Planning
It's the name of the game. If you've not been to "the World" before or only to the California Disneyland Resort, you have no idea how vast it is. There is no way to see everything in one trip, so planning is essential. For first-timer's, Da Guy recommends at least a 5-day stay.
Work from a master plan
The current versions of the Birnbaum books (see references below) are great guides to help you with weather, time of year to travel, and lots of info if you want to read and plan in an easy-chair. Otherwise, the Walt Disney World web site is the place to start from.
- Decide on the time of year you want to go
- After New Years to Spring Break is pretty good -- low crowds, but weather can be unpredictable, so go prepared with the right clothing. Da Guy remember's almost no one in Epcot's World Showcase one day around 2PM with Cast Members wearing pea coats and long undies; but then again, he's been enjoying a leisurely inner-tube ride around the lazy river at Typhoon Lagoon at other times as well. The disadvantage to this time is annual winter refurbishments of attractions and pools tend to take place during this time, so check out the web site to be sure your favorites are not effected before you book.
- Spring Break is almost as unbearable as summer with crowds
- You get a quick dip in crowds before school lets out and before the weather gets muggier
- Summer is not Da Guy's thing -- too many people, it's really hot, and those love bugs are all over the place, but everything is operating and typically no attractions are closed for maintenance as they can be in the off-times of the year
- Fall is Da Guy's favorite time to go ... in fact, the lowest attendance time of the year is right after Labor Day until Thanksgiving. Epcot's Food and Wine Festival is from very late September into mid November generally. Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween takes place at the Magic Kingdom on select nights with a great special parade and fireworks show. The heat is dropping but you're in Hurricane Season (and Da Guy has been through a couple of those during his stays.)
- After Thanksgiving to just before Christmas is great and a special time of the year ... all the Christmas decorations are up in the parks and at the resorts turning this place into yet a whole other place. Special parades and activities abound.
- Christmas through New Years is always sold-out and bonkers. Special to many, not Da Guy with all the crowds!
- Go to that Walt Disney World web site, and print out the schedules of park openings, special events, and planned attraction closings. If you're staying on-property, be sure to note early openings and late closing that will be available to you on certain days.
- Prioritize the key "once a day" events such as the parades and nighttime spectacles you want to see, and put those on your calendar
- Decide on any special dining activities you want to do and put those on your calendar. Be sure to consider travel time (see below).
- Prioritize the key "must see's" at each Park, Downtown Disney.
- Ticketing and ability to get away from the parks (back to your hotel, perhaps) at mid-day are decision points you next need to consider.
- If you have "Park Hopper" capability with your ticketing, you can go in and out of multiple parks in one day. If not, you can go in and out of a single Park in one day with less flexibility.
- It's very typical for Da Guy to start in one Park in the morning, go back to the hotel for some quiet time or perhaps lunch/shopping at Downtown Disney, then off to dinner at some special place and then evening activities.
- Allowing yourself to split the days with some downtime in between will allow you and your little ones to not skip nighttime at the Parks, which you just don't want to miss. You won't hold up for 12-15 hour days and keep everyone's patience in-tact otherwise.
- Da Guy really recommends staying on-property if you can to help with this flexibility ... don't assume it's beyond your financial means until you check your options. You'll find competitive rates with off-property resorts for sure.
- If you are using Disney transportation, it can take you 30-60 minutes to get from place to place depending on location. It's really efficient, and most of the time is a lot faster than that, but extremes such as going from one resort to another can take a while. Just take it into account if you're moving around with a large group or little ones.
- Add tentative activities and dining that does not need priority seating to your schedule. Don't pack it too tight as you'll find you'll need some time for a little shopping and checking out many things you won't have planned for before you arrive!
- Call Disney Dining and make your priority seating ... you can always cancel later or the same day if your plans change. Don't however think you're going to get in to one of the very popular places, especially the dinner shows, at the last minute without priority seating already arranged.
- When you arrive, get a map and Park schedules. Look at the Guest Information Board to see the current scoop on what's open/closed and attraction wait times.
- Use your
which is part of every ticket, to book a time on the most popular must-see attractions and go off to do other things while you wait.
- BE FLEXIBLE and fine-tune your day as you go. You'll find it's not hard to do if you have prioritized what you MUST SEE and everything else under that.
- Now, go Have a Magical Day!
1-Sheet Planner Sample
Da Guy always puts together a single sheet with all his planning information: Dates, Times, Scheduled Events, Priority Dining Reservation numbers, and any specific Parks he needs to be at in the morning or evening each day to match. If you have Microsoft Word, you're welcome to download a sample from here. You'll get the jest of it from the examples and hopefully it will save you some time.
