So you have decided to go to Disney. What should you do first? Buy a copy of the best book in the World....The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. This book will quickly become your best friend. It has the best information of any book I have ever read about Disney World. Even though a lot of the information is the same from year to year, I still buy the newest copy every year. I love sitting down with a hot cup of coffee every morning and reading a small section every day. It is so informative and also entertaining. It truly is a great read. I recommend buying it off the web as it is so much cheaper. Use pricegrabber.com or bizrate.com and search for the lowest price. I don't remember ever paying over $14.00 for it, shipping and all. The website for this book (touringplans.com) is a good planning tool as well. It has planning information on it that you can access for free, such as restaurant reviews, hotel reviews, blog posts, etc. They also have a premium subscription you can purchase for $10.95 that will allow you access to a crowd calendar that tells you the best days to visit each park, detailed touring plans to help you plan your days, and access to their mobile system called lines that will allow you to check wait times for attractions in the parks while you are on vacation. If you buy the book, you get a discount on this subscription rate. So buy the book, then check out the website for more assistance.
The next step is to decide when you are going to go. We have become very big fans of traveling in the fall. If it is at all possible to go during the off season, I highly recommend it. We are blessed that our little girl gets a two week break in the fall, two weeks at Christmas, and two weeks in the Spring. Of those breaks, her fall break is the only time that falls into off season touring so it is a no brainer for us. The temps are great, the crowds are low, and we love the Halloween party and decorations.
The next thing to do is decide where you are going to stay. You have two options you have to decide on first....on property or off. This is a hard decision for many, though not for our family. We always stay on property. My husband and I both used to stay off property when we took our trips with family before we were married...but then we stayed on property for our honeymoon and will not go back! For us, it is amazing being totally immersed in the magic of Disney. I will write a new post on this topic at a later date.
Once you know when you are going and where you want to stay, go ahead and book your stay (especially if you are staying on Disney property). If you book a package (room plus park tickets) through Disney, you pay a $200 deposit which is fully refundable up until 45 days out from your trip. If you change 5 to 44 days out you get all but $100 back. If you only book the room portion and no park tickets, your deposit is only the cost of one night, and you have until I think 5 days out to cancel for your full money back. The great thing about booking early is that you are guaranteed the resort that you want. Disney is wonderful in that they will allow you to change your reservation up until I think 45 days out if a better deal comes out. Disney always seems to be running some kind of special so chances are good that you will get some kind of discount during your trip. I will post later about this as well.
I think I have rattled enough for now. My mind is racing with all the information I want to post so I will save that for another date. For now, get the book and enjoy all it has to offer. Happy planning!
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