Travel Plan Tuesday

Last week for Travel Plan Tuesday I discussed the first thing that most people think about when they decide to go on a Disney vacation: When to go. You can read more about it here and see what time of year we like to go and why!

Today we are going to talk about deciding where you are going to stay at when you are on your Disney vacation! There are several things that you need to think about when deciding where to stay.

First you can look and see there are different levels of resorts: Value, Moderate, and Deluxe, plus Deluxe Villas and Campgrounds. Depending on your budget and what type of experience you want to have you will decide which level will best work for you. We will be staying at a Value resort because of our budget and because we won't be spending a lot of time at the resort - mainly to sleep :)

If you are looking for a resort where you can relax, use the pool facilities and will be spending more time at the resort or would just like more space, then the Value resorts are probably not for you. You will more than likely want to check out the Moderate and Deluxe resorts to meet your needs. Also, as the wording suggests, the higher levels will cost you more money per night, unless you can get in when they are running a fabulous deal such as 40% off deluxe rooms!

Once you decide which level you want to stay at, then you can choose the actual hotel! There are several choices in each of the categories to choose from. Each of them have their own theme and decorations that is different from any other one!

Value Resorts:
All-Star Movie
All-Star Music
All-Star Sports
Pop-Century

Moderate Resorts:
The Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resorts
Caribbean Beach
Coronado Springs
Port Orleans - French Quarter
Port Orleans - Riverside

Deluxe Resorts:
Animal Kingdom Lodge
Beach Club
Boardwalk Inn
Contemporary
Polynesian
Wilderness Lodge
Yacht Club
Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

Deluxe Villas:
Animal Kingdom Villas - Jambo House
Animal Kingdom Villas - Kidani Village
Bay Lake Towers at the Contemporary Resort
Beach Club Villas
Boardwalk Villas
Old Key West
Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa
The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge

Campgrounds:
The Campsites at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort

There are also 2 other resorts that you can choose from:
Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort

I recommend checking out each resort online to determine which one you think you will like the best. You can take into consideration price, amenities that are included, dining that is available at the resort, as well as the location of the resort. For example, if you plan on using the monorail as much as you can during your visit, I would suggest staying at one of the 3 monorail resorts: Grand Floridian, Polynesian or Contemporary. Another example would be if you or members in your family love animals, I would suggest staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, as they have rooms that you can look our your window or your balcony and see all kinds of animals in their habitat!

We have decided to stay (for our first on property stay) at the Pop Century Resort. This is the newest of the Value Resorts and is not grouped together with another resort, therefore the buses run only for this resort. We do not plan on being in the room very often and with just 3 of us, there will be enough room for us. We are excited about our first stay in a Disney World hotel so we can experience the magic of Disney 24/7 while we are on vacation!

You may also choose to stay off site for different reasons. We stayed off site on our last trip because a lady at our church graciously gave us a week at one of her time-share resorts, which happened to be in the heart of Disney! I know even if you don't stay at a Disney resort, you will have a magical trip because you are in Disney. We just want to experience the magic a little more this time!

What factors did you consider when choosing your resort? Do you have any recommendations for others in choosing?

Travel Plan Tuesday

Our last vacation to Disney World was just a month ago, in March. However, before we had even left on our vacation, I was already planning our next one! I think a lot of the magic of Disney *for me* is planning the trip - everything from the resort, tickets, ADRs and more! If you ask my husband if I like to plan things, he will just laugh - I LOVE to plan! Thankfully, taking a Disney trip requires a lot of planning.

Request your FREE Disney Parks DVD here to help get your started!

Since I am in the beginning stages of planning our next trip, which will be in March 2012, I wanted to share with you the steps that I take to create our magical vacation! Each week I will highlight one thing that I am doing or thinking about for our next trip.

I am going to start with one of the first things most people consider after they decide to take a trip to Disney (or really any vacation for that matter): When to go. Now there are many things to take into consideration when deciding what time of year to go to Disney World. Personal schedule, work, outside temperature, season, holidays are all things to consider.

The past two years, we have gone the same week to Disney World, the end of March. This is Spring Break for some people, but it just fits in perfectly for us for a few reasons. One being: work for me. I work at a university and we have interviews up until the first week in March. Going towards the end of the month ensures I won't miss out on that important time and our "busy" time at work.

Birthday cupcake from Chef Mickey's!

The other major reason we like to go at the end of March is so we can celebrate Nicholas' birthday! He has now been able to celebrate his 2nd and 3rd birthdays in Disney World with Mickey - how magical is that?! We love that we are able to go this time of year and he gets the extra attention that most toddlers love, especially on their birthday!

The time of year we go is when Epcot's Flower and Garden Festival is going on and I love seeing all the beautiful flowers that are in bloom and the fantastic topiary that they create! This time of year is also wonderful weather-wise for us. It's not normally too hot or too cool. Although sometimes at night it can get a little chilly, we just make sure and pack a light jacket in our backpacks and we are fine!

Amazing what they can do with flowers!

Crowds are not too terribly bad the time of year we go, although it really depends on the day and the ride. We do not ride any of the roller coasters, so that cuts down on our wait time considerably.

I'm sure any time of the year is fantastic in Disney, because you are in Disney! I would like to visit at other times of the years, especially Halloween and Christmas to see all the decorations and go to the parties, but for now going in March works perfectly for us.

What time of year do you enjoy going to Disney? What factors do you take into consideration when planning your Disney World trip?

Amanda