Where to start?

[gigem_aggies]

We are planning a trip to WDW in mid January. We've been before as adults, but never stayed on site or brought kids. Where do you recommend we start with our planning process? Is there like a "Disney for Dummies" or a "FAQ of booking" thread somewhere?

Details: Hubby, myself, 8 year old. 6 nights/7 day stay though will only do park 3 or 3.5 days depending on flight times (Universal 1 day and Clearwater Aquarium 1 day).

 

[abaldacci]

Here is the best place to learn tips and tricks, but I like unofficial Guide for reference in hand.

 

[chocovrdmicears]

Here's what I would do...
1. Decide what you budget is.
2. Go to the WDW and put in your dates to see what resorts are available. See what resorts interest you and are within your budget. Then come here under the resorts page and look at the specific resorts thread for more info.
3. Do you want the Dining Plan? If you are unsure, go to allearsnet.com and review the menus. Price it out to see if it makes sense for you.
4. If it want the Dining Plan, book a package (which must include your tickets) for the resort you want. It will be a $200 deposit, balance due in full at 45 days.
5. if you don't want the Dining Plan, book a room only. It will be a deposit of 1 nights stay, balance due when you check in.
6. Decide what kind of tickets you want (regular or Park Hoppers).
7. Decide when you want to eat and make some ADR's.
8. At 60 days (I think it's still 60) , if you have already purchased your tickets make your FP+ selections.

Also - when booking your vacation be sure to click on the "special offers" section at the bottom of the WDW website to see if there are any special deals or rates for the dates you are going.

HTH

 

[aaarcher86]

My usual method is....

1. Dates
2. Resort
3. Tickets
4. Dining plan

Since tickets and dining plans are flexible and not a necessity I always do that last.

 

[dis_guy]

All the advice given so far is great. I'd just like to add that I usually keep an eye on flights too. Many times you can save a lot by shifting your arrival and departure dates a bit. In my experience it's much easier to adjust Disney reservations than airline reservations. So...

First decide approximately when you want to go. If it's a busy time, make your Disney reservations with exactly what you want.

Second watch for flights. For us, the best prices appear a couple of weeks after the fares become available. When you see something you can live with, book it. Check back regularly for schedule and flight changes...they do happen.

Third book Disney, or call to make any changes your airline reservations now require. Be sure to make your Magical Express reservations.

Fourth, watch out for any special offers, like free dining, that may come out for your dates. You may be able to apply it to your reservation.

Fifth, have fun! I find the planning and anticipation to be a big part of the whole Disney experience.

 

[Amanda999]

Check out the site Mousesavers dot com. Lots of good, basic advice for 1st timers planning a trip to either WDW or Disneyland. HTH!

 

[Airship Ariadne]

this site is a huge source of help...thing is, there are SO MANY OPTIONS for your trip it can seem impossible to know where to start.

You already are pretty far in the process having picked a month, and knowing you want to stay on site and have a number of days determined.

Next step is to set your budget and then look into resorts...see what deals are out there and find the best fit for your family.

as us Aggies say: BTHO-WDW! Whoop!