Disney Planning

Planning a Disney World vacation can be overwhelming, stressful, and exciting.  I  have been to Disney in June the end of August, and now we are going at the end of October from the 28th to November 3rd.  This is a surprise trip for my 3 kiddos.  They will not know where we are going til we get there.  We will be driving down from a chilly Indiana to a warm Florida.  16 hours with stops for gas a the bathroom.  We will pack a cooler with drinks and sandwiches.  We will have snacks and things to munch on.  I am NOT stopping for food when I can bring some with us and save money on the way down.  We are leaving the night before and driving straight through.  I may stop for coffee at Starbucks, but that's not food.  I am a night person so for me it makes since to get going at night and not have to deal with as many drivers on the road. 

Here is how I plan out my trips, keep in mind my children are home schooled so we are not limited to when we can vacation.

1.  Go when its cooler.  We chose October because it isn't as hot as the other summer months in Florida.  Next time we will probably go in Jan or Feb.  This also means its not as busy as in the summer due to children being in school.

2.  We always go when there is a deal.  Some people say free dining is not worth it but even with us getting free quick service this time it is saving us $400.  That is an extra car payment for us, so this was a win.  

3.  If your wanting to experience a particular event plan for that time of year even before the dates for it are announced so you can be prepared.  

4.  Pick a hotel that fits your family.  We are staying at a Value resort.  This will probably be our last time doing this because our kids are getting older and we will need more room for them the older they get.  We don't spend much time in our hotel room anyway so right now the smaller room won't bug us.  Port Orleans is our next choice.  The Deluxe are too expensive  for us.  We would have to plan a couple years in advance for that option. 

5. Save, Save, Save.  The more money you save up the more choices or longer stay you can have.  Plus You can have extra money to play with or have it to put back for emergencies when you get home.  We are trying to save as much money as possible so when we get back we still have a cushion and money for new bedroom furniture.  

6.   DON'T STRESS!  Planning fast passes, dining options, tickets, which parks to visit on which days, and transportation can be overwhelming.  Just relax, but not too much.  You don't want to forget to make ADRs (180 days before your trip) , fast pass selections (60 days before), and online check in (60 days before)!  

7.  Have FUN!  If things don't go smoothly it is O.K.!  Things happen.  You can only control what is in your power.  You can't see or do every thing at Disney World in one trip.  Who would want to anyway.  I want us to come back and be able to experience new things each time we go.

We budget a certain amount weekly to pay for our trip.  I go to Kroger and buy gift cards to pay for our trip.  This helps us save money on gas.  It saved us $60 this month. This month we didn't put much into our savings but we paid a big portion of our trip off.    

When planning out our trip I use a notebook to keep all of the info.  I keep a tab on the whole cost of the trip( rental car, gas, trip insurance, hotel, food, tickets, and spending money).  Right now have half  left to pay for our trip without the rental car and spending money.  It should be paid off at the end of this month as long a no surprises come up.   The rest of the money we need we will slowly save until the day we leave.   Find out which hotel building you prefer and right it down in your notebook.  When online check in rolls around you want to remember so you don't have to research it again.  Write down any questions you may want to ask a cast member before you go.  

Next I make a rough schedule.  I say rough because we like to do spur of the moment things too and it is more fun to just go.  Here is ours so far:

Tues, 10/27

 leave at 10 pm

Wed, 10/28

 arrive at the hotel between 3 to 6 pm.

Thurs, 10/29

 Disney Springs from 10am to 2pm.  Go back to the hotel and get ready for MNSSHP from 4pm until 12am.  The party doesn't start until 7pm, but they do let guests that are attending in starting at 4pm, Imagine the commotion if they didn't. 

Fri, 10/30

 7;30 am Kona cafe @ the Poly (breakfast reservations)

Magic Kingdom 9 am - 10 pm

FP+:

Festival of Fantasy Parade: 3 pm

Electrical Parade: 9 pm

Wishes: 10 pm

Sat 10/31

Epcot 9 am - 10 pm

FP+:

Illuminations: 10 pm

Sun 11/1

Animal Kingdom 9 pm - 6 pm

FP+:

Hollywood Studios:6:30 pm - 9pm

FP+:

Fantasmic: 7 pm

Mon 11/2

Magic Kingdom 8 am-10 pm

Chrystal Palace Breakfast 8 am

FP+:

Tues 11/3

Leave for home

If you have any questions let me know.  I'll fill in the blanks and update this post as I get things done.  While at The World I will be taking pictures of our hotel and I will give more info on our trip when we get back.