How to Plan your OWN vacation to WDW!

Let me begin by saying I am not a travel planner or travel agent, I like to plan my own trips with the input of my family. I am NOT saying in this entry that you shouldn't use a certified Disney travel planner which costs you nothing extra than the cost of the trip, however, I think you should have the opportunity to plan your own trip if you so choose to and you shouldn't feel intimidated in using the Disney website. At the end of this entry there will be a series of video tutorials on how to use the planning website.

First thing I do after we figure a budget is choose a time we'd like to go to WDW. This part includes checking school schedules and possible conflicts. The next thing we like to do is choose which resort we'd like to stay at and check availability for a family of five. Most every WDW resort will accomodate a family of four or less while families of five or more have fewer choices, they have plenty of choices but fewer. Also when choosing where you want to stay keep in mind how you will get to the parks. The closer you are to the Magic Kingdom the more expensive your resort will be (only exception is the Animal Kingdom Lodge) The three monorail resorts, Contemporary, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian are three of the four most expensive resorts. They all have monorail access to the Magic Kingdom and in the case of the Contemporary it is an easy walk to the MK. There are then what Disney calls Moderate resorts and then Value Resorts. When choosing a resort keep in mind how much time you plan on actually spend in the parks versus the room. Another thing to decide is whether or not to get the Dining Plan. I am pro-Dining Plan but it may not be in the best interest for all people. You probably need to do more in-depth research into this but there are three levels or plans Quick Service Plan which gives you two quick service meals and one snack per person per night of your stay, the Disney Dining Plan which includes a table service meal and a quick service meal plus a snack per person per night of your stay, then there is the Deluxe Dining Plan which offers three meals (either quick or table) and two snacks per person per night. Each plan is pre-paid and includes a re-fillable mug per person which can be used at any Disney Resort to fill up with soda, coffee, or tea at no extra cost, they also make great souveniers, we have a bunch of these in our cabinets. One thing to keep in mind is that the plans only include meals and snacks for the number of nights you are staying so plan accordingly, it will include your check-in day but not your check out date. You can use any left-over meals or snacks on your check out day but plan accordingly.


When you have decided all of the above now it is time to actually book the trip.

As promised before here are some links to instructional videos that I hope will help you...
Disney Travel Planning
Disney Travel Planning II
Disney Travel Planning III
Disney Travel Planning and FAQ

I hope you learned a little bit more than you knew before. Until next time have a great time...