Reflections from an Off-Site Stay - March, 2015

I've traveled to Disney World many times since my first visit to Central Florida in 1979 and have been fortunate that most of those trips included a hotel stay on Disney property. In the early years and even with some trips in adulthood lodging was chosen by my parents (who also covered the costs). In recent years, as the cost of Disney vacations continues to outpace inflation by a considerable margin (and I've had to pay for my own rooms) I've chosen to look at how to save money on what have become frequent visits to the park. I've also become fond of driving during my stays, as a way to save time and avoid getting stuck standing on Disney buses at the end of a long night. Thus, when planning a Disney World visit in March it seemed like the right time to venture off of the Disney property for my lodging.

If you don't count a three year stretch when my family stayed at different resorts in the Disney Village Hotel Plaza (on-property, though not Disney-owned resorts) the last time I stayed off-site when visiting Disney World coincided with the time when President Reagan was shot, so it's been quite a while. As a child, I enjoyed my two stays at the Howard Johnson's Main Gate, which was located on US 192, just outside the Disney property line, but being a child I didn't take copious notes on those trips. I remember spending a lot of time in the swimming pool, using the putting green, and ending most days in the game room. As a kid, you couldn't ask for much more. As an adult, things like safety, efficiency, quiet, cost, and comfort become more important. I put those to the test with a three night stay at the Clarion Inn Lake Buena Vista early in March, 2015.


THE HOTEL

My off-site stay was a success and will probably have an impact on my future Florida vacation planning. You can read my more detailed review of the Clarion, but for less than half the price I would have paid to stay at Disney's cheapest hotel (one of the All-Star Resorts) during the same time period I got a larger, more comfortable room, with better amenities, including a microwave and coffee maker. Internet access was not as fast as I've grown accustomed to in recent Disney visits (which has improved considerably in the last year or two) and noise reduction was downright poor, but after the first night I was so tired that I probably could've slept in the middle of the highway, so that turned out not to be a problem. The pool area wasn't as well-themed as any Disney value resort, but it also wasn't as crowded during the day. Service certainly wasn't Disney-caliber, but beyond checking in I had no direct dealing with the staff, so that didn't affect my stay. Overall, I'd consider my hotel experience to be a slight upgrade over a Disney value resort at a considerably lower cost.







WHAT DID I MISS?
You do lose out of a number of conveniences when staying away from Disney property, namely:
• No Disney's Magical Express transportation to and from the airport
• No Disney Resort Airline Check-In / Bag Check
• No 60 Day Window to Make FastPass+ Reservations
• No Extra 10 Days to Make Dining Reservations
• No Free Parking on Disney property
• Limited Bus Transportation to/from the Parks
• No Access to Extra Magic Hours
• No Additional MagicBands
• No Room Charge or Package Delivery to Resort with Disney Purchases
• No Priority Access to the Parks on Peak Days (only applies around Christmas, New Year's, and Independence Day)

In the case of my March trip, I didn't miss any of these perks to staying on property. I mentioned in my introduction that I prefer to rent a car when visiting the parks, so other than trips to the Magic Kingdom I seldom rely on Disney transportation. That means not having Magical Express and the less than ideal bus transportation that my off-site hotel provided had a negligible effect on my travel plans. During my three nights at the Clarion I drove to the Magic Kingdom (TTC) twice, Epcot twice, and Animal Kingdom once and my travel times to all those locations were almost identical to what I experienced driving or using Disney transportation when staying on-site. The exception was a considerably longer trip to Animal Kingdom, though that is mostly because many of my recent on-site stays have been at Disney's All-Star Resorts, which are located only a few minutes from Animal Kingdom. In this case, staying on-site would have saved me a couple minutes in travel time, but not enough to make a meaningful difference for comparison purposes.

I realize not everyone enjoys driving while on vacation, so if that's you, then transportation challenges associated with an off-site stay may be significant. For me, since I would be renting a car and driving anyway and travel times are similar to staying on-site, I would be quite content to stay off-site again, feeling confident that I could get where I needed to go in a reasonable amount of time. My hotel was located near the Crossroads shopping center, minutes from Downtown Disney, so if you chose to stay somewhere farther away from Disney World, then your travel times could be higher. However, since a wide variety of reasonably priced accommodations at nearly all quality levels exist on the periphery of Disney property I think the travel time comparison with the Clarion would be comparable. Another possible concern for some would be paying for parking. Disney charges $17 per day for automobiles (and slightly more if you're driving a camper, bus, or tractor trailer), which could eat into your savings when staying off-site. I have an Annual Pass, which includes free parking, so this wasn't an issue for me, but is an important consideration for most visitors.

Other Disney resort perks, such as the extra time to have FastPass+ and dining reservations, have been a factor for some trips, but that has seldom been the case for me. In December, when traveling with a friend's family, which included his five year old Frozen-obsessed daughter, the extra window to make FastPass+ reservations ensured that all five people in the traveling party could get FastPass+ to meet Anna and Elsa at the same time. However, with no one in my traveling party that wanted that coveted FastPass (I was traveling solo) I was still able to reserve ride times for every attraction I wanted, including Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Wishes, and Illuminations when I my FastPass+ window opened. As far as dining reservations, I seldom seek out pre-rope drop breakfasts or other high-demand dining locations, and for this trip I was planning to eat most of my meals in Epcot to sample the Flower & Garden Festival Outdoor Kitchens, so dining reservations weren't a priority. Additionally, I booked this trip on relatively short notice, so I was well inside the 180 day window when anyone could make dining reservations, so the extra ten days resort guest have to make their ADRs would not have mattered.

For some having a MagicBand may be of measurable value. I already have one in each color that Disney offers hotel guests, so another band wasn't very important to me. Having stayed on site a number of times over the last year, it was a minor inconvenience to have to reach into my wallet for the hotel key, rather than just tapping my wrist against the door, but given the choice I'm not sure I'd pay more than a few dollars a night for that feature. What I did miss a little bit were the room charging privileges that come with the MagicBand when staying on-site. Since I planned to pay for most of my Disney purchases with Disney gift cards, and those cards were in $50 increments, I had to carry around my stash of cards and keep track of how much money was left on the one I was actively using. Had I been staying on-site I would have charged all of my purchases to the room and could have brought my gift cards to the Front Desk and paid in one long transaction. Another potentially useful plus to staying on-site, though one I've hardly ever used, is the ability to have purchases in the parks delivered to your resort (so you don't have to carry things around the parks). Not having that didn't bother me, but not being able to charge items to my room was a slight inconvenience, though it is another thing for which I wouldn't pay more than a couple dollars a day.


WOULD I STAY OFF-SITE AGAIN?

Yes. There are certainly circumstances that make an on-property stay a reasonable value for me, including my next trip, which will be during Star Wars Weekends, when early access to FastPass+ may be valuable, as will Disney transportation during a time when the odds of getting stuck in the remote recesses of the Hollywood Studios parking lot are higher than normal. However, having experienced the considerable cost savings of an off-site stay, with minimal increases in transportation time, I can see many instances where I will be content to spend my nights at a nearby off-property hotel. The money I save will allow me to pay for more upscale dining, additional entertainment like backstage tours, or just to allow more frequent visits to the park, all of which outweigh what I might lose out when staying off-property. There are some advantages to staying off-site, too, including larger hotel rooms and more in-room amenities than you would have on property. Additionally, the ease of access to off-site dining can provide even more cost savings. For those who prefer to stay in the Disney "bubble" that may not sound appealing, but for others, eating some meals away from the Disney property (and Disney prices) may be the best way to make a trip economically feasible. Of course, off-site stays also work best when you are willing to drive and require a cursory knowledge of the local roads (or a close relationship with your GPS), so for some that may be more of a hassle than they want on their vacations. For me, I'll be excited to return to the All-Star Resorts for my next on-property stay, but I'm also looking forward to trying out some more hotels close to the Disney property. They were good enough for my first visits to Disney World and it appears off-site lodging will also be part of my future travels.

Checklists: Preparing for Your Days in the Parks

Disney vacations can be a hectic time, making it easy to forget something important in the early morning rush to get your family out the door and get where you're going in a timely manner. As Disney parks lock more parts of the vacation into specific blocks on time, from your dining reservations to FastPass+ times for attractions, the stress to get out of your hotel room on time builds. Having a checklist of things to remember before you go to sleep and when you wake leaves less to think about during busy mornings.

I will present my checklists below, but let me clarify why I include so many things before I sleep each night. When I wake up it takes some time before my brain is fully functional. Life support systems are still intact, but more complicated cognitive functions aren't always running at a high level, so I strive to minimize the decisions I need to make first thing in the morning. If you're running on all cylinders as soon as your alarm clock buzzes, then you may wish to move some of the evening tasks to the morning. I also include a couple tasks related to photography and other electronics that may not be as important to others. However, whenever you choose to complete these steps, they'll help you get the most out of your time in Disney World.

Before Bed

• Check Park Hours - sometimes these change on short notice, so make sure park opening and closing are still when you expect them to be
• Agree When to Wake Up - EVERYONE in the group needs to agree on this
• Set alarm(s) - taking into account how many snoozes you're likely to require in the morning
• Check Weather Forecast - decide whether shorts and/or t-shirt are appropriate and how water resistant your clothing will need to be
• Set Out Clothes for Next Day - this leaves one less decision for the morning and makes sure everything you want to wear is where you expect it to be
•  Review Touring Plans - even if you don't follow a strict plan for each day, you ought to know where you're planning to start the day and what you'd like to see (even if you don't decide what order to see those things)
• Change Reservations (if needed) - if plans change, because of weather or personal preference, then make new reservations or just check if a better dining or FPP reservation is available; also be sure to cancel extra provisional dining reservations you won't be using (to avoid Disney's no-show fee)
• Note FPPs or Other Reservations - I write this on paper (either in a notebook that I carry or separate piece of paper),  while others will capture a screenshot on their cell phone; whatever you do, it's helpful to have these key times somewhere easily accessible
• Charge Everything - make sure cell phones, camera batteries, or anything else that requires power is charging overnight (I bring this surge protector with USB ports to make sure there are always enough outlets)
• Copy Photos/Videos to Laptop - in case I need to re-use memory cards + to have backups
• Change/Clear Memory Cards - Make sure you're starting the day ready to save your pictures and videos (it stinks to run out of space in the middle of an interesting photo op)
• Clean Camera Lenses - wipe away smudges while you're not rushed
• Pack Backpack - remove anything extra stuffed in the bag during the day (receipts, souvenirs, etc.), have camera, water bottle, jacket, poncho, hat, and everything else ready to go (the only exception would be any items that may need to dry out from rain on the previous day)
• Check Driving Directions - if planning to follow any routes I'm not already familiar with

After Wake Up

• Eat - my typical breakfast includes orange juice, a cereal bar, a banana, and an apple
• Drink Water - particularly important in the summer to hydrate early in the day
• Check the Hourly Weather Forecast Again - to know when the rain is likely to come and/or know if sunscreen will be required
• Check FPP or Dining Reservations Again - if hoping for a last minute cancellation someone else may have made for a favorite attraction or restaurant
• Go - Grab wallet, phone, MagicBands, notebook, and watch and go!

What's on your list of things to do before bed and after you wake up?

Brainstorming for Disneyland

[ED NOTE: Revised because I had omitted World of Color from my "must do" list, since a viewing was part of our tour, but it should be part of the list.  I also moved some items around thanks to the advice of Seth Kubersky and Guy Selga]

I'm going to Disneyland!  Just about four months ago, as I watched Cars Land open its doors I decided I finally had to see Disney's west coast park for myself.  The seeds for this idea were planted the year before when I first saw videos of World of Color, perhaps Disney's most innovative and spectacular nighttime performance, then seeing the landscape of Cars Land and the ride videos from Radiator Springs Racers inspired me to study Disneyland in greater detail.  I knew that park had history on its side, but I also found an impressive array of attractions packed into a relatively small space, giving the California parks a remarkable "fun density."  The only question was when I could find time to visit and who I could convince to make the trip with me.

Everything fell into place rather quickly when I learned about the Backstage Magic tour, offered by Adventures by Disney.  I'll cover the tour in detail later, but this seemed like the perfect opportunity for my father and me to travel to Disney's Southern California parks, along with some other locations that we couldn't just walk off the street to see, like the Jim Henson Studios and Walt Disney Imagineering.  As excited as I am for the tour and getting to see Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure, the constraints of the tour present some unique planning challenges.  Since Todd has been talking about planning in the context of our recent trip to Disney World, I thought it may be useful to share my thoughts in preparing for this trip out west.

When going on vacation I like to have a plan, or at least a rough idea what I want do each do while away.  Generally, most items on the plan won't be carved in stone (except sometimes for prepaid items, some tours or dinner reservations , or other items that may require advanced planning or would be difficult to reschedule), but at least I'll have an idea what I want to do.  This begins by brainstorming a list of things I want to do, then prioritizing that list.  This post covers the brainstorming steps.

As I've studied Disneyland I realized that there any many more differences in the park and Disney World's Magic Kingdom than I originally realized.  Thus, my priority will be to see things I can't see in Florida, but hopefully still with time to see some favorites that are also available back east.

Wish List Meals

Our Adventures by Disney tour includes a dinner at Steakhouse 55 and breakfasts at Goofy's Kitchen and Storyteller's Café on different days.  Some other meals are listed as "provided" without a location specified.  From what I can tell, we'll be on our own for two lunches and one dinner during the tour, then lunch and dinner when we stay in the parks the day the tour ends, and there may be time for lunch before leaving for the airport on our last day.  I will be traveling with my father, so I want to choose places that both of us will like (for example, the Blue Bayou gets good reviews, but my father doesn't like anything he perceives as "Cajun", so a New Orleans bayou themed restaurant won't appeal to him).

• Carthay Circle - one of my father's favorite places to eat in Disney World has been the Brown Derby; I think Carthay offers a similar combination of upscale food and old-fashioned class
• Flo's V-8 Café - Trying a newer restaurant is appealing to me and the views of Cars Land make this look like a pleasant place to sit and enjoy a meal
• Hungry Bear Restaurant - The setting by the Rivers of America looks like a relaxing place to take a break for a meal
• French Market - this was suggested and looks like a good place to eat, but I'll have to show my dad the menu to see if there's anything he would like

Wish List Attractions - Disneyland

I've organized this list from "must dos" (shows and rides that I would be disappointed if we didn't see) and into other categories in declining order of interest.  The idea is to see things that are unique to Disneyland or where attractions are not exact duplicates of what I've seen in the Magic Kingdom.

MUST DOS Indiana Jones (closed) Pirates of the Caribbean Haunted Mansion (want to see holiday overlay) Monorail Finding Nemo Submarine Castle Walkthrough Mr. Toad Roger Rabbit Pinocchio Space Mountain Storybook Land Canal Boats (closed)	SHOULD DO Fantasmic (if show is running) Railroad Matterhorn Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln Alice in Wonderland Snow White Buzz Lightyear	LIKE TO DO Penny Arcade Star Tours Splash Mountain Big Thunder Jungle Cruise Disney Gallery
OTHER ATTRACTIONS OF INTEREST Chip ‘n Dale Treehouse Main St. Cinema Riverboat / Sailing Ship Tarzan’s Treehouse

Wish List Attractions - DCA

MUST DOS Radiator Springs Racers World of Color Little Mermaid Luigi’s Flying Tires Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree Monster’s Inc Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! Toy Story Mania (my father hasn't ridden this in WDW yet) Blue Sky Cellar	SHOULD DO California Screamin’ Aladdin Soarin’ Five and Dime Tower of Terror	LIKE TO DO Red Car Trolley Redwood Trail (if it is accessible to someone who has trouble walking)
OTHER ATTRACTIONS OF INTEREST Mickey’s Fun Wheel Muppet*Vision 3D (this is still running Frankenweenie previews) Bakery Tour Goofy’s Sky School Grizzly River Run (don't really want to get wet) Sorcerer’s Workshop

So, that's what I want to see.  We'll see how everything works out in California.  I know I'll have fun no matter what, but thought it would be interesting to share my thinking before leaving home.  What do you think?  Do any Disneyland veterans have any suggestions for other things I should do? or, things that I should skip?

What’s in a Plan, Part II, an examination of a plan I created for my family’s recent Disney Trip.

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You might think as a professional Disney World planner with just the knowledge in my head I could navigate my family to the perfect vacation.  You’d be wrong.   Every vacation is different – from different vacationers to different days of travel.  Each circumstance is different and thus each vacation deserves its own plan.

One of the most important things you can do to assure yourself a great time visiting everyone’s favorite mouse is to have a plan.  It doesn’t have to be a grand plan.  You don’t have to have every minute planned out.  But you really should have some basics down.  If you don’t believe me or if you have not yet done so, you may want to go back and review part I in this series – What’s In a Plan.

This article is Part II of the series and examines my family’s plan for a recent trip to Disney.  Here I will discuss what my plans were (and weren’t) and why I made them prior to our trip.  The first thing to do when making a plan is to take into account who the travelers are.  In this case, it is my family plus fellow blogger Bob, so I know them well, but perhaps you do not.  So very briefly let me summarize the travel party for you.  Then you’ll learn some more details as we go. 

The Cast:

Todd – Adult male Disney enthusiast (me!).  Cost conscious.  Likely leader of the group.  Motion sickness.

Dani – Adult female.  Cannot do a lot of walking so will use a motorized scooter and wants to make memories with her children while her health allows.  Food allergy to gluten

Two boys age 7 and 5.  Both super excited to return to Disney World, having gone two years ago.  One Dumbo lover and one dinosaur lover.

Moma – Grandmother.  Excited to see her grand kids go to Disney.  Active and ready to go.  Kid at heart.

“Uncle” Bob – Adult male Disney enthusiast and fellow blogger.

The Basics:

Driving and planning to arrive in Orlando area Saturday night.  Checking into Port Orleans Riverside Sunday morning for a 1 week stay.  Magic your way basic tickets (not park-hopper).  Free Dining Plan.  Not sure where they are going to stay Saturday night.  May try to extend their stay in Disney if arrive early enough.  Otherwise, will find something cheap in the area.

Creating The Plan:

With free dining and no park hoppers, the plan starts with selecting restaurants.  Due to the free dining, it will be virtually impossible to walk in to any of the more popular restaurants at a reasonable dinner-time and be seated any time soon.  So advanced reservations are a must.  (They are also necessary during busy times of year when free dining is not offered.  Really, for the most part, they are almost always necessary if you want popular dining locations without a wait.)

We identified 5 dining locations that we really wanted to visit if possible.  They were:  ‘Ohana in the Polynesian (a popular family style meal we’ve eaten at once before), Chef Mickey’s breakfast in the Contemporary resort, T-REX Café in Downtown Disney (the boys love dinosaurs), Chefs de France in Epcot at a time where the boys can meet Remy from Ratatouille, and one of a few other locations in Epcot.  This will help us with planning parks because, without park hopper tickets, you generally need to plan your dining around where you are going to be or vice versa.  The last dining location was open for consideration depending on our location.

The next step, lacking park hopper tickets, it was important to decide how many days we wanted to dedicate to each park.  Hollywood Studios is collectively our least favorite park so we planned to spend 1 day there.  On the flip side, we like Animal Kingdom second only to Magic Kingdom, but Animal Kingdom is doable in a day if planned properly so we intend to spend one day there.  That leaves arrival day, departure day, and two other days. These five days will be split with three days in the Magic Kingdom, which the children love and there are many highly repeatable rides along with parade, shows, and character meets to fill the time, and two days in Epcot which is large but perhaps has less to do for the children especially with Test Track under refurbishment.

So, with this information (and further knowledge of our travelers goals too extensive to include here) we are ready to blend our dining desires with our park desires, taking into account park events, crowd levels, and available dining reservations and make a plan.

The Plan:

SUNDAY - Arrive the evening before and stay in a local hotel.  This allows us to awaken early and check in at Port Orleans Riverside.  The goal is to make it to the Magic Kingdom (low crowd level) at park opening so the boys can see the opening ceremonies on our first day there (It may be a challenge to check in and get to the park at opening).  At opening, we will likely go to Tomorrowland for Space Mountain fastpasses and then ride Astro Orbiter.  From there, we’ll take the day as it comes with a break in the afternoon to go to the room.  Dinner that evening is ‘Ohana followed by Wishes fireworks and then Extra Magic Hours in the Magic Kingdom until we are tired.

MONDAY – Arrive at Epcot at park opening since this should be a low crowd day for Epcot.  Immediately get Soarin’ fastpasses, then visit the pavilions on the right side of Future World.  At World Showcase opening, ride Maelstrom in Norway and Gran Fiesta Tour in Mexico followed by an early lunch in one of the countries since we have an early dinner at Chef’s de France.

TUESDAY – Today we go back to the Magic Kingdom because it is a very low crowd day.  Magic Kingdom closes at 7:00 so Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party can take place so we will be done in the parks a little early this night.  On the plus side, however, the party will lessen the crowds at Magic Kingdom for most of the day and also offer a special fireworks display.  We will likely start this day in Frontierland with a park opening fastpass from Splash Mountain while the group rides Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.  This evening’s dinner is at 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian after the Magic Kingdom closes followed by viewing the Halloween fireworks from somewhere along Seven Seas Lagoon.

WEDNESDAY – Arrive at Animal Kingdom at opening and go immediately to Kiliminjaro Safari.  An early ride on the safari will allow for the best viewing of the animals since they will still be active after just being fed.  Then proceed through Africa and Asia to DinoLand USA.  Animal Kingdom closes at 5 today and the evening is flexible including dinner plans which might end up trying to walk in to T-REX café in downtown Disney, do counter service dinner, relax at the hotel, or go Miniature golfing.

THURSDAY – This is Hollywood Studios day.  There is a lot to do and limited time so a plan becomes more important on this day.  Since I don’t ride either Rock and Roller Coaster or Tower of Terror, I will go at opening to Toy Story Mania for fastpasses while the rest of the group proceeds to Tower of Terror and then Rock and Rollercoaster before the crowds grow.  If we did not do T-REX the night before, we will go there for lunch today.

FRIDAY – Today we go back to Epcot and see the things we haven’t seen yet plus repeat any favorites.  Dinner is at Teppan Edo in Japan in the World Showcase.

SATURDAY – This is our final day and we top off our visit with one more trip to the Magic Kingdom.  Arriving early, we can do what we want before crowds build.  (This is the one day on the trip we face a fairly crowded park.)  We’ve scheduled the last breakfast of the day at Chef Mickey’s in the Contemporary.  We can then return to the Magic Kingdom until we are ready to drive home.

You’re probably noticing a few things.  First, the plans aren’t very detailed and I am a planner.  There’s a few reasons for that.  First, even as a detailed planner, I don’t like to over plan a Disney vacation.  So much of the allure of Disney can be found in the details and the magic feelings and you have to slow down to fully appreciate those things.  Secondly, I do have a bit of an advantage in knowledge and though I may not have anything planned, I do have ideas that I normally share with clients on what things work well so I can wing it a little bit better than most.  And finally, when you are traveling with a group, it is important to be flexible so detailed planning doesn’t completely work.

Secondly, you’ve probably noticed there aren’t a lot of details as to why I am doing things certain ways.  Trust me that there are good reasons for doing things a certain way (such as why get the last breakfast seating at Chef Mickey’s), but those reasons are beyond the scope of this document.  Hopefully, we will get a chance to discuss them later in future articles or even individually if I am helping to plan your vacation.

So that was the plan.  Come back next week to find out what actually happened. and learn the importance of being flexible and being able to deviate from your plans, recover gracefully, and still have a wonderful Disney vacation.

What’s in a Plan – Preparing for a Great Disney Vacation

By Todd Shrader – vacation planner

Welcome to this series on why and how to plan for a Disney World vacation.  This first article will cover the importance of planning a few things, even for you non-planners.  After that, we will examine an actual plan that was made for my family and then what actually happened to see if we can learn anything…

So you’re going on vacation to Disney World.  Do you really need to make a plan?  Really?  I mean, it is vacation, after all.  You just want to chill out and have fun right?  You don’t need a plan, right?  Ummm…  Well…  If you do want to chill out and have fun, you really should make a plan.

Now hold on.  Before you go crazy on me that you just like to wing it and that will be fine, let me explain what you need to plan and why.  It isn’t too much so don’t be scared.

A good plan can be simple and short.  You just need to have a few basics worked out.  First and most important, which park(s) should you go to on which day.  Why is this important? 

On a recent trip to the Magic Kingdom, two days apart the average waiting on one day for Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was 45 minutes and fastpasses were hours in the future.  The other day posted wait times were 15 minutes or less and fastpasses were for less than an hour in the future.  The crowd level on the busy day was “oh my gosh now I know what sardines feel like” while on the other day meandering the parks was a spacious joy.  And all of this was in the offseason.  Double or triple the crowds for busy season and think about it.

The reality is the biggest deterrent from a great trip for almost everyone is the crowds.  Imagine how great it would be if you could have the park all to yourself.  Of course, we can’t do that, but we can plan to get you closer to that.  There are resources out there that can help you with this.   

Simply choosing the correct day during your trip to go each park will mean the difference between a great relaxing time meandering freely or a stressful rushing time trying to crisscross the parks for fastpasses, cramming in queues and rushing to get to the next queue.  A good Disney travel agent and planner can help you with this (and more) and are usually free to you (they are paid on the back end by Disney).

Now, some of the crowd you are going to meet is dependent on the time of year you are going, not just the day.  There are busy times like holidays and summer and less busy times when kids are back in school.  If you have flexibility, picking a less busy time should be part of your plan.  Plus, you can usually get better prices and special deals during these off times.  Again, research the internet or consult a good Disney travel professional for help.

Okay, we’ve covered the most important part of planning, when to go and which days to go to which parks.  Basic stuff, right?  You can handle that, can’t you?  Great!  Now hold my hand.  I’m going to take you just a little bit further.

There are two more things we need to plan.  First is dining.  As most Disney fanatics will tell you, the proliferation of the Disney Dining Plan, especially in off seasons when the dining plan is offered for free, has made the popular restaurants nearly impossible to get into without a reservation.  So decide which dining experiences you want.  

If there is something you really want to do, make a reservation. (A search of the internet, a consultation with a good planner, or staying tuned here for future articles will give you a good idea which restaurants you need reservations for.)  Reservations are always cancellable if your plans change, though some restaurants do require a 24 hour notice on a cancellation to avoid charges.

Finally, here’s the last thing I want you to do to make sure you love your Disney vacation.  Plan the start of each day.  I’m not going to say you have to, but I recommend being at the gates as the park opens.  This is the least busy part of the day and you can get more attractions done before the crowds build.  (Peak seasons offerering late hours have equally less busy times at night, but sometimes fewer rides are open at night.)  If possible have a late breakfast after a few hours in the park or grab something real quick in your room before heading out. 

Then, it’s time to hit the park with a starting plan.  It doesn’t have to be big and grand.   Three or four steps are enough.  Those steps should be which fastpass to get first (it’s always good to pick a responsible energetic person to get all fastpasses for your group or someone who does not want to ride the first ride you are going to go on), which ride to go on first, and which ride to go on next, and perhaps your second fastpass.  (If you are among the first to the fastpass booth that day, your fastpass will be for less than an hour in the future, meaning you can get another fastpass fairly soon - as soon as the last fastpass’s window opens.)  That simple three or four step plan will make you productive when the crowds are still lighter and get fastpasses for and go on rides that otherwise will have prohibitive waits as the day gets going.

Congratulations.  You’ve done enough to tip the scales in favor of you having a great trip.  Now, if you are someone that enjoys the planning process almost as much as the trip like I do, feel free to plan more.  However, a word of caution:  unless you are traveling alone or with a very agreeable person, your plans are likely to change on the fly.  It’s okay.  Just go with the flow and remember – we were able to get the non-planners to make a basic plan, perhaps we planners can learn to go in an opposite direction and go with the flow a little bit, to paraphrase a turtle friend of mine.  The best times at Disney are often the surprises that can’t be planned such as stumbling across an unexpected character.  Enjoy these!

One more thing that will help everyone is knowledge.  You don’t need to have a plan, but knowing in advance where everything is and what is likely to be busy will help you navigate the parks and “wing it” with knowledge.  So if you want to do more, have scenarios set aside in your head, tucked right next to the show times for the shows you want to see and the best path from The Tiki Room to the Haunted Mansion.

So, hopefully I’ve convinced you to do a small bit of planning before your next trip to Disney World.  I am sure that just these few small steps will greatly enhance your experience at the parks and reduce your frustration and walking.

Tune in next time as we examine the plan I had for my family’s trip I just completed.  Then we’ll follow that with a look at what actually happened and see if we can learn something.