1) When Are You Going?
Disney World has busy and slow seasons just like any vacation spot. You may have a set vacation time or you may be able to choose.
Different times of the year offer different prices, crowd levels, weather conditions and attraction options.
For example, you may want to go when it's the least crowded. In that case January and September (when the kids go back to school) are great options. You may want to go when the weather is the most pleasant. So you may want to consider anytime between April - June.
If you have a set vacation schedule then this question doesn't matter as much.
For more details see the article:
2) Where Will You Stay?
You have several options here. You can rent a house or a condo, stay at a hotel, or make the vacation really magical and stay at a Disney resort.
Each option has it's advantages and disadvanages. For example renting a condo may be more cost-effective than a Disney resort but you have to pay for parking and transportation.
If you stay at a Disney resort, you may pay a bit more but you'll save on parking and transportation and be able to save with the Disney dining plan. Plus it's much more convenient to let someone else do the driving - so your vacation is much more stress-free and enjoyable.
Again, it depends on what you want and what's important to you. Here are some other articles for further reading:
Disney World Resorts - Types of Disney World Resorts along with advantages and disadvantages to each.
3) Where To Get Tickets
You can get tickets at a number of places. Plus you have lots of options.
For example, do you want a 5 day ticket or a 3 day ticket? Do you want to go to the waterparks as well as the main parks? Do you want to be able to go to multiple parks on the same day or just 1?
Once you've decided what you want, then it's time to buy them.
There are a number of places to buy Disney World tickets including directly at the park. However that is probably the most expensive place to buy tickets.
There are a number of authorized discount Disney ticket sellers you can find including dwtickets which will save you money on tickets.
For more information on tickets see the article:
5) Where Will You Eat?
There are over 100 restaurants at Disney. Most people want to try out at least one sit-down restaurant at the parks or resorts as these can be an amazing experience on your vacation.
You can find Disney restaurants with amazingly delicious gourmet food, character experiences and even dinner shows included that your kids will be talking about for years.
However the most popular restaurants fill up very quickly. If you're planning on dining at Disney, you'll want to make reservations as soon as possible. Most restaurants take reservations up to 180 days in advance.
For tips on dining reservations see:
6) Get Ready!
Depending on who you're going with (spouse, kids, friends), you may want to do lots of research on the different parks or plan out your itinerary before you go.
Researching before your trip can be a lot of fun and get you (and your kids) really excited about your vacation.
There are lots of sources to look at (including this site) which will give you general information, reviews and tips to navigate your way through the parks and get the most from your vacation.
Here are some of the best in-print resources we've found:
