Nikita Miller - Your Disney World Vacation: A Quick Reference Travel Guide

Dedication:

To Nate, Chandra, and Jackson

for all the good times at Disney World

By NikitaMiller

Copyright 2014 by Nikita Miller. All rightsreserved.

Smashwords Edition

Disclaimer: This book contains generalinformation that is based on authors own knowledge andexperiences. It is published for general reference purposes only.The publisher and the author disclaim any personal liability,either directly or indirectly, for the information containedwithin. Although the author and the publisher have made everyeffort to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the informationcontained within, we assume no responsibility for errors,inaccuracies, omissions and inconsistencies.

INTRODUCTION

When people think of Walt Disney World, theyusually think its for kids, and of course thats true our kidsloved Disney World during the three trips we made as they weregrowing up. But this enormous entertainment complex near Orlando,Florida, is more than just an amusement park for children.

This book isnt meant to be a comprehensiveguide to Disney World. There are plenty of massive, highly detailedguidebooks available that fill that purpose, but in using them Ivefound them to be so detailed that I had to do a lot ofreading just to find what I was looking for. I wrote this book forpeople who need a quick, helpful overview of the four major themeparks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Disney Studios),where to eat, and where to stay, so they can build a workingknowledge without doing hours of reading. The big guidebooks aremore useful for filling in the gaps.

My favorite thing about Disney World is thatit has something for everyone from toddlers to seniors, and everyage in between. The variety is so great that every personality willfind something to enjoy. As a mature (well, usually!) adult, Ienjoyed how the rides brought out the kid in me again, even as Ienjoyed watching my own children experience them. My husband, Nate,who is a bit more cynical, found relief from the constant barrageof kid stuff by occasionally escaping to the golf courses in theOrlando area. Im certain the Disney folks profiled every possibletype of person who might end up there and made sure no one wouldget bored.

Many would-be Disney World travelers wonderabout cost. Florida isnt known for being a cheap place to visit,and yes, the admission price for a family is expensive. But itsthe related expenses that can really eat into your wallet. Weaddressed this problem by aggressively cutting costs when it cameto lodging, meals, and transportation, and Ill share ourstrategies with you in this book. Of course, if you have a largetravel budget, the options for a luxury vacation are plentiful, sospend what you need to enjoy yourselves.

The biggest lesson Ive learned in puttingtogether six Disney vacations for my family of four is thatplanning is the key. Too many people visit Disney World with only avery loose idea of what theyre going to do when they get there.Its good to be spontaneous, and definitely you should avoidlocking yourself into a rigid itinerary where no one has any funbecause theyre all trying to stick to the plan. But because I laidout a fairly well-defined agenda for each day, we were able to seemore attractions, and we were less tired and frustrated when it wastime to go home. I secretly pictured myself as an army generallaying out a campaign to capture the flag only in my case, thegoal was to give myself, my husband, my son, and my daughter themost fun they could possibly have.

Oh, one more thing: be sure to look for thehidden Mickeys! Everywhere you go inside Disney World, there areMickey Mouse ears worked into the scenery for you to find. Look atrailings, vehicles, shrubbery, buildings, and just about anythingelse you can think of. Its a great game to keep from getting boredwhile youre waiting in line for a ride.

Enjoy your trip to Disney world, and rememberto relax, enjoy the company of your loved ones, and have a greattime!

Nikita Miller

CHAPTER ONE

WHERE TO STAY

When planning your stay at Disney World, thefirst question youll need to answer is when you plan to go and howlong you plan to stay so you can make your reservations. We havealways chosen to travel in the winter months and avoid the reallyhot weather in June, July, and August, although the water parks canhelp you beat the summer heat if your family likes them. Orlandocan be cold in December, January, and February, so packaccordingly.

If youre hoping to beat the crowds, Imsorry to say that there arent any truly slow times to visitDisney World. Major holidays are the busiest times because thatswhen everyone is off work. Hotel discounts can be found during thewinter months, so it pays to check.

As for trip length, the most popular scheduleis three to four days, plus two days to get to Orlando and backhome again. This allows you at least one day for each of the threemajor theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom). Wefound this schedule to be enjoyable and well within our budget. Ofcourse we didnt get to see everything Disney World has to offer,but that just gave us an excuse to come back a few years later!

The second question is whether you want tostay inside the Disney World complex and either use Disneytransportation or your own vehicle to get to the theme parks, orstay outside and arrange your own transportation. Both options havetheir pros and cons when it comes to cost and convenience, as Iexplain below. It is recommended to make reservations for lodgingat least six months in advance of your trip. Purchasing your themepark tickets in advance is also recommended, to avoid a long waitin line at the ticket booths.

A third question is whether you plan to savemoney by making some of your own meals, or eat entirely inrestaurants. If you plan to cook, then a condo rental or suitehotel room with housekeeping is a must. If even using conveniencefoods to cook sounds like not much of a vacation, dont botheryourself with it just enjoy yourself. Im on a special diet, andI dont mind cooking, so we stay in a suite. I plan our mealscarefully, and we pick up groceries at a local supermarket. Ifyoure considering buying the Disney Magic Your Way Dining Plan,remember that it is only economical if you use it for every meal(see Chapter 2).

Lodging Inside Disney World

The main advantage of staying inside DisneyWorld is convenience. Being able to return to your room during theday without leaving the park is an advantage you will want toconsider, especially if youre traveling with seniors or youngerchildren. Staying inside also means you can avoid driving by usingDisneys numerous transportation options, including monorail, bus,and boat. However, its a misconception that travel time from aninside hotel is always fastest. The Disney World complex isenormous, and many of the inside hotels are farther from the themeparks than some of the outside hotels. Travel time depends more onhotel location than whether the lodging is inside or outside. Forall but a few of the inside lodging facilities, the fastest way toget to the theme parks is still your own car. The Polynesian Resortis an exception; its centrally located near the monorail, but theprice is over $400 per night.

The down side of staying inside Disney Worldis the cost. No matter how carefully you shop around, you willalways pay more for a room inside the park than outside. Budgetpriced rooms on the inside start at $90 a night, while a similarroom on the outside will run you $35. Dont forget to add taxeswhen estimating the cost of lodging for your trip.

Lodging inside Disney World falls into twocategories:

- Disney Resort properties: There are26 of these facilities, ranging from a campground to budget hotelsto luxury resorts, all owned by Disney World. Parking for the themeparks is free if youre a guest at a Disney Resort property.