Some people relax by reading a book, watching television, or going for a peaceful walk. Other people open the Disney app, compare hotel prices and create a completely hypothetical dining plan for a holiday they have not actually booked.

If that sounds like you, welcome. You are among friends here. Planning a Disney holiday is not simply about choosing some dates, booking a hotel and turning up at the castle. It is a hobby in its own right. There are restaurants to research, attractions to rank, outfits to plan and approximately 47 different opinions to read about the best place to watch the fireworks. For some of us, the planning is almost as exciting as the holiday itself. We genuinely enjoy spending an evening comparing menus or deciding which park makes the most sense on each day. It is not stressful. It is fun. Of course, anyone who voluntarily plans Disney holidays for entertainment tends to possess a very particular set of personality traits. Here are the ones that will probably make you feel personally called out.

Cute drawing of someone planning their Disney holiday

1. You are extremely organised

There will be a spreadsheet. It will probably be colour-coded, divided into different tabs and shared with everyone going on the holiday, even though nobody else will look at it until you are already standing inside the park.

You know the park opening times, dining reservation dates and which attractions are temporarily closed. You have screenshots of important confirmation numbers, a packing list separated into categories and a note containing all the snacks you want to try.

You do not simply know which park you are visiting each day. You know where you are eating, which attractions are nearby and roughly how long it should take to walk between them.

Some people may call this excessive. You call it being prepared.

The slightly frustrating part is that your organisation often goes unnoticed because everything runs so smoothly. Nobody sees the hours you spent researching transport options. They simply appear at the bus stop and assume a bus will magically arrive.

You are the magic. The magic is your planning document.

a cute pastel drawing of a woman at Disney dreaming about a Disney cruise

2. You are always thinking three holidays ahead

You might be currently planning Walt Disney World, but part of your brain is already considering Disneyland Paris at Christmas. You have also started wondering whether a Disney cruise would be worth it and somehow ended up looking at flights to Tokyo. The next Disney holiday is often being discussed before the current one has even started. Sometimes it is being planned while you are still on the previous trip.

Something is comforting about always having another adventure to imagine. Even when a holiday is not booked, researching it gives you something exciting to look forward to. You can picture the hotel, think about the restaurants and start deciding which attraction you would visit first.

Your saved folder is filled with Disney hotels, food recommendations and videos titled things like “ten things you need to know before visiting.”

Are you definitely going? Not necessarily.

Have you already created a rough itinerary? Absolutely.

3. You are very passionate about food

Disney food is not simply something you eat between attractions. It is an entire category of holiday planning.

Menus must be studied. Snacks must be ranked. Restaurant reservations must be discussed as though they are important international negotiations. Choosing where to eat can sometimes take longer than choosing the hotel. One person wants character dining, another wants steak, and someone else insists they will be happy eating quick-service food every day. You are left trying to create the perfect balance while also working out where you can find the cutest themed dessert.

You know which snacks are worth the money and which ones are mainly popular because they photograph well. You have watched restaurant reviews, memorised menu items and probably planned at least one park day around a dining reservation. There is also a very real possibility that you will buy a snack purely because it is shaped like a Disney character. That is not a poor financial decision. It is research.

4. You are unable to “just see what happens”

This phrase causes an immediate physical reaction. Of course, you understand that plans can change. Attractions close, weather happens, and sometimes everyone is simply too tired to continue. You can be flexible. You just prefer to be flexible within the safety of a carefully researched plan.

Turning up at a Disney park with absolutely no idea what you want to do sounds less like freedom and more like the opening scene of a disaster film. There are too many wonderful things to experience and not enough hours in the day to wander around hoping for the best.

Your itinerary is not a strict minute-by-minute schedule designed to remove all joy. It is there to make sure you do not accidentally spend three hours queuing for something that usually has a much shorter wait later.

Spontaneity is welcome, but it needs to wait until after the important reservations have been secured.

5. You are a little bit controlling

Only a little bit.

You do not want to control the entire holiday. You simply know the quickest route to the next attraction, the ideal time to leave the hotel, and exactly where everybody should stand to get the best parade view. When someone suggests walking in the opposite direction, you feel a tiny part of your soul leave your body.

It is not that you believe your way is always right. It is just that you spent six months watching videos, reading blogs, and learning the park layout while everyone else responded to your planning questions with, “I don’t mind.”

Once the holiday begins, those same people suddenly have very specific opinions. Thankfully, your controlling tendencies usually come from a good place. You want everyone to have an amazing time. You know how much the holiday costs and how excited people are, so you feel responsible for making everything run smoothly.

You are not being bossy. You are providing complimentary tour-guide services.

6. You are easily excited

A new snack announcement can improve your entire day.

A glimpse of the castle from the bus can make you emotional. Hearing the background music as you enter a park can instantly transport you back to every Disney memory you have ever made.

You become excited about things that other people might consider extremely small. A new character outfit, seasonal merchandise, an updated restaurant menu or even a freshly released park map can send you directly into the group chat.

This excitement is one of the loveliest parts of being a Disney fan. You notice details. You allow yourself to feel joy without worrying whether somebody else thinks it is silly.

Disney holidays give you permission to be enthusiastic, imaginative and completely present. You can wave at a character, wear your favourite ears and become emotional over fireworks without needing to explain yourself. You are not overexcited. Everyone else is simply underexcited.

7. You are very good at research

Planning Disney holidays has given you a surprisingly impressive collection of skills.

You can compare hotel benefits, calculate transport times and analyse ticket options. You know how to find restaurant menus, locate hidden costs and spot the difference between advice that is genuinely helpful and advice that was created purely for views. You have probably consulted blogs, vlogs, social media groups, official websites and at least three people who visited five years ago but still consider themselves leading experts.

You understand that Disney holidays are not one size fits all. The perfect hotel for a family with young children may not be right for a couple. A brilliant touring plan for thrill seekers will not necessarily suit someone who prefers shows, characters and relaxed meals.

Your research helps you build a holiday around the people going rather than copying somebody else’s itinerary. At this point, you could probably produce a fully referenced academic paper on the best time to join a particular queue.

8. You are slightly delusional about money

At home, you will seriously debate whether you can justify spending £20 on something. Inside a Disney park, £20 suddenly feels perfectly reasonable if the item has mouse ears, sparkles or the words “limited edition” printed on it.

Disney money does not always feel like real money. You planned and saved for the holiday, which means purchasing a character-shaped snack somehow becomes part of the experience rather than a normal transaction. You may also find yourself using phrases such as, “We might never see this again,” despite knowing that a nearly identical item will probably appear online next week.

This does not mean you completely abandon your budget. In fact, you have probably created a very detailed one. You know how much you have available for food, souvenirs and experiences. You simply included a generous allowance for emotionally significant mugs.

9. You are determined to make everything magical

Underneath the spreadsheets, research and restaurant comparisons, this is what it is really about. You plan because you care.

You want to see the people you love experience something special. You want to find the restaurant your partner will love, help someone meet their favourite character or make sure everybody has time to enjoy the attractions that matter most to them. You understand that no holiday will be completely perfect. There may be rain, long queues, tired feet and moments when everyone needs to return to the hotel for a break.

The magic does not come from following an itinerary perfectly. It comes from creating space for the moments you will remember. It is seeing someone’s face when they first spot the castle. It is laughing together on an attraction, sharing a ridiculous snack and talking about your favourite parts of the day when you should all be asleep. Your planning helps those moments happen.

Planning is part of the magic

People who plan Disney holidays for fun are organised, enthusiastic and just the right amount of delusional.

We love the details because every restaurant menu, hotel comparison and colour-coded spreadsheet brings the holiday a little closer. Planning allows us to enjoy the excitement long before we arrive and helps us create experiences that feel personal to the people travelling with us. So yes, we may already know where we are eating six months from now. We may have a packing list for a holiday that is not booked, and we may treat a new Disney snack announcement like breaking news.

But we are also the people who make sure everyone has what they need, remembers the important reservations, and gets to experience their own version of the magic. The spreadsheets are made with love.

What if planning Disney holidays could become more than a hobby?

If you recognised yourself in this post, you might love what I do. I help people turn their passion for holidays, planning and helping others into a flexible income alongside their existing job and commitments.

You do not need previous travel experience, a huge social media following or all the answers. Full training, ongoing support and a welcoming community are provided. You simply need to love helping people, be willing to learn and feel excited about creating something of your own.

If you would love to hear more about the system, the support available and how you could get started, let me know below. There is absolutely no pressure. We can have a friendly chat and see whether it feels like the right fit for you.