How to start?

[SweetPeasMom2]

How do I start planning for our trip? We are going sometime next year. Dd won't be 3 until June of 2007, so sometime around there. We are a family of 4. I don't really want to go in the hight heat of the summer. So either April/May or Sept/Oct, which would require me taking ds out of kindergarten and I don't know that I'm keen on that.

So, how do I start planning? How do you keep it straight - spreadsheets, notebooks, etc? I love to plan things and I'm just giddy at the thought of planning a WDW vacation. Almost as giddy as I was planning our wedding!

 

[Hoosier Mom]

My husband bought me a couple books. The Passporter and Birnbaum's Official Guide. Both are excellent. I think I enjoyed Birnbaum's a little better, but both are great.

As far as when to go, that's a tough one. If you can take your little one out of school for a few days, that's great. Then you can do the parks during the off-peak times. My first picks are October, January or February for cool weather and low crowds. However, we're going in September to take advantage of the free dining plan.

Anyway, once we had our dates set, then I started reading all the menus on allearsnet.com So I had a good idea what restaurants we want to eat at. Then comes planning what days to do what parks. I heard on these boards that the days that have extra magic hours tend to be busier so I steered away from those parks those days. But lots of people like to take advantage of the extra hours.

Also if you go just before dd turns 3, then she'll get in Disney for free.

Have fun planning!

 

[Servants of Evan]

Here's what I did. First, get yourself a large three-ring binder. Print yourself off a cute Disney picture for the cover and then grab yourself a notebook. If there's something interesting you read on the boards, print out the neat part and file it away. Create sub-sections related to the particular parks, activities, restaurants, etc. Stay organized.

Then, you need to do a serious look at budgeting. Try to estimate how many days you want to spend here and there, and then determine approximate cost for resort/hotel/meals/extras. Be honest with yourself -- if you know you can't afford to stay in a deluxe location then look at a moderate or value. At their age, the kids will be thrilled with a value and if it means you can stay a day or two longer for the same cost, why not?

I would also consider a subscription to TourguideMike. Do a search on the Disboards for him and you'll get fairly polarized opinions but with his moneyback guarantee I don't see how you could loose. Leave your vacation dates as unknown or set them for as late as you think you would possibly go and then modify later as you decide.

If I were to take DS out of school, I would probably opt to take him out in May as opposed to September. At his age I suspect he would be still getting used to the routine in the fall whereas in the late spring he should have progressed enough to be ready for the next step.

 

[wrldpossibility]

I have a 7, 5, and 1.5 year old (who will be 2 when we go), and I love planning too! I got a notebook and divided it into catagories (all 4 parks, resort, touring tips, and each day we're there seperated), and I write in the appropriate catagory when I see something interesting online. It works better for me to write it in instead of print it off, just because I can get it done faster.

We decided to go in the off-season, backed up to a school holiday, but our sons (K and 2nd next year) will miss 1 week of school. I decided it's worth it for the low crowds and better weather. Plus, off season is the only time we can afford to stay 10 days onsite! I agree that if you're going to take them out, later in the year is better than Sept. or Oct.

One of the first things I did was compare all the resorts at allears.net, and showed everyone the pics and pools to decide. That was fun! Now I'm in the midst of deciding where we'll eat. Oh, and another early decision for you is to decide if you want a package or to buy things seperately. We decided on the package for the dining plan (we want to do lots of character meals).

Have fun! Oh, and I wanted to ask...why are you waiting for your child to turn 3? I'd go before, to get a cost cut (small though it is

 

[SweetPeasMom2]

Thanks. I thought I'd be a weirdo if I started a notebook but I see that I'm with good company. I've already started several Word docs and I've only been a member of DIS for what, 4 hours or something like that?!?!?

wrldpossibility - dh thinks that she is too young right now and I have to agree. She'll be 2 in June. Plus we really aren't prepared to go until next year. But that gives me that much more time to get it all together