How to Get Your Kids (and Adults) Excited for Walt Disney World

For many people, Walt Disney World and various Disney parks around the world represent a happy place. Whether you’re an annual passholder visiting every week or you’re saving up for a big once-in-a-lifetime trip, Disney World is that oasis where all the troubles of the world melt away and you just get to let the magic come to you.

However, others may look at a Disney vacation and see anxiety, fear, or disdain. For many kids, the crowds, the noise, the overstimulation, or even the loss of control experienced at Walt Disney World may seem like too much to handle. And for adults, there’s certainly no shortage or people who have a hard time looking past the prices and “kiddy-ness” of everything to have a good impression of Disney World. When you’re planning for an epic Disney World vacation, the last thing you want to encounter is apprehensive kids and/or adults raining on your excitement.

While I’m lucky in having a family that loves going to Disney World (and a spouse willing to indulge my annual or biannual runDisney runcations), I’ve encountered plenty of folks young and old who dread going to Disney for any number or reasons. While there’s no way to appease everyone, there are definitely some ways to hype up your party to get everyone in the Disney mood.

Kids

Surprise your kids at your own risk

I’ve heard plenty of anecdotes of parents springing a Walt Disney World trip on their kids – either last-minute or far in advance – only for the kids to react unexpectedly poorly. Some kids just don’t like big surprises, even if it’s to the Happiest Place of Earth! The kids may not react at all, which will only be more confounding if you’re trying to figure out if they’re excited or not. Parents usually know their kids best, but it never hurts to create more of a “soft landing” by bringing up a potential Disney trip before committing. Or if you’re already planned out every detail, you can slowly warm the kids up to the trip before telling them it’s a done deal. But even if kids don’t react they way you hoped, don’t despair until you’ve let the kids get more used to the idea of the trip.

Familiarize kids with the park

Whenever I go on a trip or to a new restaurant, I like to familiarize myself with all the best things to do or the most popular menu items so I know what I’m getting into and what I can look forward to doing. A Disney World trip should be no different. Guidebooks with pictures and maps (such as Birnbaum’s) or Youtube ride videos are great resources to familiarize kids with Disney World. Even after a few trips under their belt, I still like to let my kids pick out their “must-do” rides in each park. And if your kids get skittish around new places or certain experiences, I’d definitely watch select ride videos to see how the kids handle certain elements. While I’m a big proponent to enjoying the surprises or each attraction, you also don’t want to find out mid-ride that your kid is deathly afraid of pirates or ghosts.

Prepare your kids for any anxieties ahead of time

Again, you’re hopefully going into a Disney World trip already aware or any sensitivities or anxieties your kids may have in crowds or loud places. Disney World can admittedly be chaotic even in low-crowd days, and I still get overwhelmed when I’m trying to take everything in and experience it all at once. If you know your kids may not react great in crowded locations, prepare them or prepare yourself with how to deal with any issues. Luckily there are also plenty of calm, quiet spots in each park (Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse in Magic Kingdom, pockets of benches or spots throughout Epcot, Backlot Express or Pixar Place in Hollywood Studios, or the bleachers surrounding the water at Animal Kingdom – to name a few).

Find elements you know your kids will enjoy

If you or your children are unsure about the hustle and bustle of the parks, there are still plenty of areas around Walt Disney World that should appeal to them. Whether they enjoy the pools (which are mostly heated), different kids of snacks or treats, ice creams, or even activities like arcades or mini golf, there should be something that will get your kids excited to go. And if your kids are picky eaters (mine certainly are), then make sure to bring some foods from home or get grocery delivery. My kids will only eat Kraft Easy Mac instead of any other kind of mac & cheese, so I usually through one or two cups in my luggage so I know they’ll have something they are comfortable eating.

Adults

Find elements you know your kids adults will enjoy

If you’re traveling with adults, whether a spouse, friend, or family member, who is dreading their Disney World vacation, sell them on some element of the resort footprint that they do enjoy. There is a healthy mix of fine dining, unique snacks, exotic cocktails, or bars and lounges that should appeal to anyone not wanting to go on rides or wait in lines. I’ve never walked past a poolside bar without two or three people sitting on their own enjoying a minute to themselves. Just like ride videos for kids, I’d suggest sending Youtube videos of snacks or drinks to those that need a little more convincing.

There are also plenty of non-park activities that should appeal to the most jaded adult visitors. While reluctant spouses probably should stick with the family (it is a family vacation, after all), some adults may get more out of a day at the Disney World golf course. Or if shopping is more their thing, sell them on a day of resort-hopping or Disney Springs. And of course, there are always runDisney races or running paths throughout the resorts.

If the expenses of the trip are stressful, find ways to save where you can

Disney World has two major barriers: one is the overwhelming amount of things to navigate in booking a trip, and the other is the price involved at almost every turn. Even if affordability isn’t an issue, many people don’t like the idea of spending so much money at a theme park. While planning a Disney trip can be exciting, it can also be plenty deflating every time someone else asks, “This is going to cost how much?”. But there are plenty of small ways to save for those who may get a small boost out of discounts.

While I am certainly not someone who should offer financial advice, certain credit cards or memberships can help offset some costs. Chase offers two Disney credit cards which offer some of the same in-park benefits, including 20% off at certain Disney World restaurants as well as occasional resort/ticket discounts only offered to cardholders. One of the cards offers no annual fee, so it may be a card worth stashing to collect the benefits.

The Target credit card also offers 5% off all purchases, including Disney gift cards. I have paid for entire trips using just Disney gift cards, amounting to 5% the entire vacation. Sam’s Club, BJ’s, and Costco also occasionally offer deep discounts on Disney gift cards. Disneygiftcard.com lets you aggregate gift cards (up to $1,000 per card), so you can purchase electronic gift cards and move them to a physical card to use in the parks. All in all there are few ways to save big chunks from a Disney vacation, but any little bit may take the sting of the total pricetag.

At the end of the day there may be little to sway an adult member of your party to enjoy or look forward to a Disney World vacation. But there should be plenty of ways to sell them on different aspects of the trip, either through different activities, foods, drinks, or just the thrill of taking advantage of a deal. Similarly for kids who may get anxious at Disney World, there are ways to alleviate stress or get them to enjoy the vacation.