Disney Travel Planning Binder

One of the best parts of any Walt Disney World vacation is the planning! Deciding on when to go, where to stay, what restaurants you must go to and which rides you can’t miss.  But even a seasoned Disney traveler can get overwhelmed when planning all the details that go into a Disney vacation. The first thing any traveler should do is stay organized.  I do this by keeping all my information in a binder. It’s a cheap and easy way to keep my plans, wishes and important documentation, in one location. And it always travels to Disney with me. So I thought I would share my Disney Planning Binder with you.  For a binder, you may use a binder with clear pockets in the front and back. I got mine at Dollar Store. Here are some suggestions for Disney Planning Binder sections:

General info
Hotel
Dining and ADR
Each Park has its own section
Itinerary
Budget
Flight and hotel transportation
To do list
Packing list
Grocery information
Special event tickets
Other

For tabs I used thicker card stock and printed different designs.

I would also include at the beginning a clear pocket so I can put any correspondence that I receive from Disney regarding my vacation.

GENERAL INFO

Transportation Map
Disney World (or any other destination) Maps

HOTEL

You should include things like:

Hotel Confirmation
Map of Hotel
Outdoor Movie Schedules
Resort Dining Options– with Menus
Activity schedule
Hotel address and phone#

DINING WISH LIST AND ADR’S

Wish list for dining (before you make the reservations)
Disney Dining Plan Information
Dining Reservations Printable
Quick service dining wish list and locations
Menus
Snack List

PARKS

I usually do a different tab for each park, but all the tabs should include following for a corresponding park

Disney Theme Park Maps
Disney World Hours
Fast Pass Plus Reservation Planning
Ride Height Requirements if needed
Map of character locations
Quick service dining wish list and location
Snack List
Entertainment schedule

For MK include

Fire works viewing areas

For Epcot

Illuminations viewing areas

For HS

Fantasmic Seating Chart

Star Wars fire works best viewing map

For AK

Rivers of Lights Seating Chart

Map of Avatar Land once it becomes available

ITINERARY

Crowed calendar
Wish list for each park
Preliminary plans
Final daily plans

BUDGET

This can include:
Food budget
Souvenir wish list and budget
I would include a page protector in here so I can keep all my receipts from the parks in here

FLIGHT

Flight Confirmation
Confirmation of Disney Magical Express
Map of Orlando Airport & Disney Magical Express Welcome Centre
Also, this is a good place for a page protector to hold the luggage tags
Those not staying on-site might want to add a tab for a rental car or other transportation

PACKING LIST

Packing list for the hotel
List of things to take in a car for the road trip or
List of things to bring on the plane
List of documents necessary for travel

You can check out my Ultimate Disney Packing list

TO DO LIST

I would include a To do check list here
Calendar with dates. Some important dates are your ADR date (the date you can make Advance Dining Reservations,) the dates payments are due, the date to make Fast Pass+ Reservations, etc

GROCERY INFORMATION

List of groceries that you may need on your trip
Garden Grocer Info
If you ordered snacks and water on Amazon include that info.
Location of the closest grocery store

TICKETS AND SPECIAL EVENT TICKETS

Ticket receipts
Good place for a page protector to hold any hard tickets like Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, etc

OTHER

Payment History
List of Pin trading locations
List of Pressed Penny Sites (from Park Pennies)
Buzz Scoring tips
Disney Springs map
Water park info
Anything else that didn’t go into other sections

You can see this blog in a video

I hope this has helped you get started making your own binder.  As always, if you have questions about planning a Walt Disney World Resort vacation and you want advice email me at info@fairytaletravelconsultants.com or visit our website at http://www.fairytaletravelconsultants.com