your best Disney decision

[Spunky946]

I just got back from 4 night 5 day trip with just me and my dd for her birthday and it was as amazing as I hoped it would be. My dh and ds don't love it as much as we do and I think she will always be my Disney buddy.

 

[ELSA711]

Using the planning sites and having one sit down ADR per day for my kids to rest and actually eat something healthy. We don't like taking mid day breaks, we go during fall and with early closers not worth it.

 

[AquaDame]

Renting DVC points to stay at AKL instead of POP for about the same price. Love it there!

 

[Rosebud123]

Finally having the courage to stay "offsite" and try Wyndham Bonnet Creek! After a few trips there I swore I'd never stay onsite again, but a "magical" deal at the Poly/YC for late next month sucked me back in....

 

[caroline1851]

2010 trip: going during free dining. My kids were younger and it was great to have a lunch adr for a nice break in the middle of the day.
2015 trip: Not doing the dining plan and just eating what we wanted, when we wanted. this trip was short and just ds13 and me so this made it much easier.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Making the jump to staying offsite and realizing there a lot of things we prefer about it

Now we do a mix of both onsite and offsite. Orlando has so many great accomodation options.

 

[jolene63]

Taking advantage of the EMH at MK. We stayed until 3:00 a.m. last June. We made such wonderful family memories that night. My kids talk more about that night than any of the other days of our trip. I wish MK was open that late on our trip this fall. We all want to do it again.

 

[mort1331]

Stopping the split stays. For a few years, if we were staying more than 5 nights, I would always do a split to sample new resorts and room categories. On our last trip in April, my DH would only go along if we stayed all 7 nights in a 2-bedroom villa at BC. It was HEAVEN! So relaxing to not have to pack up mid-stay. I also loved having the washer/dryer! It meant traveling lighter. What a great vacation!

This is a great example of opposites and still appreciating everyone. We love the split stays so we can walk to 3 parks. We do first half of trip at BLT and the second at BC. This way the only one we drive to is AK. Agree having the W/D is a blessing, first time DW said she didnt need it, now wont do it with out.
The other big tip for me is having family and relatives stay at another resort and meeting up only a few times. Need my own family time.

 

[danny1649]

To buy in Disney Vacation Club at Old Key West Resort only DVC property at that time , 1992.Then only $50.00 a point.Best investment I made other than sons college education. I was T&D maker my whole life he is teacher for children with learning disabilities. For me I think is much better and more fulfilling than being a T&D maker.We got free tickets for 7 years(first) we have our interest in DVC until 2042 then our 1/282 % of 1% of building 38 at Old Key West Resort.So be careful in , if you stay in building 38 I have a high stake in that building until 2042.Then my big % goes back in inventory.Then someone else can buy my % but probably not at $50.00 a point.

 

[Meriweather]

To buy in Disney Vacation Club at Old Key West Resort only DVC property at that time , 1992.Then only $50.00 a point.Best investment I made other than sons college education. I was T&D maker my whole life he is teacher for children with learning disabilities. For me I think is much better and more fulfilling than being a T&D maker.We got free tickets for 7 years(first) we have our interest in DVC until 2042 then our 1/282 % of 1% of building 38 at Old Key West Resort.So be careful in , if you stay in building 38 I have a high stake in that building until 2042.Then my big % goes back in inventory.Then someone else can buy my % but probably not at $50.00 a point.

We love OKW. We bought one of our resales at $48 a point! Really didn't think it would pass ROFR, but it did

 

[karly05]

1) Going solo. I had flown solo before (to visit or meet up with my sister), but I had never taken a whole vacation by myself when I decided to tackle WDW solo in 2012. It was seriously a big adventure for me, and I was excited and nervous and eager and anxious, torn between "this is going to be great!" and "I must be insane, what am I doing!?" It was so awesome, my solo WDW visit has become an annual treat. Which leads me to...

2) Port Orleans French Quarter! I love BC, but in the interest of making an annual trip, I looked into staying moderate to save some $$. I took a chance on POFQ, and I have found my WDW home! It's pretty and quaint and charming, and nowhere is too far from anything. The lawns and gardens and fountains and little brick lanes are my cup of tea, and the resort feels like a little neighborhood to me. How much do I love POFQ? For this year, I made a general request for "convenient to the main building." I did online check in and direct to room, and I was actually eager and excited to see where they put me, not anxious and worried that I'd be unhappy with my location. (I got a great room at the "front" end of bldg 2). For next year, I'm not even going to bother with a request; anywhere's good for me, and I can't wait to see where they put me.

 

[JennyDrake]

Giving in and renting a wheelchair (for me) post-op (achilles rupture) when _I_ was SO sure I didn't need no wheelchair!

 

[chrispeto]

Finally having the courage to stay "offsite" and try Wyndham Bonnet Creek! After a few trips there I swore I'd never stay onsite again, but a "magical" deal at the Poly/YC for late next month sucked me back in....

We stayed at the Wyndam Bonnet creek for 2 nights before we check in to Disney a couple of years ago and we loved it so much we are staying a there again to unwind after our Disney trip is over

 

[Sophie_2003]

Staying offsite for the first time ever after ten trips...kids get to jump in their own pool, we grill food on the Bbq, have plenty of space and get away from spending so much on restaurants...even the midday breaks are not a pain in the neck at all...

 

[dja14]

Love all the ideas, I hope we can do some of these things in the future!

Our best was staying offsite and staying 10 days. Offsite made it fit more into our budget and allowed us a longer trip. The longer trip made us much more relaxed and even the kids didn't mind leaving mid-day.

 

[smokeyblue]

The best thing we did was a do-over trip after having a really bad first on-site experience. We went back a few months later and had the most terrific time even though I was not able to ride many of the rides due to a car accident I was in just before our trip. The best part is we didn't feel like we had to do it all since we were just there and we felt way more relaxed which made it even better.

 

[NightStar]

Buying DVC! And increasing our average trip from 7 nights to 10+.

 

[GillianP1301]

Getting DxDP last year for the first time. It opened up a whole new aspect to our Disney experience. Love all the great dining options.

 

[njpyro]

Annual passes!

 

[Naughty Nurse]

Some great decisions listed here....I have only been to Disneyland once (2013)...and have a trip coming up to WDW in December this year....very excited about my first trip
In regards to best decision we made for last trip it has to be buying the memory maker photo package....now have about 1200 amazing photos to cherish our magical memories....we have bought the package for our trip this year...and I am planning on getting heaps of more photos to treasure