Everyone has different ideas of what they look for in a holiday, and Orlando, often specifically WDW, is often someone’s dream (how frequently have we heard ‘It’s a once-in-a-lifetime trip’?!). It has taken a lot of saving and costs a huge amount of money, with many sacrifices along the way and the pressure to enjoy every second, accommodate everyone, and make sure dreams come true. It’s absolutely amazing, but it can be very exhausting, especially if you don’t plan.
People have often said to me that they don’t want the hassle of all the hours of planning that I and my fellow Disney travellers do. They want the whole experience once the holiday is booked to be a relaxed and stress-free as possible. I don’t ever really relax, but I’d like to! Some people have a lot of responsibilities and constantly hectic lives, and want to do absolutely nothing on their trips, and that is wonderful if they can do that. For me and most experienced Disney holidaymakers, planning is part of the fun. We can drag it out for months if we want to! Don’t worry, you can achieve plenty in much less time, but we would recommend you start early to get the basics in place and then turn to fun blogs, vlogs, and socials to keep yourself updated with new things and ideas.
Can you turn up and wing it? Of course you can! I pretty much did the first time I went (you know, on my once-in-a-lifetime trip where I wasn’t that bothered about Disney but we have tickets and it seems daft not to as we’re here. Yes, I know, I know) and we still had an incredible time and it gave me the bug for life. In seriousness, though, we genuinely don’t recommend it. Here’s why:
Orlando is known as ‘The Theme Park Capital of the World’. And these aren’t just ‘small’ places, with one park like Alton Towers or Chessington here in the U.K. These places are HUGE, with multiple parks in each resort. WDW has 4 parks (with talk of another in the pipeline), two waterparks, and a massive dining and luxury shopping district. Universal now has three parks, a water park, and a shopping, dining and entertainment district. SeaWorld Orlando comprises four parks. But it doesn’t stop there. There are hundreds more options across the city (and many not much further out of Orlando itself). Some of these we will look at at others times, but there are days in nature, such as Wild Florida, beach trips, the Kennedy Space Centre, Legoland, other water parks, museums, Fun Spot Orlando, Icon Park, Wonderworks, Gatorland, the Titanic Artefact Museum, IDrive, a game at Orlando Magic, several malls, and according to data from Google Maps, in March 2025, approximately 13,357 restaurants. And don’t forget to explore Kissimmee and The Old Town.
And lots more. So the problem is often not what to do, but what not to do.
Planning a trip that’s tailored to you and your party is doable, and some companies offer this bespoke service. The key is identifying what sort of things you love to do, and then what are your ‘must-dos’.
I can get up first thing and run on Orlando adrenaline for days on end. I have a million things I want to do, and I want to squeeze out every second and get my money’s worth! But I know not everyone can (or wants to) go non-stop. In honesty, you probably shouldn’t.
Because it’s full on. It’s hot. You’ll be eating and drinking a lot of junk. You’ll be walking crazy amounts of miles and spending time in the pool. You may not sleep so well as you’re not in your own bed. You risk dehydration and heatstroke if you’re not very careful. Your feet may feel like they’re about to fall off. But the sheer and crazy volume of things to do makes you throw caution to the wind and try to do everything you want (which isn’t possible, just as a heads up).
As I said, you need to decide what things are really important to you and your group. And then look at where you’re staying, how long for, transport options, and budget. At that point, you can start putting a more realistic itinerary together. And a rest day doesn’t have to mean a do-nothing day. You could go to the outlets for lunch and a couple of hours shopping after a lie-in. Visit a half-day attraction, enjoy time by the pool, have a rest day, but go for an evening and an amazing dinner on IDrive. Because you will get burnt out, and you may make yourself unwell. Take time to recharge in the Florida sun. Have that sleep in, enjoy an al fresco breakfast, and float along that lazy river. These are all part of your Orlando experience, and your body will thank you for it. Planning some relaxation time and enjoying it is better than being forced out of action and missing things you really wanted to do.
Plus, we all know you’re going back…
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