The most famous question I receive from friends that are considering a trip to Disney – “We want to go to Disney, what do we do.” To be honest, I can spend the next 5 years blogging on this topic and still not completely answer the question. With that being said, most people who ask that question are looking for the basics; they want to make sure they don’t leave out something really important in the process that they will regret later. Since Disney has become a place that, over the years, has demanded that visitors plan more and more; it is very important to know a few key points before even beginning the planning process. The basic steps to planning the trip are as follows:
- Go to Disney’s website and order the vacation planning CD. This disc will help you get excited about your upcoming trip and also help answer some of the other questions below. Not to mention, it is absolutely free.
- Is there a specific time frame or time of year that you want to go, or would you like to plan around crowds, weather, or holidays? The basic advice for this topic is that Florida is really hot in the summer, and the parks are considerably more crowded when kids are out of school. This does not mean that you cannot have fun at Disney when it is crowded; you just have to make sure you have the right expectations for the time of year you are going.
- Do you plan on driving to Disney or do you plan on flying? This subject is a matter of personal preference and personal circumstances, but it is very important to decide before considering step #4.
- Do you stay on Disney property or off? If you are flying to Disney, it is likely that staying on Disney property tends to be a better option. Disney has made it very convenient to get you from the airport, and to everything you could want to do in Disney without every needing a car. If you are driving to Disney, I would argue that you could save considerably by staying off property and also getting much larger accommodations for a fraction of the cost. With that being said, there are a lot of personal matters and preferences to consider. I know many that would never consider to stay anywhere other than on property. My family on the other hand has never stayed on property. As a family of six, we would either be required to get two rooms and split up the family, or we would have to get deluxe accommodations that are very expensive. My family also has access to a timeshare type property, that is paid for yearly (whether we use it or not), so we rarely even need to consider this question for our personal trips.
- Once you make the decision about the dates you want to go to Disney World, set up a calendar appointment for 180 days prior to your trip. This is the date that you can begin booking any dining that you would like to plan. This is very important, because dining at Disney is becoming increasingly popular and many restaurants are booked immediately when the reservations open.
- Now make a calendar appointment for 60 days prior to the trip if you decided to stay on property and 30 days prior to the trip if you are off property. This is the day you can begin to book your Fastpass+ for rides. Fastpass+ allows you to ride 3 rides (at a minimum) on each day with a minimal wait. Fastpass+ can be intimidating for a first time Disney visitor and the topic needs an entire blog post of its own.
These are the first six steps I recommend for anyone considering making a trip to Disney. Many of these steps are worthy of a blog post of their own (or two or three) to help narrow the decision. Please stay tuned for more to come on each topic.
Mouse Guide To Walt 