The Best Way to Plan a Disney Vacation – Decide When You Are Going

Thinking about a trip to Walt Disney World, but wondering what is the best way to plan a Disney vacation? Want some basic information but don’t know where to start?

Most folks who are planning their very first visit to Disney World find it to be a very overwhelming process, due to the excessive amount of information that is available. There is just so much to know and learn that it becomes hard to know where to start. As someone who has visited Disney World many times, the first piece of advice I always give is: Start by deciding when you want to go.

The time of year that you go on your Disney vacation will affect every other part of your vacation, especially the cost. Some seasons are simply more expensive than others. And if you, like the majority of travelers to Disney World, are trying to plan a visit during school vacations, you are not alone. For this reason, you will find that summer, Thanksgiving, Christmas/New Years, and spring/Easter breaks are the busiest times to visit…and the most expensive. If you can only go during these times, you should be prepared for your accommodations to be more expensive than at other, non-peak, times. You will have many lodging choices in the Orlando area, but those most affordable choices will be limited if you don’t plan ahead.

Think about the crowd levels too. This plays a big part in how enjoyable your Disney vacation will be! If you can’t stand crowds and hate to wait in lines, then make sure your visit is planned for a non-peak time.

Make sure you think about the weather as well. It is well known that Florida has hot and humid summers: if you can’t handle heat and humidity, go during another season. And if you do go during the summer, then be prepared to visit the parks early, take those mid-day breaks, and relax by the pool in the afternoon. During a winter visit however, you have a good chance of some very unpredictable weather: beautiful, sunny days in the 70s one day, and freezing temperatures in the 30s at night the next. A winter visit entails some interesting packing logistics: pay careful attention to the weather forecast before you leave home!

In my opinion, the best way to plan a Disney vacation should start with an honest look at the family schedule. Then, discuss what everyone likes, does not like, and then plan your vacation with these things in mind.

Nancy Bobby has been planning Disney World vacations (and saving money on them) for over ten years. Visit The Affordable Mouse Blog to learn the planning and cost-cutting ideas she has discovered over time and sign up for your free Bonus Guide with tips for an affordable Disney family vacation.

The Best Way to Plan a Disney Vacation – First You Need to Know When You Will Go

Are you thinking about visiting Walt Disney World, but are not sure about the best way to plan a Disney vacation? Do you need some basic information to get you started?

If you are like most people who are planning their first visit to Walt Disney World, you are finding it to be a confusing process. There is such an abundance of information that it is hard to know where to start. One thing I have learned, as a frequent Disney visitor, is that the first, and probably most important place to begin is to decide when you want to go.

The time of year that you go on your Disney vacation will affect every other part of your vacation, especially the cost. Some seasons are simply more expensive than others. And if you, like the majority of travelers to Disney World, are trying to plan a visit during school vacations, you are not alone. For this reason, you will find that summer, Thanksgiving, Christmas/New Years, and spring/Easter breaks are the busiest times to visit…and the most expensive. If you can only go during these times, you should be prepared for your accommodations to be more expensive than at other, non-peak, times. You will have many lodging choices in the Orlando area, but those most affordable choices will be limited if you don’t plan ahead.

Think about the crowd levels too. This plays a big part in how enjoyable your Disney vacation will be! If you can’t stand crowds and hate to wait in lines, then make sure your visit is planned for a non-peak time.

Don’t forget to consider the weather too. You probably know how hot and humid Florida can get in the summer. If you have never experienced this, you may be surprised at how intense it can be. It is not the season for those who really, really hate the heat. If you do go during the summer, a successful trip will include early visits to the parks, mid-day breaks, and pool-time in the afternoons. Wondering about a winter visit? Be prepared for some wild weather fluctuations! Sunny, warm days in the 70s, followed by freezing cold nights in the 30s are not out of the norm. If you go during the winter, you should pay some real attention to the weather forecast before you leave home, and pack accordingly.

In my opinion, the best way to plan a Disney vacation should start with an honest look at the family schedule. Then, discuss what everyone likes, does not like, and then plan your vacation with these things in mind.

Nancy Bobby has been planning Disney World trips (and saving money on them) for over ten years. Visit The Affordable Mouse Blog to learn the planning and cost-cutting ideas she has discovered over the years and sign up for your free Bonus Guide with tips for an affordable Disney family vacation.

The Best Way to Plan a Disney Vacation – How do I Know When I Should Go?

Thinking about a trip to Walt Disney World, but wondering what is the best way to plan a Disney vacation? Want some basic information but don’t know where to start?

If you are like most people who are planning their first visit to Walt Disney World, you are finding it to be a confusing process. There is such an abundance of information that it is hard to know where to start. One thing I have learned, as a frequent Disney visitor, is that the first, and probably most important place to begin is to decide when you want to go.

Deciding on the time of year for your visit affects everything else about your Disney vacation, including cost. Certain seasons are just more expensive than others. And if you have school-age children, like the majority of families that visit Walt Disney World, then traveling during school vacations is often a necessity. Not surprisingly, summer, Thanksgiving, Christmas/New Years, and spring/Easter breaks are the busiest times to visit, and accordingly the most expensive. If you simply must travel during those peak times, then you must be prepared for resort accommodations to be more expensive than they would during other non-peak times of the year. And while there are always lots of options for affordable lodging in the Orlando area, you may find that your choices may be limited if you do not plan ahead.

You want to also consider the crowd levels, as this can be a major factor in how much…or little…you enjoy your Disney vacation. If huge crowds and long lines are not for you, then plan your trip during the non-peak times of the year.

Don’t forget to consider the weather too. You probably know how hot and humid Florida can get in the summer. If you have never experienced this, you may be surprised at how intense it can be. It is not the season for those who really, really hate the heat. If you do go during the summer, a successful trip will include early visits to the parks, mid-day breaks, and pool-time in the afternoons. Wondering about a winter visit? Be prepared for some wild weather fluctuations! Sunny, warm days in the 70s, followed by freezing cold nights in the 30s are not out of the norm. If you go during the winter, you should pay some real attention to the weather forecast before you leave home, and pack accordingly.

In my opinion, the best way to plan a Disney vacation should start with an honest look at the family schedule. Then, discuss what everyone likes, does not like, and then plan your vacation with these things in mind.

Nancy Bobby has been planning Disney World vacations (and doing it affordably) for over a decade. Visit The Affordable Mouse Blog to learn the planning and cost-cutting ideas she has learned over time and receive your free Bonus Guide with tips for an affordable Disney family vacation.

Discount Disney Family Vacations – Enjoy Disney World Restaurants While Saving Money

Our family enjoys visiting Walt Disney World as often as we can. To do so however, saving money on our trip is important. Fortunately for us, planning a discount Disney family vacation is something that I enjoy, so in this article, I will share some of the strategies we use to save money on food.

I must say that for our family, one of the highlights of our vacation is eating! With all of the great restaurant choices (most of which are good quality), and the fun of trying new foods, we have found that we truly love to eat at Disney World. However, it can become very expensive, so out of necessity, we have found several ways to save money on food, and yet still enjoy the many mouth-watering options the Walt Disney World offers.

First of all, we signed up for the Disney Visa card, and we use the rewards dollars for our meals. Since we visit about once a year, by the time we go each year we accumulate a pretty sizable amount of Disney dollars to spend on food. Now, I am not advocating blindly running up a credit card (especially not in this current economic climate) but since we use one card for all of our basic purchases (and pay it off in full each month), it is a strategy that works extremely well for us. In fact, it works so well that in many years, I have paid hardly anything for our food on our Disney vacation at all!

Second, I have to say that we love using the Disney Dining Plan. This is basically a pre-paid “meal plan” that allows you to choose from one of several levels of options, each providing snacks, counter meals, and in some cases table service meals: you choose the option that is right for your budget. The key is, it is only available IF you are staying on Disney property. Now our family enjoys having a table service meal each night, so we always choose the Plus Disney Dining Plan, which gives us one snack credit, one counter meal (entree, drink, and dessert), and one table meal (again entree, drink, and dessert) per person, per day. We use the snacks mostly for breakfast and the others for lunch and dinner, and have found that it is usually more food per person than we can eat! We usually end up getting dessert “to go” since we are full from the meal. This plan saves us quite a bit of money, as the cost per day for our family of 3 is less than we would have paid just for dinner.

And this brings me then to another great way to possibly save money on meals at Disney World, is to take advantage of the Free Dining offers that Disney periodically offers. Traditionally, this promotion has been available the past several years during the “slow” late summer/early fall time frame. However this year’s economic situation has prompted Disney World to offer it for most of the summer and it now extends through mid-December. I just don’t think that there can be a better offer than free dining at Walt Disney World.

Of course, with all that food we are eating, we are fortunately doing a LOT of walking at all the parks to exercise it off! Saving money on food has been a great way to help us plan a magical discount Disney family vacation each year!

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