Kristenc’s This And That

Once you’ve decided to take the plunge and visit Walt Disney World for the first time, kick off the excitement on the Walt Disney World website  and see some of the things you can do and see on your vacation. While you’re there, log in to their website and order the free vacation planning DVD. Disney’s DVD touches upon the seemingly endless amenities Walt Disney World Resort has to offer inside its parks and resorts. One thing you’re sure to notice is the place is HUGE! It can be confusing to decide where you should begin to get your Disney dream vacation plans off of the ground. Hakuna matata, my friends! Every day people visit WDW with little or no time spent planning their vacation and have extra magical vacations. This is Disney we’re talking about, after all. Planning is an optional tool and one that means very different things to different people. Even if you’re a minimal planner who prefers to go with the flow and to be able to soak in your share of magic as you flutter aimlessly through the parks, there are still a few things that you should consider. Planning your personal best time of the year to visit will give you a head start toward a successful minimally planned vacation. Know that the shortest lines of the day are found first thing in the morning or very late at night and your best chances to score sit down meals, without preplanned reservations, occur outside prime meal times. Utilize Disney’s Fast Pass system. Fast Passes are available for free to all park Guests. They are a cinch to use and can minimize your time spent waiting to experience an attraction. All of the Fast Pass enabled rides are designated on the park maps - find these and the daily Times Guide schedules inside of the parks or at your resort. When you arrive at a Fast Pass attraction, look for its Fast Pass Distribution area. Put your park ticket into the slot on the Fast Pass kiosk. The machine will print and return a Fast Pass with your ticket. It will list a time frame which lets you know when you can begin to use your ticket. Go and have fun somewhere else until your window of opportunity opens. Later, return to the attraction and enter into the Fast Pass Return area. This will reduce your time spent waiting! If you are not going to make advanced dining reservations (1-407-WDW-DINE) for sit down meals in Disney’s Table Service restaurants, you are welcome to try and be seated as a walk-in Guest. Increase your chances of success by traveling when school is sure to be in session, not including the first few weeks of September.

Many people want and even enjoy planning their WDW vacations. They’ve decided there is so much to see and do, they prefer to narrow their selections and customize their vacation. Select the time of year that most appeals to you. Knowing Disney’s general calendar of events can be a great help. The biggies include the Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival (running from mid-March through May) and Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival (running from late September through early November). Disney also holds various running races, lots of Christmas and Halloween related parties and magical events, and a bit of fun in the first half of the year with Micky’s Pirate and Princess Parties. After you know when you are going, and within about six months of your arrival date, you can start to plan which park you’ll visit on each of your vacation days. Knowing in which park you will be makes it easier to pick your dining and other special events. I visit the WDW Calendar tool. Here you will find, by month and day, each individual park’s regular hours of operation and other special events including parades, Extra Magic Hours, and firework displays.  You can see this specific schedule by clicking on a numerical date after you have selected a park and month.  I make a chart with the days of my vacation across one axis and the parks down the other. I fill the chart with this information for the four main parks - Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. This chart guides me toward planning what best suites my family. While everyone has access to your charted information, this chart can be individually interpreted to mean different things to different families. While Disney is for everyone, everything at Disney may not be for every Disney Guest. This chart is your ticket to customization that will fast track you toward building the vacation of your dreams. If you want to have sit down meals inside a Table Service restaurant with beautiful theming, yummy food, and cool air conditioning during a prime meal time (and this is oh so refreshing after a long day of park touring) check out Disney’s staggering line up of restaurants.  View their menus, search for Character meals, and narrow your choices to your top picks. Schedule your Advanced Dining Reservations by calling 407-WDW-DINE up to 180 days before your arrival day. For some inside and sometimes behind the scenes magic check out all of these special tours Disney is offering. Princes and Princesses might be interested in some of these adventures.  Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique packages, and My Disney Girl’s Perfectly Princess Tea may be especially exciting for young princesses. There is also a wealth of information about Disney’s extensive list of other recreation to experience.

Personally, I love planning my trips, it extends my magic between trips. My daily planning starts with picking a park and ends with picking some Table Service meals and some special events. I like to be more whimsical when choosing everything else that happens in between. This is a vacation, remember. Some of my favorite moments were found when I least expected them. Why do I plan some? I love the security knowing my family has a seat for our favorite character meal at a time we are used to sitting down for dinner. I love knowing I am planning to be in the Magic Kingdom on a night during which they will perform Spectromagic. Planning helps me to feel comfortable.  I know where I am and where I might want to go because I know my options. It is much easier to relax and soak in the magic when you know your options. If you want to learn more about the four major park layouts and all the major options offered within the parks, feel free to order some free Park Maps. Whatever you decide to do, I hope you have a magical vacation!