Planning An Affordable Disney Vacation: Four Things You Must Know Before You Book Anything
If you are planning your first visit to Walt Disney World, congratulations! You will be visiting one of the most “magical” vacation destinations there is, filled with literally hundreds of attractions, rides, restaurants, hotels and events. Feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of trying to figure out how to start planning this wonderful vacation? This article will focus on some of the very first things you need to do before you book anything. Doing your research is central to planning the most affordable Disney family vacation.
Hopefully starting a good 6-9 months in advance, you will need to first decide when you are going to go. To determine the best time for your family to visit Walt Disney World, it is important to evaluate your preferences for things crowds and weather. For example, if you are not thrilled with crowds, don’t plan a visit during the crowded summer, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and spring breaks. Do you hate heat and humidity? Don’t go during Florida’s brutal summer.
The next thing you will want to do is figure out what you and your family want to see and do while at Disney World. Seem strange? Believe it or not, you will find it helpful to know at this point in your planning, which parks you will be spending most of your time at, or if there are any special events you will want to attend. By looking at this early in the process, you can then plan your trip to take advantage of this information.
To do all this, good planning guides are important to give you an overview of what you can see and do at the parks. I have two favorite planning sources:
1. The Disney World website is a great place to start. as you can order their free planning DVD. To do this, you need to sign up for a log-in, which I recommend that you do. You will then be sent a lot of Disney vacation planning information, as well as be emailed special offers and promotions.
2. The Ultimate Disney World Savings Guide, which is an e-book written by a former Disney castmember. Not only is it filled with tons of great park information, it has a number of excellent strategies for saving some serious money.
Now that you have an idea when you are visiting and what you want to see and do, you need to see how long you will be at Disney World. After looking at your vacation time available, work/school schedules etc., consider how long you will need to see everything you want to see! This somewhat ties into the original discussion about the time of year you will be visiting Disney World. If you will be there during the more crowded times or the hot summer, you will need to allow for additional time: more people and/or the need for park breaks to cool off, means that it will take longer to see everything you want to see. Likewise, if you are traveling with very young children, it will be important to add extra time for breaks as well.
So generally speaking, how long would it take to visit each park, if you wanted to “see everything”? In my opinion, to see all four parks completely, you should plan for at least 5 full days. If any of the above conditions apply to your plans, add more time.
The final step before you start booking your vacation, is to decide how much you want to spend. To plan an affordable Disney family vacation, this will be extremely important. Having a budget in mind right from the start will help you keep control of your costs. Be realistic and honest about this part, and don’t worry if your budget is not huge: you can still have a fantastic vacation without spending a huge amount of money!
Once you have these four things in mind…when you are going, what you want to see, how long you can stay, and what you can afford…you are then ready to start filling in the details and booking your vacation. Lay the groundwork at the beginning, and you will have a wonderful, magical, and affordable Disney family vacation!
Learn how you can save hundreds of dollars on a Disney vacation with the Ultimate Disney World Savings Guide. To get help with your own affordable Disney family vacation and to receive a free bonus guide that has Disney vacation planning ideas, make certain to check out www.theaffordablemouse.com.