Insider Secrets From an Expert Disney Trip Planner Couple

In-the-know tips for Disney devotees and newbies alike

an illustration of a couple surronded by items related to vacation

As vacation planners specializing in Disney properties, Lisa and Steve Griswold share insights gained over their decades-long history with the theme park, which includes internships, countless family trips and a weekly podcast called “Mouse Chat.”

Amber Day

As told to

Berit Thorkelson,

AARP

Published June 05, 2026

Key takeaways

Disney bookings can be repriced if a better promotion appears after you reserve, potentially saving you hundreds of dollars.
Tools such as mobile food ordering, mobility rentals and Disney character breakfasts reduce lines and fatigue.
Disney cruises offer fewer crowds, flexible pacing and separate spaces for adults and kids that parks can’t match.

When Steve and Lisa Griswold met and began dating, they bonded over the fact that they’d each interned at Walt Disney World in the 1990s. He’d been in bell services at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, the brand’s flagship luxury property. She was in merchandising at the Magic Kingdom and earned an extra 15 cents an hour manually embroidering names onto the brand’s iconic mouse ear hats. Years later, they married and had two daughters, two more wonderful reasons to begin revisiting “The Most Magical Place On Earth.”

In 2010, the Griswolds founded Pixie Vacations, specializing in Disney destinations, which has since earned the Disney seal of approval in the form of the coveted EarMarked by Disney Authorized Travel Agency designation. They also have a weekly Disney- and travel-focused podcast called Mouse Chat. Now in their 50s — Steve is 57 and Lisa is 55 — the couple has visited Disney properties countless times. “We’ve done it the cheapest way, the most expensive way, like every different way that I think you can do it,” Steve says.

Here, the Griswolds share their insights to help you make the most of your Disney vacation.

This “As told to” interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Look for promos post-booking, too

Lisa: If a better offer comes along after you’ve booked your trip, your travel agent or Disney reservations can change your booking to reflect the new pricing with the promo. It could be a discount or a value-add, but either way, it’s better than what you had before at full price. If a client’s booked with us, we look automatically. We’ll call you up and say, “Hey — $500 saved.” If you book directly with Disney, check on the Disney consumer website’s special offers page from time to time.

Breakfast is the least expensive Disney-character meal option, and it’s a great way to kick off the day — no long meet-and-greet line necessary.

Amber Day

A smart start

Steve: It’s awesome to do one of the character meals first thing. You get everybody up early and you’re getting like four characters that come to your table, so you’re knocking that out, not waiting in a 45-minute line in the park. And breakfast is the cheapest way to do a character meal, versus doing a lunch or dinner.

Lisa: If you have the first breakfast reservation of the day and it’s in the park, you get into the park early. They do make sure you go straight to your dining location, but you’ve got an empty park, and it’s kind of magical.

Mobility scooters can be helpful for grandparents and kids alike. Rent them from an outside vendor so that you don’t have to turn them in at the end of your day at the park.

Amber Day

Use an off-site scooter rental company

Lisa: If you’re debating getting a scooter or a stroller, the answer is yes— even if you think little kids are old enough and have been walking for three years on their own. If Grandpa resists, that’s where you say, “Let’s just spoil you. Let’s splurge.” It makes it easier for everyone. If you’ve got grandparents and young ones, you might not need the stroller, because I can’t tell you how many kids will pile on Grandma’s scooter. If they’re OK with it, the kids are covered as well.

If you rent when you get into a park, you also have to leave it before you exit. There are many different companies that will rent you a scooter or stroller that you can have at your hotel, take into the park, then take back out onto the bus or ferry boat to go back to your hotel, so you have it the entire time.

First time? Stick to the parks

Lisa: There’s no way you can get it all in on the first trip. If it’s a one-and-done — like, this is the one trip you’re going to do, multi-gen, and everyone’s there — you might try to incorporate one special thing. But if no one’s been to the parks, the parks are going to keep you busy sunup to sundown and beyond. You want to keep it reasonable. Otherwise, you start getting into the exhaustion.

A lesser-known feature of Disney’s app: food preordering, which lets you skip concession lines.

Amber Day

Skip long food lines

Lisa: Once, we decided to make all our meals in order to get nicer accommodations, to the point that we bought a loaf of bread and some peanut butter and jelly and were making sandwiches at Disney Springs. But if you do buy food in the park, use the Disney app to place mobile orders. It is amazing. We did that on our last trip.

Steve: Yeah, the mobile order is one of the few things that is in the app that people don’t know about. So it’s nice because you’ll be walking through the Magic Kingdom [Park], and you’ll be like, “Oh, I want one of those chocolate waffles with all the fruit on it.” And then you just order and pay for it on your phone while you’re [waiting for] a ride or whatever. And then you just walk up to the window and pick it up and go, or grab a table. It’s for meals, too. It’s much easier.

Hot tip

Lisa: People don’t realize how stinking hot it is — the asphalt retains the heat. And with the crowds, it’s like an incubator to trigger grumpiness. I take shortcuts through the shops just because 30 seconds of air-conditioning can do wonders for your attitude.

Free water

Lisa: I bring a refillable water bottle, because all the quick-service restaurants that have fountain drinks have free water. It’s nice and cold. You put your flavoring in, your protein powder, and you’re good.

Top choices among the upgrades

Steve: There are endless things to do [at Disney World]. There’s golf, spas, horseback riding, a Disney-themed Cirque du Soleil show. We just did a podcast on the top 10 extras that people pay for. One of the number ones is the Hoop-Dee-Doo [Musical] Revue, which is a dinner show since the 1970s, over at [Disney’s] Fort Wilderness [Resort & Campground]. It’s about a two-hour, all-you-can-eat, fun dinner show, which is great for families, kids, all ages. One of the other top ones was Wild Africa Trek, over at [Disney’s] Animal Kingdom [Theme Park]. You get to walk on a rickety rope bridge over the crocodiles to go over and feed the hippos. And then you go on a safari in your own private vehicle with the group, and then they take you out to a little hut where you have lunch in the savanna area, where all the animals are.

Save to splurge

Lisa: As we understand it, statistics show that people who take the [Disney Private] VIP Tour stay at one of the value resorts. So they get the cheapest hotel room, but they spend the money on the experience. The tour accommodates up to 10 guests — babies count; everyone counts — but they are costly. They’re going to be seven to eight hours or more, and they’re going to be [somewhere around] $4,500 to $6,500 for that tour, plus ticket and tip. But they will meet you in the park, or they’ll pick you up at your hotel, and then you get backstage access to all the rides. You’re not wasting time. It’s true VIP service.

Steve: If you want to do all four parks, they’ll have a van hidden behind the scenes. We’ve come in and gone on like two rides at Animal Kingdom, and they’ll pull up right behind it; then you’ll get out and ride the ride, then you’ll get in the van and go to the other park. They have snacks and ice cream. They’ll get you special seating for the fireworks and different shows. It’s very hard, once you take your family on that, to do it any other way.

It’s free to go resort-hopping

Lisa: You are welcome to go visit any resort.

Steve: You don’t have to be staying there. You can shop at all the stores. You can get a dining reservation at [Disney’s] Polynesian [Village Resort] or go to Trader Sam’s tiki bar, then hang out on the [resort’s] beach and watch the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom. [As of June 2026, the Polynesian is undergoing renovations.] And [Disney’s] Wilderness Lodge is great during the holidays, because they’ve got this huge lobby with a Christmas tree. Sometimes it’s fun just to go from resort to resort on the monorail and get different drinks or snacks.

Lisa: You can’t go swim in their pools, though. If you’re staying at one of the value resorts, you can’t just hop on over to a deluxe resort and use their huge, awesome pool.

Consider a cruise

Lisa: As someone who’s over 50, if I had the choice between Disney World and a Disney cruise, I’m doing the cruise. There’s something for everyone. You’re not on top of each other all day. Oh my gosh, the shows! You’ve got your characters, you’ve got phenomenal food. There’s a lot more flexibility. Everyone can kind of go in their own direction and still be very happy.

Steve: There’s a limited number of people on the ship, so the crowds are less. You might just walk up to a character and start talking to him. Our daughters would go to the kids club and be like, “Yeah, Tinker Bell came in, and she lost her pixie dust, and we had to help her find it.” So they do these individual experiences, and you would never get that at a theme park. And there’s plenty of adult things to do, like an adult-only section with swimming pools, and a great coffee place.

Maintain perspective

Lisa: I think it’s important to remember that the vacation will not be perfect. Things do go wrong in Disney World, and you have to take them in stride. You’re spending so much money and investing so much time and planning and getting there. You've got to keep moving on. Make the best of it, because if you let one thing spoil your day, or Mickey Mouse went in right before you get to meet him, you know what? Go find Goofy.

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The key takeaways were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.

Berit Thorkelson is a travel writer and editor for aarp.org. She has also written for publications such as National Geographic Traveler, Better Homes & Gardens and The Minnesota Star Tribune’s travel section.