Planning a Disney World Vacation: Tips I Learned Firsthand

In May of 2004, I went to Disney World for the first time with my family. It was an amazing trip and I would love to go again. With that in mind, I have put some thought into any changes I would make, and what I would do the same.

The Flight

Flying is definitely the way to go. For those of you who have traveled any amount of distance in a car, you know how exhausting it can be, whether you're the one driving or not. If you're going to splurge on a trip to Disney, go the extra mile and splurge on a plane ticket. Unless you only live a few hours driving distance from the park, this will definitely be worth the money. You'll be more refreshed once you get there and better able to enjoy yourself. For extra convenience, get a plane that does not have a layover, if possible.

Where You Stay

If possible, choose a resort in the park. This is incredibly convenient, especially if you are traveling in a group of more than two people. When you stay in the park, they have buses running from your resort to the park and back again on a regular and constant schedule. If you need to return to your room for any reason, all you have to do is hop on a bus. You can do this without requiring everyone in your party to leave with you. One day on our trip, we had left two of our passes to get into the park at the hotel. We were in a group of ten people, so the bus schedule allowed two of us to get back on the bus and return to the hotel for our passes, while the rest of our group went into the park. We were able to join our party within 30 minutes and continue our day.

Which Resort to Choose

We stayed at the Port Orleans Resort and this is where I would opt to stay again, or one similar. It is a mid-priced resort in the park. It was far enough away from the attractions to be peaceful after a hectic day of amusements. This particular resort had a relaxed and beautiful atmosphere with a restaurant off the main lodge, making meals convenient. When my sister and her family returned two years later in 2006, they stayed at a lower priced resort to help save money. She told me she wasn't as satisfied as she had been when we stayed at Port Orleans and would definitely spend the extra on a resort upgrade. There are higher priced resorts that are closer to the parks, but one thing to consider is the amount of traffic these places receive. Will you really want that kind of hectic atmosphere after an already hectic day spent at the parks?

Park Hopper Passes

These are not a requirement, but make a nice addition if you can afford it. A Park Hopper Pass will allow you access to more than one park a day. It also allows you to take advantage of extended park hours if you have a Park Hopper and are staying at a resort in the park. This means that you can get to certain parks a little early or stay a little later, and enjoy the park with less of a crowd. You can also use your Park Hopper for Fast Pass. This helps you skip the long wait in line on some of the more popular attractions and is highly recommended.

Character Dining

If you would like to get autographs from the Disney characters, save some time by planning a meal with the characters. We made reservations to have breakfast with the characters and it allowed us to relax and enjoy our meal while the characters came around to the guests' table. This also allowed the kids to get autographs and pictures from their favorites without waiting in line. If you plan it early in your vacation, you will know which autographs you still need while visiting the parks. For more information on where this is available, type in "character dining" in the search engine on the Disney World website.

Plan in Advance

Get on the Disney World website and do a little pre-planning with their calendar. The tab for the calendar is located at the top of the page. This calendar has the option to plan six to seven months in advance. If you look at the bottom of the calendar, it has "operational updates" which is a listing of what attractions are closed and when. It can be very disappointing to get to Disney World and then find out something you really wanted to see is closed for repairs.

Know What to Expect

By this, I mean you should know that if you're only going for a week, you're not going to be able to squeeze everything in that you want to see and do. Make a list of everyone's "must do" and get those done first. With ten people in our party, it was such a mixture of what everyone wanted to experience that we didn't get everything done. Have everyone choose a "When I go to Disney, the one thing I absolutely MUST see is (blank)" and go from there. Then make a secondary list. It's best to have a rough plan in effect before you leave or you may end up wasting time looking at each other saying "Now what?" Scour the internet or consider buying a travel book. There are travel books out there for Disney World that you may find very helpful in planning ahead and well worth the price. Purchasing the book will also allow you to have the access with you wherever you go.

Relax
Remember this is a vacation. For some, it's a once in a lifetime vacation. Don't wear yourself out to the point that everyone ends up being exhausted, cranky and miserable. (Yes, it happens...ask me how I know) Fit in what you can, but don't run yourself ragged. This is meant to be a magical trip at the "happiest place on earth". Make all your memories good ones.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/index