Disney World Planning Tips

Ok so my love for Disney is no secret. In fact I am quite obnoxious with my obsession for it, as my family and friends would quickly tell you. My poor husband has to hear about it probably more often than he should, and he has done well learning to nod his head and pretend to be listening intently (he wins brownie points for sure). My kids are doomed to be Disney lovers, and no doubt will end up just like me. This is perfectly fine of course since someone is going to have to be willing to take me to Disney World when I am too old to walk :). All that being said I have so many friends ask me about tips and tricks when planning a Disney trip, I thought it would be good to write a blog post with what I know. Granted I really do not know much compared to those who have been many times more than I. So let it be known now that I am NO expert in any way shape or form, and there are so many things I am still learning. Thats the thing about Disney...there is just SO much. For those of you who find yourself going for the first time though, I definitely have some pointers for you as far as planning your trip goes. With Disney World your trip has everything to do with how well you plan. This fact can make or break your trip.

Just a side note, I am writing tips that I have found helpful or necessary. You can certainly go doing absolutely nothing I list here and have a great time. These are just my opinions and experiences :).

Yes, Savannah is technically too old for a stroller on most occasions. But let me tell you Disney is not a time for making a parenting point. You can walk upwards of 15 miles a day at Disney, and that is a lot for little feet. So unless you want to deal with that kind of tired crankiness all day, I suggest  you bring one for any child under 9!

1. Plan EARLY and plan everything you can

So you're going to Disney World huh?? Well let me tell you friend, plan early or get a prescription for some Ativan, because you are going to need it if you don't. For example, dining reservations. Disney allows you to make dining reservations up to 180 days before your trip. Take my advice, save yourself a headache, and make those reservations as close to the 180 day mark as you can. There are certain restaurants, especially the more popular ones, that will book up that early or close to it. My suggestion is do not put yourself through the stress of not getting to go to a special restaurant like Chef Mickeys or a princess lunch/dinner at Askerhaus with your girls. Make your reservations as early as you can! 

If you do not know when you are going to Disney yet, or when would be the best time to go, I suggest you do a few things. One is go to http://www.mousesavers.com/ and look around for when she suggests is the best times to take a trip to Disney. This site has so many wonderful and trusted tips. There is also a site that she suggests, and one that I use as well, called http://touringplans.com/. For twelve dollars a year this site provides you with a crowd calendar, letting you know the busiest and slowest times of the year to visit Disney. It also breaks down which parks to go to on what days according to crowds, and lets you know parade times and special show times as well as which parks have extra magic hours (times the parks are open early or late for disney world resorts guests only). For me, crowds and the temperature are two of the biggest factors when planning a Disney trip. Many Disney lovers go at the absolute busiest and hottest times of the year and love it. For me this sounds like a kind of hell only known to the Devil himself. Obviously anytime school is out for vacation the parks are going to have much higher crowds. We always take the girls out of school in order to go. We get their homework together beforehand and they do work on the way there and on the way back. That way they are caught up somewhat when we get back. I understand that everyone cannot do this, but if you can I suggest it! This year we are hitting our trip on the girls' fall break, so they are only missing three days of school instead of five. 

If you have little girls, and do nothing else extra while you are there, please consider planning to take them to Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. It is run by the fairy godmother of course :) and little girls get to go inside, dress up like princess' and have their hair and nails done. They are pampered and treated like little royalty. When they are done they walk around for the rest of the day, all dolled up as cast members (Disney employees) bow to them and call them princess. Its such an awesome experience for your little girl! A little tip, go with your own dress, shoes, crown and whatever else. If you only have their hair, nails and makeup done it runs you about 60.00. If you buy the dress, shoes, crown, etc...it runs you closer to 200.00. If you really want to make it a big experience for her go for everything! We have just found that having their hair, makeup and nails done is experience enough :). I only have girls, but if you have little boys Disney has The Pirates League. Here boys and girls can have pirate makeovers, much like the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique without all the glitter! As I stated before, plan this early. This treat is also something you can book up to 180 days before, and this books up FAST. Take my word for it. Also do your best to get into the boutique located at the Magic Kingdom. Its IN Cinderella's castle for goodness sake! If you can get a morning appointment do it, and they do book up the fastest. This way they get to be princess for a day much longer.  

2. Buy the park hopper

I know there are many out there who think this little add on is crazy, and I understand that it costs a little extra. For a family of four, for six days, you are looking at a total package upgrade of a little over 200.00 to add the park hopper for your whole trip. We are die hard park hopper people though, and I think it is well worth the extra cost, at least for your first visit to Disney when you do not know exactly what you want to do. You see, when you buy a basic ticket to Disney world, you buy a ticket to one park a day. So lets say Monday you want go to the Magic Kingdom, Tuesday to Epcot, and so on. The problem with the basic ticket is that you are stuck in that park for the whole day. Yes its a Disney park so there has to be plenty to do right?? Well there is, but take my word for it, some parks you may not really find to be suited to you. For us this park is Hollywood studios. Our family can go to Hollywood Studios and spend a total of 3 hours and be done there. There just isn't much for us in that park. For you that park may be Animal Kingdom. There are definitely things you want to do, but maybe you find yourself not wanting to spend all day there. We would much rather spend a little extra time in Magic Kingdom. Well the beauty of buying the park hopper pass, is that you can go from park to park each day you are there. That way if you are at Hollywood Studios in the morning, find yourself finished there by 2pm (trust me it can happen), you can hop over to Magic Kingdom from 3-9 and catch a fireworks show. The nice thing about this as well, is you do not have to stress so much about your dining reservations being on the right day at the right park. If you have a reservation at Coral Reef in Epcot at 5pm on monday, you can go to Magic Kingdom that morning and then hop on the Monorail and head over to Epcot for dinner then see a lights show afterwards at that park. Again this is not necessary and many are opposed to it, but I find the convenience of it to be worth the money. 

3.  Whether to stay on-site or off-site

This is a tricky one, and it really depends on your opinion and what kind of experience you are looking for. I personally love to stay on Disney property, and my kids are obsessed with it as well. I know of many others who prefer to stay at a hotel off-site or rent a house off-site. I will say that if this is going to be a once in a lifetime trip for you, stay on property and take advantage of being there in the magic! If you are planning to go back a few times look into staying off site, you may find it a better fit for you. 

Staying on-site

So lets say you are flying down to Disney, as many people do. When you are staying on-site, you are picked up by Disney's magical express. Its a complimentary shuttle from the airport to your resort. They also take care of all your luggage for you, and most of the time it is sitting in your room by the time you get there. When staying on-site you are transported around Disney by shuttle bus, or depending on your resort you also have the option of the Monorail or a boat ride. You also get the option to add on the Dining Plan. I love the Dining plan, and there are certain times of the year (usually the Fall months) where this plan can be added on for free! You have three dining plan options to choose from. quick service dining, regular dining and deluxe dining. You can find out more about these options here https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/planning-guides/in-depth-advice/disney-dining-plan/. We normally go with the regular dining plan, which gives you one quick service meal, one sit down meal, and one snack per person per day. All of this is paid beforehand and I love the convenience of it. You can save money doing this, you just have to really plan well and use your meals and snacks to your advantage. I will probably write another post just on dining at Disney and go more in depth with it there. 

Another plus to staying on-site is being able to take advantage of extra magic hours. Each day at least on park has what they call "extra magic hours". This means that the park will be open either one hour early or one hour late, and it is only available to resort guests. We love this because we are able to go in an hour before the bigger crowd gets there and ride many of the big rides before they line up, or stay later than those who are staying off-site. 

Another little tip, if you book your vacation stay early (which you should!), and a promotional offer comes available after you book, Disney will let you fix your reservation to take advantage of the offer. You simply have to call them, or have your travel agent do it. 

Staying off-site

If you are planning to stay off-site you can go to the mouse savers link i posted at the beginning of my post and find many deals at local hotels through that site. When staying off-site you have the option to bring food into the park. YES, Disney lets you bring food into the park, whether its snacks, lunch or water bottles. So if you want to pack lunch, or eat breakfast at your hotel, you can do that! This can definitely be a money saver. If you need more room than what you may get at a Disney resort, then staying off-site is also a good option. I know for a fact that you can rent a house about eight minutes from Disney for the same price a night, if not cheaper, than most resorts there. You can find homes like this here http://www.vrbo.com/. 

Chef Mickey's is by far Mady's favorite!

   

So I could go on forever, but I do not want to make your eyes cross with too much information at one time! In closing I will give you a few other quick tips. 

1. If you have never been to Disney, talking to a Disney travel agent, or at least someone who has been a few times, is a GREAT idea. Certified Disney travel agents do not charge you any extra money to plan your trip, but educate yourself a little before you speak with them. That way you know what you want and it helps them help you plan.

2. Do not try to do it all. You will never be able to take everything in on one trip. Find what you really want to do and do that. Enjoy it and do not rush. Rushing around and trying to do everything you can is just going to stress you out, and that is not necessary! 

3. Find deals online or in stores like Target for merchandise before you go. Things such as t-shirts, toys, and princess dresses can all be found online for cheaper than they will be at the park. Even the Disney store site has clearance merchandise. Do that and give your wallet a break :)

4. Go when they are young. I know everyone says "oh we want to wait for them to remember it!" This is true, but if you can, do not miss that age where Disney is truly magical to your little ones. Savannah was four and Mady was seven the first time we went and it was perfect!

I hope this post helps some of you! You can make this trip fun and low stress, but you have to plan! I will plan to do more posts in the future on details like dining and park extras. I hope you have a magical day!

Savannahs Minnie Mouse doll traveled with her all over Disney on our last trip. She still sleeps with her every night :)