Hi Joseph,
Welcome to planDisney! I am thrilled to know that you are planning your first ever trip to the Walt Disney World Resort!
Yes, there is a lot to consider, but we are here to help. As you begin planning, I suggest that you review the
Disney Resorts Collection hotel options. Review the amenities in each resort hotel. My family prefers resort hotels with multiple
dining and
transportation options.
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is one of our favorite resort hotels because it has access to the
Walt Disney World® Monorail and has a walking path to Magic Kingdom in addition to having access to
water and
bus transportation.
When I took our girls on a girls' trip a few years ago, we were on more of a budget, so we stayed at
Disney's All-Star Movies Resort. It was perfect for a short trip with just the three of us. Several years ago, I also took a group of teachers to a conference and we stayed at Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside. This is a beautiful resort. I love the dining locations, pools, and walking paths at this resort hotel. Once you choose a resort hotel (or a few options), I then suggest that you price
vacation packages.
There are
Special Offers released throughout the year. Keep your eye on those. If a new one is released after you book your vacation package, you can certainly try to modify that package to take advantage of the Special Offer. Also pay attention to the
advanced dining reservation booking window. Currently, Guests can make advanced dining reservations 60-days prior to arrival. Even if your family likes to just go with the flow for meals, I strongly suggest making some dining reservations because restaurants are often completely booked with no walk-up availability.
Joseph, although we do not have books or planning guides to mail, we do have
panel extras that will give you additional planning tips. When we first started taking our girls to the Walt Disney World Resort we also checked out travel guides from our local public library. Just pay attention to the publication dates since a lot has changed in the last few years!
Magic and memories,
Donyell