30 Days Before Our Disney World Trip: Our Family’s Countdown Checklist
I’m a Disney mom of one, but most of our Disney World trips aren’t just me, my husband, and our kiddo — we’re typically planning multigenerational, with grandparents along for the ride too. That changes what “getting ready” actually looks like, and thirty days out is when it all really starts coming together.
Thirty days out is when the trip stops being a someday-thing on the calendar and starts being a right-around-the-corner-thing that actually requires action. Here’s exactly what our family does one month before we head to the most magical place on earth.
1. Pay the Trip Balance
First things first — we pay off our balance. *Cue the happy dance.*
There’s something about that final payment that makes the trip official.
No more “we’re planning a trip,” but “we’re actually going to Disney.”
It’s also the moment the whole family gets a little louder about it. We typically start a dedicated text thread to hype each other up.
2. Book Mears Connect Transportation
With the balance paid, next we lock in our Mears Connect airport shuttle. With the express option, we get dropped off and picked up right from our Disney resort, no airport shuttle-hopping with a mountain of luggage.
3. Request Connecting Rooms
Did you know you can call your Disney resort ahead of time to request connecting rooms? Over the years, having connected rooms has been a game changer.
Our little one can waddle over to grandma and grandpa’s room without having to walk outside, so no keycard access or MagicBand necessary.
So far, they’ve been able accommodate both at Disney’s Coronado Springs and Caribbean Beach Resort. Fingers crossed for our upcoming Disney’s All-Star Sports stay!
4. Book Airport Parking
Next up, airport parking. Rates typically climb the closer you get to your travel date, or worse, parking spots can fill up, so we treat this as a 30-day, non-negotiable on our to-do list. A few minutes of booking now saves us coin later.
Read Next: Top Money-Saving Disney World Tips
5. Iron Out the Color-Coded Spreadsheet
Our color-coded spreadsheet is the one place that holds our day-by-day schedule, park hours, at a glance dining reservations, and every other important detail we need on the trip.
Instead of everyone in the family trying to remember the plan, it’s all in one shared Google Sheets — visible, organized, and accessible via mobile.
Thirty days out, we sit down as a family and really iron it out so it’s ready to go, especially our grocery list and packing list which changes every year.
6. Take Stock of What We Already Have
Before we buy a single thing, we take inventory of what we already have.
Ponchos, sunscreen, swimming suits, autograph books, portable chargers — chances are we already own more Disney trip essentials than we think.
This step alone has saved us from buying duplicates more times than we can count.
7. Start the “Still Need” List
Once we know what we have, we start building the list of what we still need. This is where the shopping begins.
If you are planning a Disney trip with little ones, grab a copy of our Disney with Toddlers Vacation Planning Guide for a done-for-you packing list. I’ve already thought through just about everything so you don’t have to.
8. Look for Matching Family T-Shirts
For a little fun: we start hunting for matching Disney family tees. Thirty days gives us enough lead time to find designs we love, order them, and still have room for shipping delays (or a last-minute redo if a size runs too small).
9. Get Everyone Linked in My Disney Experience App
Since we’re traveling with grandparents, we make sure everyone is linked together in the My Disney Experience app well before we land — tickets, park passes, dining reservations, all of it.
The last thing we want is to be standing around at Guest Services on day one trying to sort out who’s connected to who. Getting this done at the 30-day mark means it’s one less thing to think about once we’re at the parks.
10. Preview Wish List Rides on YouTube
With three generations in the group, not every ride is going to work for every person. So we pull up YouTube videos of the rides on our wish list, especially the ones we’re unsure about and preview them together as a family. It gives everyone a real feel for what to expect (dark, loud, fast, spinny) and helps us decide together what we’re excited for and what we might drop from the list.
11. Measure the Kids
We also measure our kiddo’s height against the current ride requirements to see what they can and can’t ride. Since heights change fast, we don’t rely on what was true last trip. Knowing ahead of time saves us from a disappointed meltdown at the ride entrance and lets us plan Rider Switch, a.k.a. Rider Swap, for anyone in our party who can’t ride.
Thirty days before a Disney trip is a great time to lock in a handful of important details without getting overwhelmed. What does your 30-day to-do list look like? What would you add – leave your thoughts in the comments below.
