I loved Disney as a kid and teen, and as an adult with no kids, but I truly unlocked a whole new level of Disney happiness when I started taking my own kids. However (and this is a big however), like most things with kids, it takes a lot more advance prep for a successful trip. These are my top tips after 10 years of taking my kids to Disney.

Tip 1: Practice, Practice, Practice

If you’re gearing up for a big, expensive first trip to Disney, you don’t want to go in cold. Figure out how your kids will respond in similar environments so you can prepare and adjust accordingly. A long day at the zoo will give you a sense of their stamina and which items are helpful to bring along. Going on rides at a local fair or smaller amusement park will give you a sense of what they’re up for. Practice doing more walking than you’re used to, a local hike or even just around the neighborhood. 

Tip 2: Catch Up On Disney Movies

My kids have lived and breathed Disney movies since they were toddlers (I think I’ve seen Cars more than any other movie. In. My. Life.), but a month before our trip we watched a few classics they’d missed: The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. We then saw the Lion King and Beauty and the Beast shows in Disney World, and my kids were super into them as a result!

Tip 3: Get TSA PreCheck

If you’re planning to fly, just do it now and thank me later. TSA PreCheck costs about $78 and is good for 5 years (so about $15/year). If your kids are 12 or under, they just go with you for free and don’t need their own application. If your kids are 13-17, they can still go with you for free as long as they are booked on the same ticket reservation as you. Anyone 18 or over needs to apply and pay separately.

The process is fairly simple and painless; you fill out an application and then make an appointment to get fingerprinted and show IDs at a nearby location. (This is different from the international version, Global Entry, which requires that you interview at an airport and can takes months to get an appointment.) My entire process took about 3 weeks, and I have saved literally hours and much stress in security lines at airports. Lines at major airports near Disney (MCO in Orlando and LAX in Los Angeles in particular) can get incredibly long. With kids, it can become unbearable (yes, I have cried in an airport). So, like I said, just sign up now and thank me later.

Tip 4: Buy the Lightning Lanes

As you may have noticed, I don’t like waiting in lines with kids. So I always buy the Lightning Lanes at Disney. On our recent Disney World trip we waited in literally 1 regular ride line over 3 days. Now, there wasn’t zero waiting, as sometimes in a Lightning Lane you do have to stand around for a bit, but it is generally much, much less than regular lines. The costs do add up though; over our 3 park days we spent an average of $39 per person per day. But with ticket costs over $150 per person per day, I was willing to add on the extra fee to allow us to do more each day and avoid extra line frustration.

Tip 5: Choose Transportation Considering Car Seats

Unless you’re driving your own car, transporting young kids with car seats can be a real puzzle. For safety reasons, I would never rent a car seat or use car seats provided by transportation companies. If you’re flying to Disney with car seat age kids, my recommendations are:

EASIEST (No Car Seats Needed):

• Disney World: Stay on-site at Disney, reserve the MEARS bus to take you to and from the Orlando airport (MCO), and only take Disney transportation while at Disney.
• Disneyland: Stay at one of the many hotels Disney or non-Disney hotels walking distance to Disneyland, reserve the EVE shuttle to take you to and from Orange County John Wayne Airport (SNA).

QUICKEST (Car Seats Needed):

• Disney World: Stay on-site at Disney, bring your car seats, take Uber/Lyft to and from the airport, and only take Disney transportation while at Disney.
• Disneyland: Stay at one of the many hotels Disney or non-Disney hotels walking distance to Disneyland, take Uber/Lyft to and from the airport (any area airport: Los Angeles (LAX), Long Beach (LGB) or Orange County John Wayne (SNA)

MOST FLEXIBILITY (Car Seats Needed):

• Stay anywhere, rent a car and bring your own car seats.

I have many recommendations for the best car seats to bring when you travel and how to transport them, but that will be a topic for a future post!

Tip 6: Set Expectations

On his first ever Disney trip at one year old, my son picked out a toy Lightning McQueen car. He knew nothing of the movie or characters, but he was drawn to it, and that car became the first item he ever really attached to. He brought it everywhere, and soon he was watching the Cars movie on repeat. He was a boy obsessed. So the next year, we were so excited to take him to Carsland at California Adventure. We decided to surprise him. At the big reveal, when we rolled his stroller into the world he had seen countless times in the movie, he was so overwhelmed he burst into tears. Us parents were pretty crushed. He did recover from the shock, but he never really got as excited as we had hoped he would. 

Fast forward to the next year, as we planned to take 3-year-old him to Disney again. This time we were planning to meet Mickey, so we prepared ahead of time to make it a successful experience. We talked him through what the experience of meeting Mickey would be like, including a potentially long wait in line. We even acted it out with some toys. The result was night and day compared to our previous trip.

So my advice, particularly for the younger kiddos, is to talk to them about what the experience might be like in advance. Talk about meeting characters, standing in lines, going on rides, being in crowds, or anything you think could be overwhelming for them. The more they can prepare mentally in advance, the higher chance of success on the trip.

And on the flip side, make sure you aren’t promising things you can’t control. Disney attractions can shut down unexpectedly, characters can take a break while you’re in line, reservations can sell out. An attitude that we’ll try to do all these things we want to, but if they don’t work out there are still plenty of fun things to do, can go a long way! In other words, underpromise and overdeliver.

Tip 7: Set Souvenir Expectations

Kids tend to want everything in every store, right? For our family, we mostly emphasize the experience vs. buying stuff, but a little shopping is fun too. I recommend setting expectations ahead of time as far as what they are allowed to buy. Bubble wands and balloons have a particular allure, and they’re on the more expensive/least useful outside the parks side, so decide ahead of time where you stand on those. When we visit for the day, we allow each child to pick out 1 item that we must approve. We also try to leave the souvenir buying for the latter part of the day once the kids have seen a few things to compare (also so we don’t have to carry purchases around as much). 

For our recent week-long trip, we gave each child a $100 gift card, and they had fun budgeting and swiping their own card to pay. They each ended up with 3 souvenirs.

Tip 8: Bring Snacks (and More Snacks. And Maybe Lunch)

You can bring as many snacks as you want into Disney. We usually bring a truckload, plus lunch for everyone. Many a meltdown has been avoided because we could find the nearest bench and eat our packed sandwiches immediately. Snacks help pass the time in line and power us through the day, and I think you can actually go broke paying $4 for every bag of chips.

Tip 9: Start Easy

Not sure how daring your child is? Start out on the calmest rides and work up from there. Some easy ones to start on:

• It’s a Small World
• The Little Mermaid
• Dumbo
• Railroad
• Jungle Cruise
• Peter Pan

Ready for the next level? Try:

• Haunted Mansion (dark, spooky)
• Pirates of the Caribbean (dark, spooky, small drops)
• Teacups (spinning you can control)
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway (can move a little fast at times)

Tip 10: Have a Plan, but Read the Room

I like to pick out our top priorities in advance, have a rough plan and take Lightning Lanes into account. But if my kids get caught up in a fun moment or something catches our eye, or they’re seeming too exhausted to do what’s next on the schedule, we adjust as we go.

Tip 11: Find the Playgrounds!

Playgrounds can be key after hours of lines, rides and rushing. We love visiting the playgrounds in the afternoons to give our kids a chance for some free play and sort of a mental reset. Some of our favorites are Tom Sawyer Island and Toontown in Disneyland, Redwood Creek Trail in California Adventure, and The Boneyard at Animal Kingdom (sadly going away sometime in the next year).

Tip 12: See the Shows

Disney has so many fun, high quality shows that are great for kids because:

• They usually require a short wait
• They provide a nice place to sit and just relax for a while
• They are so entertaining!

When lines get long, we try to see the shows instead. Our favorites are:

• Tiki Room
• Mickey’s Philharmagic
• Country Bear Jamboree (Florida only)
• Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor (Florida only)
• MuppetVision 3D (Florida only)
• Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage (Florida only)
• Festival of the Lion King (Florida only)
• Finding Nemo (Florida only)

Tip 13: Mobile Order Meals

Do your kids like waiting for food when they’re hungry? Didn’t think so. Mobile ordering is available for many quick service restaurants and allows you to bypass lines (notice a theme here?) and just show up to the restaurant once your food is ready.

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Experiencing Disney through your kids’ eyes is truly magical, so I hope these tips help you make the most of your days and let everyone in your group really feel that Disney magic!