I am a huge Disney lover and so are my children. We recently returned from Walt Disney World where we stayed at the Art of Animation Resort for four nights. We had the best time possible! We went to the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom (our favorite), enjoyed a character dinner, our daughter got a makeover at the Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique, and also attended our first Halloween party Mickey's Not So Scary — it was an incredible experience!
I know a trip to Disney takes a lot of planning and can seem overwhelming, so here are some tips and tricks to hopefully make your next trip to Disney World a little more enjoyable:
1. Hire a travel advisor.
Of course, this is a personal preference, but we used a travel agent and it took most of the stress out of the trip planning process. If you've never used a travel advisor before, most of them are free to the client and they will plan almost every detail for you. My travel advisor was amazing and made our restaurant reservations, booked our hotel/tickets and even offered to book our lightning lane experiences when the time is right to do so. They also have so much advice to give you that you would never know on your own! I can't recommend enough that you ask a travel advisor to help you plan your trip. There are so many you can choose from; I used A mouse and a beach for all my trips and they have been wonderful.
2. Buy Disney gift cards in advance when they are on sale.
This can save you money because you can use Disney gift cards for almost anything on Disney property. We purchased ours from Sam's Club because they run promotions that allow you to save money on certain amounts of gift cards you purchase. When you do this, you save between $5 and $20 depending on the amount of gift card you purchase. I know other stores also have gift card promotions (like Target and Costco), so be on the lookout this holiday season, especially if you have a Disney trip coming up! Along the same lines, Disney also has a Chase Visa Card where you can earn lots of points on your purchases and also get good discounts at the parks or on other Disney purchases. It's worth investigating!
3. Bring snacks/drinks/small toys for your children to parks to save time and money.
Disney lets you bring food and drinks, saving you a lot of money when you're at the parks. We take a backpack cooler and it helps a lot. I would recommend some of your kids' favorite snacks and lots of drinks! The parks have water stations and will also give you cups of water for free. Also, for long lines (especially if you have smaller children), I recommend purchasing fidget toys for them to play with while in line. This can help you avoid a lot of crises and make it a more pleasant experience for everyone. 
4. Don't plan too much.
I know it sounds crazy and you should definitely have a plan, but don't plan every little detail at the last second. Things will happen that are beyond your control, kids (and adults) will get tired, and plans will change. We planned our trip for six nights and seven days, and had to cut our plans short because a hurricane ended up closing the parks for a day and a half and no one expected that. There will always be setbacks, whether it's a big problem like the one we had or small inconveniences, and everyone will need to be a little flexible. It's so much more fun to enjoy the ride and create beautiful memories with family, regardless of those changes in plans.
