Credit: Midori MacLeanAre you or one of your Disney-loving friends newly engaged? Before you start planning the wedding, there’s the all-important bachelorette party to think about first. I recently planned a bachelorette party at Walt Disney World for one of my best friends and I’ve got lots of recommendations for my fellow planners. Read on to learn how to plan a fun trip for the whole bridal party!
Where to stay
Our trip included five women, and I’d recommend limiting the group to six people. This allows you to stay in one hotel room if you’d like, plus even numbers make it easier for everyone to have a ride buddy at the parks. Our group stayed at The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, which was a very affordable option. The cabins include one Queen bed, one bunk bed, and one double-size sleeper sofa. So, someone will have to climb up to the top bunk (it was me), but overall, this was a great option for our budget.
The cabins include a kitchen area with a large refrigerator, so you can bring snacks and drinks to enjoy when you get back to the room at the end of the night. Grocery delivery is also an option.
The Family Suites at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort are another budget-friendly option. Rooms are themed to The Lion King, Cars, or Finding Nemo and sleep up to six adults.
If you’re working with a bigger budget, Deluxe Villas are a good choice. These 1- or 2-bedroom villas are available at several resorts across Walt Disney World and offer closer proximity to the theme parks.
Also, if you’re traveling to Walt Disney World from different cities, try to choose flights that arrive around the same time so you can all take the complimentary Disney Magical Express to the resort together. You can also book the Minnie Van Shuttle Service to and from the airport for $150 each way; gratuity not included.
Which FastPasses to book
When planning a Disney trip, I always like to pick one park per day, and sometimes combine Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot into one day. At each park, try to snag FastPasses for your group’s top attractions, but be okay with the fact that not everyone will want to go on every ride. If you have people in the group who don’t like roller coasters, for example, they may want to wait at a nearby quick-service restaurant or do some shopping while the rest of the group takes advantage of the FastPass.
If you can’t get FastPasses for certain popular attractions, like Slinky Dog Dash at Disney’s Hollywood Studios or Flight of Passage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, your best bet is to head straight for those rides when the park opens. Wait in the standby line, enjoy the ride, and then continue your day of fun.
Where to eat
I always like to book at least one sit-down meal per day, and because you’re celebrating a bride-to-be, there may be a special restaurant she has in mind for one of these meals. For our group, the big celebratory meal was at Le Cellier in Epcot’s Canada pavilion. We ordered bubbly, shared lots of appetizers, and treated ourselves to Filet Mignon. Everyone left full and happy.
I also highly recommend doing a Character Breakfast for great photo opportunities. We had breakfast at Tusker House in Disney’s Animal Kingdom and got lots of fun pictures of the bridal party with Mickey, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy.
It’s also always nice to time your meal with a fireworks show. California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort and Tokyo Dining or Rose & Crown at Epcot are good places to have a meal and catch the shows.
To make paying the bill easier at table service restaurants, we took turns putting the entire bill on one credit card. Venmo is your friend on group vacations.
Besides your main sit-down meal, the group may want to stop at various quick-service restaurants or kiosks throughout the day for light meals or snacks. There’s no shortage of dining options at the parks and hotels, so you can make your meal schedule as flexible or as planned as you like.
Where to have fun
You can certainly enjoy an alcohol-free vacation at Walt Disney World, but if your group enjoys cocktails, beer, and wine, there are many options both in and out of the parks. At Magic Kingdom, the table service restaurants now offer alcoholic beverages to enjoy with your meal. And of course, Epcot offers the chance to drink around the world at different pavilions, and there are plenty of fun offerings at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, too. Our favorite libations in the parks include:
Epcot
- Margaritas at La Cava del Tequila in Mexico
- Grand Marnier slushes in France
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Cocktails at The Nomad Lounge
- Dole Whip with rum at Tamu Tamu Refreshments
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Cocktails at the Tune-In Lounge
- Sangria at The Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge
Outside of the parks, it’s fun to visit various resorts to take in the scenery and have a drink. Our favorite place to visit is Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, home to Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto. This tiki bar is always a must-stop spot on any Disney trip, but it’s especially fun for a bachelorette party.
Disney’s BoardWalk also offers a lot of fun options. You can stop by AbracadaBar, the magic-themed cocktail lounge, for a handcrafted drink. Then, head over to Jellyrolls for dueling pianos and lively sing-alongs or dance the night away at Atlantic Dance Hall.
Over at Disney Springs, there are even more dining and bar options. One popular choice is The Edison, an industrial gothic-style hotspot with food, drinks, and live entertainment.
What to wear
Without a doubt, the bride must wear a Minnie Mouse Bride Ear Headband. You can purchase them from shopDisney or find unique versions on Etsy, but either way, we considered this a must-have accessory for the bride-to-be. The bridal party can wear matching headbands, but we opted to have everyone choose their own headwear after arriving at the parks.
If your bridal party isn’t into ear headbands or Disney-themed hats, you can opt for matching personalized t-shirts or tank tops, too. This is a cute option from Etsy.
We’re also big fans of getting Disney-themed manicures for every trip, and there are lots of great options if you search on Instagram. Find a design you like and show to the manicurist at your local nail salon — you can even get matching bridal-themed nails for this trip!
When to relax
Whenever you want! If your group wants to build in a day of relaxation, you can choose a day to sleep in, lounge by your resort pool, go to the spa, and have a nice meal somewhere. Whenever I go to Walt Disney World with a group, we like to pack as much park time in as possible and don’t usually devote a day to R&R. It’s ultimately whatever works best for you.
Start planning the magic
There are so many ways to plan a memorable bachelorette party at Walt Disney World. If the bride-to-be loves planning Disney trips, she can take the lead and make reservations, etc. If not, choose one point person in the group to make the majority of reservations and plans. Group texts will come in very handy during the planning process and while you’re in the parks.
If you’d rather have someone else do the planning for you, we recommend our friends at Academy Travel. Authorized Disney Vacation Planners can alleviate much of the stress in planning and booking your next vacation, from making your dining reservations and booking your accommodations to providing general advice and even creating a personalized itinerary for your trip. Click here for a no-obligation quote.
Have fun, and get ready to make some magical memories with the bride-to-be!