Disney World--Planning the Basics

We go to Disney World once or twice a year. Friends are always asking me for tips, so here are a few we have come up with over the years!

Lodging at Disney

Stay ON Disney property!!  There are pros and cons to staying on or off property, but I think the benefits of staying at Disney are the best.  You get:

-- Longer park hours for free (morning/evening Extra Magic Hours) one park either opens 1 hr early or stays open up to 3 hrs late!

-- Ability to do Disney Dining Plan

-- If you fly, the Magical Express can pick you up  at the airport and take you to your Disney resort.  Book ahead of time. You can pick up your luggage at the airport or they can bring it for you to your room within 3 hours. When you are flying out, you can do your airport check-in AT YOUR RESORT!! How wonderful is that?!  Magical Express  (407) 939-6244

-- Free use of Disney transportation between parks and resorts.  This is a big time saver in the long run.  No need to worry about driving or parking!

-- Free shopping delivery.....if you buy something while you are in the parks, they will deliver it to your hotel room so no need to lug it around the park all day.
** I will discuss some of our favorite places to stay in a later post!**

Days at Disney

* Next thing is to decide where you want to be each day. We look at the calendar on Disney's website to see the hours of each park. You can pick based on which park is open longest or which park has extra magic hours.

* As for tickets, we only get day passes. The park hopper option doesn't make sense for us. I feel that with little ones, it is easiest to spend the whole day in one park, and plan around that.

* We have found that planning a resort pool/Downtown Disney day is good for when you have younger kids.  Disney days can be long, and this is a good breakup in the middle of the week.

Packing
* Get rain ponchos before you get into the parks. It rains almost every day in Florida even for brief periods of time. These are also good when you want to ride a water ride at the park, but you don't want to walk around soaked for the rest of the day. For a family of 4 you can spend about $4 at Wal-Mart or a dollar store before you leave or you can drop about $40 once in Disney World!
* Bring single serving drink powder drink packs. I only let the kids have a limited number of sodas a day, and they easily tire of water. The drink packs add a little flavor to your bottled water.
* Your kids will want some light up toys to have during the parade and fireworks. While getting your ponchos, get some light up toys and pack them without the kids knowing. Pull them out at parade time, and they won't know the difference (and it saves you money!).
* Bring your own character shirts and princess dresses. This is another great money saver, and they can be worn in the park each day! If your daughter is doing the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, choose a cheaper package and bring a princess dress from home!


Read other Disney posts: Disney World--Where To Stay, Disney World--Dining Decisions, Disney World--Planning The Extras, and Disney World--Days In The Parks