Affordable Disney Vacations Step by Step. Part Four: What is Your Budget?

This is part four in my blog series: Affordable Disney Vacations Step by Step. You can read the rest of the posts here.

I get many questions from people who are thinking about visiting Walt Disney World and want Disney World vacation tips and suggestions. Disney vacation planning can be very involved and confusing as well, so the goal of this series is to start at the beginning, and look at everything you need to think about, in the general order you need to think about it. Each week’s post will be numbered and will eventually link to all the others so that, when complete, you will have a guide with all the steps and information you need to plan your own Disney magic.

This week’s post is going to focus on the final step prior to researching your accommodations: How much can you afford to spend?

In many ways, in planning an affordable Disney family vacation, this may be the most important step, as you really need to have a budget in mind at the very beginning, or this can quickly escalate into anything but affordable.

Be honest with yourself and be realistic. Not having an extravagant budget does not mean you can’t have a fabulous vacation! On the contrary, that is what The Affordable Mouse is all about!

But having an idea at the beginning, what you can truly afford to spend will help you greatly in your subsequent planning. Whether you can afford $2000 or $10,000, knowing your budget will then help all the other pieces fall into place.

You may splurge in some areas, and scrimp in others, and only you will decide which are the areas of your Disney vacation that are most important for you to splurge on.

This is also the time, now that you know approximately when you are going and for how long, to see if there are any Disney promotions that you can take advantage of, such as savings on packages, free dining, or room discounts. Don’t book yet, because you want to compare with other options to see if the “deal” is the right one for you…but see what is out there first.

So for your action plan for this week:

1. Determine your approximate budget
2. Decide of the various aspects of your vacation (accommodations, transportation, tickets, food), which are the most important (the things you are willing to spend more on) and which are less imp0rtant (those that you can scrimp on). For example: stay at a nicer hotel, but save money on food. Or splurge on table service meals every night, but drive instead of fly.
3. See if Disney is offering any special promotions for the time you plan to visit that may apply to you. Note the details, but do not book yet.

OK? We are laying the groundwork here, so that next week we can start researching the first “big” thing to book: where you will stay!

Enjoy planning your affordable Disney family vacation. Have a magical day!

Affordable Disney Vacations Step by Step. Part Three: How Long Will You Stay?

This is part three in my blog series: Affordable Disney Vacations Step by Step. You can read the rest of the posts here.

I get many questions from people who are thinking about visiting Walt Disney World and want Disney World vacation tips and suggestions. Disney vacation planning can be very involved and confusing as well, so the goal of this series is to start at the beginning, and look at everything you need to think about, in the general order you need to think about it. Each week’s post will be numbered and will eventually link to all the others so that, when complete, you will have a guide with all the steps and information you need to plan your own Disney magic.

This week’s post is going to encourage you to give some thought to how long you plan to stay at Disney World: you can’t book your vacation until you know how long you are going to be there!

So first of all, you need to look at your available time, work schedules, school vacations, etc. This is the first step: seeing how much time you have to work with.

Next, since you now have an idea of the parks, attractions, and events you want to see while at Walt Disney World, let’s now discuss how much time it is going to take to do everything you want to do!

As with most everything on a Disney vacation, the answer depends on a number of factors. Let’s talk about 3 of them.

1. Time of year. As I have mentioned before, certain times of the year are more crowded. The more crowded the parks are, the harder it will be to do everything you want to do.
2. Weather. If you are visiting from May through September (at least) you can expect very hot and humid conditions in central Florida. And while some hardy folks arrive at the parks first thing on a hot summer’s day and carry on without taking a break for the entire day and evening, I have never been able to do that….and I really like hot weather! We have found that everyone is much more pleasant during those conditions with a mid-day break in air conditioning or at the hotel pool. But if you do that, it does take time away from the parks…so again, it may take a bit longer to see and do everything you want to do.
3. The age of your children. Little ones need a break, especially in hot weather. Nothing ruins the magic quicker than crying children. Do them…and yourselves….a favor and leave the parks to rest and relax a bit. And allow extra time to see what you want to see.

Having said all of that, in general, how long would it take to visit each park, if you wanted to “see everything”?

To see all four parks completely,  you should plan for at least 5 full days. Note the emphasis on full. If any of the above conditions apply to your plans, expect to need more time. And if you want do any of the “extras”, then allow a bit more.

On our first family trip, we went for a week. It was the middle of the summer so we planned our days in “half-days”, and roughly our itinerary worked out like this:

• Magic Kingdom: 2 half-days and 2 evenings
• Hollywood Studios: 1 half-day and 2 evenings
• Epcot: 2 half-days and 2 evenings
• Animal Kingdom: 2 half-days
• 1 evening left over for whatever we wanted

This is a suggestion only, but worked out well for us, allowed us those much-needed breaks to rest and cool off, and we were able to see pretty much everything we wanted.

Now based on your family’s list of  “must-sees” this could be different. So your next step in planning your Disney vacation is to decide how long you will be there.

Have fun planning your affordable Disney family vacation! Have a magical day!

Affordable Disney Vacations Step by Step. Part Two: What do You Want to See?

This is part two in my blog series: Affordable Disney Vacations Step by Step. You can read the rest of the posts here.

I get many questions from people who are thinking about visiting Walt Disney World and want Disney World vacation tips and suggestions. Disney vacation planning can be very involved and confusing as well, so the goal of this series is to start at the beginning, and look at everything you need to think about, in the general order you need to think about it. Each week’s post will be numbered and will eventually link to all the others so that, when complete, you will have a guide with all the steps and information you need to plan your own Disney magic.

This week we are going to discuss the things that you and your family are interested in seeing on your visit to Walt Disney World. It may seem odd, when planning your vacation, to not immediately choose your hotel…but frankly if you can have an idea of what parks your family will be most interested in (meaning where you will spend most of your time) then you can plan your accommodations accordingly.

For example, do you and your family really enjoy animals and plan to spend a lot of time at Animal Kingdom? If so, then choosing an Epcot area hotel would not be the most convenient…or best use of your time.

You can, and should, tie this into the time of year you plan to visit. For example, will you be visiting during the fall months when the Epcot Food and Wine Festival and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom are held? Think about your family and their interest in attending these events. Little ones will love the Halloween Party, and you may want to be convenient to the Magic Kingdom to make it easier to attend.

So you want to get a general idea of what is at each of the parks, and what events will be occurring during the time that you plan to be there. But what is the best way to do this?

I know how overwhelming this part can be because there is just SO MUCH to do at Disney World. So you will need some good planning guides to give you an overview of what is available at the parks to help you decide.

I recommend you do two things here:

1. Go to www.disneyworld.com and order their free planning DVD. You will need to sign up for a log-in on their site: do it. You will then get lots of Disney vacation planning information and will be on their email list for promotions and special offers. You may even get a special “email code” that will give you a discount on various bookings. (These are pretty coveted, so if you get one that is helpful to you, lucky you! J )
2. Get a good Disney vacation planner. I have a series of blog posts devoted specifically to this. My favorite, especially if you want to save money, is the Ultimate Disney World Savings Guide.

OK, then, your action step for this week: research what the parks have to offer, and decide what will be most important to you and your family.

Good luck continuing to plan your affordable Disney family vacation! Have a magical day!

Affordable Disney Vacations Step by Step. Part One: When Will You Go?

This is part one in my blog series: Affordable Disney Vacations Step by Step. You can read the rest of the posts here.

I get many questions from people who are thinking about visiting Walt Disney World and want Disney World vacation tips and suggestions. Disney vacation planning can be very involved and confusing as well, so the goal of this series is to start at the beginning, and look at everything you need to think about, in the general order you need to think about it. Each week’s post will be numbered and will eventually link to all the others so that, when complete, you will have a guide with all the steps and information you need to plan your own Disney magic.

So, as Mickey would say: “On with the show!”

Let’s start at the beginning, because you can’t really do any other Disney vacation planning until you do this: when are you going to go?

I think you can’t really decide this until you take an honest look at yourself, your family, and everyone’s tolerance for things like crowds, heat, rain, as well as your budget to a certain extent.

Let’s look at a common scenario: If you have children, you may need to plan around school vacations: summer, Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring breaks etc. If you do this, it is important to realize that everyone else will probably be doing that as well. So, these are the times that will be most crowded. Is that ok for you and your family? These are the times that can also be the most expensive, or offer the fewest discounts. What is your budget like?

Are your children in school? Will going during the school year compromise their school work and grades? Many people choose to visit Disney World during the school year, precisely to avoid the hot weather and crowds, but if you are considering this, make sure you discuss this with your child’s school and/teacher.

Consider how you feel about weather as well. Do you mind heat and humidity? If you do, then you should probably not consider a vacation during the summer months. Florida humidity is brutal if you are not used to it, and vacations during this time of year require careful logistics to keep everyone from having “meltdowns”.

The thing is, there is no right or wrong answer to any of these questions, just what is right for you and your family. Everyone has a different comfort level when it comes to this. Only you know what is best for your family.

For this week then, let’s decide when you are going to go. Look at school and work holidays if necessary to help you decide when you want to visit. And in addition to the above, it will be helpful to consider the following:

1. Try to plan as far ahead as possible, 6 -9 months in advance is optimal.
2. Try to allow some flexibility at this point in your planning: have a general idea of the time of year, or the month that you want to visit, but if possible, don’t choose an actual week/days. Having some degree of flexibility may allow you to save money down the road when booking your hotel room and transportation, since even within a season some days of the week will be less expensive than other.

Good luck with your affordable Disney vacation planning. Have a magical day!

Learn the Basics of a Disney Vacation with Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World

The final post in my series about my favorite Disney vacation guides, is all about the “official” Disney travel guide, Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World . While not the biggest, most detailed guidebook, and certainly not the most critical (as it is approved by Disney, it can’t be), this little book, nevertheless, holds a very special place in my heart…and may very well hold one in yours as well.

I will say that I truly love Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World travel guide. Part of this is due to the fact that this was the first Disney book I purchased, when we were planning our very first visit to Walt Disney World. But beyond that, I really feel that this book is an excellent option to help in your Disney vacation planning…mostly because it provides a very nice, initial, overview for what to expect at Disney World. Think of it as “setting the stage” for beginning to learn about the best way to plan a Disney vacation.

If you have never been to Walt Disney World, I really think this is a great way to start. Get a feel for what is available, see what appeals to your family….and then move forward with more detailed planning. I kind of compare it to getting in a pool: you can jump in the “deep end” with a completely detailed guide about absolutely everything there is to know…but you risk getting in over your head quickly if you do lol! For me, I kind of liked starting at the shallow end, and getting used to the water before venturing into that deep water.

It is important to realize that as the official Disney-endorsed book, it is not unbiased. Even so, I found it to be especially helpful especially regarding rides. When we were still new to Walt Disney World, the “Birnbaum’s Best” designation for some of the rides was how my family decided which rides were must-sees.

With maps and graphics that really help a Disney newbie get a sense of what the parks look like, it is a light and easy read, and in my opinion is a must-read for anyone who has never been to Walt Disney World. Birnbaum’s Walt Disney World travel guide is the absolute best way to plan a Disney vacation for a first-time visitor.

So there you have it. A collection of great Disney vacation guidebooks, each providing great information for planning a Disney World vacation. Which is the right one for you?

New Savings on Disney Resort Rooms

News Flash for affordable Disney family vacations! Walt Disney World has just announced a new promotion for the first half of the year! The details are as follows:

This offer, for 25%-45% off of the “rack rate” of Disney resort hotel rooms, is good for stays from Jan. 1, 2010 to June 3, 2010 with some black-out dates.

• You can save 25% at Disney Value Resorts for stays from 1-4 nights and 30% when you stay 5 nights or longer
• You can save 30% at Disney Moderate Resorts for stays from 1-4 nights and 35% when you stay 5 nights or longer
• You can save 35% at Disney Deluxe Resorts for stays from 1-4 nights and save 40% when you stay 5 nights or longer
• And you can save 40% at Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts for stays from 1-4 nights and 45% when you stay 5 nights or longer

Book your stay by calling the Walt Disney World resort at (407) 939-2662 or contact your travel agent, and use code QNY. You must book by March 27, 2010.

Click here for more information.

Are You an Organizer? The Best Way to Plan a Disney Vacation is with the Passporter Walt Disney World

Have you found the best vacation guide yet, to help you plan an affordable Disney family vacation? If you really like to be organized, then have I got a Disney guidebook for you!

PassPorter Walt Disney World is very possibly one of my favorite Disney vacation planners, probably because organization is my thing. Filled with lots of detailed information about every aspect of Walt Disney World, in cluding the parks, the resorts, and the restaurants, it is organized so well that it is very easy to follow….and very easy to quickly find just what you are looking for.

The authors cover each of the 4 parks in great detail, including full-color fold-out maps, tons of their personal pictures, and a complete description of every ride and attraction (this is so helpful!). There are also profiles of each of the Disney-owned hotels which also include maps, color photos, and room layouts. And then there are the reviews of each of the Disney World dining options….all 300+ of them. What is especially nice are the average meal costs for each, from counter-service to table-service. This is a great help when trying to decide where you want to eat before you get to Disney!

All of this is great and makes the Passporter Walt Disney World a valuable resource in itself. But the aspect that I like the best are the handy organizer pockets and journal. This is the perfect place to keep your maps, passes, receipts, must-see lists, as well as anything else that you need to keep! And with a place to make notes and journal memories of your trip, you end up with a wonderful keepsake at the end of your trip!

So, is it important to you to have a well-organized Disney vacation planner? Do you like the idea of being able to keep everything in one place? If so, then for you, the best way to plan a Disney vacation will be with the PassPorter Walt Disney World.

(And if you have missed my other posts on Disney vacation guides, you can find them all here.)

Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2010: More Disney Vacation Information Than You Can Possibly Imagine

I have been talking in the past several posts about my favorite Disney travel guides……

At over 800 pages, the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2010 is the book for the Disney World visitor who want to know everything there is to know about the parks. It is thorough and provides an unbiased perspective of all the Disney parks, plus SeaWorld and Universal.

To say that it is detailed would be an understatement. Yet it is this detail that make this the book of choice for many. This guide covers pretty much every aspect of a vacation to the Orlando area that you could possibly think of. And it does it without bias, and is, in fact, not shy about being critical where needed.

I will be honest here though, and say that when I read the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2010, while I appreciated the author’s forthrightness, as a Disney-lover, I was not always a big fan of the cynicism. After all, I am going to Disney for the “magic”…don’t spoil it for me, ok?

All kidding aside though, I will also be honest and say that many folks really want a critical perspective to help in their Disney vacation planning…and if you are one of them, then you will like this book.

Other than that, there is much to appreciate in the Unofficial Guide. One of the most popular aspects of this book are the Touring Plans which offer how-to guides for spending a day or so at each park. Very helpful indeed, especially if you are planning a trip during one of the busiest times of the year.

While all of the detailed information is great, it is alot of information in my opinion, and is definitely not a little book to take to the parks with you. Still, if you want a great planning guide and don’t mind wading through the many chapters, the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2010 may be, for you, the very best way to see Disney World.

Have you missed the other posts in the series? You can check out my reviews of my favorite Disney travel guides here.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from The Affordable Mouse! I hope that your holiday season has been a special time for you and your families, filled with joy and wonderful memories. And now a New Year is upon us…..where DOES the time go? It seems that the older I get, the faster the time goes. Which is why creating those memories become more and more important to us as time goes on, don’t you think?

I hope that 2010 has a vacation to Walt Disney World planned for you! And I hope that I can help you make it as memorable….and affordable…as possible.

With that in mind, I want to continue this series of blog posts on some of the most popular…and helpful….Disney guidebooks that are available. January begins prime vacation planning time (got to have something happy to look forward to after Christmas!), so hopefully these posts will be well-timed for you.

Please keep in mind that each book as it’s merits, and while I like them all….for different reasons….one may be better for you than another, depending on your experiences, needs, and circumstances. Which is why I present a variety

Last time I discussed a special favorite of mine, the Ultimate Disney World Savings Guide. As an e-book, it is different from the others I review, and is therefore not as well known. But it has some great benefits, and if you really want some additional perspective on how to have an affordable Disney family vacation, you may want to give it a look.

Today I want to highlight another favorite of mine, the Complete Walt Disney World 2010. This latest edition to this popular series is really, in my opinion, one of the most useful books out there.

As a matter of fact, there are a lot of things I like about this book. To start, the color pictures are extremely helpful in giving lots of detail about the parks, rides, and attractions: this can be a great tool to help prepare for what to expect…especially for little ones.

I also really like the size, as it is small enough to be easily transported with you to the parks, which is a great benefit. Some books have a wealth of information, but are the size of a phonebook….which is just not helpful when you want to find something quickly. And let’s face it, if you are new to Disney World, the chances are very good that you are going to have questions…and isn’t it nice to be able to refer to a well-organized guidebook to find your answers while in the park? Not only is the Complete Walt Disney World 2010 small enough to be able to do this easily, with each park color-coded, you can find what you want almost immediately. I really like that!

There are also some great tips and ratings on the rides and attractions, which is very helpful for doing your planning. Of special note are the suggested touring plans as well as descriptions, wait times, and a kid’s “Fear Factor” for each ride. Any parent traveling with children to Walt Disney World for the first time should be prepared for the Fear Factor on each ride: nothing ruins the magic more than a terrified child.

These are just a few of the things that I really like about the Complete Walt Disney World 2010. If you would like to see what some others have to say about this guidebook, click here for reviews on the 2009 version. I feel pretty  confident that the latest edition will be just as good if not better.

I hope you found this helpful! Until next time, I hope your New Year is filled with much joy, great memories, and peace.

Have a magical day!

Disney World Savings Guide: A Great Place to Start Planning an Affordable Disney Family Vacation

Are you planning a trip to Walt Disney World for 2010? Perhaps Santa will be surprising your family with news of a Disney World vacation on Christmas Day?

If so, as you know, doing some planning will make the trip more enjoyable for all, as well as make it easier to actually have an affordable Disney family vacation.

With this in mind, I want to spend my next few posts discussing some of the Disney guidebooks that I have come across in my years of researching the best way to plan a Disney vacation.

Today I want to discuss The Ultimate Disney World Savings Guide an e-book that has been written by a former Disney castmember.

I really like this book because, having been written by someone who worked at Walt Disney World, it offers a perspective that you are not likely to find anyplace else. As an e-book, once purchased, you can download it for immediate access, which is very nice, especially if you are doing research and want immediate answers!

The Ultimate Disney World Savings Guide is also a good size: at 100 pages of tips and suggestions it is far shorter than many other books that you could purchase that don’t offer half of the specialized information that you get here. There is a lot of “bang for your buck” as the saying goes.

Another benefit, which I think is really important, is the unlimited access to the author’s  webpage for updates: it is updated monthly, so you always have access to the most current information, which is so helpful since Disney is known to change and add things on a regular basis. =)

Now I realize that e-books are not for everyone, as many people don’t like to “read” on their computer. But I honestly liked the fact that I could look over everything, and print out only what I wanted/needed for future reference, and then organize it any way that I liked. I found that to be far more productive for my planning purposes than highlighting and bookmarking pages of a traditional book…and then lugging it around all over the parks so I could have it to refer to.

Now, is it possible to find most of this information for “free” on the internet, via message boards, websites, etc etc? Sure it is, but that is the case, really, with any book. The point of this is that it really takes hundreds of hours to research and track down every little tip and suggestion…and who really has time for that?

I know, I have done it. That’s why I am doing this website, so that you don’t have to!

Even so, I do believe that The Ultimate Disney World Savings Guide offers some great information, based on the author’s unique castmember experiences, that I have not found elsewhere.  Which is why I think it is a great place to start planning an affordable Disney family vacation of your own.

Have a magical day!