My family of 5 travelled to Disney World at the end of August 2026. This was our first Disney World trip! I did a lot of research online prior to our trip, learned a lot while we travelled, and want to share that with other families looking for tips. We stayed at Port Orleans – Riverside in one of the newly renovated Magnolia Bend rooms and we loved it! Our kids were 6, 4, and 2 so we used a pack n play for my youngest in the room. We would not hesitate to visit this resort again.
Port Orleans – Riverside
We stayed at Disney’s Port Orleans – Riverside, and I shared all the details of our stay in my full resort review! If you are considering this resort for your own Disney vacation, read my Port Orleans – Riverside review here.
Stroller
We rented the Zoe trio from Stroller Now. They communicated via text message to coordinate pick up and drop off at the hotel. You must meet them in person. They were on time, stroller was clean, and in great condition. The stroller was easy to push around the park, even with the kids in it, and broke down easily. It included a large parent console, 3 small stroller fans, and a stroller rain cover. We opted to rent Ryobi fans as well to have something a little stronger. The price was only about $150 for the stroller and 4 Ryobi fans for the week. I would 100% use them again!
Necessities
Ryobi fans, cooling towels, water shoes for kids (there are water play areas at all 3 parks in addition to things like Journey of Water at Epcot), change of clothes for everyone including socks, Camelback backpack to always have lots of water and take in lines for rides (no need to carry water bottles), good walking sandals for the adults when it downpours (Teva), side stroller storage bags, chafing sticks, a couple small hand towels for wiping sweat or other random spills, and zippered bags for organizing your supplies. You can access my more extensive packing list here.
Weather
For how much people talked about the heat online I was prepared for it to be brutal in August. We did not experience that. We are from Wisconsin so we are used to the humidity, but also cold weather so I was concerned it might be unbearable. We did get lucky with a milder day at Magic Kingdom (high only hit 87), but our other days hit anywhere from 92 to 95 for a high with a “feels like” of over 100 in the afternoons. It was hot, but cooling towels were a lifesaver for the adults and kids. We used the smaller Ryobi fans (one for each kid and one for the adult pushing the stroller) and we found that to be sufficient. We actually left our misting fans at the room after our first day cause it seemed like we had too many fans. There is so much air conditioning everywhere that you never have to be outside for long. Animal Kingdom had the least amount of indoor escapes during the day and it never rained that day, which made it feel hotter for us.
We had a couple thunderstorms on park days which cooled us down and also disrupted our plans a little. We came prepared with a stroller rain cover and ponchos and mentally prepped the kids for possible rain and storms. No one complained and we remained flexible. A few things we wanted to see got cancelled due to the storms – daytime parade at Magic Kingdom, castle show at Magic Kingdom, and fireworks at Epcot. These were things we were looking forward to seeing, but we didn’t let it ruin the day. During this time of year, accepting the rain and the change of plans seems to be very important. On our Animal Kingdom day and one of our pool days at the resort it never rained so it’s hard to predict what you will get. The rain often seemed to come out of nowhere too. I wouldn’t rely on the weather app too much. If you are going into a building and expect to be in there for a while, it’s a good idea to cover your stroller just in case.
We had two good downpours while at the parks. Everything was wet. Stroller covers only help so much and we chose to keep going instead of hide inside the entire time as long as the lightning was not too close. We used the zippered waterproof white mesh bags on Amazon that everyone recommends and although these were great for organizing, they are not truly waterproof in a Florida downpour. I suggest double bagging your stuff in a plastic zip lock and the white mesh bag if you are trying to protect something important. You have to just go with it and be positive!
I share more information about what we actually wore to survive the August Florida heat here.
Transportation
We rented a vehicle at the airport and I’m not sure if we would do that again! We brought 3 car seats with us on the plane, which was a lot to deal with when we arrived and had to set them all up in our rental vehicle. Bus transportation was so smooth and was a bit faster to get into the parks verses waiting to get in with the cars in line, park, get out, and walk to the entrance. My kids all slept a little later in the mornings than I thought they would and I chose not to wake them up and let them sleep instead. I would consider driving ourselves to the park if we stayed late for fireworks because it was stressful getting on the bus at Epcot at 9:30pm with tired kids. I had to carry two sleeping kids and our bag of stuff while my husband handled the triple stroller. My oldest was hanging on by a thread and was not in the mood to help us with our items. I think next time I would pay a little more and use a Minnie Van or private transportation from the airport. I did not feel that we got enough use out of our vehicle.
Security
Navigating security to get into the park was very easy. You should hold items like portable chargers, phones, glasses cases, and stainless steel water bottles in your hands so they can see them. These are the kind of things that set off their alarms and if they cannot see the items, they will pull you aside to search your bag. Do not put too much in the stroller or they will have to dig through it and this will make it take longer. My husband waited in the stroller line and me and the kids walked through the normal line. Disney security asks that you split up to make the lines more efficient. We only put fans, water bottles and bubble wands in it and then I walked through with our large bag of all our other supplies. My husband got through the line quickly when it was his turn but other people they were having to dig through their entire stroller and holding up the line.
Rest Days
We never did afternoon breaks at the resort. My 2 year old fell asleep in the stroller one day and the other two days she was a trooper and stayed awake until we got back to the resort. You should do what works for your family. My husband and I could not stand the idea of packing up our entire stroller, getting back on the bus, going to the resort to try to rest for a couple hours and then go back and do it all over again. The days flew by so fast and we would have accomplished way less if we did that. Do what you think will work best for you. Some swear by afternoon breaks, others power through all day. We did take breaks to play in the water areas, sit down and have ice cream, and watch shows. We also had a sit down character meal at each park, which was a great break for everyone for a late breakfast/early lunch. That worked perfect for our family. Take everyone’s advice and form your own plan based on what you know will work for you. We did have a rest day between two park days (arrival day late on Friday, pool day Saturday, MK Sunday, AK Monday, pool day and Disney Springs Tuesday, Epcot Wednesday, flying home Thursday).
Food
We did the dining plan with table service and it was a steal considering we didn’t have to pay for any of our kids with the kids eat free promo for 2026. When you are close to the restaurant, check in for your reservation on the app (you have a 15 minute grace period). You’ll get a text when your table is ready and there is no need to go check in with anyone if you check in on the app. We never did early morning sit down meals, all of our meals were around 9:45am to 11am. This worked out perfect because we could get into the park and get a few rides done first. The kids loved every character meal we did and we enjoyed the break to sit down for an hour. We pulled out the phones so the kids could watch a movie while we finished our meal in peace after they were done eating.
We mobile ordered all quick service meals. When you place your order you will pick an arrival window, and this can be changed if your plans change. Click on “prepare I’m on my way” when you are heading to the restaurant. When the food is ready, you’ll get another notification with information about where to pick it up. We did not wait in any lines to order food and this made it way easier. You can easily monitor your dining credits in the app and can change your payment method if you do not want to use credits.
You can read more about our Disney Dining experience on this particular trip here.
Magic Kingdom
We went on a halloween party day, which was a great decision. This was our first park day and we had a park day planned the next day so I knew it was unrealistic to keep the kids up late for the parade and fireworks. We can’t wait to see these one day when we go back! The crowds were super manageable and we were able to get a lightning lane for every single ride. We pre-booked Buzz, Pooh, and Peter Pan and had no problem booking lightning lanes the rest of the day. We never waited in a standby line and basically walked onto every ride.
Animal Kingdom
I love the theming here. It was so different and my kids love animals so it was a hit for them too. This is NOT a half day park. I have no idea how people would do that. They must be only going on a couple rides and leaving. You must go to the Finding Nemo show! It was incredible! It was only 30 minutes and all 3 of my kids sat quietly and watched it. We saved that for 4:30pm, which was a great choice because everyone was tired by then and ready to relax in the air conditioning. We ate at Satuli Canteen for dinner (highly recommend). At 5:58pm we got in line for Na’Vi River Journey and my oldest did Flight of Passage with my husband. They both said that was their favorite ride and they only waited about 20 minutes. My younger kids said Na’Vi River Journey was their favorite and it was a beautiful ride. As long as you get in line before park close (which was 6pm) you can still ride. We walked right onto Na’Vi with no wait at that time.
Epcot
This was my favorite day! It felt the least stressful, maybe because we were in a rhythm by then. This is not an adults only park, especially if you have kids that are at least 40 inches and can do some of the bigger kid rides (Test Track, Mission Space, Soarin’). We did rider swap for Guardians, Test Track and Soarin’. We got in line for Frozen prior to park opening and once they opened the ride we waited about 10 minutes. The bus dropped us off at 7:45am and we went through security, stopped to take a nice picture, filled water bottles and used the bathroom before getting in line. We probably got in line around 8:10 to 8:15am. However, as we waited, the line rapidly filled up behind us and started wrapping around the building (Remy’s was also closed this day so I think that led to more people getting in line for Frozen). Moana Journey of Water is beautiful and you can meet Moana right next to it.
Summary
Throughout our trip I only experienced kind and helpful people and cast members. No one got mad about my kids accidentally walking right in front of them or bumping into them. People offered their seats on the bus when I was holding my 2 year old. People helped with our stroller on the bus. A few cast members offered my kids stickers when they were crying about something and it was an immediate distraction and they were happy again. A kind family gave my 2 year old Minnie stickers in line when she was crying and another gave my son Disney trader cards after he fell and hit his head on the ground.
I cried watching my kids meet some of their favorite characters and I cried the night we got home! I already cannot wait to go back.
Any questions please ask! I hope you find something helpful in this sea of information.