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The trick: Don’t leave anything to chance but let the kids think it’s magic.

[edit] Learn to Wait

If this is the first time for the family, don’t go until the youngest is six or seven years old. Considering how expensive Disney World is, wait until your children can really appreciate the park and who have the stamina to endure the heat, lines and all the walking involved.

[edit] Crowd Control

When to go? Attendance is lowest in November (pre-Thanksgiving), December (pre-Christmas), and January. The weeks between Easter and Memorial Day are another slow period. If you don’t want to pull the kid’s out of school then aim for as early in June as possible or as late in August as possible.

If your vacation dates are flexible: plan to arrive to the Disney World area on Thursday. Both Friday and Saturday are transition days for park visitors, especially in the summer months. Saturdays do draw in more Annual Pass holders to the park, but that is the major day that people either arrive or leave the area. This causes attendance figures to be down, making it a perfect day to visit the parks.

If you are planning to have a day of rest in your vacation, by arriving on Thursday you can enjoy two days of parks with reduced crowds and then use Sunday to rest. If during those first two days you are planning to visit the Magic Kingdom, plan to do it on Friday. Attendance figures pick up for that park on Saturday. You will be able to do more attractions in the first two days while you are revved up, and then it will allow you to relax and enjoy the park on the more crowded days.

[edit] Sleep with Mickey?

There are advantages in staying at one of the Disney resorts. A Disney resort is the ultimate Disney experience, so if you just sleep at the hotel, eat breakfast there, and use their transportation to the park, you are missing much of the resort side of Disney that has activities, events, themed scenery, and beautiful swimming pools. Plan some time to just enjoy the resort.

If some of your family need an afternoon break from the heat—or an afternoon nap – how handy for part of the party to be able to hop onto free Disney transportation and make a short trip to the Disney Resort.

Check out these benefits of staying at a Disney resort

Extra morning and evening magic hours at selected parks

Guaranteed admission to the park (during peak times, a park may fill up and you cannot get in even though you have a ticket – but if you are a Disney resort guest, you are always guaranteed entrance to the park)

Quick access to the parks via motor coach, monorail, or water taxis

Special Disney events, such as breakfast with the Disney characters (by reservation)

Free shuttle from airport with Magical Express

Luxury accommodations at the deluxe hotels, affordable value at the All-Star properties

Disney Cast Members available to answer your questions

Park purchases delivered to your hotel (from participating merchants)

Free parking at the parks

On the other hand, staying off property has its own perks. Cheaper lodging costs, discounts are more available, food prices are lower and you can book condos or home rentals for large groups which allow you to cook meals making dining costs even cheaper and lodging costs very cheap. Deals can be had in the Lake Buena Vista and Kissimmee areas.

[edit] Ticket to Ride

Multiday passes can be a money saver but only buy what you will use. i.e. If you are taking a five day vacation, don’t buy a five day pass since you will probably use at least one day just for lounging around and doing stuff away from Disney World. Buy only for the number of days you know you will be using. Don’t go throwing money away on features you will not probably need, such as the no expiration date feature or the parkhopper feature. Don’t forget about using the FAST PASS ticket option which lets you return to a ride at a later time to a much shorter line.

[edit] Dine and Dash

Most restaurants inside the park are expensive and unremarkable, and most importantly, eat up valuable touring time. The parks will not allow you to bring in a cooler but small snacks and sandwiches will probably be ignored.

[edit] Memorabilia

Discount stores such as Walmart sell cheap Disney-licensed gear; Disney World items are available at the Character Premiere outlet (Prime Outlet Mall in Lake Buena Vista). For the Disney enthusiast who is looking for memorabilia or is willing to do some clean-up/fix¬up work for 75% off merchandise, go to Mouse Surplus at 1500 Tradeport Drive, not far from Orlando International Airport. One Disney memento that can be inexpensive—or costly—is a Disney pin. There are different types of pins, e.g. ride pins, park pins, Mickey Mouse pins, female character pins.

[edit] Additional Thoughts

The table service restaurants, character dines, and dinner shows take advance dining reservations. If you want to be assured of getting seating, make reservations up to 180 days in advance. Every park has low cost meals in the $3-$4 range for kid meals and $6-$8 for adult meals at the sandwich shops, ethnic specialty nooks, cafeterias, and communal dining halls (like ABC Commissary at MGM). They provide ample food for the money. You can often feed your whole family for little more than the cost of one expensive entrée at the upscale restaurants.