So you want to go to Walt Disney World. Now what?

Deciding to go can be easy. Figuring out the rest...not so much. Here are some things to keep in mind.

1. Are you planning your WDW trip on a budget or....
2. Are you planning the budget based on the WDW trip?

While you would think you should plan your trip based on available dollars, I actually recommend planning the trip, seeing how much it costs and then whittle it down from there.

FAQ's regarding this phase

1. When should we start planning?
2. Should we stay on-site?
3. Should we get the meal plan?
4. What type of park passes should we get?
5. How many days should we plan on staying?
6. Should we fly or drive?
7. Are my kids too young?

My personal thoughts on these things...

1. When should we start planning?a Minimum of 6 months out if possible. At the 180 day mark you'll want to plan your Advanced Dining Reservations (ADR).
2. Should we stay on-site? The short answer to this is YES! Now, if you can't or you got an awesome deal to stay off-site, then that's a different story. But the advantages of staying on-site far outweigh any of staying off site. At WDW, there is built-in transportation, various park perks and amenities. Plain and simple, staying at The World eliminates a lot of the headaches.And who needs headaches on vacation?!?!
3. Should we get the meal plan? Ask 10 people this question and you'll get 10 varying opinions! Disney has a few different option. there are their dining plans and then there are the Tables in Wonderland (TIW) cards. The meal plan is approx. $55\day per adult and $15\day per kid (<10 yrs old). My thoughts are if you have kids under 10, get the plan. Character meals often are buffet styles and cost in excess of $15 for kids alone. If your kids are 10-12 age and you don;t think they'll eat a lot, then you may be wasting the meals. A nice option is TIW where you pay $100 for a card and then get 20% all of your meals.
4. What type of park passes should we get? Lots of choices here. Basically, the passes get cheaper with each day you add. If you live in FL or are in the Disney Vacation Club (DVC) you can get an Annual Pass for a discounted price. There are many, many options and this depends on how many days you plan on going and if you think you will go to more than one park in a day. Some people like to see Universal Studios or Sea World while in Orlando. So those types of scenarios will factor into your pass.
5. How many days should we plan on staying? This will vary depending on the age of the party travelling and what you want to do. I'd recommend at least 5 days but 7 is ideal. If budget necessitates a contracted schedule, you can still enjoy Disney. You simply have to plan a little differently so don't fret.
6. Should we fly or drive? If you can fly...do it! A really nice feature for most airlines is the Magical Express, You take you bags tot he airport and then you don;t see them again until you get to your room where the nice folks at Disney deliver them. And how do you get from the airport to WDW? The Magical Express buses pick you up at the Orlando airport and deliver you.
7. Are my kids too young? If they can walk, then I say they are NOT too young. We took both of our daughters when they each were 2.5 years old. The experience for them at that age makes all seem very real. So those experiences combined with lots of photos make for great memories. Of course, you know your kids better than I do...at least I hope you do!