First of all, I’m jealous. Planning a Walt Disney World vacation is so much fun! I just went in February and I already wish I was planning another vacation, it might as well have been a year ago. Not that I didn’t have fun, it just already feels like it was a long time. (The goal for my next trip is November 2016, I just have to convince my family Dad).
There are a lot of decisions to make when booking a vacation to Walt Disney World, and the first piece advice I can give is use the Walt Disney World website. It has the most detailed information and is very helpful when booking a trip!
This post will serve as sort of a dashboard for lots of information you would need when planning a Disney Vacation. All of the things that you need to consider when thinking about visiting Walt Disney World, and links to other posts here on the blog that expand on those topics. I will continue to update this post as other topics are posted so everything is easy to find! Let’s get started!
Length of your stay
There are so many things to see and do at Walt Disney World! That’s why I would suggest dedicating an entire vacation to it, especially if it is your first time! A 5 night, 6 day trip is usually enough time to see most of what Walt Disney World has to offer, but I’ve been seven times and still experience new things each trip! A week is generally enough time, and a lot of deals are geared towards staying this long. It sounds like a long time to be there at first, but once you go you will be glad you were there for a week!
Where To Stay
Disney owns a bunch of restarts on property, and I have done a post all about it! You can read that here. I break down everything you need to know about where to stay, and give my opinion on whether or not it’s worth it to stay on site. It is a different decision for everyone, but the post shows where I stand!
Dining Plan
If you are staying at a Disney Resort hotel, you can take advantage of the Disney Dining Plan! This post goes through the different “levels” of the dining plan and talks a little bit about if it is worth it or not. During my last trip I did not purchase the Dining Plan, but I have on previous trips so I could compare.
Dining Reservations
Walt Disney World has amazing food! As I explain in my Disney Dining Post, there are two types of food service in WDW. Quick service, where you order at a counter (like McDonald’s) and Table Service meals, where you are served at a table (like Boston Pizza). If you are looking for a sit down meal, you should make a reservation. You can make dining reservations up to 180 days before the first day of your trip if you are staying at a Disney Resort Hotel. If you are staying off site, you can make a reservation 180 days in advance of the day you are booking for. Obviously Disney gives you a slight “advantage” if you are staying on site, but it is something you should plan for because you need to eat while you are there! Disney restaurants can be found on the Walt Disney World Website and can be made from there as well, or by calling 407-WDW-DINE. Trust me, the food in Walt Disney World is different than anything you have had at a theme park!
Disney’s Magical Express
Look for a post all about Disney’s Magical Express coming soon! This service is free, and available to guests staying at Disney Resort Hotels. You receive luggage tags before your trip, and when you arrive at Orlando International Airport you don’t need to pick up your bags! You just head to the bus that takes you straight to your resort an get your vacation started!
Park Tickets
There are a few different types of tickets that are available when visiting Walt Disney World. In a future post I will break down all of the different types and which I think are worth the extra money. You have your basic ticket, a special ticket if you want to visit the water parks, and if you want to visit more than one park in a day. You don’t want to be spending money on something that you aren’t utilizing, so it’s important to know the difference!
Which park to visit on which day?
This point applies more to guests staying at Disney Resort Hotels because of Extra Magic Hours, but it is still something to think about when planning your vacation! If you are staying off site but eating at a Walt Disney World restaurant, you are going to want to go to a park on the day with the longest hours, to get the most out of it! Park Hours are available months in advance on the Walt Disney World website, so it is definitely something to check out!
My Disney Experience
My Disney Experience is the dashboard of your vacation. I wrote a post with everything you need to know! Even if you are not staying on site, it’s something you will want to check out! You can read that post here.
What sort of things do you think about when booking a trip to Walt Disney World? Let me know in the comments!
Thank you for reading!
