Planning Your Walt Disney World Vacation

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A Disney World Vacation Planning Checklist

The key to having a great vacation at Walt Disney World is planning ahead. You definitely don't want to leave things to chance when you are on a once in a lifetime trip. Disney World is huge and the number of things to see and do is endless. Without planning ahead you may not get the most out of your vacation.

Fortunately, there's plenty of help online. So much in fact, that it can sometimes feel daunting, especially if you've never been there before. That's why I've created this lens - to help you sift through all that info and get to the really helpful stuff.

I've planned so many Disney vacations for myself and others that I've lost count. These are the things that I do when I plan each and every trip.

1. Get Help

2. Choose Where to Stay

Disney's On-Site Resorts 

Disney has twenty different resort areas right on the Disney World property. These resorts are a little more expensive than staying off-site but I think it's definately worth it. A few of the perks you get when staying in a Disney hotel are Magical Express, free transportation, and Extra Magic Hours. Besides, their resorts are beautiful. I always stay on-site to experience all the Disney magic!

Yacht Club MarinaFor descriptions of all the different on-site resorts, click on the name and you'll be taken to an FAQ page for that resort on AllEars.Net. You'll find all the facts you need plus photos and reader reviews of every resort.

Have you stayed at any of these resorts? You can really help out the first time planners by offering your recommendations. Just click on the little triangle next to the number of your favorites.

3. Get Yourself There

Magical Express 

Disney's Magical Express is a free airport shuttle, luggage delivery and airline check-in service for Disney hotel guests. You board a bus at the airport that makes the rounds to several resorts. You don't even have to get your luggage - they pick it up for you and deliver it to your room.

If you don't want to deal with renting a vehicle, and you don't need to stop for groceries, and you aren't in a major hurry - then Magical Express is a great service. I've used it a number of times and loved leaving the driving to them!

4. Choose What To Do

Dining 

Flying Fish ChefYou really have to think ahead about your dining plans when working out the details of your trip. Without planning ahead - as much as 180 days in advance! - you may be disappointed with the options that are available to you.

Figuring out how you'll spend your mealtimes is such a major part of your trip planning that I devoted a whole page to it. Check out Dining Disney Style! for everything you need to make your dining plans successfully.

Guidebooks 

I've just touched on the basics of planning your trip on this page. If you really want to get an idea of everything there is to do at Disney World, a guidebook or two is the way to go.

I'm a big fan of the Unofficial Guide. Those guys leave no stone unturned! The Passporter books are also very good.

If you were to search Amazon for guidebooks on Walt Disney World Resort, you'd find page after page of books. Like anything, some are better than others. Rather than spending your time endlessly searching through them all, visit the Focus on Disney World bookstore to see my hand-picked favorites.

1

Vote Up
The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2010 (Unofficial Guides) by Bob Sehlinger

The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2010 (Unofficial Guides) by Bob Sehlinger

More than 4 million copies sold! This series is th more...1 point

2

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PassPorter's Walt Disney World 2010: The Unique Travel Guide, Planner, Organizer, Journal, and Keepsake! by Jennifer Marx, Dave Marx, Allison Cerel Marx

PassPorter's Walt Disney World 2010: The Unique Travel Guide, Planner, Organizer, Journal, and Keepsake! by Jennifer Marx, Dave Marx, Allison Cerel Marx

With four major theme parks and 20 hotels packed i more...1 point

3

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Hidden Mickeys, 4th Edition: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secrets (Disneyland's Hidden Mickey's) by Steven M. Barrett

Hidden Mickeys, 4th Edition: A Field Guide to Walt Disney World's Best Kept Secrets (Disneyland's Hidden Mickey's) by Steven M. Barrett

There's an extra special way to enjoy Walt Disney more...1 point

5. Decide How You'll Get Around

Disney World Maps 

It's a Great Big World! The Disney property in Florida covers roughly 47 square miles. That's about the size of San Francisco. The good news is that it's incredibly easy to get around in Disney World.

My friend, Will, has an amazing collection of Walt Disney World maps. He even includes links to Google and LocalLive maps for each park and resort.

Disney Transportation 

Sailing Away to the Contemporary ResortOne of the benefits to staying in a Disney Resort is being able to use Disney Transportation for free. This is a great way to get from your hotel to the parks and back. Depending on where you are staying you may travel by watercraft, bus or monorail.

There's no advance planning needed to use Disney Transportation - it's all first come, first served.

6. Get in a Magical Mood!

What do you think?

Help make this page even more useful for everyone:

1. Add your own recommendations to my lists.

2. Vote for your favorites by clicking on the little triangle just to the right of the item number in the lists.

Got Something to Say? 

Do you have any travel planning tips to share? Have a question to ask? Or maybe you just want to say hi! I'd love to hear from you.

Hey spammers - messages that include links to non-related sites won't get published.

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  • Reply
    JansStores JansStores Apr 14, 2009 @ 4:15 pm
    Great Disney lens !
    Don't forget to add the new Disney Vacation Club Resorts (Treehouses,Bay Lake Tower, and Kidani Village, not to mention Disney's Vero Beach Resort, Hilton Head Island, Hawaii, and Disneyland,Ca.)
    Also The Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort timeshares, right at Disney World.
    http://www.squidoo.com/disneyvacationclub
    Jan
  • Reply
    dustytoes dustytoes Apr 3, 2009 @ 12:52 pm
    I lived in central Florida for over 25 years and went to Disney World a lot...It was nice to choose a "quiet" time of year to go and miss the crowds. The best time to visit in my opinion was the beginning of December- right between the 2 big holidays and the weather is usually beautiful then.
    My 2 cents. Nice lens.
  • Reply
    Suzy Suzy Apr 30, 2008 @ 11:24 am
    Wow! You have been busy! This is a great step-by-step approach to Disney planning and excitement! Well thought-out and easy to follow. :)
  • Reply
    Barrie Barrie Apr 24, 2008 @ 11:26 pm
    Thanks Lisa!

    I saw your comment on my other lens. Aw, c'mon, I love Expedition Everest. Chicken!
  • Reply
    Lisa_Photographer Lisa_Photographer Apr 24, 2008 @ 9:49 pm
    Good job. I added some stuff. You may wanna check your Trip Report from May 2006 for a new comment.
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Frequently Asked Questions 

What does the 4 points, 1 point, etc. next to the topics mean?

That's how many people have "voted" for that item as a favorite. So, for instance, if Tagrel is your favorite online comunity, click on the little triangle just to the left of the link to Tagrel.com. It will register your vote as a point.

You can vote for as many as you like, so if you are a fan of both Tagrel and the other forums listed, go ahead and vote for them all.

You know how people will often say, "What's your favorite place to stay?" or "What towncar company do you use?" or "What's the best guidebook to get?"... this is a way to let the first time planners know what things are most popular with people who are seasoned Walt Disney World guests.

What if I don't see my favorite on the list?"

If you want to add another item to the list, click on the "Add to this list" button at the bottom of the list. Then don't forget to vote for that item!

by Barrie

Hi there! My name is Barrie and I live in Portland, Oregon. I'm a big Disney World fan. I try to make the long trek from the Pacific Northwest at leas...

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