Last updated on December 27th, 2021 at 11:40 pm

What’s the planning process for a family vacation to Walt Disney World or Disneyland? I’m going to help you get the most out of your vacation in this series! Make sure you check out part two next!

We’re a Disney family, and we’ve been a Disney family even before we were technically a family. Growing up, my family, grandparents and Aunt Dianne would go on a Disney trip every 3-4 years. Starting when I was six through when I was twenty-one. 

Mike and I have gone on 4 Disney World trips together. Each were at a different stage of our life. Dating, engaged (got engaged at Disney!), married and with our daughter last February when she was 18-months old. And when we got back it was 2 weeks before lockdown, so we got really lucky!

I love planning for family vacations in Disney! I’ve planned a trip for 8 adults, and a trip for my family of three. So my experience is across the spectrum!

Book Your Reservations!

Ultimately, if you don’t plan ahead to some degree, you’ll probably end up feeling disappointed. Your trip might not work out as expected and you’ll probably be a little stressed.

There are so many Disney Travel planners to work with! They can help book hotel rooms, tickets and dining if you don’t even know where to begin. 

Mike and I book most of our reservations ourselves. Or in the case of our last trip, the friends we traveled with booked some dining reservations too. If you want to know more in-depth how my husband and I book our trips, leave a comment below! 

But planning for a Disney vacation is more than booking reservations, it’s making sure you’re ready for everything else!

So how to go about planning a Disney family vacation? Start preparing before you leave!

Planning Your Family’s Disney Vacation Outfits –

I like to have my outfits planned ahead of time so I don’t have to think about it when I get there. Just like at home (sometimes successfully), I have my outfits all ready to go for the week. That way I don’t spend 20 minutes looking at my clothes and trying to decide what I feel like wearing. And somehow thinking I don’t have that one thing I wanted to bring, when in reality I probably overpacked anyway. 

I also like to wear outfits that fit with the park I’m going to, but that probably makes me a little extra.

Plus, packing for a toddler was a new experience for me. I needed to make sure she had enough outfit changes for accidents and for different weather. I also wanted to coordinate our outfits, because as we’ve established, I’m extra.

As you’re picking out clothes, make sure you check the weather for when you’re going to be visiting. We went in February and it was unusually hot in the 90’s, and one day was in the 50’s. So anything can happen! And if you go during the summer, there’s a chance it’s going to rain every day!

Regardless of what you’re going to wear, now it’s time to start organizing! 

Packing Kids Clothes – 

I took a picture of each of my and my daughter’s outfits laid out on the floor, with options for pants/shorts, shoes and outerwear. I put each photo into PowerPoint with the details for each day (park, park hours, reservations) and printed it out for my trip binder. You do not need a trip binder, having photos in your phone is more than enough. 

Now this step is where the magic happens – for kids clothes, get a big box of gallon ziploc bags and a sharpie. Write the dates of your vacation on each of the ziploc bags, and then the outfit for that date goes in the bag.

It’s so simple, and when I heard it for the first time I thought it was GENIUS.

I also had bags for backup clothes to take to the park (extra pair of pants and shorts, top and sweatshirt that go with any of the outfits I’ve planned). Because with kids, you never know what’s going to happen. Like the day Eme puked all over herself at the Magic Kingdom. We were dressed like Winnie the Pooh (me), Tigger (Mike)  and Piglet (Eme), so it was an extra bummer that outfit got messed up. You know, aside from the whole puking thing. 

Packing My Clothes – 

Because my clothes are a little (ha!) bigger than an 18-month old, they didn’t each get their own bag, but because I took pictures of what I wanted to wear, it’s still quick and easy to grab what I need. Plus, I still want to be organized, so this is where packing cubes come in.

I’ve been using packing cubes for a couple years, and I’m hooked. I have these from the brand Away (I also recommend their suitcases too!) but you can find packing cubes almost anywhere.

I like to organize my packing cubes by clothing type – pants and shorts get their own cube, tops gets another, and socks and underwear get their own too. It’s easy to put each packing cube in the drawers at your hotel, instead of digging through layers of clothes in your suitcase. 

I’ve never been the kind to unpack all my clothes in drawers at my hotel, because I’m too impatient. But, if you unpack your clothes in your hotel room, that’s amazing! You’re even more organized than me! 

I’d love to hear from you! How do you plan and pack your clothes for a Disney vacation? Or any vacation for that matter!