Want to plan a trip to Disney

[pcppkotzo4]

What is my best route to go? Plan by myself or go through travel agency or bus trip?

 

[5forDis]

You can definitely plan a trip to Disney without using a travel agent...especially if you ask specific questions here for the DISBoard to help you with. What type of accommodations do you want (hotel room or condo), what is your budget, how many days, what time of year, ages of people going, etc..

I've been to Disneyworld 25+ times (as a kid, as an adult without kids, as an adult with babies, as an adult with kids )and have never used a travel agent, though I once booked our trip through AAA.

 

[sharadoc]

Hi and Welcome!

My advice - read, read, read everything you can get your hands on, but NOT this board as your primary source of info. First, get the facts on Disney World, then come here for opinions, ideas, etc. If you start here, you'll get more opinion than fact and it will make it difficult to truly plan.

You MUST have some sort of plan ahead of time, even if it's only what parks to go to on what days. Check our **************.net or easywdw.com for free information and advice on planning.

Watch the Disney Planning DVD, look through the Disney website for maps and information on each park. Understand it's huge!

Take your time, do some research and you'll be fine on your own.

 

[Forensicmom]

I also agree that you can plan it yourself but it took us some work. My hubby and I both researched everything would could from the least crowded times to go, all of the hotels and features, the dining plan, differences between park tickets, etc. After the advice of this website, we joined www.touringplans.com, which was really helpful at telling us when to go where.

Since we had never been before, we wanted to make sure we could do and see everything we wanted. We had a daily itinerary with which parks to go to, where our dining reservations were, and what specials shows we wanted to see. It worked perfectly.

This was our first trip and we went Nov 16 - 22. As much as we didn't want to, we pulled out kids out of school for 3 days and it was just fine. I was afraid they would miss too much (12th grade, 7th, 5th, and 2nd) but it was great because the first part of our week, the crowds were really really low. The Thanksgiving crowd started to pick up by the weekend but it was still great. The weather was also fantastic (not steamy hot like the summer).

 

[Metro West]

 

[jesswindsor]

Welcome!!

Planning a trip is part of the fun, and you came to a great place to learn new things, ask questions, and for anything else you may need.

My advice: No matter how much planning, things may not go as plan, just remember that you are on vacation, have fun!!

 

[pepe of ohio]

Hi and Welcome!

My advice - read, read, read everything you can get your hands on, but NOT this board as your primary source of info. First, get the facts on Disney World, then come here for opinions, ideas, etc. If you start here, you'll get more opinion than fact and it will make it difficult to truly plan.

You MUST have some sort of plan ahead of time, even if it's only what parks to go to on what days. Check our **************.net or easywdw.com for free information and advice on planning.

Watch the Disney Planning DVD, look through the Disney website for maps and information on each park. Understand it's huge!

Take your time, do some research and you'll be fine on your own.

I agree..read and read more...we used to use Birnbaum's for our guide...good look at all there is at WDW but now after 45 trips....we free lance.

You'll never do it all or see it all....but don't buy more than you can do or use...the place is huge, time consuming and tiring but with a little understanding and knowledge of the parks..a great time can be held.....

We always went with the budget first...then resort that fit the budget...length of trip.....that's the top 3 for us...food is food, no matter where you go you have to eat....dining plan was never an interest to us...tickets are another consideration....we always get one day less then we're there...just for goofing off and relaxing....

We check mousesavers.com for discounts....time of value season (cheapest room rates) and use allears.net for a look at everything else (menus from everything on property and prices...good to see and know what it's going to cost you....

Disney can be had with no knowledge...we did it in the beginning trips but with alittle research (not necessarily these boards) a better time will be yours...opinions from boards are not exactly facts and everyone has a different opinion....be cautious and pick wisely...but remember it's a vacation...

 

[loveshak22]

Hello! I agree with others that planning the trip is part of the fun! However, it can be overwhelming because there is SOOOO much info out there. I personally love reading through all the info I can find to plan the perfect trip!

I also agree with another poster about starting with your budget. Then deciding when and how long you want to go. If you are open to anytime and you want to stay onsite then you can usually get the best deals in September and January. Disney usually offers a free dining plan during these months. Your budget will usually steer your plans.

Once you know your budget and how long you want to go then you can start filling in whether you want to stay at a WDW property or offsite by looking at costs of hotels/condos, etc. Then once you know where you are staying you can start planning your days - which park when, etc. Then once you know where you are going to be on what day, then you can start picking your dining locations (if you stay onsite and what a table service restaurant it's best to make reservations as soon as you can so you have more choice).

I have booked through AAA in the past when I've stayed onsite because sometimes their WDW hotel/ticket packages can be cheaper than through the Disney site. But you still have to do your planning once you book your hotel.

Good luck!