So, as we started planning vacation this year (partial Disney and possibly partial beach), I was thinking about all the things I do in the beginning of planning a Disney trip and wanted to share.

Everyone plans Disney different…some do it all themselves…some have their travel agents do it…some fly by the seat of their pants.  In our family it works better if I start it and Dan helps fill in the blanks.  He helps me narrow things down and tries to keep me on task.

Here are some important early steps that I always take:

1. Dates, dates, dates. After figuring out what deals Disney has going on, we pick our approximate dates.  These may shift slightly in the planning process as special events (Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, Food and Wine Festival, closures, etc.) usually have some bearing on when we go.
2. After our dates are picked, we pick which parks on which days. If you are staying on property sometime the extra magic hours have a hand in deciding dates.  With a little one who is still under 3, the Extra Magic hours don’t have as much meaning for us at this stage.  We still try to keep on a slight schedule for her.  As she gets older, they will.  However I have noticed the parks with the Extra Magic Hours that day also tend to be the most crowded.  Something to think about.
3. We can then decide on sit down restaurants (If you are doing the dining plan or want to pick a few favorites…and if you aren’t doing the dining plan…why not?!?!?). Part of our favorite thing about Disney is the food.  Can you do it cheaper without the dining plan?  Sure, but we like to eat and not worry about costs once we are on vacation.  There are lots of options at each park and we have even left the part to go to restaurants in the nearby resorts.
4. You might think this is an early step I missed, but it’s not. It’s actually not too important to us.  We then pick a resort.  Always on property.    Pop Century is a favorite for us, but we have done other value resorts as well.  The kicker to this one is that if you go during the fall when the free dining is on, you have to pay a small fee to upgrade to the dining plan that we like (One quick-service, one sit down, and one snack per day).  It’s worth it though.  I do usually price a moderate resort out as well.  Sometimes it’s worth the extra cost.  Sometimes not.  The last few trips we haven’t done a full week so we aren’t spending much time at the resort.  In that case it’s almost always not worth it.  The Value resorts are great and the biggest difference between the Value and Moderate is slightly bigger rooms and nicer pools.  If you aren’t planning to be in the pools a lot there is no reason to do Moderate in my opinion.
5. Park tickets. Again, another late step for us.  You already picked the parks above but know, some of the Disney Deals require you buy a certain number of park tickets during your stay.  We have in the past added things like the water parks, and Park Hopper onto our pass, but won’t need to again until M is a bit older.
6. The last one (and some might think this is the first), is to call 407-W-Disney or a Disney travel agent. They can help you plan things out and get you pricing?  Need one?  Another Mom/Disney blogger I know is great.  You can read more from her blog here and reach out to her if you need someone to help with all these steps!