Off Topic Disney Vacation

[MuggleMom]

So been seriously thinking about planning a Disney vacation before the kids get to old to really enjoy the magic of it all. Any great tips? Is it worth going through a vacation planner? Anyone gone through Costco before?

 

[amiandjim]

Oh girl, planning a Disney vacation is an att form, I’m not even kidding. We are big Disney people so I know way more than I should! You need to plan fairly far in advance, as dining reservations need to be made 6 months in advance to get the popular restaurants! If you are overwhelmed at the thought of it all, I would recommend a Disney travel agent specifically, and actually a good friend of mine is one if you are interested. I plan my own trips but she is great at booking restaurants, fast passes, etc...feel free to send me a PM if you want to talk more!

 

[Carly]

Oh girl, planning a Disney vacation is an att form, I’m not even kidding. We are big Disney people so I know way more than I should! You need to plan fairly far in advance, as dining reservations need to be made 6 months in advance to get the popular restaurants! If you are overwhelmed at the thought of it all, I would recommend a Disney travel agent specifically, and actually a good friend of mine is one if you are interested. I plan my own trips but she is great at booking restaurants, fast passes, etc...feel free to send me a PM if you want to talk more!

I couldn't agree more. We've been many times over the years. It doesn't hurt to use a travel agent. My step-sister is one if you'd like her info. There is a Moms panel on the Disney World website under Help & Rules that could be of use to you. There is also a website disboards.com with tons of info. Feel free to pm me, too.

 

[Mrs. Puma]

We love Disney!! We’re going in August and I’m already in the planning stages. Like mentioned above, you really do have to do quite a bit of planning and research or you will be spending thousands of dollars to just walk around lol. I have tons of tips if you want to pm me! Good luck!!

 

[MuggleMom]

I went a few years ago with my parents they did the travel stuff and I planned all the park stuff it was a lot of fun but a lot of work. This time around part of me wants to just enjoy it a bit more instead of fretting about every last detail so that's why I am leaning towards using an agent. I also know you can book a package through costco but not sure if that is the best deal or not. I will probably be Pming all of you lol

The other dilemma I am having is do it in July or September/October

July Pros: DD is on break from Gym the week we would go, no missed school
July Cons: HOT, Crowded, less time to plan stuff in the park so it may be booked up for certain things, more expensive

Fall Pros: Better Weather, less crowds, less expensive
Fall Cons: Miss School, closer to meet season (usually have an in house meet in October then first meet in November), Hurricane season

Both kids do well in school do you think its a big deal to miss a week at the beginning of the year? I could get work in advance and make them do it on the trip.

 

[gymmom41]

We love it too! If possible take at least 5 days so you can do 1 day at each park without feeling like you have to rush and hit 2 parks in 1 day. Then it's nice to have 1 day in the middle to sleep late and chill at the hotel and swim. If possible stay at a Disney resort because the early/late hours are really nice and the ability to do your fast passes early. Book the Avatar/Pandora ride 1st the second fast passes open for you because they go crazy fast but the ride is worth it. We don't do restaurant reservations just because then you spend an hour or 2 eating and my family always wants to eat quick and get back to rides.

 

[amiandjim]

I would do late September personally. We took our kids out of school for a week at Disney every year from kindergarten to high school, and it was never a big deal.

 

[mls529]

We have been there during all different times of year, but we really enjoyed the fall. If you can make Sept work, crowds will be much, much lower. We did October - weather was great and we did the not-so-scary party, which was a blast! It was my favorite time of year to visit. To me, Spring Break was the absolute worst time, but the one time we visited in summer, it was incredibly humid and hot, and really long lines.

There are a lot of Disney travel agents - I only did it once, but it is free and they know their stuff. I would recommend a Disney agent because it really is a lot of planning to do on your own. I personally love the planning, but if you don't have time, go for an agent!

 

[Tuppy]

How is your planning going? I'm less of a big planner other than making sure to get your fast passes lined up, but I found the Food & Wine festival to be a good experience. So if you want many food options at Epcot in between your slinky dog dash and toy story mania, it might be something to consider when picking dates.

 

[wagymmom]

If you have a target red card, you can buy Disney gift cards there for 5% off and then use them to spend at the parks at the restaurant, gift shops, etc. It’s not much but better than nothing.

 

[Mrs. Puma]

If you have a target red card, you can buy Disney gift cards there for 5% off and then use them to spend at the parks at the restaurant, gift shops, etc. It’s not much but better than nothing.

I actually pay for my whole trip this way! I book it through AAA, then buy a ridiculous amount of Disney gift cards with my Target credit card and give them to my AAA agent. So $6000 of Disney gifts cost $5700. Yeah easy $300! That’s one flight!

 

[wagymmom]

I actually pay for my whole trip this way! I book it through AAA, then buy a ridiculous amount of Disney gift cards with my Target credit card and give them to my AAA agent. So $6000 of Disney gifts cost $5700. Yeah easy $300! That’s one flight!

oh wow, that’s super cool! I can’t imagine how many gift cards your agent has to enter in though lol! But yes, 5% of a few thousand dollars adds up to a lot so it’s totally with it!

 

[Mrs. Puma]

oh wow, that’s super cool! I can’t imagine how many gift cards your agent has to enter in though lol! But yes, 5% of a few thousand dollars adds up to a lot so it’s totally with it!

You can combine them on Disneygiftcard.com up to $1000. Then I just email screen shots to my AAA agent.

 

[MuggleMom]

Thats a good idea...I was going to use my travel rewards card to get points for my flight but maybe I will save more using the target gift card.

 

[wagymmom]

You can combine them on Disneygiftcard.com up to $1000. Then I just email screen shots to my AAA agent.

Oh wow, good to know. Thanks for the tip!!