Family Trip to Disney World

This year we took our first family trip to Disney World with all three of our kids (plus my mother-in-law!). I wanted to share everything we learned as first-time Disney World-ers (we did go on Disney Cruise Line a few years ago). Overall we had such a great time. I knew it would be a blast, but was honestly also worried that we would wear ourselves out, miss out on the highlights or just not really make the most of it. We knew close to nothing going in, but we had a Disney travel planner that really set us up for success.

Disney World First Family Magic Kingdom 2026

This was a completely unexpected surprise, but we were somehow selected out of the lines to get into the park to be the first family to enter Magic Kingdom one morning. We got to go in about 15 minutes before the crowds, walk down Main Street looking at Cinderella’s castle and have some photos taken without tons of people in the background. It was really special!

 

 

Time of Year- January

I realize we very well could have just gotten lucky, but we LOVED the time of year we visited Disney World. We went at the end of January, after the kids were back at school. We had originally planned for the first week the kids were back, but our planner, Rachael with Allonsy Travel, knew there was a big event going on that week and suggested we push it back a bit. The crowds were manageable, especially on our weekday park days, and the weather was AMAZING! We could wear sweatshirts in the morning and peel off layers to t-shirts midday. No sweating. No complaints about being hot. I would go back in January again and again. 

Is Disney Memory Maker worth it?

Disney Memory Maker is the photo package. You pay an up-front fee, and then you get access to all the photos the cast members (Disney’s name for their employees) take of you during your trip. This includes photos on the rides and all over the park. Of course we were taking our own photos too, but knowing we were able to get some high-quality photos of our whole group, without having to bother a stranger, was really nice.

There were lots of people taking pictures throughout the parks, and anytime we saw one without a line, we hopped in and had a picture taken. They would usually take a handful, too, so we had lots to choose from.

After your visit, you have 30 days to download all the images. I think this was a worthwhile add-on.

 

What to Pack for Disney World?

Wondering what to pack for Disney World? The research process can be daunting, as there are so many opinions on what is a must-have to pack for your trip. Here are some of the staples that I am glad that we packed for our trip. One place I found cute (and not gimmicky) Disney outfits was in person at Primark (I shared about the new Katy location over on Instagram here).

PONCHOS: We didn’t end up needing our ponchos due to weather, but we did wear them on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which gets you pretty soaked. I personally hate to be in wet clothes, so the poncho allowed me to enjoy it without the consequences!

Bubble wands for the kids: These are wildly expensive at Disney World, and once your kids see them, they are going to want them. I got the advice from a friend to buy them ahead of time and bring them with you. Crisis averted!

Autograph book: We didn’t end up doing a ton of character meet-and-greets, but it was nice to have an autograph book for the kids. We only bought one, and it was fine for us. I found this one on Amazon.

I tried not to go overboard on matching outfits and picked things that would get worn again in the future. Since we visited Disney in January, I went with these sweatshirts from Etsy. We did the navy blue to make it a little more appealing to the boys. I was so happy we happened to all be wearing these on the day we got to be the First Family in Magic Kingdom! It made for great photos.

I found these mickey shirts (another gender neutral option) on Amazon. They had both kids and adult sizes. I actually got myself a cropped version, which I thought was a tad more flattering. All three of my kids have continued to reach for these in their closet, which makes me smile.   

This embroidered princess shirt was a cute find. Unfortunately, they didn’t have kids sizes, but I got them for me and my mother-in-law.

Marcus and Jacob had matching Mickey hats that we bought a few years ago for the Disney Cruise. These were a good option for men and boys who don’t want to sport Mickey ears.

And honestly, we borrowed a bunch of stuff from friends! Shirts for the kids and Marcus, Mickey ears, etc. Some even had multiple since they had matching outfits in Disney. I bet if you ask around a little bit, you have some people in your circle that would be happy to let you borrow some of their Disney gear.

Do You Need to Buy a Magic Band?

We didn’t buy them! So no, it’s not a need. We used our Apple Wallet to scan into the park and into Lightning Lanes. Marcus and I both had them uploaded on our phones and were able to manage everyone’s (including my MILs). It was easy, and saved a good bit of money. My kids didn’t know that magic bands existed, so they didn’t feel like they were missing anything. I know a lot of people get excited about them, though!

You also get physical cards when you check into your hotel that you can manually swipe if you don’t want to use your phone.

Disney Dining Plan vs. Bringing Your Own Food

This is a tough one. There are definitely pros and cons to both. We did purchase the meal plan that included 1 sit-down meal, 1 quick-service meal, and 1 snack, per person, per day. We even got lucky and were able to take advantage of a kids eating free deal that was going on when we booked. However, I think the cost/benefit analysis really comes down to your family and the kind of experience you are looking for. 

*Note: Disney is always changing their prices and plans, and this might not be completely relevant at the time of reading. 

Pros to getting the meal plan: 

• There was NO shortage of food. The meal package we got was very generous in terms of the amount of food and the portion sizes. It was more than enough for the day. The quick service meals came with a side and a drink, and the sit down meals came with a large entree, a drink (which could even be something fancy like a smoothie or alcoholic beverage for adults), and a dessert. 

• Your sit-down meals can be pre-arranged (our wonderful planner Rachael did this for us), so you can have that to anchor your day. I appreciated having a place to sit down and rest for a bit. We went in January, and the weather was amazing, but if you are there when it’s hot, having a scheduled break in the AC would be so nice. 

• You can use your meal plan at the hotels and Disney Springs in addition to the parks. We enjoyed a great sit-down meal at Disney Springs the day we arrived and at Ohana at the Polynesian Hotel on our rest day. Note – you don’t have to be staying at a hotel to make a reservation and use your meal plan credits there! 

• There is definitely a savings when buying the package over buying all of those meals and snacks individually (even without the kids eating free promotion). 

• It was really nice not feeling nickel-and-dimed every time we had to feed our family. Of course, the meal plan added a large amount to the cost of our trip, but we had already paid for it by the time we were there. It kind of felt like an all-inclusive or a cruise in that way. 

Cons to getting the meal plan: 

• We also brought a lot of our own food into the park in a cooler, which is a huge hack; you can bring your own food and drinks to Disney! We also rented a stroller from Kingdom Strollers which made hauling around a cooler easy. We did a Target order to our hotel and had staples we knew our family would eat on the go, like protein shakes, Uncrustables, beef sticks, chewy bars, applesauce pouches, etc. These were great to eat while in lines and moving through the park. The issue was we filled up on these items and were left not wanting or needing all of our food credits. 

• Which leads me to my second critique: it was too MUCH food for us. Probably because we brought food into the park, but it felt wasteful how much we were throwing away. 

• We found it hard to use all of our credits, particularly the snack credits. 

• All the food in the parks is not included in the meal plan. There were a few times I wanted to order a certain item, and it was not part of the meal plan. That made me feel like I shouldn’t get it because I needed to be using my credits. 

• There were some great hearty and healthy options at the sit-down meals (steak, salmon, shrimp dishes, etc.), but the quick-service meals were essentially fast food. Most of the “snacks” were desserts or something of equal nutritional value. We were on the meal plan for five days, and that type of food day after day started to make me feel icky. 

• This is nit-picky, but they don’t offer lids or straws with their drinks. I appreciate they are trying to cut back on plastic (a very worthy cause); however, it is very hard to move through a park with 6 people with drinks without lids. Lots of sticky spills! We already had water bottles for each of us, so getting drinks with our quick service meals felt redundant. 

The Verdict: 

Ultimately, I really think it depends on your group and the experience you are looking for. 

We were at the parks from open to close, and we were MOVING! We hit up almost every ride and didn’t spend a lot of time sitting down to eat. Marcus and I both agreed that we could have leaned more into bringing our own food, feeding our family what we know they will eat, having maybe one intentional meal per park day and probably a treat along the way. Our kids are still small and somewhat picky eaters, so this feels like this would be doable for us. We also had a stroller to house a cooler, which made it much easier to move the cooler around the park without having to carry it on our backs. I do believe this option could save you a lot of money, as long as you were a little mindful of how many meals/treats your group was purchasing. 

However, if you have a group of hungry teenagers or adults, you don’t want to bring in a cooler (especially if you don’t have a stroller to carry it in), your group might be splitting up and not eating together, or you just want to not really have to think about anything, the meal plan is definitely the way to go. I think it’s great that it’s an option, and I know a lot of people really like it. Maybe we will lean this way if we return when the kids are older. 

Lightning Lane Multi Pass Strategy Magic Kingdom

 

Our Disney World Family Trip Itinerary

Working with a Disney Travel Agent

My first tip when you decide to go to Disney World is to use a planner, We used Rachael from Rachael Plans Disney. We had a few Zoom calls leading up to the trip and did the actual booking for us. She made the whole process much easier and was who I went to with questions. She also helps with Disney Cruise and Disneyland vacations too.

Family Trip to Disney World Recap

If you made it this far, congrats! If you didn’t read everything, I wanted to just wrap up with my top tips for your family vacation to Disney:

Bring your mother-in-law! Having an extra pair of hands (one adult to one kid) made a huge difference. I have quite a bit of anxiety in large crowds when it comes to my kids, so knowing we had another set of eyes was key.

Time of year- January was amazing for us. 

Rest day. Much needed! 

Target delivery – for anything you need that you don’t want to have to fly with. Also for groceries! 

Kingdom Strollers – This was a recommendation from our travel planner, Rachael. They dropped off and picked up the stroller from our hotel. Completely seamless. 

Pros of staying on property. We were able to get into the parks early. 

Looking for more Disney content? Check out my comprehensive review of our Disney Wish cruise here. Make sure you save or pin this post to help plan your next Disney family vacation.