When, How Long, Where?

Alright, so you are going, but when?

There is a lot to take into consideration here. But my honest opinion is the ANYTIME is the BEST TIME to visit Disney! No one does holidays like Disney! If you go when it's hot they have two waterparks! If you wait until the spring you can catch their garden festival! There is always something going on...

Now to pick the time that is right for you, you need to think about:

- How old are the members of your group? My kiddo's are young, not yet in school. So we plan to go when school is in session, hoping to avoid some of the crowds. I know a lot of families do take their kids out of school, so we are planning to go the last week of August. We want the feel of visiting in the summer, and that is when a lot of kids first go back to school, so hopefully parents wouldn't be pulling them out that point in the year.

- Holidays? Like I said, they have so many magical experiences and parties for just about any holiday so that is always going to be fun, however it is usually more crowded, according to just about every thing that I have read. So for us on our first time, we wanted to skip a holiday experience...that will come on one of our next visits!

- Summer? You do get the fun a waterparks, but you also get the immense heat and humidity! So go for it, but plan on some extra's to keep cool, like hand held fans, swim suits, caps, sunscreen, etc. To me, I feel like visiting a theme park in the summer is how it is intended, it's the way it was meant to be. So again, we chose late August...we had considered Spetember, but noticed that it is the rainiest month and went back to August!

- Least crowded? Well, apparently Disney is always pretty crowded, but some times of year are less so. All that I have researched have shown September and January/February as the least crowded times to go. But I have also noticed on Disney's website that a lot of rides/parks are closed for refurbishment during those times, so you could miss out. Again, it seems that most attractions are up and running in the SUMMER! The busiest time, but everything will be prefect! A true Disney experience!

Alright so we are going wuth late August. Right when school goes back into session, but still the summer feel, and an added bonus is my birthday happens to fall in the week we will be there! So woo-hoo for that!

Next up- HOW LONG?! Answer- FOREVER! Haha, just kidding...

Again, many factors to consider:

- Is this your first time? If so, you may want to take it all in, like us. We want plenty of time to walk the parks so that we do not feel rushed.

- How long can you leave your life back home? Can you get off work, how long can your kids miss school, etc.

- Are you planning on visiting all the parks? There are 4 parks, and 2 water parks. That is a lot. According to what I have read you especially want a lot of time in Magic Kingdom. For us we are planning 3 days in MK (1 of which will be the day we arrive and won't be a full day) and 1 day each at Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios. We don't care to visit any waterparks, as we live in Texas and very close to the nations #1 waterpark, Schlitterbahn. But we do however want to tear ourselves away from Disney for 1 day to go to Universal's Island's of Adventure (I am also a big Harry Potter Fan!)

-How old is your group? If you have older kids and teens you can most likely skip a lot of meeting the characters/ baby rides/ etc and zip around the parks at higher speeds. I however have a 4 & 1 year old, and I have read the line for Rapunzel is usually 2 hours long. So we will need to plan for a slower pace! 

My family? We chose to go 8 days, 7 nights...the last day being a travel day, not seeing any parks.

Where? Where o where o where?!?!

I have done my research here people. And I must say, stay at a Disney resort! For sure!!!! So many extra perks:

-Free shuttles
- Extra hours in the park
- Free baggage/airline check in
- Again, its just that much more magical, I have read that the staff at Disney are wonderful, this goes for hotel staff as well!

This being said there are still a couple of options...first off, I don't think I have mentioned it, but you really need at least 6 months to plan if you are like me and want to get the most Disney goodness you can. But if you give yourself a year you get a whole other option- timeshares!

I don't know a lot on the subject. But I have read you can save tons of money by renting from time share owners who arent using their property at that time. These are still Disney hotels, and I understand you still get many of the Disney perks- but much cheaper. This would be a great option for large groups, as the time share properties are usually nicer/bigger.

But back to us- I have read that there are 2 ways to go.

#1- Value resorts
This is what we chose. Our kids are young, and these resorts tend to be a little more over-the-top themed. Like a "Little Mermaid room," which is right up our alley. These resorts also include food courts which are good for faster/cheaper foods. Downsides: They seems to be quite a ways from the best parks so you do have to take the free buses, and I hear the wait can get long, but so long as you plan that extra 45 minutes in your day it is not big deal to me!

#2- Deluxe resorts
If you want more of a hotel feel and nicer amenities/bigger rooms this is the way to go. These resorts are often very close to some of the best parks, sometimes walking distance or have other modes of transports like the monorail or boats! They usually have nicer restaurants on property!

But what about the Moderate Resorts? From what I have read, the amenities don't seem to be much more than the Value resorts, so I have read that these are the biggest money waste. It is better use of your buck to stay at a Value resort, or if you want the nicer experience spring for the Deluxe. Again- not my opinion, but the opinions of several bloggers I have read!! But does make sense to me.

Okay, so we have chosen to stay at the 'Art of Animation Resort,' it is Disney's newest resort that boasts beautifully themed rooms, and family suites! We are going to be staying in the 'Little Mermaid' room, which my oldest daughter is THRILLED about! Biggest bummer, is no fridge, but we will make do!

So there you have it, the when, how long and where! Soon to come: purchasing your vacay!

Happy Planning,
Terri