One of the projects I love to tackle is planning a vacation. So for my first Travel post, let’s talk about planning a Disney vacation without breaking the bank. (Now experiencing Disney without throttling your kids is a whole different story, and an area in which I do not excel.)
My family has been to Disney five times – every other year for the past ten years. So I’m kinda an expert. Not a mouse ears, matching family sweatshirts expert, but a pro at getting the most out of our experience each time we visit. During our first Disney visit my kids were 5 and 2, and during our visit last year they were 13 and 10. Needless to say, our vacations have changed, but we still have a blast each time we descend on the parks.
Second trip in 2006 (I didn’t have a digital camera in 2004 – so no downloadable prints from that trip!)
Disney World is expensive. But with advance planning there are definitely ways to reduce your costs, and I’d suggest starting with Mousesavers. This website is a fabulous reference for saving on everything related to Disney World. I’ll cover some highlights from this website in future posts.
Disney is also huge and overwhelming. Particularly if you’ve never been, where do you start? You need a plan, of course! The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World is published annually, and in my opinion, is the most thorough and useful tour book out there. It provides more information than even I need, and it’s partner website, TouringPlans.com is well worth the small annual subscription.
So peruse the websites and check back for the nuts and bolts of planning a Disney vacation without dipping into your kids’ college funds! And please feel free to share any websites that you have found helpful for planning your trip.
To Do List:
√ Do your internet research using referenced websites, Disney’s site, and any others – there are oodles of great ones!
NEXT: Buying Disney Tickets – Getting the Most for Your Money
My favorite Disney planning site is http://www.tourguidemike.com Mike used to be a Disney employee and is now a VIP tour guide. He shares his knowledge of the parks, and breaks down recommendations of which park to visit and when by DAY OF THE YEAR, not just day of the week! It’s very cool. I learned lots about sneaky ways to get around to avoid crowds and which order to ride the rides. I think there’s a coupon code on mousesavers to save $1. We never waited in a single line!
Thanks for the tip, Ginnie! The touringplans.com website breaks it down by the day of the year too. I will check out Tour Guide Mike, too – the two sites sounds similar and invaluable to using your time wisely in the parks. I will definitely have a future post about that!