DECIDE WHEN TO GO

The very first thing you must do when planning a Disney World vacation is deciding when you want to go. It's no surprise that "When is the Best Time to Visit Disney World," is one of the most searched questions in regards to Disney World planning. Deciding when is the best time to go for your family depends on your priority:

LOW CROWDS

  • January
  • Early February
  • Early May
  • September (after Labor Day)

The worst crowds will be during Spring Break times (March-April), the week of Thanksgiving, and the week of Christmas/New Yars

BEST WEATHER

  • December
  • January
  • February

May-November can be BRUTAL in terms of both heat and humidity and the infamous FL afternoon rainstorms. Be aware of traveling during Hurricane Season (June-November) .
Epcot Festivals:
  • Festival of the Arts: Late Jan-Late Feb
  • Flower & Garden Festival: Early Spring-Late Summer
  • Food & Wine Festival: Late Late August-Late November
  • Festival of the Holidays: Late Nov-Late Dec
Halloween:
  • August-Oct 31
Christmas
  • Nov 1- Dec 31

SEASONAL

BOOK YOUR HOTEL

There are a few options when it comes to choosing where to stay when visiting Disney World:

Walt disney world resorts

Walt Disney World Resorts offer 4 resort types: Value, Moderate, Deluxe, and Deluxe Villas.

Explore the resorts

01

value resorts

Standard room:
  • Average price of $100-$200 per night
  • Sleeps up to 4
Family Suite:
  • Average price of $350-$500 per night
  • Sleeps up to 6
All Star Movies, All Star Sports, All Star Music, Art of Animation, Pop Century, The Campsites at Ft. Wilderness

Walt disney world resorts

Walt Disney World Resorts offer 4 resort types: Value, Moderate, Deluxe, and Deluxe Villas.

Explore the resorts

02

MODERATE RESORTS

  • Average price of $200-$300 per night
  • Sleeps up to 4 or 5

Cabins at Ft. Wilderness, Caribbean Beach Resort, Coronado Springs, Port Orleans - French Quarter, Port Orleans - Riverside

Walt disney world resorts

Walt Disney World Resorts offer 4 resort types: Value, Moderate, Deluxe, and Deluxe Villas.

Explore the resorts

03

DELUXE RESORTS

  • Average price of $400+ per night
  • Sleeps up to 4-6

Animal Kingdom Lodge, Beach Club, Yacht Club, Boardwalk Inn, Contemporary, Grand Floridian, Polynesian Village, Riviera Resort, Saratoga Springs, Wilderness Lodge
Deluxe Resorts qualify for extended evening hours. Learn more about that here.

Walt disney world resorts

Walt Disney World Resorts offer 4 resort types: Value, Moderate, Deluxe, and Deluxe Villas.

Explore the resorts

04

DELUXE VILLAS

  • Average price of $550+ per night
  • Sleeps up to 4-12

Animal Kingdom Villas - Jambo House & Kidani Village, Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary, Beach Club Villas, BoardWalk Inn Villas, Boulder Ridge & Copper Creek Villas at Wilderness Lodge, Riviera Resort, Old Key West Resort, Polynesian Villas Bungalows, Saratoga Springs, Villas at the Grand Floridian
Deluxe Resorts qualify for extended evening hours. Learn more about that here.

01

Farthest from lobby/transportation with view of hotel or parking lot.

STANDARD VIEW

Room types

02

Closest to the lobby/transportation and better landscape views.

preferred VIEW

03

Landscape view of one of the above sceneries

pool, lake, or marina VIEW

04

Savanna view at Animal Kingdom Lodge and Kidani Village

savanna VIEW

05

Available at Art of Animation and All Star Music Resorts. Includes one bedroom with bathroom, table bed, couch bed, kitchenette and a second bathroom.

family suite

06

Available at deluxe resorts and Coronado Springs. Special offerings include: breakfast, drinks in the evening, appetizers and desserts in the private lounge. 

club level

07

1 bedroom villa (sleeps up to 4), 2 bedroom villa (sleeps up to 6), 3 bedroom villa (sleeps up to 12)

villas

DISNEY GOOD NEIGHBOR HOTELS

Good Neighbor hotels are hotels in the Orlando area that have a relatioship with the Walt Disney company, and offer many of the same "on property" perks you get when staying at a Disney World Resort hotel.

01

WHY BOOK GOOD NEIGHBOR?

  • Generally a lower cost per night than Disney World Resort Hotels
  • Many hotels have complimentary meals included
  • Offers many "on-property perks," like, free transportation or Early Entry. Perks will vary according to the hotel's policies.

DISNEY GOOD NEIGHBOR HOTELS

Good Neighbor hotels are hotels in the Orlando area that have a relatioship with the Walt Disney company, and offer many of the same "on property" perks you get when staying at a Disney World Resort hotel.

02

GOOD NEIGHBOR HOTELS

  • Disney Swan Hotel
  • Disney Dolphin Hotel
  • Disney Swan Reserve Hotel
  • Wyndham Lake Buena Vista
  • Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista
  • Holiday Inn Orlando
  • Renaissance Orlando Resort & Spa
  • DoubleTree Suites by Hilton
  • Drury Plaza Orlando Lake Buena Vista
  • Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista
  • Four Seasons Resort at Walt Disney World
  • Wyndham Grand Orlando Bonnet Creek
  • Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek
  • Waldorf Astoria
  • JW Mariott Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa
  • Fairfield Inn by Mariott at Western Entrance
  • TownePlace Suites by Mariott at Western Entrance
  • Springhill Suites by Mariott at Western Entrance
  • Home2Suites by Hilton at Western Entrance
  • Homewood Suites by Hilton at Western Entrance
  • Residence Inn by Mariott at Western Entrance

STAYING OFF PROPERTY

Many guests will opt to save the maximum amount of money by staying at an off-site hotel, vacation rental home, or timeshare.

✅  Areas to Aim For:
  • Windsor Hills
  • Windsor Palms
  • Emerald Island
  • Formosa Gardens
  • Indian Creek
  • Celebration
❌ Areas to Avoid:
  • Downtown Orlando
  • International Drive
  • East Orlando/UCF area

1

BEST RESORTs FOR KIDS

  • All Star Resorts
  • Pop Century
  • Art of Animation
  • Caribbean Beach Resort
  • Port Orleans Riverside 
  • Polynesian Village
  • Wilderness Lodge
  • Animal Kingdom Lodge

my recommendations

RESORTS WITH BEST TRANSPORTATION

  • Art of Animation
  • Pop Century
  • Caribbean Beach Resort
  • Riviera
  • Polynesian
  • Contemporary
  • Grand Floridian

3

RESORTS THAT SLEEP MORE THAN 5 PEOPLE

  • Art of Animation Family Suite
  • All Star Music Family Suite
  • Any Deluxe Resort suite

2

On property perks

Disney World wants you to stay at their Resort hotels, so they've added some really great perks to give you more bang for your buck! Here's everything included when you stay at a Disney World Resort Hotel:
  • Early theme park entry (every day) and Deluxe Resort After Hours (select nights)
  • Free admission into one of the Disney World water parks on your check-in day
  • First access to dining reservations
  • First access to Lightning Lanes
  • Magical Extras

BOOK YOUR PARK TICKETS

Now that you've decided when you're going and where you're staying, you need to decide how you want to book your park tickets.

things to consider

How many days do you want to spend in the parks?

Disney World has 4 parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. If you want to visit all 4 parks, I recommend doing 1 park per day for 4 days.

Do you want to be able to Park Hop?

You can upgrade your tickets to include "Park Hopper," which allows you to visit more than one park per day.
Many people like having this option because:
  • Your dining is not limited to whichever park you're currently in for the day
  • You can spending the day in one park and the evening in another park (because who doesn't want to do Magic Kingdom just to catch Happily Ever Ever?!)
  • You can go to another park after your first park has closed. Example: Animal Kingdom closes early every day, and Magic Kingdom will close early many nights from Aug-Dec for after-hour parties.

Do you want to do things outside of the parks?

You can also upgrade your tickets to include one of the Disney World water parks and the ESPN Wide World of Sports. Remember that you get access to one of the water parks for free on your check-in day, but you can add this on if you prefer to go any other day of your vacation.

Are you planning on attending any after-hour events?

Most of the parks will include special ticketed after hour events. With this ticket, you can usually enter the park much earlier than the event starts (usually around 4 pm). Many guests choose to make that one of their "park days" since you can usually get so much done during that time. That being said, I recommend doing a 3-day Park Ticket, along with the after-hour event ticket.

Money Saving Ticket Promotions

Disney will often have major ticket discounts during late Spring-late Summer. They will have certain stipulations, like the number of parks you can do, if you have to have Park Hopper included, you can only visit certain parks, etc.

ticket options

base ticket

Visit 1 park per day

park hopper

Visit more than 1 Disney World park after 2 pm per day

park hopper+

Visit  more than 1 Disney World park after 2 PM each day, plus visit Disney Waterparks, Minigolf and Oak Trail 9-Hole Golf Course and ESPN Wide World of Sports

Where to purchase park tickets:

READ MORE

DISNEYWORLD.COM

The only way to combine your tickets with a Disney World vacation package is do so though the Disney World website. You will want to do this if there are specific money-saving promos with a vacation package.

Where to purchase park tickets:

READ MORE

THROUGH A TRAVEL AGENT

You can book directly through a Disney Travel Professional (or travel agent). There are many benefits to booking through a travel agent. See more about my free travel agent services here.

Where to purchase park tickets:

READ MORE

DISCOUNT TICKET WEBSITES

Websites like Away We Go and Undercover Tourist offer discounted park tickets. These usually can't be combined into a vacation package, but may save you some money in the long run.

magical add-ons

DINING PLAN

memory maker

TRAVEL INSURANCE

Add some extra magic to your Disney World vacation to enhance your experience:

dining plans

1

2

quick service plan

disney dining plan

  • 2 quick service meals
  • 1 alcoholic/non-alcoholic beverage per meal
  • 1 snack
  • 1 resort refillable mug

Approx. $57 per adult / $26 per child, per night

  • 1 table service meal
  • 1 quick service meal
  • 1 alcoholic/non-alcoholic beverage per meal
  • 1 snack
  • 1 resort refillable mug

Approx. $95 per adult / $32 per child, per night

Give yourself that "all inclusive vacation" feel with pre-paid dining plans!

take note:

Disney often runs promotions for free dining plans with select vacation packages!

memory maker

Memory Maker is an optional service that allows you to have unlimited downloads of your PhotoPass photos & videos.

You can add it to your vacation package for $185. Pricing will increase if you add it after check-in.

travel insurance

If 2020 taught us anything, it is to expect the unexpected.
Add travel protection to your vacation package to stay protected from unexpected covered losses from the moment that you step out of your front door until the moment you safely arrive back home.

Travel protection is $95 per adult, and this covers both the adult and any applicable children traveling with the party.

MDE App Guide

Link your hotel & tickets

Add friends & family

Set up your profile

Set up your profile

The first step is to download the MDE app in your phone app store, create and account, and create your profile
add a card on file

Link your hotel & tickets

Now you can link your hotel & ticket info
Linking tickets only

MDE App Guide

You will use the MDE app for pretty much everything during your Disney World vacation. Here's how you can use the MDE app:

VIEW FULL SCREEN

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

HOW SOON SHOULD I BOOK AND START PLANNING?
I would give yourself at least 6 months to plan and make your payments (if you decide to do a vacation package.) If you want to start before then, you can book as early as mid-year (usually in May) for the next year. 
DOES DISNEY OFFER PAYMENT PLANS?
  • If you book a vacation package, you can book with just a $200 deposit! You can make payments however you want to, as long as the balance is paid in full within 30 days of your checkin date
  • If you book a resort only reservation, you will book by paying the amount of the first night's rate and pay the remaining balance at checkin
  • If you are purchasing only tickets, you must pay in full at the time of booking
how long should i spend at disney world?
If you want have to the most laid back vacation, I recommend staying 1 full week, with an arrival day, 4 park days, a rest day, and a departure day.
IS THERE A WAY TO SAVE MONEY ON DISNEY RESORT HOTELS?
You can always try to book a hotel through a third party booking website, like Expedia or Priceline. You can also rent Disney Vacation Club (DVC) points from a DVC rental website to stay at a Deluxe Resort at a discounted rate. The only thing to consider is these websites have their own policies and procedures that may differ significantly from a normal planning process.
IS IT OK TO BOOK "LAST MINUTE?"
If this is your first trip to Disney World, I do not recommend booking any less than 4-6 months before your travel dates.

now you know....

✓ When to visit
✓ Where you're staying
✓ What type of park tickets you're getting
✓ How to link everything in your MDE account

AND YOU HAVE....

✓ Booked your hotel & tickets
✓ Book your Magical Add-Ons
✓ Linked everything in your MDE account

next up

CHAPTER 2: MAKE YOUR PARK PLANS

check it off in the planner!