoy more at Disney.
We’re sharing our favorite way to do Disney in small doses with our typical itinerary. We also have tips to take the overwhelming need to fit it all in out, save some money, and plan your best stress-free Disney vacation!
This is a sponsored post in partnership with UrbanFarmhouseTampa. We also participate in affiliate programs, including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. If you don’t have Prime, you can try it 30 days for free here!
Not everyone can afford to go all out on a Disney vacation.
Sure, those packages with park hopper tickets and dining plans may save you money if you’re planning to really pack it all in… but do you really need to plan constant activities and meals?
Not in our case.
We’ve found that we get so much enjoyment out of just being on Disney property.
We’ve also found that we enjoy ourselves more if we take it easy. We plan breaks during the day, spend time enjoying the resort, and find plenty of things to do that aren’t the parks.
Also be sure to read our 7 overlooked items you’ll want to pack for your Disney vacation!
Is a Stress-Free Disney Vacation Possible?
It’s perfectly fine to plan a Disney vacation that doesn’t involve 4-day park hopper, activities at every turn, and wondering how to use your dining credits.
You will save money and your sanity sticking to something simpler… we do anyway!
We’ve all been there when we’ve planned a trip or an activity for the family and everything falls completely apart.
Usually, this is when we’ve over-planned, scheduled too much, and didn’t account for flexibility.
Right in the middle of everything, kiddos get hungry… the little ones are tired and cranky… someone gets hurt… or you all just have different ideas and get on each other’s nerves…
This is why we’ve found the best vacations for our family involve planning less and enjoying more.
How to Plan a Stress-Free Disney Vacation
We have taken the kiddos to Walt Disney World since our Little Guy was 1 year and our Little Lady was only 1 month.
We learned during the second year, as we were rushing through our Chef Mickey’s Character Dinner with a baby who had soaked through her diaper, that planning too much was not going to work for us.
Since that year, we have realized that we enjoy our time more when we space things out, don’t try to take on too much, and plan for time to re-group and keep everyone’s energy and spirits up.
These are our best tips for you to have a stress-free Disney vacation…
Decide what is most important to you
While planning your own stress-free Disney vacation, pick one or two things that are an absolute must.
The first year, when the kiddos were babies, we didn’t even visit a park but we did do a character dining experience. The next year, when the kids were toddlers, we decided to do only one park. The next year, we did a different park and visited the Magic Kingdom for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
Leaving something new each time, keeps the excitement high and the stress low.
There are plenty of things to make your Walt Disney World vacation amazing without visiting all the parks!
A stress-free Disney vacation is easier when safety precautions are in place – check out our favorite safety ID bracelets for your trip!
Take Breaks
You don’t have to be on the go every moment. In fact, this is one of the easiest ways to add stress to your vacation.
Trying to fit it all in, especially with young children, typically doesn’t work out for the best. That’s why this is one of our number one tips for visiting Disney with babies or toddlers.
When kids – and parents – are pushed too far everyone can melt down quickly.
When we have a park day, we also plan in breaks. For an idea of what we do, check out our post on how we arrive early and stay late at the Magic Kingdom without going crazy. Hint, we take a plan a break during the busiest time of the day!
Plan your Food
There is nothing worse than hangry kiddos and parents.
When people get hungry the stress of finding something to eat can really bring down your whole day. Especially when you are out and about and have to work to find something that satisfies and doesn’t break the bank.
That’s why, no matter where we go, I always plan snacks.
You can take your own food into the Disney parks and I shared some of our favorite snacks and how we take them around Disney when I shared some overlooked items you should pack for Walt Disney World.
The food at the resorts is good, but we also like to bring some food to keep in our room for easy meals. This gives us something to fall back on and saves a bit of money too.
Take advantage of free Disney World activities
There are so many things you can do in Walt Disney World without going to the parks.
When you pay the steep price to spend the day at a certain park, you’re more likely to feel the need to make the most of your money.
However, when you find some of the places to visit without paying admission, you feel more relaxed to come and go as you please. You eliminate the stress of having to stay long enough to get your moneys worth.
We always plan one day at Disney Springs. There are plenty of things to do in Disney Springs and there is no admission. You can also visit the Boardwalk, which is especially fun at night.
Each resort also has activities planned such as movies, pool activities, campfires, etc.
Resort Hopping
One of our favorite things to do is visit other resorts on the Disney property.
I mentioned the Boardwalk. The hotels along the boardwalk are gorgeous and so fun to see. We also love the resorts along the monorail route. Each of these are especially fun to visit during the holidays, which is when we normal visit Walt Disney World.
Depending on where you decide to visit, some parks have boat rides to other resorts and, of course, the monorail. So, you can add another fun element to the experience.
Dining experiences – character dinners or shows
We typically do our resort hopping when we have dining reservations.
A great way to experience Disney magic and entertainment without spending all day at the parks is to reserve a unique dining experience.
The dining experiences at Walt Disney World are amazing.
They have many character breakfast and dinner options, and a good number of them are at resorts and not inside the parks. There are also some dinner shows that sound spectacular.
Even regular resort restaurants are an incredible experience. We had dinner at O’hana during our last visit and they had activities for the kids and we got to visit the Polynesian resort and take the monorail. A lot of excitement to end a day of relaxing at the pool.
Picking one great dining experience helps add something special to your day while leaving most of your day open for rest, fun, and taking it easy.
Our itinerary for our own stress-free Disney vacation
Check into the hotel.
Checking into the hotel is always an exciting day. Staying on Disney property means you are already immersed in the magic.
Taking it easy after traveling and exploring the hotel is the perfect way to spend the first day.
Our favorite resort is the Art of Animation. That resort puts you right inside your favorite Disney movies. It’s like a theme park just walking around the grounds.
We have stayed in the Finding Nemo Suites and the Cars Suites. We also love to walk through the Lion King and Little Mermaid areas. The whole place is amazing!
Disney Springs
Disney Springs is always our first stop because we get immersed in the Disney magic for free. The kids are so excited just to be there, it’s the perfect time to do some shopping. There is so much to do in Disney Springs!
We typically do this on Day 2, but if we need to kill some time on Day 1 we will fit in Disney Springs then.
Since we have been able to check-in from your phone, we haven’t had too many trips where we have had to wait for check-in. However, when we did, we would just head to Disney Springs until our room was ready.
Visit One Park
We don’t try to visit every park during our trip. Instead, we try to pick one park – maybe two – and plan it for the day with the best weather.
We didn’t even visit a park when we took the kids at 1 month and 1 year. The next year, we visited the Magic Kingdom because it’s the most iconic and great for little kids.
One of the following years, we picked Animal Kingdom. We have a hard time skipping the Magic Kingdom completely. Luckily, we tend to visit during the holidays and we can get our Magic Kingdom fix from attending Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
We haven’t even visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios or Epcot with the kids yet. We try to save something for each time, so it’s new and exciting.
This saves quite a bit of money, and allows us to not be on such a strict schedule.
Pool Day
Disney resorts are so amazing, you have to have at least one day to completely devote to the pool. Our kids love the Art of Animation pools, so we spend time there nearly everyday and one or more full day.
Sometimes we spend the entire day at the pool and around the resort. Other times, we combine a pool day with a nice dinner out.
Dining Experience
Another thing we try to fit in somewhere is a dining experience. We’ve done character dining at Chef Mickey’s twice and Tusker House once (my FAVORITE!!). We’ve also had dinner at O’hana on our last trip – the dinner doesn’t have characters but the breakfast does.
Dining at a different resort allows you to resort hop and get more Disney magic without entering the parks. The kids love to take the monorail around and visit the different resort.
That’s how we take it easy and have a relaxing, stress-free Disney vacation. It works for us. We always return with great memories and already planning when we will head back to Walt Disney World.
Do you have any tips for a stress-free Disney vacation?
Let me hear them in the comments! We’re most-likely going to do more as the kids get older and I’d love to hear your tips!
Pin it!
More Like This
It’s good to know your limits at Disney World!
Our family loves to park hop. For me, the biggest sanity saver is the dining plan. It might not be overall cheaper for us, but it definitely helps us relax more.
Good to know! We’ve never done the dining plan before.
It really is a sanity saver because you don’t have to count your pennies while on Disney property. It’s already paid for so you get to enjoy your time even more. And if the kids are under 3, they don’t have to pay for the meal plan. They’ll just assume they’ll be eating their own food or off your plate, so it’s a bit of a money saver there. And if you know you’re going to do a table service meal or a character meal, it does save you money.
Also, one of my best tips is to get to Magic Kingdom for rope drop. Most people get to the park later in the day, but at rope drop you can ride all the rides the kids will love without having to waste a Fastpass or wait in line for 45+ minutes.
Excellent tips! In the past, it definitely wouldn’t have saved us money to do the dining plan because we drove and were able to pick up food. But this last trip was so stressful and much more expensive food-wise because we flew down and weren’t able to eat many meals on our own. It made me realize that on that type of trip, we should have just done it!
We love getting to Magic Kingdom for rope drop! We found out that it wasn’t as easy to get to any of the parks for rope drop with my husband as it was when we traveled with my parents in the past. 🙂 It definitely slowed us down!