Hey Howdy Hey Brittany and welcome to planDisney!
I am so excited to hear that you are just getting started on planning your trip next year! With 4 theme parks, 2 water parks, many Disney Resort Collection accommodations and the Disney Springs shopping and entertainment district, I completely understand how overwhelming things may be when you are getting started planning your trip. Not to worry Brittany, you've got a friend in me to share some information on where to start.
The good and bad about the development of technology is that things such as the old school Walt Disney World Resort vacation planning videos are long gone. But the good part is there is so much more information online that can help guide you in planning the vacation that is right for your family. There is a
Vacation Planning section of the site dedicated as the landing page of where to start the planning process. You can click on Resort Hotels or Theme Park tickets to learn more about each.
After looking over this site and all the options, if you still feel that you are overwhelmed, the other thing you can do is a quick internet search for "Authorized Disney Vacation Planner". This will bring up travel agencies that specialize in planning vacations for Disney destinations for families. Travel agencies that are Authorized Disney Vacation Planners have special distinctions from Disney in their specialty of planning such trips. You may even see a different color distinction, such as gold or platinum, that further identifies agencies that go above and beyond to prove their expertise and customer service. One of the best parts is that the services they provide and the expert knowledge comes at no cost to you! Super easy way to navigate through these steps with expert help!
The hard parts of starting the planning process are figuring out the time of year you would like to go, the length of your stay and the budget. As long as you have those starting places you can begin the starting process. Focus on how many days you want to be in the parks and work towards which
Disney Resort Collection accommodation will best fit your travel plans. You might want accommodations with a little more room to take a break during the day for nap time. So maybe looking at resorts in the Value or Moderate Category would be the best place to start when it comes to your hotel accommodations. Avoiding overloading the kids and giving them and you a break from the parks to enjoy the resort is also highly advisable as the resorts have so many amenities to enjoy. One huge pro tip, if your youngest will be 2 when you travel, they are free! No tickets are needed and at most locations, you do not have to order anything for them if you do not want to as it is assumed they will be eating off of your plate, or everyone else's in the family if they are anything like by youngest!
One other huge resource for planning your trip is the expert opinions from y
our newfound 'Ohana here at planDisney! Feel free to reach out any time for any questions you may have and we will help answer your questions and get the best plan together for your Magical trip!
Happy Planning,
Nick