Back in the day you used to be able to just pack up your car, drive to Florida, buy tickets at the gates and have a carefree day at a Walt Disney World park. However, due to the ever-increasing popularity of a Disney vacation, it now takes a lot more planning to get the most out of your trip. There are now 4 parks (plus two waterparks), 31 resorts, 405 restaurants and 277 attractions that make up Walt Disney World, with more new stuff being built all the time. Here are the choices you'll need to consider for your first Disney trip:
1. Choosing a Date
Disney World prices and crowds fluctuate based on the time of year. It is always more expensive and crowded to visit Disney during a major holiday or any break from school. This is because most Disney visitors are bringing their children and don't like pulling them out of school. However, if you are willing to pull the kids from school for your trip, you'll have the benefit of lower prices and fewer crowds.
2. Choosing a Place to Stay
Disney has a wide range of accommodations from value rooms to deluxe villas. Each resort on Disney property offers a different theme and feel, and unique aspects to be considered - including the distance from each park and the transportation options available.
You can also stay at a non-Disney hotel off-site, but you lose many benefits by doing this. Walt Disney World resort guests get 30 minutes early access to every park every day, free resort and theme park parking for those with a car, free transportation to the parks for those without a car, first dibs at dining and ride reservations and other perks. You also save a lot of time by staying "inside the magic."
3. Choosing a Ticket Package
Walt Disney World has four parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. I usually recommend a 5-day park ticket for those who want to see it all in one trip, with one day at each park, with an extra day to return to Magic Kingdom, as it is the biggest original park and has more attractions than the other three parks combined and can take two days to cover. If you want the ability to go between two parks in a single day, you'll need a Park Hopper ticket. And if you'd like to visit Disney's two water parks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, you can add the Park Hopper Plus option.
4. Making Your Itinerary
Disney World currently requires park pass reservations, where you must reserve which park you are going to visit each day. This is an extra step on top of purchasing tickets. Each park's hours change daily and crowds flux based on the day of the week. An experienced travel advisor can help you pick which park is the best to visit each day based on the posted schedule and crowd predictions.
5. Choosing Where to Eat
Restaurant reservations are available 60 days in advance of your trip and book up extremely fast (within minutes of opening), especially character meals that include dining with Mickey and friends or popular princesses. Restaurants inside of a park require a ticket and park pass reservation to dine, but there are also restaurants at Disney resorts or the Disney Springs shopping center that are open to the public.
6. Planning Your Day
No one wants to spend their vacation spending hours waiting in ride lines, so it's important to do some pre-planning to ensure you are able to experience the attractions at the top of your to-do list. Disney uses multiple technology systems inside their app to make the ride queues more manageable: Genie+, Individual Lightning Lanes and Virtual Queues are all ways to avoid long waits. Some come with a cost, while other ride strategies are free.
If this sounds like a lot of work for a vacation, honestly it is... but the good news is you don't have to do it alone. As a travel agent specializing in Disney destinations I can walk you through all these steps, including finding the best hotel and ticket package for your family, making a park plan with restaurant reservations, and helping you learn how to use the app technology with my top ride strategies. The best part is my services are free to you when you book your trip with me. The price is the same as booking with Disney directly, but you have an expert on call to help you get the most out of your vacation. Reach out to me at mnicholson@mousemagictravel.com or message me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MMTbyMaeghan to get started.
