Disney World 2026

When you start planning a Disney World holiday, the choices can feel endless. On‑site with a dining plan? A “Disney partner” hotel with shuttles and perks? An off‑site villa and a hire car? For this trip I was travelling as one adult with two children, with a dance show at the end of the holiday, so my priorities were very clear: convenience, safety and enough structure that I was not exhausted before we even got to the parks.

This is how I put our 11‑night trip together, what worked particularly well for us, and a few things I would do differently next time.

 

Getting There & First Impressions

We flew with Virgin Atlantic from Manchester to Orlando, and although the flight itself was fine, there were a couple of small things I would flag for families:

At Manchester we used East Security where Fast Track was not especially well signposted and essentially merged with the assistance queue. Not a big deal, but it is worth allowing enough time and not relying on Fast Track to magically speed things up.

The children’s catering on board was not brilliant. Afternoon tea was identical to the adult option (cheese and onion sandwich, scone and red velvet cake), and the hot meal was uninspiring. My two barely touched theirs. It is definitely worth having some extra snacks in your hand luggage, especially if you have picky eaters.

On arrival at Orlando’s Terminal C I was very glad I had set up the Mobile Passport Control (MPC) app in advance. We completed everything before we left the UK and just had to take a quick selfie on arrival. Our luggage took over an hour to arrive, so by the time we reached passport control, the regular queues were not too bad, but the MPC line was still shorter and moved quickly. With children in tow, that felt like a good decision.

From the airport we took a pre‑arranged transfer to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, which took about 25 minutes.

 

Why We Chose Caribbean Beach Resort

With just me and the girls, I wanted a resort that felt like a proper Disney base, with easy transport to the parks and enough facilities that we could happily spend time there on rest days.

We stayed in the Jamaica 45 section at Caribbean Beach:

Ground‑floor room, a little tired in places (our fridge door didn’t quite close properly), but clean and perfectly adequate.

The air‑conditioning was powerful and, crucially, stayed on even when we were out. Walking back into a properly cool room after a long, hot day was heaven.

The location within the resort was excellent:

A short walk to the lobby and food court.

About five minutes to the Skyliner station, which links directly to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios.

Just a couple of minutes to the bus stop for Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom.

For me, that transport combination is one of Caribbean Beach’s biggest strengths. Being able to roll the buggy straight onto the Skyliner and float over to EPCOT or Hollywood Studios made those days feel significantly less stressful than relying solely on buses.

The resort also worked well from a practical point of view:

There are ice and iced‑water machines all over the place. We simply refilled our water bottles rather than buying bottled water or arranging a supermarket delivery.

The laundry is easy to use and linked to an app that pings you when a wash finishes, so you do not have to sit there watching machines.

For a solo adult with two children, having a resort that was genuinely easy to live in between park days made a huge difference.

 

Our Park Strategy: Early Starts & Midday Retreats

Because of the heat in August, and the ages of the girls, we settled into a rhythm quite quickly:

Out early, ideally at or just before park opening.

Back to the resort by early afternoon for lunch, pool time and a rest.

Either a gentle evening back at the parks or something lower‑key, like fireworks from the resort or a character dinner.

This worked particularly well at Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. We had a couple of mornings where we were on the first bus out, at the park gates by 7 a.m. and onto rides with virtually no queue. By late morning everything felt hotter and more crowded, and it was a relief to already have several attractions ticked off so we could leave without feeling we were “missing out”.

One mistake I would not repeat is using Early Entry for an attraction that is not actually open yet. At Animal Kingdom we spent most of that precious half‑hour waiting for Kilimanjaro Safaris to start running, when we could have been using it for something already open. It wasn’t the end of the world, but if you are going to get up that early, it is worth checking the opening times of the specific rides you are aiming for.

 

A Few Highlights (Without Listing Every Ride)

Rather than go through every single attraction, these were the stand‑out experiences for us and why I think they are worth building into an itinerary:

Magic Kingdom first thing in the morning: being able to walk onto several classic attractions in quick succession made the whole day feel more relaxed. The parade in the afternoon is still a big highlight, but having a good chunk of rides done early meant we could watch it without that feeling of queuing “regret”.

Character meals:

Breakfast at Topolino’s Terrace (Minnie, Mickey, Daisy and Donald) was a big success. The restaurant is calm, bright and modern, and the girls liked being able to choose what they wanted from the menu.

Dinner at Hollywood & Vine in Hollywood Studios and 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian were also really good for food and character interaction. It is an investment, but for younger children it can be a much nicer way to meet characters than standing in line in the heat.

Teppan Edo at EPCOT: a teppanyaki‑style lunch in the Japan pavilion where the chef cooks right in front of you. It broke up a very hot EPCOT day beautifully and kept the children entertained.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT: from an adult point of view, this was my favourite ride of the trip. The pre‑show sets the scene really well and the actual coaster is smooth, long and brilliantly themed. If you enjoy coasters and you are prepared to use a Lightning Lane or virtual queue, I think it is absolutely worth the effort.

On the flip side, there were attractions I would not necessarily prioritise on a tight schedule (for example, Haunted Mansion was fine but not essential for us), and that is where being realistic about your own family’s preferences is important. Some clients love the more classic, nostalgic rides; others would rather focus on big thrill coasters and shows. There is no one “correct” list.

 

Balancing Park Days With Rest & Water

One of the biggest lessons from this trip was how important it is to plan rest in deliberately, especially in August.

We built in:

Pool time most afternoons, often at the quieter pool near our room rather than the main feature pool.

A proper water‑park day at Blizzard Beach (once our original attempt was postponed by an unexpected urgent‑care visit).

A full “nothing but the pool” day when the girls simply did not have the energy for more park time.

Blizzard Beach in particular worked really well for us. The theming as a melting ski resort is fun, and there are clearly defined areas for different ages: a fantastic toddler/early school‑age zone, a pre‑teen area with obstacle course and zip line, plus the lazy river and more intense slides if you want them. You could easily spend a whole day there without doing everything.

We also discovered the benefits of being flexible. On our first planned water‑park day Bea woke with an infected thumb, and we ended up at an urgent care centre instead, following the advice from our travel insurer. It was not something we would ever have chosen, but because we had built in enough breathing space, we were still able to move plans around and have a relaxed pool afternoon at the resort instead of trying to force ourselves through a full park day on top of a medical visit.

 

Moving Mid‑Trip: Caribbean Beach to All‑Star Sports

Later in the holiday we moved from Caribbean Beach (a moderate resort) to All‑Star Sports (a value resort).

The move itself was simple – it is a ten‑minute Uber between the two – but there were some noticeable differences between the hotels:

Food courts: at Caribbean Beach you queue, order and then collect from a window. At All‑Star Sports, different types of food are in different queues and then you pay at the end, which can take longer if everyone wants something different. It is worth knowing this so you can manage hungry children’s expectations.

Rooms: All‑Star Sports rooms are smaller but more modern, with a clever pull‑down bed that becomes a table in the day. Storage is a bit tighter, and there is only one sink instead of two, but the bathrooms feel newer and cleaner.

Noise: the main pool areas at All‑Star were noticeably livelier and louder into the evening compared with Caribbean Beach. Our room faced the car park rather than the pool, which I was grateful for.

I would not rule out staying at a value resort again, but I would be more conscious of what matters most for that particular trip. For this one, the combination of Caribbean Beach’s location, Skyliner and facilities suited us better overall.

 

The Dance Element

Our trip had an extra dimension, as my eldest had a dance show at Hollywood Studios and a gala party at EPCOT. From a planning point of view, that meant:

Making sure we stayed close enough to Hollywood Studios so we were not commuting long distances on show day.

Leaving space in the itinerary so the day before and day after the show were not too full on. Children can be more tired than you think from the excitement and rehearsals.

If you are travelling for a specific event – a competition, wedding or sports tournament – I would always recommend building that into the structure of your holiday rather than treating it as an add‑on. It makes a big difference to how rested and relaxed everyone feels.

 

What I Would Keep & What I Would Change

If I were planning this trip again for us, or for a family like ours, these are the key decisions I would repeat:

Staying at a Skyliner resort (like Caribbean Beach) at least for part of the stay, especially when travelling with children and no other adults.

Using Early Entry properly on a couple of key days, with a clear idea of which rides are actually open.

Booking a handful of key dining experiences in advance: one or two character meals, one “showpiece” restaurant like Teppan Edo, and perhaps a pre‑booked Fantasmic or fireworks package if those are a priority.

Building in dedicated rest days and not feeling guilty about them.

And I would tweak:

Being more selective with value‑resort stays if I know the children (or I) will be sensitive to evening noise and busier food courts.

Double‑checking ride opening times for Early Entry slots to avoid wasting that time on attractions that are not yet running.

Having a clearer plan for medical contingencies: we coped fine, but it reinforced how important good travel insurance and a rough idea of where to go are.

Final Thoughts

No two Disney World trips look the same. Ours had its own shape: one adult, two children, a dance show, a mix of moderate and value resorts, early‑morning park time, lots of pool hours and a few carefully chosen “big” experiences.

For me, the most important thing was that it felt doable as the only adult, and that the girls came home with happy memories rather than an exhausted blur of queuing and rushing.

If you are thinking about a Walt Disney World holiday and would like help designing something that fits your family – whether that is on‑site, off‑site, villa, value or deluxe – I would love to talk through the options with you and put together a plan that feels exciting and realistic, rather than overwhelming.