The boys a million years ago at The Poly after a great dinner at Ohana

I am known amongst my friends, church and family as the Disney Expert. I am always ready and willing to help anyone plan a trip and yes, even if you are a neighbor of my friend who knew that girl I sat next to at Bible Study, I’m ready to help!

Because planning your trip is fun for me and I KNOW that you’ll reap the rewards of an amazing trip and I’ll get the credit;).

But I get asked a lot of the same question over and over so here are my answers – hope it helps! 

Why Disney when there are so many other places to vacation?
 This is a great one. And as the kids are getting older we are branching out. But when your kids are little nobody, in my opinion, can give you the value for money and the customer service that Disney can. I also think you’d be hard pressed to find a more accommodating vacation destination if you are traveling with a large group or if you have a child with special needs. Disney wants to make it amazing for you so you’ll come back, and your kids will come back, and you’ll write crazy blog posts about why everyone should go.

How old should our youngest be before we plan a trip? 

This totally depends on your kids, but I think 4 is perfect. 3 works, too, especially if you have older kids. And really, if you want to go, I don’t think there’s any age that’s TOO young but if you’re only planning on going once, 4 and up seems to be the magic number. But do try to take them before they’re 9 as that seems to be the age when they start to think they don’t believe in the magic anymore:).

How many days should we go?

I think 5 days is a minimum if you plan on seeing all 4 parks and want to be able to relax. 7 is ideal as that allows you one day per park and a rest day or two to enjoy your resort pool and all the other activities they offer outside the parks. It also means arrival and departure day can be nice and easy.

What about Universal? 

We’ve never been. We may go next Thanksgiving as we’re all dying to see Harry Potter BUT we love our Disney bubble. Once the Magical Express bus drops me off on Disney property I just immerse myself completely and pretend the outside world doesn’t exist. Your experience may vary.

Where should we stay?

I’ve got a list of reviews of my favorite resorts on the Disney World page here, but the answer isn’t easy. It really depends on the size of your party and of course your budget. For very large groups, I actually love the cabins at Ft. Wilderness or another great option for larger parties is to rent a house offsite. My friend, Deb, owns one that’s crazy convenient (10 minute drive) and you can save a ton of money that way Southbriar Rental Disney

The boys outside our cabin at Ft. Wilderness!

How far in advance should we plan?

 At least 6 months, ideally a year. That allows you to fully research your options and be ready should any discounts come out for your dates. You want to be fully locked in at the 180 mark which is when Disney lets you start making dining reservations and 60 days out you can start making FP+ reservations. It is TOTALLY POSSIBLE to do this on the fly as long as you’re willing to be flexible. But if you have your heart set on a specific resort, restaurant or experience you’ll need to plan in advance.

So there you go! For more great Disney info including my other posts and my reviews, you can head here All Things Disney World! Hope this helps you and your family plan the best Disney vacation ever!