Planning for Disney: part one

vacation style?

(PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED ON MY OLD SITE thedancingalligator.com)

So you have finally decided on that Disney World vacation. Congrats! You are going to have a blast! The sights! The Smells! The planning!

You may not think planning your vacation is exclamation point worthy but I do. I love the research, the details, the lists! Call me crazy but the planning is almost as fun as the trip. It's the build up I guess. Just make sure you are not building the trip into a PERFECT experience; there is no perfect! Things will go wrong, people will melt down , rides will be delayed and lines will be long. Manage expectations and you will be fine. Now, put on your planning pants and let's get started!
What's your Vacation Style?

It's important to know your Vacation Style before you start planning. Are you a "go with the flow" family? Maybe you are the "cram in as much as possible", type. Maybe you fall somewhere in-between?

Our first trip, when GG was 4 years old. We went as a large, family group and we had no preconceived notions of what to expect except FUN! We planned. We made reservations. My sister made each family a little agenda/flip book. We had a great time. Our most recent trip, with a now 14-year-old GG and a 3.5 yr old BG, was a combination of fun packed park time and chill out down time. GG and I could have gone all day to the parks. I fall into the make-it-worth-EVERY-dollar-spent category. My husband knew we were just a boat ride from our room, so he liked a bit of non-park time. BG being 3, needed a little nap every now and then.
10 years ago, our vacation style was different from now. Our needs were different. In ten years we have traveled to Disney World 7 times. Flown once (I'm not a flier), driven 7 times, stayed on site and off, did and did not do the Dining Plan, budgeted and gone in blind. Every trip was adjusted according to our changing circumstances, vacation style and needs.
​
Spend a few minutes to think about these questions?

• How many days? Total and In-Park.
• Who will be traveling? (Ages)
• What are the expectations? (Rides, Shows, Characters, Everything etc.)
• Will we need downtime away from the parks or will we want to see other attractions besides Disney?
• How important is transportation time?
• Will we want/like entertainment at our resort/hotel? (Games, Pools etc)
• Will we bring food? Need a kitchenette/groceries? Dine in park or resort?

These are just a few questions to help you determine the rest of your vacation, you will probably run into more along the way, but it's a decent start. Now that that's settled, let's figure out where you want to stay! Join me next week for Part Two: On Site or Off !