My Favorite Disney World Planning Tips
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Last week, I wrote about my favorite Disney World touring tips. This week, I'm going to offer my favorite Disney World planning tips.
A vacation to Disney World is a truly unique experience, and it can create lifelong memories that your whole family will cherish forever. However, it is an investment, and like any investment, most people want to get the biggest return. Fortunately, this "big return" is possible, provided that you devote time and energy to planning your trip. To help you with this process, here are my top five Disney vacation-planning tips:
#5: Make a Timeline: If you are using a travel agent to help you plan your Disney trip, he or she will provide a timeline and keep track of all your deadlines for you. If you are planning your Disney trip on your own, you will need to draft a timeline yourself. Include deadlines for when you need to book your package, create your itinerary, secure your dining reservations, submit your final payment, design your touring plans, etc. If you don't know where to start, no worries! I'm going to share my own timeline next week!!
#4: Research: Research, research, research!! If you are planning your Disney vacation without the help of a travel agent, it is imperative that you put in the time and effort that it takes to make your trip successful. Find out as much as you can about your lodging and package options, your dining choices, and the theme parks.
#3: Get Your Kids Involved: If you have children and you’ve decided to tell them about your Disney vacation, get them involved!! There are countless ways to do this. For example, if you’ve purchased the Disney Dining Plan, let each child pick one restaurant at which they'd like to eat. Make “wish-lists” of “must-do attractions” together. Order a Disney planning DVD and watch it as a family. There are even Disney vacation-planning books that are targeted just for kids!
#2: Make Your Dining Reservations Early: You can book your dining reservations 180 days before your trip either online or over the phone. The online reservation system opens at 6:00am (Eastern Time) daily, and the telephone reservation system opens at 7:00am (Eastern Time) daily. The most popular restaurants fill up within hours of the 180-day window, so if you have your heart set on a particular location, reserve your meal early.
#1: Book Your Disney Vacation Early: As soon as you’ve nailed down your dates and selected your resort, book your trip. Book it even if your vacation is still a year away. This will ensure that you get everything on your wish list: your preferred dates, your dream resort, and your desired room category. You will be required to put down a small deposit at the time of booking (usually no more than $200), but it is refundable provided that you cancel your trip more than 45 days in advance. In the event that a discount becomes available after you’ve booked, Disney will apply the discount retroactively.
Above all else, remember to have fun while you are planning! I know that this sounds cliche, but the anticipation of a Disney trip is an essential part of the entire experience, and you should enjoy yourself. If you find yourself becoming overwhelmed, take a break or contact a Disney specialist to help you!
Meredith McCutcheon
Disney Specialist, Ginger's Getaways
Personalized Disney Itineraries and Touring Plans
Find me on Facebook or on Drinking the Kool-Aid
Joshua Raymond
10:15 am on Thursday, January 31, 2013
Since I definitely fall under tip #4, actually enjoying researching a trip to Disney, I recommend joining the MouseSavers newsletter to get the link to Undercover Tourist's best deals on tickets.
Also, if you are planning on getting the No Expiration option, which Meredith doesn't recommend, but I think can be great if you are willing to invest upfront for 2-4 vacations, GET IT NOW. Disney is phasing out this option and it isn't available through their ticket sites anymore. You will need to get it through a third party. Disney will still honor it in the future, but it probably will not be available for purchase in the future.
Meredith McCutcheon
11:08 am on Thursday, January 31, 2013
It is true that Disney is phasing out the No Expiration option. And Joshua is right; I don't recommend adding this option in most cases anyway. Sometimes, it is actually cheaper to buy two separate sets of tickets on two different occasions than it would be to add the No Expiration option. For example, on Undercover Tourist right now, 5-day adult park tickets will cost you $269.95. 10-day No Expiration tickets will cost you $605.95 (more than double the cost) of the regular 5-day tickets. So, if you were planning to take two Disney trips in the near future (5 days each), you would be better off buying 5-day tickets on each vacation. Now, if you were planning to take three vacations (one four-day trip and two three-day trips), you'd be better off buying the No Expiration option (3-day tickets are $255.95 and 4-day tickets are $267.64). My point is that you really need to commit to at least three shorter Disney vacations for the No Expiration option to work. If you prefer to visit for longer (or you cannot commit to multiple future Disney trips), the No Expiration is not a good deal. It's just always important to crunch those numbers before you decide on your tickets. Here's a link to a post I wrote a while back about ticket options for those who'd like more information: http://rochester.patch.com/blog_posts/disney-world-ticket-talk
James Redd
11:58 am on Thursday, January 31, 2013
Disney is a waste of money. You would be far better spending the money on piano/music lessons and some foreign language training for your little ones. That is a TRUE investment in their future. Just my opinion.
Meredith McCutcheon
12:07 pm on Thursday, January 31, 2013
Once again, James, you are completely entitled to your opinion. But for many people, this is not an either-or situation: "either sign your kids up for piano lessons OR go to Disney World". Many people love Disney World, and it is a very popular vacation destination. My blog is intended to help those people who want to visit Disney World get the most out of their vacation! Thanks for reading!
Joshua Raymond
3:52 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013
I agree, James. But after a few months of bagpipe lessons and teaching the kids how to yodel in German, the neighbors begged me to use the money towards Disney instead. They implied that the kids might not have a future if we didn't.
Amanda Kirksey
1:02 pm on Thursday, January 31, 2013
Meredith, do you have any resources for getting discounts on Disneyland tickets? We are headed there in a couple weeks. Thanks! :)
Meredith McCutcheon
2:49 pm on Thursday, January 31, 2013
Hi Amanda! Sometimes, you can get a Disneyland discount through AAA or other similar group memberships.
James Redd
12:57 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013
AK,
Be sure to read this before your trip to Disney:
http://www.cracked.com/article_18511_6-true-stories-about-disneyland-they-dont-want-you-to-know.html
Amanda Kirksey
1:14 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013
JR,
That was actually pretty entertaining. Thanks for the read!
(crossing my fingers we are going during "Gay Days")...
Meredith McCutcheon
4:58 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013
Joshua, Did you get the info I sent you on Facebook about the Astuter Computer review? Is that what you were thinking of?
Doug Melzer
10:25 am on Saturday, February 2, 2013
Item #6: Ditch the kids inside the "It's a Small Small World" ride. Hop the monorail over to the Polynesian Village Hotel. Buy a 12-pack in the lobby store, and spend the next few hours at their lakeside beach getting gloriously plastered. Meet the kids a few hours later and enjoy the rest of your day.