Advice re booking accomodation; dining, tips etc.

[SilverSarah17]

Hi fellow Aussies,

I went to DW 5 (Wow, that long?!) years ago and it was the best holiday I've ever had. Everything went like clockwork and was so easy. This was because I had spent three years planning the trip. I studied website after website and had two D-ring binders full of information and plans.

Back then, we were unable to navigate the Disney site to book anything and were so frustrated! We sought a travel agent but could tell that she was having trouble even though she was trying to hide the fact and doing her best.

We did some more research and found an American travel Disney agent "Dreams Unlimited" and after some research, determined that the company wasn't a scam and decided to book our trip. Boy was I glad we did. Our agent knew how to book things and was practically an encyclopaedia of all things Disney. She saved us so much time, money and stress and I can't recommend this company highly enough. We got all but one of our wishlist dining locations (Chef Mickey's books out so far in advance!) and she made suggestions and offered information we would never have found on our own.

I have been using the my Disney app for dining this time around but if it proves difficult or you just don't have time to do it, the agent will book everything for you. They even keep checking for any applicable discounts right up to the time of your trip. For example, we were able to get concierge level at Animal Kingdom for an extra $1 a night!

Also, don't worry about not having magic bands for the Magical Express. Disney sends you paperwork that you show when they're ticking off names. You pick up your bands at the hotel.

I highly recommend allears.net and disneyfoodblog.com; I cannofr stress enough the importance of planning and having a set timetable for the day so you don't miss rides or things you want to do. So many trips have been crappy due to poor planning. I don't mean be militant, but just ensure you're not wasting time trying to work out what to do on the day and instead enjoy every minute.

Please excuse the long post but I am passionate about my fellow aussies having the trip of a life time the same as I did. : )

 

[LivingforDisney]

It is easy to do yourself.
Have visited WDW twice and the only things I booked with a travel agent were the airfares. The 2nd trip used Dreams Unlimited only for our Disney cruise to get the onboard credit.
Just decide how many days u are going , make a plan for each day, book your FP and Adrs.
Last visit we were there at Xmas, and I managed to get every adr and fast pass we wanted. We had a fantastic time both visits.
But in saying that it was a lot easier the second time to plan, as I knew what to expect.
The first time we were a bit overwhelmed on how big the place was and the tine it took to travel from A to B.
I did research quite a bit , and just added it into the days as planned.
It is a lot of planning, but it is quite manageable to do yourself. Just make sure you spend enough time there to make it happen. We had 14 nights at WDW both visits.