Dear Nicola,
Thanks for reaching out to us here at the Disney Parks Moms Panel!
I totally hear you about feeling overwhelmed and believe me, you are not alone in feeling that way! In fact, that's why the Moms Panel exists!
The great news is that just a little planning can go a very long way! The first step is to book your Walt Disney World Resort hotel reservation and decide how many days of tickets you need. Once that's done, the rest will fall into place.
Up to 180 days before your trip, you can use
My Disney Experience to book
Advanced Dining Reservations for Table-Service restaurants, but rest assured that your family will still eat even if you don't have a single dining reservation! My family has gone with zero Table-Service meals booked and still had a wonderful time! Almost all Quick-Service restaurants (except Be Our Guest) do not require reservations and are still delicious. If you do select some Table-Service meals, that will help you structure what Park you will be at on each day of your trip. If you don't book any, then you will have flexibility with that.
One other thing that I WOULD plan ahead if I was you would be some FastPass+ selections for each day that you are there. If you are staying on Walt Disney World Resort property, you can do that up to 60 days in advance. Take a look online at which attractions are most popular and might be great to have a FastPass+ for, and book some of those. That will help you build a bit of structure too.
The main message I have for you though is to know that honestly, and I really mean this, your vacation will be wonderful no matter what you plan! Sometimes the best Disney magic is the kind that surprises you!
Have a pixie dusted trip!
- Jan K.