Planning A Trip to Disney World
Where to start? Here!
Planning a trip to Disney World can be confusing. But some say it's half the fun!
If you need more help that DZ can offer, there is a great vacation planning tool available at TourGuide Mike's website. Check it out!
The first thing you need to do is decide when you would like to go. Crowds and weather vary throughout the year. Its hard to predict either! Typically, summer time and major holidays are the most crowded, Spring Break and Christmas/New Years, too. The least crowded times are January-Feb (up until Presidents Day), September through late October, First couple weeks of November, and two weeks after Thanksgiving. Weather is pretty nice most of the year, but very hot and humid in the summer months. Thunderstorms are likely, too. Fall is still humid, but cooler. Winter can vary widely from down right COLD to nice enough to swim. Spring is generally warm, but can get quite hot. Check www.wunderground.com for weather history for more ideas of what its like different times of the year. More Info on when to go, click here..
Will any attractions be closed during your trip? Check the Disney Website and see. What Special Events are going on? There are MANY! Visit the Disney Website for details/dates on all the Special Events.
Next step is to decide where you want to stay. This is probably the most difficult decision to make for most. There are SO MANY choices. There are Disney resorts (on-site) and hotels off Disney property (off-site). Off-site hotels are less expensive, and can be very nice. But some are not-so-nice. If you stay off-site you will have to determine if the hotel offers shuttle service, or if you want to rent a car to get back and forth to the parks. You can save some money staying off-site, but many dont feel its worth it. Disney resort guests have a few perks. First being that you are staying on Disney property, so you never have to "LEAVE", also you have access to Disney transportation to take you anywhere on property. You can have your purchases sent back to your resort, so you dont have to carry all those bags around all day. You are also eligible for EMH, Extra Magic Hours - Parks open early & stay open later for resort guests. It's a wonderful way to experience the parks without all the crowds! The theming at the Disney resorts is really great, too. Can you tell my preference! More info on the resorts, click here!
Once you have your dates figured out, and where you want to stay, check for discounts! A great site that lists many discounts that are available to the general public is www.mousesavers.com. You can also get discounts if you belong to AAA and/or Costco.
Next you should start watching the airlines for rates, if you plan on flying. There are many sites out there that can help with this. www.travelocity.com www.expedia.com and also the individual airlines each have sites with up-to-the-minute pricing and availability. Delta has many non-stop flights, at about the same price as other airlines that make stops. Southwest Airlines is probably the absolute cheapest, but you will make at least one stop. Check various airlines, and check the sites periodically over a course of a month or so. You will notice that the fares change quite a bit. When you notice one that has dipped significantly, go ahead and book!
Airport transfers, or rental cars is the next logical thing to research. If you plan on renting a car, use the same sort of plan as for airlines. Go to various sites and compare prices! If you don't want to rent a car, and just need transportation to and from the airport, there are choices for that, too. You can use Mears, which is a bus service, which takes groups of people to various hotels. For about the same amount of money, maybe less, you can reserve a towncar, for private shuttle service! www.tiffanytowncar is a popular choice. Also contact Selective Limo, they are a popular choice, too. Alamo / National Rental Car is on-site for guest who would like to rent a car just for a day or two, for excursions to the beach, Universal, or maybe to Kennedy Space Center!
Now for the really tough decision - which tickets to buy! Once again, there are several choices. Disney has changed the entire way tickets are bought, check out this link to the ticket page!
The hard decisions are done... Now you can write your itinerary, figure out where you want to eat, call and get your PS reservations (407-WDW-DINE), think about tours, and other special things.
The site has tons of information to help you make these decisions. The message boards are great to ask questions, seek advice, or just to meet other Disney fans!
It's also suggested that you buy at least one guidebook! The guidebooks offer some great information, usually have maps and things that you may not think to ask about. We appreciate you using the links off the site to buy your guidebooks (DZ gets a small commission off these sales).