Hi Janet,
Welcome to planDisney!
The good news is that it is never too late to plan a visit to the Walt Disney World® Resort!
Fortunately, there are a variety of
Disney Resorts Collection hotels so you can find a vacation package price that best fits your budget. I suggest taking a look at the resort hotel options and deciding which ones seem good for your family. My family prefers resort hotels with multiple transportation options, particularly those with access to
Walt Disney World® Resort Monorail Transportation. These are typically deluxe or deluxe villa resort hotels that also have multiple dining options. When we need to be more budget-friendly, we will stay at Pop Century Resort. In addition to Walt Disney World® Bus Service, it has access to the
Disney Skyliner.
The good news is that each Disney resort has distinct theming, so no matter which resort hotel you choose, you can find one that matches your family's interests. So, once you have picked a few resort hotels that might be possibilities, I suggest that you price out those resort hotels with vacation packages and price those
vacation packages with and without a
Disney Dining Plan. Note that package prices could be different for different times of the year. And, keep an eye on the
Special Offers so that you can see the most current discounts available.
Once you have priced out a few options, discuss with the family and make a decision on your trip dates and resort hotel. I suggest booking your package a year in advance. At the very least, book it far enough in advance so that you can make
advance dining reservations as soon as your
dining reservation window opens. When our girls were younger, we would pay the deposit for a vacation package and then start saving to pay off the remainder of the trip.
As you start the planning process, I also suggest that you consider your
theme park tickets carefully. When our girls were younger, we often did standard 1-park per day tickets. As they got older, we started purchasing the
Park Hopper® Option. If you are looking to save money, I would suggest doing the standard 1-park per day tickets and getting, at a minimum, 4-day tickets so that you can visit each theme park at least once.
Janet, I sent a wish to the Evening Star so that you can plan the magic. Life is short. Take the trip and make the memories!
Magic and memories,
Donyell