Planning a Trip to Disney: A How To

Me as Belle

Step 1: Picking the Dates
I know, I know, it seems silly but this is one of the most important, if not the most important step, in planning your Disney trip. Why? Because asking off for work can be a nightmare sometimes, or you plan a month ahead to only find that none of the hotels you wanted are avalible. Most importantly, if you have a fear of crowds or are as impatient as I am, then you will need to know the best times to go to Disney.

The peak Disney times (the times of year everyone goes) are March, June, July, and December. These are times when the crowd is moderate to heavy. The worst of the crowds happen during the last three weeks of March, the week of the 4th of July, Thanksgiving week, and Christmas week.
Link to crowd calender

The best times to go, generally, are late April to early May, late August, and September. These are times when the crowd will be low to moderate. Which is great for wait times and dining reservations.

Step two: Hotel Reservations
Hotel reservations are easy to make if you:

1. Book many months in advance (recommended)
2. Have a large budget
3. Are planning a small family trip

Planning many months ahead will most likely save you more than a few headaches in the weeks leading up to your trip. It ensures that you not only get the room you want at the place you want, but also that you get the best price. If you are on a budget, I recommend checking out Trip Advisor or local Disney travel agencies. You can sometimes get the best deals through them. Or you can go through Disney, which is sometimes also a great deal when you book early.

Another budget friendly tip, if you are really on a budget, or have a large family, is to rent out a condo or a house just outside of Orlando. When I went as a child with a lot of my extended family we rented out a house in Kissimmee. This costs a little more for transportation if you fly and you no longer have the convience of coming and going from the park with as much ease. Some benefits though are cheaper prices and the ability to buy your own food if you have someone with severe food allergies or a picky eater.

If you want to go full out Disney, but you are still ballin' on a budget, there are always different resort options.

• Campgrounds: This are great if you really love the camping or are roadtripping it down to Disney. If you would like to camp and just have a tent or a pop up campsite, the rates start as low as $53 per night.
• Value Resort Hotels: The cheapest value hotel at the cheapest part of the year will run you $107 a night. There are five resorts that fit into this price range: All-Star Movies, All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, Pop Century, and Art of Animation. The cheapest of those (at least on the Disney booking site) is All-Star Music. Link to Value Resort Booking
• Moderate Resort Hotels: The next level up start at $199 at the cheapest time of the year. There are also 5 options for this level: Carribean Beach, The Cabins, Port Orleans- French Quarter and Riverside, and Coronado Springs Resort. The cheapest of these is Carribean Beach, however if you are looking at booking anytime before May 2019 be aware that they will be under construction until then. Link for Moderate Resort Booking
• Deluxe Resort Hotels: The final level of resort hotels starts at $338 a night. There are 8 resorts in this category: Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, Boardwalk Inn, Polynesian Village, Yacht Club, Grand Floridian, Beach Club, and Animal Kingdom Lodge. The cheapest of these is Contemporary (on average). Link to booking for Deluxe Resorts
• Deluxe Villas: The final, top of the top resorts start at $341 a night. There are 11 options to choose from: The Villas at the Grand Floridian, Polynesian Villas & Bungalows, Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Villas, Bay Lake Tower, Boulder Ridge Villas, Saratoga Springs, BoardWalk Villas, Beach Club Villas, Jambo House, and Old Key West, which is also the cheapest on average. Link to Deluxe Villas Booking

Step 3: How are you going to get there
There are two main modes of transportation to Walt Disney World: driving or flying. If you stay on Disney Property I would recommend flying. They have complementary services that take you to and from the airport and shuttles that run to and from the parks. If you are not staying on property or would like the freedom or your own transportation, I would recommmend driving if possible. If not possible ( I would not personally drive for more than 14 hours to get there) then I would recommend flying in and renting a car while down there, which you can also do through Disney.

Step 4: Tickets
Now for a more exciting part (not that planning all the steps before wasn't exciting): buying tickets. There are two options for you:

• Park Hopper Passes
• 1 park a day tickets

If you are planning on doing a short visit (4 days or under) I would personally recommend doing a park hopper pass. Not only will you get to see every park that way, but you can also hop to and from for dining reservations. If you are planning a longer visit then park hopper passses are also an option, but I would not recommend if you have younger children or you are planning to stay in one park, for example Magic Kingdom, all day.

Step 5: Park planning
Now for what I think is the most exciting part (beside actually going to Disney), planning which parks you will go to on which days, or if you bought park hopper passes, how many parks you plan on going to on each day. There are currently 4 main Disney parks in Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom.

• Magic Kingdom: This is the largest park. Personally I like to set aside a separate day for this park. It contains the most rides and characters.
• Epcot: This is a great one for adults, not so much for children. There are very few rides. It is mainly about the food and cultural aspects of all 11 countries represented there. This is great for 21st birthday celebrations or any birthdays after that, mainly because this is the park to drink in. There are many, many different alcoholic beverages and food options. This a great park to park hop to, however, if you want an up close and personal with the princesses. (More details on that in another post if you guys would like)
• Hollywood Studios: This park is AMAZING for Star Wars fans of all ages. There are many new attractions coming for Star Wars fans. This is also the best park for Toy Story lovers, because coming on June 30, 2018 Toy Story Land opens.
• Animal Kingdom: This one I am going to be honest with, I haven't been since I was 8. This park was honestly pretty boring when we went in the heat of the summer, because it is essentially a giant zoo. I would not recommend this park in the summer if you: a) have children, b) want to see the animals. HOWEVER, if you love Avatar (not the Last Airbender), then Animal Kingdom is the place for you!

Step 6: Dining Reservations
One of the last steps in planning your trip to Disney World is finding where you want to eat. This makes it easy to either: a) plan your budget for food or b) purchase a meal plan that fits your dining needs. I have recommendations listed below for where I would recommmend eating for each park.

• Magic Kingdom: Be Our Guest restaurant (If you love Beauty and the Beast this is a must do) Be Our Guest, Aloha Isle (If you like pineapple anything, you need to try the Dole Whip), Gaston's Tavern, Main Street Bakery, and Plaza Ice Cream Parlor.
• Epcot: Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, Block & Hans, Joy of Tea, Kabuki Cafe, La Cava del Tequila, and Test Track Cool Wash.
• Animal Kingdom: Harambe Market, Thirsy River Bar and Trek Snacks, and Trilo-Bites.
• Hollywood Studios: Anaheim Produce, Hollywood Scoops, Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant, and Woody's Lunch Box(Opening June 30, 2018).

Step 7: ENJOY YOUR TRIP TO WALT DISNEY WORLD!!!
If you guys liked this and want more please don't hesitate to let me know!