Hiya Melanie! Oh, boy! I love your question, so thank you for visiting us at planDisney with this exciting planning itinerary. You'll also be enjoying the Most Magical Place on Earth during one of my absolute favorite times to visit. How wonderful!
There are few things I love more than plotting out which Disney Parks my family will be doing on an upcoming Disney World vacation. Here are a few things I like to check, and take into consideration when doing so.
- Crowds. Weekends tend to be a bit busier than week days, so if it's an attraction heavy park where we'll be waiting in several queues for rides... I try to pencil those in for a week day, if possible.
- Park Hours. You won't be able to view the Park Operating Calendar until around 60 days prior to your visit, but once you can see closing times, this may help. I often try to space out our longer "stay until park closes" park days with those I know we will wrap up earlier. No official name for this strategy, but I call it pixie-dust pacing!
- Disney Dining. My family has favorite dining locations that we love to experience every trip! For example, both of my Mouseketeers love eating at Teppan Edo - the Japanese steakhouse in EPCOT's Japan. My strategy is to get an advance dining reservation around 6:30 or 7:00 PM, so we have plenty of time to enjoy our meal, and then get a great viewing spot to watch the fireworks. So this dining availability sometimes determines which day we visit a certain park.
- Fireworks. I don't know about you... but I'm going to need fireworks on my last evening at Disney World. A full scale, spectacular fireworks show with an emotional soundtrack to seal in all those magical memories we just made!! So I always make certain our last evening is either spent at Magic Kingdom for Happily Ever After, or EPCOT for Luminous The Symphony of Us.
Now that we have all our fun research done, let's lay out a practically perfect plan for you! Here's what I think I'd recommend, Melanie.
FRIDAY: Magic Kingdom, kicking off your vacation with pixie-dusted views of the castle.
SATURDAY: Hollywood Studios, thrilling rides, family friendly Toy Story Land, and a visit to a galaxy far, far away.
SUNDAY: EPCOT,
International Flower & Garden Festival, Luminous fireworks finale.
MONDAY: Animal Kingdom, departure later in day
Alternatively, I'd consider swapping Magic Kingdom and EPCOT in that schedule. Honestly, no matter what order you choose... you really can't go wrong!
One last tip before I go. Be sure to keep your eye on the
Special Offers, Deals & Discounts page. If an offer comes up closer to your vacation dates that works for your trip, you can easily switch to that deal and save some money. We are already starting to see some discounts offered for early 2026 arrival dates.
I'll be wishing upon a star for you to have the best. Trip. Ever! Please
visit me at planDisney if you have any additional questions, or if I can help with any dining or attraction recommendations.
The magic is calling!
Tami