Disney World Vacation

I'm sitting here imagining my next Disney World Vacation. I have Epcot's entrance music playing in the background, and imagining the warmth of the sun mixed with the cool morning breeze. Walking towards the Electric Umbrella (near Innoventions) and hearing this wonderful music played over the hidden speakers. It's wonderful.

My husband and I go on a trip to Disney World almost every year. Once we went twice within 9 months, and the following trip wasn't for another 18 months. It definitely varies, but the truth of the matter is that by the time 3 months have passed, we begin getting very antsy about planning the next Disney vacation.

Every year, one of us gets a Birnbaum's Walt Disney World travel guide book for Christmas, unless I get it as a birthday gift (end of November). As much as I would like to try one of the many Walt Disney World guide books, such as Frommer's, The Unofficial Guide, PassPorter's, The Complete Disney World Guide, WDW for Special Needs (written by two members of AllEars.net), and even some of the e-books I see touted around the internet, I just can't afford all of them. While Birnbaum's is probably not the best one available, we don't actually use it for planning our vacations- we ARE the experts. But because Birnbaum is the official guide, it works really well for looking up quick info like when the best time to visit Disney World is, average temperatures in Orlando, FL, dates of special events like EPCOT's Food & Wine festival, Night of Joy, and other similar things, and it has two pages of Disney World coupons in the back.

Someday I will probably buy each of the available travel guides and do an in depth review with comparisons, but that day is not now.

We've spent some time looking at various websites that talk about planning a Walt Disney World vacation on a budget, but honestly, most of the suggestions are totally unrealistic, or unsuitable for us. What we do to save money on vacation is plan very carefully. Both of us make out a budget based on our information gathering, and then we sit down and discuss everything that we've found.

For example, while a budget minded website may say something like "eat at the restaurants for lunch instead of dinner because the menus are practically the same but cheaper", we've found that many of the restaurants have been changing this. Lunch is the basic menu, but most of the interesting meals are offered at supper/dinner only. However, the portions are usually very large, and you certainly can't pack up the leftovers to take back with you unless you're staying in a suite.

I realize that in most cases, you won't want to eat at a counter service for every meal. At first glance, it seems that all they offer are burgers, hot dogs, and sometimes pizza. This seems especially true if you take "Magic Kingdom vacations" (only visiting the Magic Kingdom instead of the other parks). The only alternatives are The Plaza, Crystal Palace, and Cinderella's Table, right? Wrong.

Liberty Tree Tavern is another table service restaurant with incredible food and an awesome decor. The prices are much better than Cindy's restaurant, but even Liberty Tree isn't your only alternative. For example, Columbia Harbour House has amazingly good clam chowder, chicken fingers, battered fish fillets, sandwiches, and my husband swears by their salads. El Pirata Y El Perico has tacos when it's open (seasonal), and while Casey's is indeed hot dogs, their corn dogs are beyond amazing. And since the Magic Kingdom is the toughest nut to crack when it comes to non-burger based meals, Epcot, Disney's Animal Kingdom, and Disney's Hollywood Studios are a veritable riot of cheaper but yummy and diverse food choices.

I recommend looking up AllEars.net's menu section and pre-planning your meals with that.

I think it's great that you can easily find specials that will provide you with cheap Disney World packages. There are tons of specials listed on Disney's own website right now, and there are ads popping up everywhere! We rarely take advantage of them because we prefer to book our hotel room and tickets separately, rather than in a package, though we've been discussing the options. After all, you can save money with the Disney Dining Plan, and booking a full package through AAA will save you a nice chunk of change too. There are a lot of Disney travel specialists who keep their ears to the ground for any upcoming deals and package offers, and may even be able to get deals not available to the general public.

It's unfortunate that the best way to plan a Disney World vacation is after you've already been there. There is absolutely no way to truly understand and get a feel for the place until you've actually had a vacation there. The next best thing is to get a friend who has been to The World to help you plan, or, failing that, get a special Disney World travel agent to help you. I don't mean the kind of travel agency that has a Disney poster on their wall, I mean an agent who does nothing but Disney travel. There are a number of those on the internet, and while you may not be able to meet with them face to face, you'll still get better, more personalized, and more knowledgeable service than you could ever get elsewhere.

After six vacations to the Orlando, Florida area and a habit of reading up on news of the parks, my friends have decided that I'm the go-to person for planning their vacations. Despite the fact that I don't use the Disney Dining Plan, I actually recommend it to most of my friends. There's a good reason for it- it saves you money, and it takes the guess work out of budgeting your vacation.

When you book a vacation at Disney, you have the option to choose special packages they put together for you. Like, you can choose from any of the hotels on property that are owned by them, in any price tier. Even though their resorts seem more expensive initially, it's well worth it. If you drive to the parks, you'll get free parking. If you don't drive, they have free transportation that runs all day every day. You can have purchases sent back to your hotel to pick up the following day rather than having to lug all of your souvenirs around the park or renting a locker to store them in. Plus, you're staying much closer to the action than any hotel that's off property. Remember, Walt Disney World is 44 square miles. Just because a hotel says "minutes from Walt Disney World" doesn't mean "minutes from the parks".

The hotel rooms are included in the packages, though you can book those separately (not a package) if you prefer. Also included are tickets, which range from one park per day tickets, to park hopper tickets (you can visit more than one park in a single day), to park hopper tickets that also include the water parks, special shows, and more. You'll also have the option of choosing a dining package, of which there are two. One such package has two counter service (think fast food) meals and a snack, and the other package includes one table service restaurant meal, one counter service meal, and a snack.

If you book one of these packages in addition to your method of travel, you'll know exactly how much money you'll need for your vacation, no guesswork needed with the exception of souvenirs and any other extras, such as alcoholic beverages, additional water and drinks, and so on.

And speaking of the hotels, you really can't ask for better. To be honest, even the so called luxury resorts that I've seen elsewhere simply look cheesy in comparison to the Disney owned hotels, in my opinion. I'd take a Disney Value Resort (All Star Resorts, Pop Century) over a Hilton or Marriott any day. Now, that's just my opinion, but honestly, the themeing carries through the rooms and into the landscaping.

Port Orleans Riverside had two themed sections: the mansions, and the bayou. As lovely as the mansions are, I prefer the bayou section which is filled with dark green bushy plants and night blooming bushes.

We haven't yet stayed at a Deluxe Resort, but on our lists are the Animal Kingdom Lodge, the Wilderness Lodge, and Saratoga Springs if I can talk him into it. I have to admit, though, the new DVC (Disney Vacation Club) rooms at the Contemporary, located in the brand new Bay Lake Tower, look incredible and have the benefit of being attached to the main building of the Contemporary via a breezeway a few stories up (what? I'm a sucker for that stuff).

I'll admit, there's so much to discuss that it's difficult to narrow down. So please, if you have any questions about taking a Disney World vacation, leave a question in the comments or email me with your questions and I'll try to answer them.

Disney World

I have been on no fewer than six Walt Disney World vacations. My husband has been on ten.

There was a time when I was a kid that I asked my parents if we could go to Disney World. It seemed that all of my classmates went to Florida for vacation every year, though in truth it was fewer than half a dozen. I wasn't all that interested, but I just wanted to know what I was missing. My parents couldn't afford it, plus our vacation time was used to visit my grandparents who lived several states away. I lost interest quickly and didn't think of it again until I met my now husband.

Within a week or two of meeting me, my (now) husband asked me out to the movies. I said yes. This seems to have gone to his head, because one day after inviting me to the movies, he invited me to his favorite place in the world. Walt Disney World. I said yes.

Well, a lot of things went wrong, the biggest being that the car broke down 3 hours away and we had to have it towed into Orlando and then take a taxi to the All Star Movies value resort. When we arrived, Disney World had lost our reservation! It turned out that we'd missed the small print on the website and didn't know that we had to have the entire reservation's balance available on our credit card to hold the reservation, and not merely enough for the deposit. Oops.

Still, we had our receipt handy, and they promptly upgraded us to Coronado Springs moderate resort.

Wow. That was incredible.

I honestly would have been happy just staying at the hotel for the entire week of vacation. In fact, I think I grumped a bit when he insisted on actually visiting the parks. Until we got there.

To this date, I don't think I could tell you what it is that I love so much about Walt Disney World. Can you tell me why you love your spouse? Why your favorite food is your favorite food? What makes golf the only sport you'll play, or why you only wear silver jewelry? There is something about the Disney parks that simply defies definition.

As I said, I've been there 5 times since that first visit. Although I do campaign for one day at the hotel on every trip. Thus far, I've lost that campaign, but I will prevail!

I've already developed a number of sites devoted to The Happiest Place On Earth. I've developed lenses on the tamest of Disney World's rollercoasters. I've written lenses and hubs with Disney World tips and secrets, planning information, and more. And yet there's always something more to write about. Always.

Both my husband and I have considered seeking Disneyworld employment, going as far as speaking to a cast member, getting a recommendation card (employees get a bonus if they refer someone who successfully gets hired), and driving by the employment center (which isn't so difficult since it's right across from Downtown Disney Marketplace).

With my obsession at the forefront, I've assisted several people to plan a Disneyworld vacation, and my husband's brother and mother wanted to go with us one year. We were careful to plan our park visits around their preferences (brother wanted to play golf, taking the ferry to the Magic Kingdom because his mother is afraid of heights and the monorail frightened her), and we still had the best vacation we've ever had. Watching them enjoy themselves just heightened our enjoyment.

Besides that, I've made a number of friends online. Some are Disneyphiles like I am, some are planning a vacation to the Disney parks, and some are simply hoping to go "some day". My experience visiting the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, and Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly known as MGM Studios) as well as the value and moderate resorts has placed me in an excellent way to help them get the most out of their vacations. I know which websites to send them to for more information, where to find Disney World coupons, and other Disneyworld tips such as how much to tip housekeeping (sometimes referred to as Mousekeeping).

Since I love the parks so much, I can't really help people who want to take a Disney Cruise, or visit other area attractions and beaches, though I can help a little bit when it comes to Universal Studios, though not Islands of Adventure. That may change, however, since I'm anticipating the new Harry Potter theme park within a theme park as much as everyone else.

I have visited Medieval Times, however, and have managed to stop at a Dunkin Donuts in Kissimmee a total of once out of my six trips. And while we'd very much like to visit Disneyland on our next vacation, the fact that we don't fly makes it a little prohibitive. It's 3 days by train, and 3 days by car. That's a LONG way to travel for just a few days.

We have packing for a trip to Disney World in Florida down to an art, though. We've even worked out how to pack and where to place the cooler for easiest access during our 16 hour drive. I even make sandwiches while my husband drives to further limit the travel time. By the way, Go Gurts are excellent for traveling.

Some day, when we get the guts and the money together, we'd also like to visit Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Tokyo Sea, Disneyland Paris, and possibly even Hong Kong Disney. That's quite far in the future, however, and may not ever happen.

In the mean time, I'll be more than happy to tell you the best places to eat at Disney World, in any of the theme parks. My favorite rides, and tips on how to get onto the most popular ones.

Strangely, there are only a few of the Deluxe resorts that I have any desire to stay in. I'd like to stay in the Wilderness Lodge, the Animal Kingdom Lodge (most rooms have a view of animals wandering around), the Contemporary (just because the monorail actually runs THROUGH it), the Grand Floridian (I believe it was the first of the Disneyworld resorts), the Polynesian because so many people seem to love it, and Saratoga Springs (because it's pretty and has a water view).

My all time favorite Disney World hotel is Port Orleans Riverside, a moderate resort, specifically in the Bayou section, which is quieter and surrounded by night blooming plants. The mansions are very nice, but they seem much more typical to me. The French Quarter is lovely and quiet, but doesn't have a table service restaurant and the food court seems a bit creepy with its Mardis Gras theme. Port Orleans Riverside and Port Orleans French Quarter have been combined into one resort, but with 3 distinct sections. The Bayou, the Mansions, and the French Quarter. Both Riverside and French Quarter share a ferry down to Downtown Disney, which is lovely and soothing, if a bit loud. You can walk between Riverside and French Quarter, or take the ferry if you wish to visit the other side of the resort.

I also loved Coronado Springs with its huge pond/lake in the center and lovely small water features scattered about. We've yet to experience Carribean Beach, but the pirate themed rooms in one part of the hotel are very enticing. I've heard that Finding Nemo themed rooms are in the works as well, though haven't found anything conclusive on that.

As for Value Resorts, I've stayed in All Star Sports and All Star Music (remember, All Star Movies bumped us up to Coronado Springs), and Pop Century.

It's actually rather difficult to choose between the value resorts. On the one hand, Pop Century has an amazing food court and seating area, the decade-correct music playing outside the actual hotel rooms can get you right into a party mood, and the rooms are larger than what's at the All Star Resorts. But there's an indefinable something that makes the All Stars feel more like home. And in truth, we feel more comfortable at All Star Sports, despite the fact that I'm not a sports fan. It just seems a bit more laid back than All Star Music.

Both the All Star Resorts and Pop Century have humongous kid oriented statues by the hotel buildings that fit the themes. They all have terrible NesCafe coffee as well.

On top of the awesome hotels and theme parks, there's also Disney water parks, mini-golf, and a whole bunch of other things that you can do. There's several professional golf courses, including 2, I believe, which are on the PGA Tour. Impressive, no?

And if you just love to go there on vacation, you can even become a member of the Disney Vacation Club, or DVC for short. Basically, you buy Disney World timeshares directly from Disney. But they use a point system, so that you're not locked into one time every year, or even a specific hotel. You do buy your points at a specific hotel, but you can use them at any of the Disney owned hotels. A friend of mine who is a member said that even though the points are for the Deluxe hotels, that you can transfer your points trip by trip to a moderate resort. I can't recall if he said you could do the same for a value resort or not, though. There is a fee to transfer your points like that, but they're so flexible that you can bank unused points to use the following year, or even rent the points out on one of the Disney oriented forums. If you're thinking of buying into the DVC, you may want to consider renting points from someone first, to see how you'll like it. And while you're there, take a DVC tour and ask questions. No better way to test drive than to combine staying on points with the sales pitch.

Seriously, planning Disney World vacations can be extremely daunting. It's always best to decide how long you have and what's most important, and then work around that.