Booking and planning a Walt Disney World holiday can be a slightly stressful and overwhelming experience, especially if it is your first time. There are so many options to choose from and it can be hard to know what is right for you and your family.
That's why I've decided to start a new series on this blog called Walt Disney World 101: a simple and easy guide to booking and planning a Disney World holiday in the most effective way. As a massive Disney parks fan, I absolutely love planning my next holiday and am always happy to share the hints and tips I've learnt along the way.
So, first things first; actually booking your Disney holiday. If you're thinking about taking the leap and making a booking, here are a few questions you should be asking yourself before you make that final decision.
What time of year should you go?
One of the biggest factors you should think about when booking your holiday is what time of year is best for you to go.
Obviously, for a lot of people with children, school holidays are the only time they can go. But if you don't have these restrictions then make sure you are aware of what dates school holidays are in both your country and America, as well as national holidays such as Thanksgiving and Fourth of July. If you can go outside of these dates, your trip will likely be cheaper and the parks should be a little less busy too.
You should also consider any special events happening in the parks that you might want to experience. There are number of festivals that happen throughout the year in Epcot like Flower and Garden in the spring and Food and Wine in the autumn, as well as the Halloween and Christmas parties in Magic Kingdom. If you're interested in one of these it will massively narrow down the dates you should be considering.
Finally, take a look online at crowd and weather calendars. While it can be pretty warm in Florida all through the year, if you're particularly sensitive to very high temperatures then it might be worth thinking about booking in the winter months. Summer and early autumn are also the rainy season in Florida so go for Spring if you want a drier trip.
What resort should you stay at?
The biggest decision when choosing your resort is whether you want to stay at a value, moderate, or deluxe. Predominantly, this will of course be dependent on your budget, with values being the cheapest and deluxes the most expensive. Having experienced all three, personally I would go for a moderate where possible. They offer a sense of luxury and beautiful theming that you don't get as much in values, without being so expensive that you feel guilty for spending time in the parks instead of at the resort.
Location is also an important factor; when I stayed at All Star Music, it was only 5 minutes to get to Animal Kingdom, but over 20 to Magic Kingdom. More centrally placed resorts like Port Orleans offer more equal journey times to all of the resorts.
Depending on the location of your resort there may also be different modes of transport that will make your life easier. The Contemporary, Polynesian and Grand Floridian all have boats and the monorail to take you straight to the Magic Kingdom, while Caribbean Beach, Pop Century, Art of Animation and the Riviera can now all make use of the Skyliner to get to Epcot and Hollywood Studios.
What offers are currently available?
If you are hoping to book when there is a certain offer on, this could affect not only when you are booking for, but when you actually book the holiday as well. The Walt Disney Travel Company normally have similar offers on every year, such as the free dining offer that has come out in April every year for the past few years, so look into this before you book in case you are just a few weeks out from a new offer being available.
Some offers are also only available for specific holiday dates throughout the year, or may have blackout dates when they are not valid. This means you should think about whether you would rather go at a specific time even if there are no offers on, or if you'd prefer to make the most of an offer that could make your trip a little bit cheaper.
Are you interested in any extras?
Finally, once you've decided when you are going and which resort you want to stay in, consider if there are any extras or premium features you want to add to your trip. For example, you may wish to pay for the full dining plan or pay to upgrade the plan offered at your chosen resort during the free dining offer. Or, you might want to pay extra for a preferred room that's closer to your resort's facilities, or one with a pool view rather than standard.
When deciding on these extras, make sure you think about whether you'll be getting value for money with them. If you don't think you'll want to eat many table service meals there's no point in paying out of pocket for the standard dining plan, and if you are going to be spending most of your time out and about, does it really matter if your room has a view of the pool or the car park?
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One of the great things about Disney package holidays is that you only have to pay a deposit when you book, and the full balance doesn't need to be paid until around 2 months before you go. That means if you do want to make any changes to your booking, whether it's changing resorts or upgrading a room, it's normally pretty easy to do as long as they have the availability.
Let me know in the comments if you're planning on booking a Walt Disney World holiday soon, or if you have any other tips for others.
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