I have zero business writing a guide to Disney World considering I’ve only been twice as an adult and only once with kids, but I can at least share my experience as an anxious human and mother with what worked for my family while we were there last year!

As we all well know by now, I suffer from anxiety, and traveling with my children and places that are crowded and overstimulating are two of my biggest triggers. So as you can imagine, this was a big deal for me.

If you’re planning a trip to Disney and your stomach is already in knots, this post is for you. Planning a family vacation and visiting Disney World for anxious adults is not the same as visiting Disney World as a carefree kid — it’s hot, crowded, overstimulating, and logistically intense. But it can still be magical! After visiting with our kids last year (and plenty of lessons learned the hard way), here’s my honest guide to surviving (and even enjoying!) Disney World with anxiety.

Note: There are a ton of logistical things to do before you go and while you’re there, and you can find all that info online. These tips are just about managing anxiety!

Disney World Anxiety Tips Before You Go

If you’re planning a trip to Disney World as an anxious adult, the biggest thing to remember is that you don’t have to do it the way everyone else does.

Tip 1: Don’t try to do it all

There are obviously several parks and experiences in Orlando, and I know a lot of people who visit and do multiple parks in a week. I think that is so awesome and such a cool experience for their kids, and I SO wish that I was the type of parent who could handle that. But alas, I am not.

So as a family we decided to do one day at Magic Kingdom and that is it. Because my kids are young (7 and 4), they had no idea what we were getting into so we didn’t get any pushback from them. When you’re navigating Disney World with anxiety, fewer plans almost always equals a better experience.

Tip 2: Pick your highlights ahead of time

One thing that really helped my Disney World anxiety was letting my kids choose their must-do experiences ahead of time. In the months leading up to our trip I showed my kids Youtube videos of all the rides and experiences and let them each choose 2 that they really wanted to see while we were there: Enchanted Tales with Belle and Seven Dwarves for Amalia and Buzz Lightyear and Tomorrowland Speedway for Luca. I told them that we would hit as many as we could but would prioritize what they wanted to do.

Tip 3: Know when to call it

Luca has pretty severe sensory issues with loud noises so we knew that he might not do great, but it was even worse than we imagined. He went on a total of two rides and cried for most of both of them (It’s a Small World and Peter Pan) because they were too loud. He was also terrified of Mickey when we went for a character meet so I decided to call it and have him head home right after lunch. One of the hardest parts of Disney World for anxious parents is knowing when to pivot, but it’s essential.

I felt super guilty about this decision at first because I didn’t want him to miss the magic, but he had the best afternoon swimming at our rental house with Anel and his grandparents and was not at all disappointed to leave.

Once we left, my anxiety went way down because I wasn’t worried about him anymore. I was able to focus on my daughter who had the “best day of her life” according to her!

Tip 4: Rent a double stroller

Disney World can be physically exhausting, especially for anxious adults who already feel overstimulated. Unless your kids are teenagers, rent a double stroller. There is a ton of walking and all of our friends suggested this before we went. Amalia told me she’d never sit in it but after 5 hours of walking and standing she gave in and I was so glad we had it.

On that note, we also rented an electric scooter for my mom who can’t walk very well and although we thought it was crazy for a minute, it was such a blessing to have it for her.

Tip 5: Stay off property

There are so many cool Disney hotels but when Anel and I went (before Amalia was born, don’t ask lol) and stayed at one, we felt overwhelmed by how crowded it was so we decided to rent a house nearby (check it out here) with my sister and her family, my in-laws, and my mom, so that we could cook meals at home and get the kiddos to bed at a normal time each night.

This was maybe the best decision of our whole trip because the house was awesome (as are many Orlando rentals) and all of the kids were so happy splashing in the pool most of the days. It was also great to not have to worry about making a dinner reservation every night! If crowds heighten your anxiety at Disney World, staying off property can be a game changer.

Tip 6: Use the My Disney Experience app to order food

One of my biggest Disney World anxiety tips is to minimize waiting whenever possible. Download the Disney app before you go (you will need for Lightening Passes and more) and 20 minutes before you’re ready to eat anywhere, order your meal on the app and go pick it up once it’s ready. It saved lots of time and meltdowns. I have a weird thing about my kids and eating because they both get HANGRY when not properly fed so this eased a lot of that stress for me.

Tip 7: Take breaks

If you’re prone to overstimulation, Disney World requires intentional breaks. Once you’re there it can feel like you have to keep going going going, but get a churro or popcorn or ice cream and sit for 20 minutes between meals. It made a huge difference in keeping all of our kids happy, calm, and fed!

Tip 8: Set a price or item limit before you go

I got this tip from my assistant Rachel who had just gone to Disney a few weeks before us. Almost every single ride ends with a gift shop. And the merch is phenomenal. We told our kids you can get one piece of clothing and one toy each so they wouldn’t whine about wanting everything they saw. Disney World is designed to tempt you at every turn, which can feel especially overwhelming if you’re already anxious. It helped to set this expectation before we even got there.

Tip 9: Bring anything that calms you down

This might be the most important tip for Disney World for anxious adults: whether it’s CBD, a fidget toy, headphones, rescue remedy gummies (highly recommend), or Xanax — bring whatever you need to calm down. Whatever you need to be your calmest happiest self is ok (within reason obviously). I talked about this with my therapist at length before our trip and she agreed.

Tip 10: Make time to relax the next day

A Disney World day can be a lot on your nervous system. If you have anxiety, you know that overstimulation can be completely exhausting. When I woke up the next morning, even after 9 hours of sleep, I felt totally drained. Luckily we had nothing planned so I could relax for most of the day.

Tip 11 : Remember to have fun!

The irony of being an anxious adult at Disney World is that you want it to be magical so badly that you almost ruin it for yourself. That must sound so insane for anyone without anxiety but, sadly, it’s my reality. This is really silly, but try setting alarms on your phone or watch that say take a deep breath and smile, because once I did that every hour, I was able to see the day through my daughter’s eyes and get out of my own head, even if just for a few minutes.

The other way I did this was by peeling off from the group for a bit with my sister to ride Tron (an insane new roller coaster that was THE MOST FUN EVER) and it was a blast to just scream and laugh with her and act like little kids again.

If you’re considering Disney World as an anxious parent, know that it’s possible to enjoy it — but only if you plan it in a way that works for your nervous system. You don’t have to do all four parks! You don’t have to stay until fireworks! You don’t have to prove anything! You just have to protect your peace.

What Helped Ease My Anxiety at Disney World

• Wipes and hand sanitizer: We read a lot about how people were getting sick after being at the park so we went a little nuts
• Ears: We bought ours online before we went. If you buy them at the park they are $35+/pair which adds up if everyone wants one.
• Portable phone charger: I promise you will need this. You can also buy them there if you forget.
• Water bottles: We were able to fill them up multiple times.
• Extra snacks: Obviously…
• Tylenol/Advil: If you’re over the age of 35, you will 100% need this halfway through your day lol