Book a Walt Disney World Vacation like a seasoned pro with these five tips. It’s easy to buy a Walt Disney World vacation package.
It’s easy to buy a Walt Disney World vacation package. However, to give your vacation the best start, there are some things you should know before booking. These five tips will help you book your Disney vacation like a pro.
Establish travel days
If you are flying into Orlando, especially from the west coast, your flight schedules will have a major impact on what you are able to do once you finally get to Disney World. The use of your travel days has a ripple effect that will impact your schedule for the remainder of the trip. In most cases you will want to think of the vacation as what happens between those days. When
booking, remember the number of nights you will pay for as they correspond to the number of days.
Basically, if you fly in on the 26th and fly out on the 30th, that means you will have 3 full days, 4 nights out of 5 total vacation days. That doesn’t mean you can’t do anything on the days you check in or out, but don’t count on anything other than dinner and breakfast reservations.
Choosing a hotel
Budget is a huge deciding factor in where you stay. There are great advantages to staying at a Disney hotel, so if budget allows, you should stay on property. The second most important factor, next to you preferred theme, is location. Since it is a drive to get from anywhere to anywhere in Walt Disney World, you will want to establish a home base that is nearer the places
that interest you most. Crescent Lake, for example, is home to three deluxe resorts and perfect for Epcot and Hollywood Studios lovers.
If you aren’t renting a car, or driving to Disney World in your own car, don’t worry. There are plenty of available modes of free transportation. Still, location is important.
Park Hoppers
Park Hoppers are available for more money. You get up-charged for every ticket in your packet, whether you plan to park hop, or not. Normally, I don’t recommend park hopping unless you have very few days and want to sample everything.
If you only have up to 5 days of vacation, I recommend you spring for the park hoppers, so you have the option. However, I caution you to plan your hops carefully as it can be a very time-consuming process. If you have a 6 day, or more vacation, it is better not to purchase park hoppers, unless you know you will want to spend half a day in one park (DHS) and 2 1/2 days in
another (Epcot).
Special offers
Before booking, but also after, click the Special Offers link near the bottom of the page under Places to Stay.” This will bring up a bunch of enticing offers for specific dates and packages. Even if you aren’t able to take advantage of an offer, continue to check back after you book. An applicable offer might turn up that you can call in and ask them to apply.
Dining plan
With all the packages offered, you can save some money. The more park tickets you purchase the lower the cost is for each day of admission. Unfortunately, that does not translate to the dining plan. If you prepay for this expecting to save money, you will find yourself scrambling for your entire vacation to get your money’s worth. Instead, just plan out a simple daily budget. Take snacks into consideration. Most are $5 and under. Counter service meals are usually up to $14 per person, and table service varies. The fancier high priced restaurants will cause you to double down with two dining credits for one meal. Just when you think you might have an edge, you lose another credit.