Walt Disney World 101

Ahh, Walt Disney World, every child's playground of dreams. When many people around the world think of Walt Disney World they think wonderful thoughts and have childhood memories of a place full of wonder, enchantment and of course, magic. Known as "the place where dreams come true", the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida is comprised of four main theme parks; Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM); two waterparks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon; Downtown Disney; and several resorts ranging in price from value to deluxe.

This past May (2009) our family had the great priviledge of enjoying the world re-nown hospitality and magic of Walt Disney World. Below are some things that we did to make our trip enjoyable for a family with young children on a tighter budget.

We all ready knew that we were driving down, so the first real decision we had to make was where to stay once we arrived. There are two main choices. You could either stay off Disney property in one of several hotels in the area that range in price and amenities, or you could stay in one of three levels of Disney owned resorts within the Disney property. If you stay off property, you may save some money on your hotel, but you will pay more for park tickets (which I do recommend either buying through a reputable travel agency or through Disney itself) and you will pay for parking ($12.00 a day/park) unless your hotel offers a shuttle, which don't usually run more than a couple of times a day. There are so many hotels available that you may get a really nice room cheap (see www.hotels.com, or www.tripadvisor.com). The other option is to stay on Disney property either in a value room, moderate room, or deluxe room. The value room is a basic hotel room, but you do get the added amenities of Disney service, free shuttles to and from the park anytime (they run every half hour), free parking at the parks if you choose not to use the shuttle, and your tickets and rooms come as a package, so you will save money on your tickets if you book them and the room together. You also get more security because you are not allowed to enter the resorts unless you are a guest or you are invited by a guest. We chose the moderate level Caribbean Beach Resort in the heart of Walt Disney World Resort near Epcot where we could see the fireworks from the park just steps down the balcony from our room. We were going to stay in one of the value resorts, but decided that by going up one level and paying only $200 more we could get a complementary refrigerator and a little more room (about 60 square feet) for the complementary portable crib that we needed for our 2 year old. Our choices were based on our family's needs. The value resorts do offer the same amenities as the moderate and deluxe levels, so Disney does make it possible to stay with them on a limited budget.

Now that you have checked into your room, it is time to plan your first day. If you have younger children, you may want to check a map for the character spots, which are areas where characters are located for pictures and autographs. Those lines may be long, so plan your day accordingly. We have little girls, so we made a bee-line for the princesses who were in toon-town in the Magic Kingdom, along with Mickey and Minnie Mouse. The lines were long, but it was well worth the wait to see the sheer joy and the excitement in the eyes of our girls when they got the first glimpse of Cinderella, Belle, and Aurora. There are character spots located in several places throughout the four parks (check the park map for locations). Once we were done with those each day, we were able to enjoy the other attractions that the parks had to offer.

Finally, plan your meals. Disney does have the option of the dining plan that they offer with their resort stays which may save money in the long run. We opted not to do it, but they do run deals now and then, so check with your travel agent or the Disney website to see what deals are running when. We chose to bring cereal and milk as well as granola bars to eat for breakfast in the mornings before we went in. There are several value priced restaurants within the park as well. One is located in each section of the Magic Kingdom. They do allow water and snacks to be brought in from the outside, so take munchies for everyone and water to stay hydrated because Central Florida is a tropical climate and it does get hot in the Summer. By taking in your own snacks, you will save a little money on food within the parks.

Most important tip of all, remember, Walt Disney World is a place that was invented for families and is very family oriented. They cater to and specialize in family entertainment, so take the kids and enjoy. Make the magic happen while making memories for a lifetime.