A princess-themed Disney World trip plan

Lots and lots of parents look forward to taking their princess-loving children to Disney World to experience all of the fairy tale magic before the kids get older and move onto a new stage.

Disney World knows how popular princess stuff is and has gradually been adding more and more attractions for little princesses.

Here is a 7 day trip itinerary made especially for families looking for all of the princess goodness they can fit into one trip.

(It also includes non-princess stuff that most princess lovers will enjoy.)

Before you leave on your trip

Write a letter to a princess and the princess will send you an autographed postcard in return. You can write to any princess, you can send multiple letters if you have multiple children and there's no need to send postage.

This is a fun way to get your princess excited about their upcoming trip, though be aware that these are sometimes not returned or can take awhile.

Send your letter to the this address:

Walt Disney World Communications
P.O. Box 10040
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0040

Where to stay

There is a resort in each category - Value, Moderate and Deluxe - fit for a princess.

Value resort

Art of Animation, the Little Mermaid section

The Little Mermaid rooms are standard rooms with 2 double beds that accommodate up to 4 people. The theming is fantastic, including a Flippin' Fins swimming pool nearby at the Little Mermaid Courtyard.

Please note that these rooms are rarely part of promotions and are located the farthest from the main building.

Rooms start at $157/night.

Moderate resort

Port Orleans Riverside, the Royal Rooms

In early 2012, about 25% of the rooms (over 500) at Port Orleans Riverside were converted to Royal Rooms. Special touches like fiber optic special effects, ornate decorations, custom drapery and art adorn these newly refurbished rooms.

Please note that these rooms are not located in the Preferred buildings so it will be a bit of a walk to the main building.

The rooms start at $283/night.

 

Deluxe resort

The Grand Floridian

The Grand Floridian doesn't have rooms that are explicitly princess-themed, but the Victorian theming along with stained glass ceiling and chandeliers definitely make it feel very regal.

The Grand Floridian is also home to a couple of the princess-themed events listed below and is in a location fit for any princess - right on the monorail line, one stop away from Magic Kingdom.

Rooms start at $671/night.

There's also a daily event where Prince Charming and Cinderella dance in the Grand Floridian lobby. Kids are welcome to join in.

The plan below is just an example. Various things may take place at different times or need to be rearranged for your trip.

Day 1 - Arrival Day

On the first day of your trip, travel and check into your hotel.

For an extra special princess touch, consider getting a limo to transport you to your hotel from the airport.

Take time to get your room comfortable and explore the resort.

Dinner: 1900 Park Fare

Have dinner at 1900 Park Fare for Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner. This is a buffet-style meal at the Grand Floridian (where you can get Gummi Bears and sushi rolls - where else can you do that?).

Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia and Drizella are the characters at this meal (characters can vary and are subject to change). Make dining reservations well ahead of time for this dinner.

After dinner, return to your resort to relax and prepare for your first park day!

Day 2 - Magic Kingdom

Time for your first Magic Kingdom day!

Breakfast: Cinderella's Royal Table

Head to Magic Kingdom for an 8:00 breakfast in the castle at Cinderella's Royal Table. You'll enter the parks before they are open, giving you a perfect chance to take pics in front of the castle without any crowds.

Characters can vary but usually include Cinderella, Ariel, Aurora and Snow White.

My daughter at Cinderella's Royal Table when she was 10. She's graduated from college now. 🙁

You must make these reservations 6 months in advance because it's a very popular character dining meal. If you need help scoring this reservation, check out our post on how to snag hard to get dining reservations.

Morning Touring

Once you wrap up breakfast, you'll be ready to start touring.

Before arriving, you'll want to have FastPass+ reservations for Peter Pan's Flight, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Enchanted Tales with Belle.

After breakfast, ride Journey of the Little Mermaid and visit Ariel's Grotto.

Next, it's time to meet Merida. As you're facing the castle, the path to the right has an outdoor theater called the Fairytale Garden where you can meet Merida.

Spend some time riding rides in the area - Winnie the Pooh, Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, It's a Small World, Haunted Mansion - and then line up to meet the Fairy Godmother behind the castle (check My Disney Experience to verify when and if she is meeting).

Next, look for Lady Tremaine and the step sisters.

 

A photo posted by Dustin (@dustin_b_hayes) on Mar 15, 2016 at 5:59pm PDT

Head to Mad Tea Party to see Alice in Wonderland. You might find White Rabbit with her too. Often times the first people in line for their first meeting time get to ride the tea cups with them!

 

A photo posted by Dustin (@dustin_b_hayes) on Mar 1, 2016 at 6:56am PST

Lunch: Be Our Guest

Have a Quick Service lunch at Be Our Guest if you're able to score a lunch reservation (alternative suggestion: Columbia Harbour House). 

Be Our Guest is a Beauty and the Beast themed restaurant set in the Beast's castle. While no characters meet here during lunch, being able to dine inside of the castle is fun for any princess lover.

 

After lunch, head out for an afternoon of more characters and rides.

Afternoon/Evening Touring

After lunch possibilities:

• Use FastPass+ to ride Peter Pan’s Flight (suggested FastPass+ time: early afternoon)
• Use FastPass+ for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (38" height requirement, suggested FastPass+ time: early afternoon)
• Use FastPass+ for Enchanted Tales with Belle (suggested FastPass+ time: early afternoon)
• Visit Pete's Silly Sideshow to meet Daisy
• Meet Mickey and Minnie at Town Square Theater
• Visit Mickey's PhilharMagic
• Watch the Festival of Fantasy Parade
• End the night with the Happily Ever After fireworks

 

Day 3 - Epcot

Start off your Epcot day by attending the Princess Storybook Dining breakfast at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall which is located in Norway. Just like you did when having breakfast in the castle, you should try to get an 8 a.m. reservation here so that you enjoy an empty park and don't miss out on any touring time.

Since all of the princesses that you'll meet at Epcot are in the World Showcase section and the World Showcase section doesn't open until 11, you'll want to head to Future World after breakfast.

Make sure you have FastPass+ reservations ahead of time for Soarin' and 2 others like Spaceship Earth or Turtle Talk with Crush.

Visit attractions in this order:

• Test Track (40" height requirement)
• Sum of All Thrills (located in Innoventions East - 48" height requirement)
• Mission: Space (44" height requirement)
• The Seas with Nemo and Friends - including exploring the Living Seas and seeing Turtle Talk with Crush (suggested FastPass+ return time: 9:30-10:30)
• Living with the Land
• Ride Soarin' with FastPass+ (40" height requirement - suggested FastPass+ time: 10:30-11:30)
• Ride Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros in Mexico

Princesses in the World Showcase:

• Belle at the World Showcase France Pavilion
• Jasmine & Aladdin can be seen in the World Showcase Morocco Pavilion
• You can find Mulan at the World Showcase China Pavilion
• Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) can be seen in the World Showcase France Pavilion
• Snow White can be seen in the World Showcase Germany Pavilion

Other Epcot things to do:

• Explore all of the pavilions in the World Showcase. Agent P's World Showcase Adventure and/or buying a passport in a gift shop to be stamped in each country are fun ways to keep little ones interested in exploring all of the various countries.
• Visit Character Spot in Future World to meet Mickey, Minnie and Goofy in 1 part, and then Baymax, Joy and Sadness in the other Character Spot, just across the breezeway
• Spaceship Earth (located in the "golf ball," many head there first thing since it's at the front of the park, but I recommend visiting later and using a FastPass+ reservation)
• Explore Innoventions, including the Colortopia exhibit
• Club Cool has fun drinks, including those from around the world which are free to sample. The Beverly drink is disgusting so if you like to play jokes, encourage your family to try Beverly and watch their reactions.
• IllumiNations is the nighttime show that takes place on the water in the World Showcase section

Day 4 - Animal Kingdom

There isn't a lot of princess stuff going on at Animal Kingdom but Pocahontas meets frequently on Discovery Island Trail, near Galapagos Tortoise.

Mickey and Minnie are also available meet throughout the day at Adventurers Outpost.

There are many other characters available, but not any that would especially appeal to princess-lovers.

Have FastPass+ reservations ahead of time for Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest and Festival of the Lion King.

Get to the park about 30 minutes before it opens and then head to ride Primeval Whirl (48" height requirement) and TriceraTop Spin in DinoLand.

The Dinosaur ride is also located in DinoLand. It has a 40" height requirement which means a lot of kids will be tall enough to ride but it is a very scary ride so be aware of that.

Use FastPass+ to ride Expedition Everest (44" height requirement, suggested FastPass+ time: 9:30-10:30). Then ride Kali River Rapids (38" height requirement), see Flights of Wonder and make your way to Kilimanjaro Safaris to use your FastPass+ there (suggested FastPass+ time: 10:30-11:30).

Afterward, you might want to visit the nearby Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail and take the Wildlife Express Train to Rafiki's Planet Watch for the animal exhibits there (allow at least 30 minutes to visit Rafiki's Planet Watch).

It'll be about time to eat lunch and Harambe Market (Quick Service) and Tusker House (Table Service) are good nearby options.

For the rest of the day, find time to do these rides/shows:

• Maharajah Jungle Trek
• Finding Nemo - The Musical

Day 5 - Hollywood Studios

Disney's Hollywood Studios offers two princess-based shows, one featuring Ariel and another featuring Belle.

Before arriving, secure FastPass+ reservations for Toy Story Mania, Star Tours and The Frozen Sing-Along.

You'll want to arrive at Hollywood Studios around 8:15 or 8:30 and head to Toy Story Mania which isn't princess-themed but is 1 of the most popular ride at Disney World and fun for everyone. Either have a FastPass+ reservation *and* ride first thing (so you can ride twice during your visit) or have a FastPass+ to ride later in the day.

Afterward, you can see the Voyage of the Little Mermaid show and Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage. Check show times to see when they are available but usually VotLM begins shows at 9:15-9:30 a.m. and the first showing of Beauty and the Beast is usually at 11:00 (tip: grab a snack or Quick Service lunch and take it into the Beauty and the Beast show since food is allowed there).

For the rest of your day, these are good attractions to hit with younger kids (doesn't include Tower of Terror or Rock 'N' Roller Coaster but if you want to do those, use FastPass+ reservations and/or Rider Switch):

• Visit Star Tours with a FastPass+ reservation (40" height requirement)
• Use a FastPass+ for the Frozen Sing-Along
• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
• Disney Junior - Live on Stage
• The Great Movie Ride
• MuppetVision 3D
• Fantasmic (night show - scary for some children, does feature some princesses)
• Star Wars fireworks

Day 6 - Magic Kingdom

For your second day at Magic Kingdom, you'll meet the rest of the princesses and ride the rest of the rides that you didn't do on the first day.

Secure FastPass+ reservations for this day for the Cinderella/Rapunzel meet-and-greet, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.

Arrive before rope drop ("rope drop" is another name for park opening) and head to any must-do items that you want to repeat from the first day (particularly popular options like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train).

Near Sleepy Hollow Treats, get in line to meet Tiana at 9:30.

By the second hour the park is open:

• Ride Splash Mountain (40" height requirement)
• Head to the Splash Mountain exit to meet Jessie and Woody
• Ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with a FP+ (40" height requirement)
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Jungle Cruise
• Meet Aladdin and Jasmine near The Magic Carpets of Aladdin

Have a Quick Service lunch (suggestion: Columbia Harbour House) and then spend the rest of your day doing some of these things:

• Use a FastPass+ to meet Cinderella and Rapunzel (suggested FastPass+ time: early afternoon)
• Use a FastPass+ at Enchanted Tales with Belle (suggested FastPass+ time: early afternoon)
• Use a FastPass+ to ride Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (suggested FastPass+ time: afternoon) and visit other things in Tomorrowland such as Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor and ride the Tomorrowland Transit Authority
• The Festival of Fantasy Parade at 3:00 is an amazing sight and well worth seeing

You may also want to head to the castle for a princess makeover at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. This reservation should be made well ahead so try to do it 6 months in advance. Make the reservation for the afternoon so you don't miss out on morning opportunities in the parks.

You can get more information in this Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique review and tips. Since only the Castle Package includes a full costume, you can bring your own if you want to do one of the other packages.

The PhotoPass photographers take lots of pics, so you may want to consider purchasing Memory Maker for your trip.

Day 7 - Departure Day

Perfectly Princess Tea Party

On departure day, finish your princess trip off with a bang by attending the Perfectly Princess Tea Party with Sleeping Beauty at The Grand Floridian. This is offered on select days Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and some Saturdays from 9:00am-10:30am. Check in 15 minutes prior to reservation time.

Each guest aged 3-9 will receive a Princess Aurora collectible doll plus accessories: a tiara, silver princess bracelet, a princess necklace, a fresh rose, a princess cinch bag, and a "Best Friend" certificate.

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