1st trip to WDW help!

What should you pack? Where should you stay? When should you book reservations? How much money do you need to save? What time of year should you go?


No matter what time of year you visit DW, you should always pack a pair of shorts! I have worn shorts in December and January in Florida! You just never know! It gets chilly at dark during the spring and fall (and obviously winter), so be sure to bring a hoodie or jacket!

***You must bring good walking shoes like tennis shoes! You can easily walk 10-15 miles per day at the parks!***

Disney property has so many resort hotels to choose from - Value resorts to luxury resorts. Each resort hotel has free transportation to the parks as well as to and from the airport!
You can book over a year in advance on the Disney World website! You will have to make a My Disney Experience account - it's free and worth it!
You can stay off Disney Property and commute to the DW parks, but parking is $15 for cars & $18 for buses! Remember, these fees increase every year!
Usually the non-Disney resorts are cheaper per night.


*A great value resort is Disney's Art of Animation Resort! Each room is decorated like you are inside of a Disney Movie -- The Little Mermaid, Lion King, Cars, Finding Nemo


To get the best deals, you could try to book a month or two in advanced (60 days), but that's only if you want to risk not getting to go! Personally, I am a planner, so I like to have my rooms booked 1 year in advance!
You can call Disney if you booked ahead and there is now a discount, and ask for them to give you that discount. Most of the time, they will! If you already paid in full, they can upgrade your room or give you a refund for the discount.


Money, Money, MONEY! How much should you save? Well that depends on many factors. How many people are in your party? How many children? How long are you staying? Where will you stay? Are you flying or driving?
I would plan to spend $50 on food per person per day in the parks - this is snacks, drinks, & sit down meals. You can easily save and spend $20 per person per day on food if you bring your own drinks and eat at the counter service restaurants. You can bring your own food in the parks also! It is a hassle, but its possible!

Children will want souvenirs: trading pins, Mickey ears, costumes, toys, etc. I suggest setting an amount you are willing to spend on souvenirs, and put that amount on a Disney gift card. These cards can be used online and in the parks at restaurants and stores! I would expect to spend $75 per child on souvenirs. This includes autograph books, shirts, toys, Mickey ears, and those glowing balloons.

Tickets are expensive!!! Children under 3 are free! Children 3-9 have discounted tickets (like $20 cheaper). If you can, avoid paying for a park hopper ticket, then it is much cheaper. The downside of not having a park hopper, is you can only enter 1 park per day. So you can start in Magic Kingdom and then decide you want to see Fantasmic in Hollywood Studios- if you have a park hopper. Also, don't buy tickets from Disney (except annual passes)! Buy from the Orlando Walmart or undercover tourist or another discount website. 

The best time to go:

March -May - See EPCOT's International flower and garden festival!

September - EPCOT's Food and Wine festival

November - the Christmas Decorations go up November 8. 

December Christmas

January- Chritstmas/New Years

Remember the holidays have higher prices! They raise the resort hotels price, the food prices, and ticket prices at the door.

Daily Disney Tip #19 - The BEST times to go to DW!

Winter:


Jan 2-8 The crowds are way down since the holidays are over, but Disney still has their Christmas decorations up!
All of January is a great time - be sure to look for discounts in December! Rooms are cheap!


All of February - there should not be very many people visiting


March 1-10 This is before the Spring Breakers come crashing in!


All of April is okay.. just watch the weather for those showers and have a poncho!


May 1-20 It is warm enough for the water parks, Kali river rapids, and Splash Mt! The crowds are minimal because most schools are still in session!


AVOID JUNE & JULY


August 20-end It is still warm enough for the water parks and rides, and there are little crowds.


All of September - Weather is nice, no crowds, and EPCOT's wine and food festival!


November can be tricky, because most schools get the whole week of Thanksgiving off, so the crowds around that week can be extreme. Starting around November 8, Disney puts up the Christmas decorations!


December 1-15 This is the prettiest time of year because of the decorations!!

Daily Disney Tip #16 - worst time to visit

June 1 - August 10 is the busiest & hottest time of the year to visit! 

The first week of June is also unofficially gay week - when a bunch of homosexual couples visit Disney World. Many inappropriate acts have been reported during this week from both homosexuals and heterosexual couples. Not child friendly! 

Disney Daily Tip #3 - Character Dining

Every child loves the Character Dining, but your wallet does not!


The best time and the cheapest time to dine with the characters is breakfast!


Example: you take your princess to see Cinderella and all the princesses at Cinderella's Royal Table inside the castle at Magic Kingdom. If you book early, you will be let inside MK before the park opens! When the park does open, you will be done with your meal, and first in line to your favorite attractions!


If you book a late breakfast - 10:30 AM - then you can treat it as lunch!

When to visit DW and what will you see?

Hello! Happy 2014!!

As you probably read in the description, I have been to Walt Disney World many, many times! The best thing about Disney World is that it never gets old! Every month there is something new! Every time I visit, I learn or see something new.

I am planning 2 trips this year for my family - May and November! The best time to go is any time the public school systems is in school - so the beginning half of May is a great time! November is a good time through January! Of course, it will be crowded on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Starting around November 8 through January 4, Disney will have their famous Christmas decorations up!

This is Cinderella's Castle in Magic Kingdom. It is just one of the many decorated structures in DW!

 



 

There are 4 parks - Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. There are 2 water parks - Typhoon Lagoon & Blizzard Beach! Then for shopping, eating, and entertainment, there is Downtown Disney - admission to Downtown Disney is free!

 

In a later blog post, I will go in to details about the Dos Don'ts and tricks of each park!

 

Disney World will have different decorations for each season.

As I mentioned before, their Christmas decorations are incredible! The castle in Magic Kingdom is dazzling with the million lights draped all over it. Of course, there is a special show every night to "light" the castle featuring some of our favorite Disney Characters! There is also the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parade in Magic Kingdom. In Hollywood Studios (previously MGM), there is the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights -- You do NOT want to miss this! It is incredible! I can't find the words to describe how magical it really is - for ALL ages! I suggest you search youtube for videos of it. It is located on the Streets of America in Hollywood Studios. EPCOT has the Candlelight Processional and Holidays Around the World with EPCOT. The Candlelight Processional usually has a famous person (previously Whoopi Goldberg) to star in singing some of the songs. EPCOT is made of 2 sides: Future World and World Showcase. The World Showcase is made up of several countries, and during the holidays, you can visit each one and learn about their traditions. 

 

Halloween: In MK, there is Mickey's Not-so-scary Halloween Party with special fireworks show!

 

New Year's: MK has special Wishes (fireworks night show) and EPCOT has special Illuminations (Show in the center of the lake at the World Showcase). Downtown Disney has a New Year's Eve Party at the DisneyQuest area.

 

Springtime: EPCOT has their International Flower and Garden Festival presented by HGTV! This is where the whole park is decorated with incredible topiaries featuring Disney characters! It is really amazing seeing what the workers can create!

I took this picture back in March 2012 in EPCOT in America. Woody and Buzz Light Year!

There are topiaries of all characters including- Princesses, Lady and the Tramp, Woody, Buzz, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Donald, Daisy, the 7 dwarfs, Bambi, Flower, Thumper, and many many more!!! They change every year!

 

Summer is the worst time to go to Disney in my opinion. The crowds are terrible and it is super hot. I would avoid going to DW in June and July. August is okay after most schools have started. This makes it hard to go if you have children in school. To get around the school schedule, We used to go on spring break or Christmas break, and either leave a few days before schools lets out or arrive back a few days after school has started.

 

This is my first blog post, so please be patient with me! I will post about planning, budgeting, attractions, where to stay, drive or fly, and my own itineraries!