Episode #4: How to Plan the Ultimate Family Disney Vacation (with Expert Rachel Ngeam)
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I'm excited to welcome Rachel Ngeam, a wife, mom of two boys, and Disney travel expert whose passion for helping families plan magical vacations began during her time in the Disney College program at Walt Disney World. Working as a cast member gave her a behind the scenes look at just how overwhelming Disney trips can feel for many families and inspired her to take the stress out of the process so her clients can focus on making magical memories together.
Whether it's Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, or Adventures by Disney, specializes in personalized planning and insider tips that make every Disney vacation unforgettable. Rachel helped my family plan a Disney World trip for New Year's 2024, and I can say firsthand just how helpful and valuable she is in making sure a family Disney trip can be as stress-free as possible.
Below is the conversation between me and Rachel!
Jacq: Can you share a little bit about your journey and what a Disney travel expert is?
Rachel:
I grew up knowing, you know, I was a little girl who loved princesses and my family took me to Disney, but it wasn't until the Disney College program that I really got a firsthand experience with the company and I interacted with guests every day and that is where I really realized how confusing and overwhelming a Disney trip could be for so many families. The questions that I was asked on a daily basis, I worked in Magic Kingdom and attractions, so I was interacting with guests a lot during my time there. And that really led me to where I am today. I want to be able to help plan with families and prepare them properly because even, mean, this was, I worked at Disney in 2010, 2011, and even from then to now, the changes that have occurred, especially with technology, it's even more overwhelming and it even requires more from families and especially that point of contact, whether it be a mom or a dad to really take on the role of preparing your family for a Disney trip. I really felt a calling to help and to use my knowledge that I've acquired over the years to do that for families.
My family at Disneyland!
Jacq: So what are some of like the biggest pain points that you've seen families struggling with when it comes to planning a Disney vacation?
Rachel:
So you really can't just walk into the park and be ready to go. I mean, a lot of it is on the app now. So preparing your app, linking your reservations. you want to have any kind of dining reservations, that's something that you need to plan ahead of time, like 60 days ahead of time.
And then lightning lanes, like you said, now you're able to make pre-selections. So if you want lightning lanes, you have to be ready a week in advance of your trip to log on at 7 a.m. and be ready to select those. So I really think that, and then to add to that, there are a lot of Facebook groups out there and Google.
Some of the information can be helpful, but some of it's overwhelming and some of it is wrong information. So I feel like having just me as a point of contact really can help, like I said, just limit the overwhelming feeling of like, what do I do next? Where do I start? I walk you through everything step by step. I don't throw all the information at you at one time.
I really feel like the struggle is just not knowing where, like what steps need to be done beforehand instead of just like showing up and to go to my first ride that I see kind of thing.
Jacq: So how do your planning services help kind of take away that stress and make the process easier for parents?
Rachel:
Every travel agent is different, but the way that I kind of present it is we kind of just move step by step. First we start, like we'll discuss dates and a lot of times when families come to me, they have a specific date in mind, but sometimes, you know, people will throw out a couple different dates and ask me my opinion on, you know, is this time of the year better than this time of the year?
When do you recommend going? So that's something that we discuss. The length of stay, how many park days. This is kind of like the beginning stages of planning, talking about what I would recommend as far as park days, which like what parks are good for, let's say, if someone has like a six and a seven year old or maybe an older child, teenage years.
what parks I would recommend for different families and how many park days. That's also a question that I get a lot. I personally, I've been to Walt Disney World so many times. If you want to make it a week long thing, you definitely can and I have done it with my family multiple times. I personally love making Walt Disney World a week trip, but a question I get a lot is like, ‘what do I do on the days I'm not going to the park?’ And I feel like that is when you can really make it a vacation. You don't have to go to the park every day. There's so much to do around the Walt Disney World Resort to really make it feel like a vacation. The pools, amenities from Disney Springs, you can go to Circle D Ranch where Cinderella's courses are. They have pony rides. I mean, the resorts have a great schedule too. Like they do movies out on the lawn. There's really so much that Walt Disney World offers that we kind of get into that a little bit. And then we talk about resorts. What resort would work best for your family?
Do you have five people in your family, four people in your family? There's some great resorts that offer a fifth sleeper room, which is great when you have a larger family. But some resorts don't offer that. And then there's resorts in the Magic Kingdom area. Do you want to prioritize that park over, would you rather prioritize Hollywood Studios and Epcot? If that is the case, then...
We talk about Skyliner Resorts, which is a great form of transportation if you want to prioritize those parks.
And then a big thing, a big thing is ticket type. So we have base tickets for park hopper tickets. This is discussed a lot among me and my families that I work with.
ticket is best for your family? Do I really need a park hopper ticket or would I be better off getting a base ticket? For my younger families, I personally recommend base tickets. I like to focus on one park per day, especially with younger kids. I'm not going to, you know, pick up my kids in the middle of the day and park hop to another park, but...
Some families want that and some families like that flexibility. So that's something we can discuss when we're talking about the details. then once we get everything booked, then that's when we get into the fun part, like the app. I will introduce the app to you and help you get that set up. You wanna link everything correctly because that's important when it comes to dining reservations and lightning lane selections. So we'll make sure that everything is set up and ready to go and everyone is linked in there with their tickets. Then we get into dining reservations, which are pretty, some restaurants are pretty popular and the reservations can go fast. Right now Disney opens up reservations 60 days in advance at 6 a.m. Eastern time. So I know this is helpful. I do this for my clients. This is a service that I offer. So I know it's really helpful for clients on the West Coast like yourself. You don't have to wake up early and stress about getting those reservations that you want. That's something I take care of. And then also any extras like Bibbidi-Babbidi Boutique for any princesses that want a princess makeover or Disney offers VIP tours. That's something I book as well. And then also fun extras like a fireworks cruise. Disney offers that as well as Magic Kingdom. have a barber shop on Main Street. So it's fun when I get little ones like that haven't had their first haircut yet, we could schedule their first haircut at the the barbershop on Main Street. And then in addition to all of that, like if you need airport transportation, if you're flying and you need to get from the airport to the Disney bubble, I help with that. I have some great companies that I've used firsthand that I personally recommend. And stroller rentals, stuff you don't really think about. I personally don't like to bring my bulky stroller when I'm traveling with my kids. The luggage is enough to take care of. So that's something else you can consider. It's pretty affordable to actually rent a stroller for your stay. So that's something we can talk about in addition to all the other details.
Something else that I do continually is I deal monitor. So I get a question. I get this question a lot. Like should I book now, especially let's say for 2026, should I book now or should I wait for like the packages to go on sale? My recommendation is to always book early because you get the best resort selection. And then if say Disney does release a promotion that applies to your dates, I'm able to apply that promotion when it comes out, which ultimately saves you money off of your original package. So that's called deal monitoring. I continually do that for you so you don't have to worry about like if you booked it on your own, you would have to, that would be on you to call in and try to get a promotion applied to your own package. So that's how.
And then the fun stuff that I get to email towards when we get closer to your trip is like I do personalized park guides, which has a bunch of different information about the parks, my tips and tricks, where I like to go to eat quick service at, where I recommend starting at in the park. What lightning lanes I would go for first, little things like that you don't think of, transportation tips. There's a lot of information packed into that guide, as well as a lightning lane guide, which is kind of like my baby. I'm really a fan of lightning lanes. I think it's important to budget for that, just because it really does maximize your time in the park and you're spending money on this vacation and I want you to get done. You can't do it all, of course, but I want my families to experience as much as possible. And that all goes back into planning and the importance of planning and being prepared and being confident when you walk into the park, having a plan and knowing what you're gonna do. And then the best part is the, so I don't just leave you high and dry.
I have a family this week that's in the park and I offer in-park support. So when you're a client of mine, you have my phone number. I got a text this morning asking, she asked me a last minute question about park hopping. And so I was able to answer that and I was able to help her with modifying a lightning lane time. So I don't leave you high and dry. I will help you throughout the entire process, even when you're in the park. I'm a resource. Of course, cast members are great and they're there to help you. But if you needed to send me a text message or if you needed help in the app, I'm always here to help.
Jacq: What does using your services or working with you, what does that look like?
Rachel:
I get this question a lot. I'll have somebody reach out to me and then I'll explain kind of what I do, which I just explained all the details of how I can help families plan a Disney trip. And the question that comes after that email usually is, that sounds great. How much do you charge?
It's actually like most travel agents that specialize in Disney, we don't charge anything. Disney actually pays us a small commission when we book trips or tickets. So my services are totally free to you. So if you were to, let's say, get on the Disney website and book your stay at a resort with your tickets.
your price doing it on your own will be the exact same price as me doing it for you. But when you do it with me, then you get my help and we're able to work together. And I can be as hands-on as you want me to. So a lot of times I'll get like a planner that loves to plan everything, like type A, kind of like me. And they'll be a little bit nervous because they feel like I'm taking away their planning ability. But we can just literally work alongside each other and help each other, bounce ideas off of each other. And if you want to do dining reservations yourself, great. Or if we can tag team it, that's even better. If you have a long list of requests that you want to do, we could tag team it. like you said, it's really like having a Disney bestie to work alongside, but yes, I don't cost a thing to you.
Jacq: What are some of your favorite insider tips to try to make your Disney trip smoother with kids along for the ride?
Rachel:
So with kids, I always recommend, so if you, I 100 % recommend staying on site if you can. And on site, I mean at one of the Disney resorts. It makes it easier for the transportation if you need to do, I tell my clients with kids, don't be afraid to do a midday break. Especially when you're staying at one of the Disney resorts, it's easy to get back to your resort, take advantage of that pool. Don't feel like you have to push your kids to kind of stay from open to close in the park that full, however many amount of hours that is. ⁓ I find it best when I take my kids. We go, my kids wake up early, so we're rope droppers, we go early and we stay until a little bit after lunch and then we take that midday break and then we're recharged and we're ready to go and it helps them last until the evening. I find more value in having a lunch reservation, a sit down, a table service lunch reservation. It's a great way to kind of just sit, recharge, get the little ones bellies full. So you prevent that meltdown. I've noticed a lot of people if they try to push through that lunch around like two o'clock, that's when the meltdowns happen. So I find a lot of value if you're not gonna take a midday break. And maybe every day you don't need to take a midday break if you decide that's not best for your family.
And then I always have my bag full of lollipops. I always said, yes, I always have like either like some lollipops or like the little bags of gummy bears or something like that. Something I can grab quickly and I don't have to, you know, be like, do you want some ice cream? Let's go, you know, try to find some ice cream. That way you'll have something you can just pull out real quick.
Jacq: What have you found are some simple ways that families can save money and really kind of maximize their budget for a Disney trip?
Rachel:
I feel like everything is expensive nowadays. But Disney, they do a great job going back to the resorts. So there's three different categories. There's value resorts, there's moderate resorts, and then there's deluxe resorts. And the value resorts are a great way to save money, especially when you are just looking for a place to sleep.
And in addition to that, the value resorts have awesome theming. So they are so fun for little ones. they are very, they've most all of them actually have been recently renovated.
So the value resorts, there's one of them that actually has a family suite. So all-star music. So if you needed something a little bit bigger than just a hotel room with two beds, they have options at the value resorts that are cost-effective. Disney's always releasing promotions, but not a lot of people realize that after you've already booked, you can actually go back and modify to get those savings. And then don't be afraid. Yes, there's a lot of great restaurants and character dining, but you don't have to do that. That's not something that you're gonna miss out on if you don't do if If that doesn't work for your family if you don't have those extra funds that is okay There are some great like I said quick service and we even talked about you know having a place to stay but in my park guides I do mention a lot of the quick services around the different parks that have some good seating or have like a big area that you are more likely to find a seat in so that's something that I will include in my park guides. Don't be afraid to get the kids meal. Like I personally order the kids meals at a lot of the places that I like. They don't just have like macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets. A lot of these quick service places have just a smaller portion of like an adult meal. So there's some great quick service kids meal options out there and that.
That helps you save money and if you want to pack your own food, Disney allows you to do that too. So don't be afraid to do that as well. That would save a lot of money.
You do not want to buy water bottles in the Disney parks. A lot of the quick service restaurants, so they will give you free cups of water. So don't feel like you need to spend a lot of money on bottle waters. But like you said, I feel like there are ways to save in some areas so you're able to splurge in other areas. Like if you wanted to stay at a value resort, but eating, you know, a one character meal or one sit down meal a day was important to you because you stayed at a value resort, you're able to do that. Or if you wanted, I have families that, you know, want to go for just the resort stay. That's always an option too. If you want to splurge on your resort and just have like a little weekend getaway and do the Disney water park.
That's an option too. Don't feel like a Disney trip has to look like a resort stay plus four-day tickets plus a memory maker plus, you know, princess dining. It doesn't have to look like that every time. There's no right or wrong way to do Disney. Disney can be... It can look different every time you go. But yeah, I just helped a family. They just wanted to do a little weekend getaway and they stayed at a moderate resort and they took advantage of the free water park on your check-in day. So they went to the water park and then they enjoyed the resort and ⁓ they went to Disney Springs. So they made maybe made a little trip out of it without even stepping foot in one of the four main parks.
Jacq: Can you just touch a little bit on what are some other options that families could do for vacations outside of the Disney parks?
Rachel:
Disney Cruise Line is probably my biggest seller outside of the Disney parks. and Disney Cruise Line, just keep adding more and more ships. I don't know if you have been keeping up with it, but they are pretty amazing. They're getting ready to add a new one coming this fall, it's the Disney Destiny, but they just released the Disney Treasure. But they have cruises, they go to the Bahamas, Caribbean, they go over Europe, in Europe there's cruise options to Alaska, to Mexico, there are so many itinerary options in the Disney Cruise Line.
So that is another vacation option that I do help families with. And there's a lot that goes into planning that. It's a little bit different, but there are still important dates that you need to be mindful of. Lots of different activities, port adventures that you can book. And some of them are go fast, adult dining, the kids clubs, making sure you have all the information you need to sign your kids up for the kids clubs. Another really popular selection or not really selection experience. Another really popular experience with the Disney Cruise Line is what they call the Royal Gathering, which it doesn't cost a thing, but you have to have a reservation for it. And that is when you get to meet some of the Disney princesses.
It's a character meet and greet, but I can't tell you how many people I saw on the Disney cruise that I went on last year. I went on the Disney Wish that walked up to the cast member and they wanted to get in line, but they were turned away because you have to reserve it 30 days in advance of your cruise. Yeah. So you have to have a reservation even though it doesn't cost anything. You have to have a reservation to meet the princesses. Now there are a ton of characters around the cruise, ⁓ around the ship throughout the cruise that you can meet, but this royal gathering, you have to have a reservation. But yeah, I felt for all the people that I saw that they didn't know, you know? It's just like little details like that.
Jacq: If I have a family vacation budget of $10,000. Should we go to Disney World or should we do a Disney Cruise? How would you answer that question?
Rachel:
So if they're asking about Disney World and a Disney cruise, they're probably gonna be going out of Port Canaveral. So I would recommend a land and sea vacation. So I would recommend doing a little bit of, and it doesn't have to be a long stay at Disney World, but with a $10,000 budget, we could do a Disney World stay and then,
Disney offers transportation right on over to the port. They make it so easy. And when you use Disney transportation, you get an earlier port arrival time. So you're actually able to get on the ship earlier than everybody else. So we can get them set up with that coming from their Disney resort. And then they can enjoy a Disney cruise. That's the ultimate vacation in my opinion and with the $10,000 budget I would say Disney World and a Disney Cruise put it together Yeah Best of both worlds and I like doing the cruise after Disney World because that way you can do Disney World and then you can kind of just relax
Jacq: So for like a family of four or five, what is like a ballpark budget that you would think a family would need to like even just to stay in a value and do a few days at Disney?
Rachel:
I feel like it varies depending on the time of year. I would say a good budget would be probably around $3,500 for a Disney World trip. Yeah. No, I would say $3,500 to, and that's more so like value, maybe $3,500 to $5,000 to give you more of a of a range. Yeah. Right. Yeah. And then depending on activities and what you want to add on. But if you wanted like if you wanted to dining plan, then maybe a little bit more. But yes, for like a basic like package for like a resort and tickets and memory maker, I would say about 3500 to 5000 for a family of four.
Jacq: Where can families connect with you if they want you to help them plan their next Disney vacation? Or if they just have questions and want to chat further?
Rachel:
The best way and the easiest way to connect with me is via Instagram. You can find me @queue.the.magic over on Instagram. I have a link that you can follow if you want to fill out my quote request form of kind of what you were thinking with your trip details and I usually respond within 24 hours and then we can start chatting.
Jacq:
Rachel, thank you so much for joining me today and sharing your love of Disney and all the ways that you're helping families make the most of their vacations. I know our listeners are walking away with some great insights and hopefully the confidence to make their next Disney trip even more magical.
You can email Rachel at: simplemagicrachel@gmail.com to connect!
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