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:
- 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 )
- 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!
