Best Way to Plan a Disney Vacation

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Help, I'm going to Disney World and don't know where to start!

As a "Disney veteran", I have been asked countless times about the best way to plan a Disney vacation. There is SO much information that to a newbie, it can seem confusing and overwhelming. Most people don't like to plan THAT much, and so plan nothing. Which is a sure-fire recipe for a miserable vacation. Visiting Disney World requires planning if you want to enjoy it: the trick is figuring out what you need to know, and where to find it!

Best Way to Plan a Disney Vacation: First Plan When You're Going!

Starting at the very beginning, the best way to plan a Disney vacation ideally begins months in advance. The more time you have, the more chances you have to save money and the more options you will have for accommodations, dining reservations, and tours. The time of year you go plays a key role in the cost of your trip, the crowds, and ultimately, your enjoyment. For example, many families with school age kids plan around school vacations.....but for obvious reasons, these are the most crowded times. The week between Christmas and New Years is actually the most crowded ...and expensive week of the year: many families don't want to brave Florida's summer heat and humidity so they plan a trip during this week instead. If you have never been to Disney World, my recommendation would be to avoid this week for your first trip if at all possible...you will have a much more enjoyable vacation if you do! :)

The Best Way to Plan your Disney Vacation: Get Great Advice!

One of the best ways to make the most of your time and money as you plan a Disney vacation, is to use the services of a Disney specialist travel agent. With the experience of planning many Disney trips, knowledge of the best ways to save money, and the ability to book your trip and take care of the details for you, using a Disney travel specialist can save you time and money...and insure that your trip is as magical and memorable as you are dreaming of.

The best part is that there is never any cost for this help!

Learn how a Disney travel specialist can help you plan your Disney vacation..

Best Way to Plan a Disney Vacation: Saving Money!

This is always an important question, perhaps never more so than this year. Yes, you CAN visit Disney and not have it cost you a fortune! Start by registering on the Disney website for emails and postcards with Disney's latest packages and promotions. There are some great ones now and you can potentially save quite a bit of money. Check with a Disney travel agent to see what they are offering as well. Consider getting the Disney VISA card to earn rewards that can be used just about anywhere on Disney for accommodations, tickets, and/or food. And be sure to check non-Disney properties for great deals as well: there are literally hundreds of hotels, time-shares, and rental homes within easy reach of the parks....and they all want your business! The best way to plan a Disney vacation and save lots of money is to research, get some guidance, and plan ahead!

Visit The Affordable Mouse

For Disney vacation planning tips and ideas!

Looking for more help, ideas, and Disney vacation planning tips? The Affordable Mouse Blog offers regular updates and information on how to save money on a Disney World vacation. When you visit, be sure to sign up to receive a FREE 50 Page Planning Guide. This is a great way to get the latest ideas for the best way to plan a Disney vacation.
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Disney Vacation Tips from You Tube

In this short You Tube video, learn how Disney's FastPass system can make your vacation easier!
How To Use Disney's FastPass
by DestinationsFlorida | video info

7 ratings | 4,996 views
curated content from YouTube

Best Way to Plan a Disney Vacation: Know What to Expect

One of the best ways to plan a Disney vacation is to make sure you are prepared! Start, once again, with the Disney website. On it you will find descriptions of the rides, downloadable park maps, operating hours of the parks months in advance, descriptions of other available activities and a lot more. You can order a free DVD that will give you some basics (and probably get your family enthusiastically involved in planning too!)There is even a Disney Mom's panel where you can ask questions from other families just like yours. Get a planning guidebook. And most importantly, don't be overwhelmed, take in a little at a time, and be sure to get the input from your family, so that everyone is involved in planning this trip!

Learn How to Have Affordable and Stress-Free Dining at Disney World

Magical MealsWhen it comes to planning vacations at Walt Disney World, few things are more confusing and overwhelming than dining. When it comes to the restaurants, the character meals, the food options, the Advanced Dining Reservations, the Dining Plans....what does it all mean? What do you need to know? How can you plan magical dining experiences for your family...at a price you can afford?

Magical Meals: A Guide to Affordable Dining at Walt Disney World was created to answer all those questions and more. In an organized, easy to follow e-book format, Magical Meals: A Guide to Affordable Dining at Walt Disney World was designed to be user-friendly, so that you can have everything that you want and need to know, when and where you need it. In addition to the information in the guide, you will receive worksheets for planning your meals as well as access to links that provide additional detail, tips, ideas, and suggestions. And the e-book format also gives you the versatility to print anything you want, or send it to your smartphone for easy access while at the parks.

Magical Meals: A Guide to Affordable Dining at Walt Disney World is guaranteed to be one of the most helpful Disney vacation planning guides you can have!

Favorite Disney Planning Guides

from Amazon.com

The Complete Walt Disney World 2010 is a very good resource, providing tons of great information, in a well organized format that makes it easy to find just what you need. Detailed information on each of the theme parks includes touring plans as well as descriptions, wait times, and a kid's "Fear Factor" for each ride. It also includes resort descriptions that even say how far each resort is from each theme park. While this is a very "complete" guidebook, it is not as enormous and overwhelming as some Disney planning books are. In fact, it is small enough to be able to carry it with you to the parks, which is a huge benefit in my opinion. What good is a guidebook if it takes you an hour to leaf through hundreds of pages to find what you want? A Disney guidebook that is the size of the phone book is a bit too much detail for me! The Complete Walt Disney World 2010is my first choice for the best way to plan a Disney vacation.

Read more reviews of The Complete Walt Disney World 2010
At over 800 pages,The Unofficial Guide 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 i s thorough and provides an unbiased perspective of all the Disney parks, plus SeaWorld and Universal. 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. 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 Walt Disney World 2010 is the book for you.

Read more reviews of The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World 2010
PassPorter's Walt Disney World 2010 is one of my favorite Disney vacation planners. Filled with lots of detailed information about every aspect of Walt Disney World, including 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 author includes maps, lots of personal vacation photos, detailed reviews from adults and children, and for the organizers among us, pockets and a journal. It is vacation planner and keepsake all in one! If you want to stay organized on your trip and find what you need easily,PassPorter's Walt Disney World 2010 is the travel guide for you.

Read more reviews of the 2009 edition of PassPorter's Walt Disney World: The Unique Travel Guide, Planner, Organizer, Journal, and Keepsake!
I love Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2010 travel guide. As the official Disney-endorsed book, it is not unbiased, but can still be very helpful especially regarding rides. When we were still new to Walt Disney World, the "Birnbaum's Best" designation for some of the rides was very helpful to my family as we 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 2010 travel guide is a great choice for a first-time visitor, that will help the reader get an overall feel of what to expect.

Read more reviews of Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2010

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What Advice Can You Share About the Best Way to Plan a Disney Vacation?

Have you visited Disney World? What tips can you share? I am always looking for ways to help folks plan their Disney vacations! Let me know if you have more questions, or are looking for additional information.



Thanks so much for visiting and have a magical day!

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  • Reply
    Disney-for-Less Aug 8, 2009 @ 9:48 am | delete
    Hi Shae,
    It can be very confusing to start, can't it? I would be happy to try to answer a few questions for you, or point you in the right direction to get you started. Email me at nancy@theaffordablemouse.com and we can chat further if you like. Have a great day!
    Nancy
  • Reply
    Shae Aug 7, 2009 @ 9:15 pm | delete
    I am completely new and lost in planning a trip to Disney World for our family (5 year old daughter). Do you give personal help? :)

    Thanks!

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Disney-for-Less

With over 10 visits to Walt Disney World, Nancy B. has a lot of experience in planning affordable Disney vacations! Visit her blog to get her latest... more »

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