Step 1: Pick Your Dates.

When do you want to go?

 Deciding the time of year during which you want to go to the World is the first important step in planning your trip.

Do you want to brave the Florida heat in May through August? Do you want to take the kids out of school so that you can avoid some of the crowds? Do you want to be there for a holiday? All of these questions are important when it comes to planning your trip.

I have never been to Disney in months other than January, February, and September; however, I have heard that it gets HOT in the summer time. (The average high for July and August is 91.5°.) Summer is also the time when most schools are out for summer vacation and parents won’t hesitate to take their kids for this reason– this means major crowds on top of major heat.

On our last trip I spoke to a Cast Member that mentioned that there is no off-season anymore. There should still be slightly smaller crowds in mid-to-late January, February, early May, and September. If you have kids and don’t mind taking them out of school for a few days to a week then by all means this is the time to go. The weather should also be slightly cooler during these months than it is in the summer time.

Want to experience a Disney holiday? They’re amazing! We have been there while Magic Kingdom is decked out in fall attire and Mickey is hosting his Not So Scary Halloween Party. This past trip we caught the tail end of Christmas and all four parks were decked with holly and lights. It was dare I say… Magical. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is held on select nights during September and October. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is held on select night is November and December.

How long do you want to go for?

Once you have decided when you want to go you have to decide how long you want to go for.

To do this decide how many days you want to spend at each park.

* Magic Kingdom requires at least one full day to explore if not two.

* Epcot can be a one or two day park

*Animal Kingdom can be anywhere from a half a day to a two day park. This all depends on how much time you want to spend looking at animals or riding Expedition Everest.

* Hollywood Studios is at least a one day park, but with all of the shows it can easily be made into a two day park.

Theme Park tickets get cheaper per day the more days you buy.

A good rule of thumb is to spend at least one day at each park. This would mean that four days at the park is a good minimum.

We have spent eight days on two occasions and ten on three occasions at the World. Both amounts may sound like a lot to some people, but for us it’s perfect. With ten days you can spend two days at each park and have a travel day at the beginning and end. You could also arrive in Orland a day early, travel to your resort on the first day of your reservation, travel home on the last day of your reservation, and have two “down days” in the middle. We did this on our trip last month and it was awesome. It required a small amount of additional spending, but it was all worth it. This works especially well for those traveling from the west coast who won’t be able to arrive at the World before 6pm on their first days anyway. However, you could also do this and just not purchase a park ticket for the first day.

The choice though is up to you… Happy Planning!