You’re a Disney Fan. And it’s time for your company’s annual meeting or your industry’s annual conference and the location has just been announced. And that location is: Orlando. After you get done jumping up and down shouting ZIP-ITY-DO-DAH you might pause and think:

Wait. Is it even possible to do Disney and a work trip? 

I’m here to tell you–yes, yes it is.

Will it be easy? Actually, yes. Will it be exhausting? Absolutely. But you can enjoy some Disney magic while in town for a professional function. I know because I’ve done just that several times. In fact, my very first Disney trip ever was for a large annual conference (the 2010 NCTE convention–I wrote about it nine years ago, but that post is so old I won’t even link it here.) It was the trip that began my Disney obsession. So be warned: if you are a Disney newbie, this conference might just change your life. And not because of a really great powerpoint presentation or upon hearing an amazing keynote speaker–though that might also happen.

I recently spent six days in the Lake Buena Vista area attending a professional academy at an off-site resort a few minutes from Disney Springs. And I managed to visit three parks, two resorts, and Disney Springs twice. I even did two character meals and saw a nighttime fireworks show! Here’s what that trip looked like:

Tips For Disney During a Conference

• Do not expect to have a standard Disney World experience. You won’t be able to do this. Take any amount of time you get to spend in the parks and resorts as a bonus.
• Do not over-schedule yourself. Conferences and academies are meant to be both learning opportunities and networking opportunities. Do attend evening work events on some nights, even if that means missing out on Disney-ing. After all, that’s why you’re there.
• Don’t think you need to go to the parks to have a good time. Disney resorts offer great dining and nightlife options which do not require a park ticket.
• If you do want to visit a park and are staying at an on-site Disney resort for your work event, look into conference pricing on tickets. This needs to be done through your organization and tickets are typically only valid for evening hours (which is fine, as you will be working during business hours.)
• Bring comfortable shoes. Visiting a Disney park or resort will help you get your steps in after sitting in Conference Room B all day. But you’ll for sure want some comfy footwear. I do carry-on only travel and I still managed to fit a pair of post-work comfy shoes in my tiny roller bag.
• Don’t be afraid to go solo! If you have other Disney-fan colleague friends, that’s great! But if you don’t, that’s ok too. Disney solo can be even better than Disney not-solo–and you can utilize the single rider lines for many attractions.
• If you are staying at an off-site hotel, use Uber or Lyft! It’s a super fast and easy way to get to any Disney park or resort. Budget around $25 for a round trip fare from any of the Disney Springs adjacent hotels; more from the Orange County Convention Center.
• Plan any before or after conference time wisely. If you want to tack on a proper Disney day or days in addition to your conference, I recommend adding them at the front end. By the end of a work trip you will be exhausted and ready to go home. Trust me.

Because the above video in no way showed every single thing I did during my week in Disney-for-work, here’s an annoyingly detailed breakdown of my trip, along with total hours of sleep per night. Because that information is important.

Friday: Arrival Day

-Up at 2:45am. At the gate at the airport by 7am. In an Uber on the way to off-site conference hotel by 10am.

-Disney Springs for lunch with a friend. Blaze Pizza is really good

-Uber to The Boardwalk Resort. Margarita on the boardwalk. Boat to Epcot.

-Epcot briefly. Rode Living with the Land, got caught in rain storm, rode Spaceship Earth.

-While on Spaceship Earth, invited to a work dinner via text. Uber back to off-site hotel. Dinner with colleagues.

Number of hours of sleep: 7

Day 1: Saturday

-Work stuff all day and work dinner in the evening. No Disney things.

Number of hours of sleep: 7

Day 2: Sunday

-Work stuff ends by 2:30pm. Uber to Animal Kingdom. Arrived in park by 3pm.

-Rode Everest in single rider line, walked both nature trails, listened to music.

-Exited park one hour and 45 minutes later. Uber to Disney Springs.

-Dinner at Homecomin’ with colleagues.

Note: see how I combined work, Disney, and then work-related colleague networking? Remember: networking is an important part of any work trip!

Number of hours of sleep: 5.5

Day 3: Monday

-Work stuff ends by 2pm (this was the last day of the first part of the event, so many people were flying out.)

-Uber to the Contemporary, walk to The Magic Kingdom. In the park by 3pm.

-Met up with BFF, wandered around, rode the carousel, rode the teacups, saw Enchanted Tales with Belle.

-Dinner at Be Our Guest.

-Fireworks and castle show (Happily Ever After) before walking back to The Contemporary for a nightcap with BFF at the bar at The Wave.

-Uber back to off-site hotel.

Number of hours of sleep: 6

Day 4: Tuesday

-Work stuff ends by 4pm.

-Some additional work back in the room.

-Uber to Wilderness Lodge before sunset. One drink out on the water at Geyser Point with BFF.

-Mom arrives. Dinner with mom and BFF at Storybook Dining at Artist Point.

-BFF takes me back to off-site hotel.

Number of hours of sleep: 6

Day 5: Wednesday

-Work stuff, work dinner, and work bar trivia. No Disney things.

Number of hours of sleep: 5

Day 6: Departure Day

-Work stuff, shuttle to airport, flight home.

Does this look like a traditional Disney trip? Of course not. It wasn’t a traditional Disney trip. But it was a really great work trip, both because the content of the work portion itself was stellar and because work-life balance is a thing, and what better way to spend the life portion than in Walt Disney World? Am I right? I feel I’m right.

Note: I have an annual pass, which makes it not-insane to visit a Disney park for less than two hours on any given day. However, even if you don’t have an annual pass, you can still do half the things on this list–dinners and/or drinks at resorts, enjoying the outdoor areas at resorts (I recommend Animal Kingdom Lodge if you can get there before sunset.) Disney Springs. Character dining at resorts, if that’s your thing (it’s not mine, but I went to two this week and they were lovely.) There are LOTS of things you can do in Walt Disney World which do not require a park ticket.

So–what do you say? Are you going to attempt to tackle Disney World during a work trip? Or have you already done a trip like this? Share your fun plans in the comments below. And have a magical day!