We’ve been asked many times, as a Disney expert on all things “Disney Adulting,” what a trip to Walt Disney World looks like from our perspective. Well, you’re in luck, because we are going to share with you what’s an average trip to Walt Disney World looks like for the Disney Adulting crew.

Traveling with Friends

Trust us; “adulting” at Disney is always more fun in a group! For this trip, Eli and I are traveling with one of our favorite couples, Darwin and Susan.  It’s always fun to plan for four, especially when you have another couple who loves Disney as much as we do.  I took the helm of planning our Disney experience (as expected) and planned out a 7-day trip for two couples with all the bells and whistles.

Disney Package, Resorts & Details

There are plenty of options to choose from when planning a Walt Disney World vacation. Please keep in mind that our selections are not always the best suited to all budgets or travelers, so make sure you plan your own trip around the budget and interests that fit the needs of your party.

Resort: Disney’s Contemporary Resort

While we’ve stayed at many different Disney resorts, one of our favorites will always be Disney’s Contemporary Resort. We honeymooned there during our first trip together to Walt Disney World and it will always hold a special place in our hearts. The reason we selected the Contemporary for this trip is that we wanted not only a higher-end resort but also the convenience of the monorail.

Date nights inspired by Disney couples!

Ideas for a variety of activities that are practically perfect for any budget.

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Dining: Deluxe Dining Plan

Our party LOVES Disney’s fine dining and character experiences. (After all, that’s one of the best parts of “adulting” at Disney.) We elected to do the Deluxe Dining Plan (and it was on special offer with our resort selection) so we’ll have 3 meals a day (table service or quick service), 2 snacks, and a refillable mug for each person in the party. Now you are likely thinking that sounds like a lot of food. It is, but it isn’t the way we dine.

For those unfamiliar with how the Disney Dining Plans work, it’s all aligned to points. For the Deluxe, the 3 meals are equal to 3 points. Because our party likes to dine at the more higher-end venues, it makes sense because those locations can use 2 points for one meal. You’ll see how that breaks down in our day-by-day itinerary.  For more on Disney Dining Plans, we recommend this detailed post from WDW Info and this guide from Will Save For Travel.

Tickets: Disney Premier Passport

Disney Adulting is a Disney Premier Passport holder, which means we have a 365-day, no-blockout dates, and annual pass to Walt Disney World in Florida, and Disneyland Resort in California. There are many perks to being a Premier, like deep discounts on dining, merchandise, recreations and more. Our friends that are traveling with us, however, are not Premier holders, so they opted to book the single park, 1-day tickets for each day we are at the parks as part of their Magic Your Way Vacation Package.

Transportation: Airlines & Disney’s Magical Express

Our party is from the west coast, so we booked flights via Southwest (yay, airline points!) and arranged for Disney’s Magical Express to handle our luggage and transport from/to the airport. Our checked luggage will arrive “magically” in our room a few hours after our arrival. This gives us the change to go straight from the airport into the fun without worrying about our bags. Now, for this trip, we have some special reservations the day we arrive, so we’ll be packing a carry on with those items.

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Itinerary: Day 1

Arrival & Check-In:

We had a pretty early flight out to FL that morning and will arrive just shortly after 1pm on the east coast. Check-in isn’t until 3pm and our bags won’t arrive at the resort right away, so we’ve planned a little carry-on to ensure we have the required dress code items for the evening’s dining reservations as well as the items we need to stop by Guest Services and renew our Disney Premier Passports for the year. Our friends arrive early as well, so we’ll likely snag a cup of coffee and settle in before dinner.

Dinner: Victoria & Albert’s

Snagging a reservation to Victoria & Albert’s is quite difficult, and will require camping on the Disney website as soon as the ADR’s (Advanced Dining Reservations) opens to even get a shot at booking one. We were lucky to snag a dinner reservation in the evening that we arrive at our party of 4. Disney will call the week prior to your reservation to confirm your reservation, spelling of your names for your custom menus, and overview the dress code. At a minimum, dinner runs $235.00 per person and is not inclusive of alcohol, tax, or gratuity.
– Disney Deluxe Dining Plan: Not Accepted

Itinerary: Day 2

Our first full day in the parks begins at Epcot, where we’ll explore some of our favorite attractions, adventure through the Food & Wine Festival, and do a little drinking around the world. We usually don’t begin our trips with Epcot, but because we wanted to take full advantage of the festival we opted to begin our adventure there for this trip. Our friends are also huge fans of Epcot and there’s never enough time to see everything in this park. We’ll be certain to catch Illuminations, since it’s going to be ending soon.

Fastpass+ Selections

Spaceship Earth | Mission: SPACE | Frozen Ever After

Dinner: Monsieur Paul

Another difficult reservation to get, this is one of the finest options for dining at Epcot featuring French cuisine made with seasonal and local ingredients off this amazing menu created by Chef Nicolas Lemoyne.
– Disney Deluxe Dining Plan: 2 Points

Itinerary: Day 3

We start Day 3 by opening Animal Kingdom. It’s important to get there early because you’ll catch the animals who are more nocturnal still awake. Our Fastpass for the safari was first thing, so you could say our morning was wild. This park is a lot of walking, so be sure to wear your best shoes and if you plan on riding Kali River Rapids make sure you’ve got a change.

Fastpass+ Selections

Kilimanjaro Safaris | DINOSAUR | Avatar Flight of Passage

Dinner: Tiffins Restaurant

One of the newer dining options at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, it’s also one of the only high-end options in that park. Known for its “off the beaten path” menu and unique ambiance, there’s a lot to be excited about when dining at this restaurant. We’ve snagged the Rivers of Light Dining Package, mostly because it will be our entire party’s first time viewing that show and we wanted to see how the package compares to other similar experiences in other parks.
– Disney Deluxe Dining Plan: 2 Points

Itinerary: Day 4

We love Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party! So much, that today is one of TWO days that we are attending during our trip to Walt Disney World. Because by this point in the trip we would have been on property for 3 days and not stepped foot inside of the Magic Kingdom, we’ll be spending the day enjoying the lighter crowds (most people know about the party closing the park early and avoid it, unless they have hoppers). We’ll enjoy the day and then venture back after our lunch to change into costumes for the Halloween festivities.

Fastpass+ Selections

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad | Seven Dwarfs Mine Train | Space Mountain

Lunch: Be Our Guest

By now you are sensing a theme with the “hard to get” dining reservations, and yes, this is another one. We actually didn’t book the dinner here due to the Halloween event that evening, but instead opted to enjoy lunch in this magical dining venue. While dinner is a wonderful experience, if you can’t get a reservation for it, lunch with this menu is always a lighter option for a lover of Beauty & the Beast.
– Disney Deluxe Dining Plan: 1 Point

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Special Events

Happy HalloWishes Fireworks | Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular | Boo-to-You Halloween Parade

Itinerary: Day 5

We jump into Hollywood Studios for a day that’s a little more relaxed but still full of fun! During this trip the new Star Wars area wasn’t complete yet, but we could see it over Toy Story. Hollywood Studios is great for snagging an ice cream and watching a show between Fastpasses.

Fastpass+ Selections

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster | Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage | Slinky Dog Dash

Dinner: Mama’ s Melrose’s Ristorante

While we normally elect to dine a Brown Derby, this is an option that our friends had not enjoyed yet. A nice ambiance and amazing Italian flavors, we can’t resist this dinner menu. Our entire party LOVES Fantasmic, so we booked The Fantasmic! Dining Package so that we can get prime seating for our favorite Disney show.
– Disney Deluxe Dining Plan: 2 Points

Itinerary: Day 6

We always book at least a second day at Epcot, because by now we are ready for some shopping around the world and a second go at the attractions we didn’t get to cover the first visit during our trip. We’ll likely skip the evening events and spend our night at Disney Springs, the Boardwalk or playing boardgames with our friends in the lobby of our hotel. We tend to take this day a little slower and enjoy the experience by taking lots of photos with our friends.

Fastpass+ Selections

Soarin’ Around the World | Mission: SPACE | Living with the Land

Dinner: Le Cellier Steakhouse

If you love a good steak, this restaurant is a must-do, and with the group we travel with – it’s a must-do! We’ll be enjoying a casual day with an epic dinner at Canada’s famous Le Cellier.
– Disney Deluxe Dining Plan: 2 Points

Itinerary: Day 7

We planned a shortened day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom with the purpose of hitting a few of our favorite rides, catching some missed shows, and actually exploring the trails with the animals. We’ll hit Kali River Rapids right before we leave the parks (because being wet isn’t our bag) to go back and change into our attire for the second Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom. We didn’t plan a fancy meal on purpose as we tend to nibble our way through the day at Avatar and indulge at the Halloween Party.

Fastpass+ Selections

Na’vi River Journey | Expedition Everest | Kali River Rapids

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Special Events

Happy HalloWishes Fireworks | Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular | Boo-to-You Halloween Parade

Itinerary: Day 8

We always plan a mid-day departure so that we can snag those last minute buys (we use our snack credits to bring home treats) enjoy a fun breakfast with our friends before parting ways.

Breakfast: Chef Mickey’s

Booking character dining is always a great way to end the vacation! We’ll celebrate with Mickey & Friends as we wrap up another incredible vacation in Walt Disney World.
– Disney Deluxe Dining Plan: 2 Points