Planning a Dis trip yourself?

[JamieInWonderland]

Hey I'm new to the board and this is my first post

My Husband and I went to Disney World for our Honeymoon last year (Oct 1-7th). I had always wanted to go to Disney World ever since I was small but parents never took me, so I was more than thrilled to go on my Honeymoon! We had the most wonderful time and we treated like royalty by the Disney cast! We had a travel agent plan our trip for us (made all the resvervations, dining resvervations, airfare...all that jazz).

Well we are planning on going back to Disney World in 2009 for our two year Anniversary (Sept 28th-Oct 5th)! Oh and my parents are going with us (After we told them how much fun it really was they are iching to go now lol It'll be fun having the parents along and watching dad on some of those rides )

Well now on to my questions.

How easy is it to plan and Disney trip yourself instead of going through an Agent? I would like to do it all myself. We are planning on driving this time so we won't have to worry about Airfare. Could someone that has done this before tell me how to do it? Is there any tips or tricks that I should know? Do they give you anything special for your Anniversary? Guest relations at our Hotel gave us Just Married buttons to wear all week (We got a lot of perks from wearing those!) When can I book for end of Sept 2009? Is it too soon?

Right now we are looking at staying at POP Centry (For our Honeymoon we stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter) And we are planning on getting the Dining Plan again (even though it isn't as good as it was for our Honeymoon).

I look forward to hearing your answers!

Jamie

 

[Crystal824]

There is a ton of information on here regarding planning your own trip. It is not that hard. Some people plan more than others. I would definetly decide which parks for which days and make ADRs for those places. You should also decide if you want a dining plan, which can save money if you plan on eating at least one sit down meal per day.

You are so lucky. We have already been this year, but I think planning is half of the fun.

 

[Magical Mama]

Welcome Jamie!

I am currently planning my family's first trip to WDW for this December and I am doing it all myself. I started with a TA but I didn't like her lack of customer service so I decided to do it myself! I booked through the website after playing around with dates to see what would be the cheapest for my family with the airfare. We are also staying at POP in a preferred room. We have also booked the Deluxe dining plan.

I used the Disboards to see what other world lovers enjoy doing- what rides are not to miss, what restaurants we have to eat at, etc. It isn't much work because I love reading all about the world and it's going to make our trip that much better! I believe that I know my family better than some TA ever could, so I know what we are going to like and what to avoid so that helps! I also recommend going to the library and looking at a few books, honestly you don't need to, I just enjoy reading about Disney!

So have a great vacation, enjoy planning it and if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask them! You can start a new thread or PM me! Oh, but also don't forget your 180 day mark! On the 180th day before your trip, call to book your dining reservations because they go quick!

 

[JamieInWonderland]

Thanks! Is it easier booking through the Disney Website or calling Disney up and booking over the phone. I would think that booking online would be easy but it may be more helpful to talk to a live person.

Also my parents are going with us my husband and I want our own room and they want their own room, is it possible to ask to get two rooms close to each other?

Jamie

 

[stephanie23]

Hello jamie! I am new to this disney stuff also. This will be my first trip ever and my familys first trip. We are going in august and I have done all the planning myself. BUT read these boards faithfully. The people on here are soooo helpful. If you have a question just post it. You will get a ton of answers. Have fun planning.. it really isnt that hard. Plus you have been there b4 so it will be easier for you

 

[Vjale]

Hi Jamie, I am also fairly new to these boards, but we have done Disney many times. You can definitely plan everything yourself, like people said, just ask any questions you have. Years ago, I used to use the AOL boards, which are practically obselete now, but having people to ask questions to, makes a big difference. These boards are terrific. We are going next month with my in-laws, who have never been there either. You can request rooms close together and Disney will honor it. Have fun planning everything, that is half the fun. Disney is an experience like no other.

 

[noahdove]

I called my AAA agent and told her what I wanted She then did the paper work and while she did that I did all the rest. There is a place somewhere on here that will let you know when your 180 day mark is to make ressies. That date is so important.
When you decide on a resort, you can request a room close by, but that doesn't mean that you will get it..Once, you get there,if the room isn't close enough, ask to have it changed...more likely than not, they will find something for you. Use the Birmbaun guide to Disney to lay out plans, then, go from there...I can't tell you how many pieces of paper I have gone thru I also keep a sticky note near this computer and everytime I find something on here that I want to keep track of, I write it down and keep the stack and then when I get too many, I write the info in my binder... Check out the disign board on here and maybe you can surprise you mom and dad with great shirts Good luck in your planning..also, don't forget to get a countdown ticker for this board

 

[plymouthmom]

Hi Jamie,

Planning a trip yourself is totally doable. But....you have to be really really organized. I planned our trip last fall almost 10 months in advance. I used TouringPlans to help with the park plan. At that time I didn't know these boards existed!

Now I have just started planning our first DVC trip for next spring. I have made my ressies, now looking for air and starting to plan dining. WDW is a big place, as you know, the more planning you do in advance the better of you will be when you get there!

 

[ToddyLu]

I started out with the WDW website, then bought a Pass Porter for that year. 2008 is out know so I gave my Dad one for his Bday last year. It is a very organized book and has a day planner in the back so you can keep up with ADRs, Mickey Party tickets, etc. That really helped me do a plan then I started to build onto it. Now I use an Excel Spreadsheet, very OCD. If you are going Next Fall be sure to buy your Halloween Party tickets, It is great for adults. They usually go on sale in May. Also check out ALLEARSNET.com. Like this site is has a lot of good, organized info. Our 8th trip will be in Dec. we have been yearly since 2002 and are staying at Pop for the second time. We like it better than All Stars because it has a dedicated busing system. At All Stars you have to sometimes stop at all three resorts.

Allearsnet.com will send you a weekly newsletter on Tuesdays via Email. Just subscribe, it is free. Love getting that and should have a new waiting on me when I check my mail today. They will have current closings and rehabs, etc.

have fun planning, your parents will have a blast. I am taking mine for the first time (with us) this year. They have been but not as an adult only party. My DH and I do not have children and having them see it at Christmas will b a dream come true. We hope to have adjoining rooms. Have a great time...