Happy blog post day! We discussed
many options of our first official “tip” post and figured the beginning is
always a great place to start, per Julie Andrews. So let’s go to the beginning…of booking a
trip! I will give you a few pointers for getting started. Make sure you look
for those Main Street Family Tips along the way!
Booking any vacation
can be stressful, but for some reason Disney vacations really get some folks
all in a tizzy. I mean, I’ve seen family/friends get ridiculously worked up
about a Disney trip. What the what?? You
are going to eat your weight in Mickey bars, people! Don’t let it be stressful.
Don’t get me
wrong, I know Disney World can seem really overwhelming. It has the name “world”
in it for a reason. However, always remember, you are GOING ON VACATION!!!
Literally, to the Most Magical Place on Earth! Don’t let pressure and anxiety
get to you. Take a step back and remember: you’re booking memories in the
making.
So, let’s
break it down into a couple of first steps….
DETERMINE YOUR VACATION NEEDS
Disney is
the BEST at offering opportunities for any and every family. You simply need to
know how much you are willing to spend and what type of experience(s) you want.
Disney’s website does a great job showing you the three main style of resorts:
Value, Moderate, and Deluxe.
Are you a park goer? Then you may want to
think about a Value or Moderate resort and maximize your ticket days. Do you
want a more relaxing vacation with only a few days at the park? Splurge a touch more on the hotel and go
Deluxe. Are you run and gun? Disney literally
has it all. Is your family a family that needs to sit down
to eat every meal? Think of your vacation needs as well as your everyday life.
*MAIN
STREET FAMILY TIP*
-When you start
researching your trip, log onto your My Disney Experience account and fill your
cart with your IDEAL vacation. Don’t book the vacation and let the vacation sit
in your cart. We’ve seen that Disney
will sometimes (not always) send you a “coupon code” in the mail for an extra
percentage off or for extra days at the park for discounted rates when we’ve
let that vacation sit in the cart. It’s Disney subliminal messaging at its best.
*Remember to
be logged into your My Disney Experience account online AND to have a good
chunk of your profile filled out (name, address, family members, etc.). This
way Disney knows where to send their goodies. While this is not a guarantee, we’ve
seen it work and it is always worth a shot!
BUDGET, BUDGET, BUDGET!!
The number
one thing we hear about Disney is how expensive it is. What people do not
remember is that WDW is a resort vacation
destination. While you must expect to spend some money, don’t fear that Disney
is out of your family budget. Like I said earlier in this post, Disney has something
for everyone.
Walt Disney
World is MASSIVE. Like seriously MASSIVE. As in, the campus of Walt Disney
World is two times the size of the Island of Manhattan. (Look it up,
it’s true!!) Do you think that this huge resort is only a few hotels and theme
parks? No way! While the parks are absolutely fabulous and are what most people
associate with Walt Disney World. However, there is so much more that WDW has
to offer besides the four theme parks and two water parks. From mini golf,
luxury pool time, resort hopping, water parades, Disney Springs, there are a
plethora of options that are minimally priced, if not free! Remember, look into
options to maximize your vacation, especially for those who are significantly
budget conscience. Sometimes a bang vacation doesn’t mean a ton of buck! We
will delve deeper into this topic in future blog posts, so stay tuned!
*MAIN
STREET FAMILY TIP*
One thing our family has experienced and loved is the Disney Dining Plan. It makes your vacation feel like
an All-Inclusive resort. Some families cannot find a way to make the Dining
Plan work and that is fine! Disney has so many Dining Plan options, but sometimes
it doesn’t make sense for our family either. Our “go to” test is to hit up: https://www.distripplanner.com/ .
This website is
usually really good at determining what may fit for you. Be sure to pick
individual restaurants and not the “Average QS” (Quick Service-Disney Fast
Food) or “Average TS” (Table Service-Sit Down. Even selecting the individual
restaurant only gives you an average priced meal, so it isn’t an end all be
all, but rather a good gauge. Just take a look and play around. That’s how we
all learn.
Hopefully
this is a quick Disney 101 on what to look for when starting your planning for a Disney
vacation. Our family will continue to break down things on a more micro level
in the future, but go out spend hours on Walt Disney World website planning the
dream vacation, and most importantly HAVE FUN DOING IT!!
--Christopher
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