Hi, Amanda, and welcome to planDisney! I'm so glad you found us, and I'm happy to help you as you begin the incredible journey of planning a visit to
Walt Disney World Resort! For me, the planning is almost as exciting as the actual visit. It's especially rewarding when you see your family having a great time and making magical memories that you'll all treasure. So, as Peter Pan would say, "Here we GOOOOO!"
If you're anything like me, Amanda, you like to be in control of your vacation decisions. I know what my family will and won't eat, what attractions they'll enjoy or avoid, and I also know that grandparents and kids often need a good ol' nap scheduled into their day. Sometimes travel agents will have to make split-second decisions for you, and those decisions might not be the ones you'd make. In other words, I think you'll be able to plan a more customized trip for your family, Amanda, and I have total faith in you! Besides, you have planDisney to help you!
My first piece of advice is to take it a step at a time. I see your visit isn't for a few months, so you have some time to do a little research and make a plan. A planning plan, if you will. A good starting point is to spend some time looking at official resources like the
My Disney Experience planning tool and the
Disney Parks Blog.
For example, when you're on the
Walt Disney World website, you'll see tabs at the top for Parks and Tickets, Places to Stay, and Things to Do. I'd suggest going in order and familiarizing yourself with each of these three main categories. And once you start feeling comfortable, these categories will guide you in the planning process. I typically choose my dates and buy my
Theme Park Tickets first; next, I book my
Disney Resorts Collection Hotel; and finally, I
schedule a few meals. Voila! That's the gist of it in a nutshell.
I know you'll have questions, and you might want advice along the way, and that's exactly what planDisney does best! My fellow panelists and I have a wide variety of knowledge, so if one of us doesn't know the answer, we will find it for you. As I said, I have no doubt you can plan this trip!
Give it a go and stop back by to ask me any and all the questions you have. We'll have you applying to be a planDisney panelist yourself before you know it!
Magic awaits,
Elaine