FIRST STEP IN MAXIMIZING YOUR DOLLAR STARTS WITH PLANNING

Obviously, the first step that we take in preparation for our trip is the planning phase.  For my wife, this is almost as much fun as the actual trip.  I believe it has to do the thrill of hunting for the best deal.  To do so she leverages many different resources.  One of the first things to do in planning your trip is to register for anything Disney!  Order the vacation planning DVD, info on vacation club, anything to get on a mailing list.  From experience, the more you get your name out there, the more likely you are to receive promotional codes.  Discount codes can be applied and modified at any time leading up to your trip with a call to a Disney representative.  They will simply update the code in their system and apply the savings to the total cost of your trip.  Typically, we book our trips without any discounts and update the trip information as they become available.

In addition to discount codes, there is also a strategy in selecting the most cost effective time of year to plan your trip.  When you are going to spend such a significant amount of money, you want to make sure that your family gets to enjoy all that Disney World has to offer.  For families with younger kids, like ours, that means not spending most of the time waiting in lines.  For us this also means, being able to stay on Disney World property without paying a small fortune.  Oddly enough, these two requirements can go hand-in-hand.  Disney World has two sessions per year that are considered “off-peak” times and are defined by the crowd levels during that time of year.   

These times traditionally range from the beginning of January to mid-February and from the last week in August to the week before Thanksgiving.  The different seasons are well documented and can be found on various Disney planning websites, books or guides.  During these times of the year the Disney hotel rates are at their lowest.   

While taking advantage of the “off-peak” season has financial advantages, it is not for everyone.  There are 2 main reasons crowd levels are lower: 

                                                   1.      Time of year conflicts with school

                                                   2.      WEATHER!!!

While Florida in January is probably warmer than most places in the U.S. it is still cold to take advantage of the pools and water parks.  In addition, after coming off a long Christmas break most parents would not be in favor of taking their kids out of school with mid-winter break around the corner.  Therefore, taking advantage of the first “off-peak” season is not an option for most families.  In addition, Disney also takes advantage of the off-peak season to service and refurbish some of its attractions.  As a result, you may not get a chance to experience all of the popular attractions.

On the other hand, if your family is like ours and does not mind the heat and humidity Florida is known to offer, taking advantage of the 2^nd “off peak” season in late August/September is not an issue.  For those who do not enjoy +90 degree heat and +90% humidity, along with the threat of the occasional tropical storm/hurricane, that time of year is not for you.   

My wife and I were actually in WDW on September 14^th, 1999 when the parks were closed for the first time in their history due to hurricane Floyd.  I remember the day because it fell on my B-day.  Once the storm passed, Disney did re-open a park for those patrons that were staying on Disney property (just another perk).  Despite the weather and somewhat chaotic environment it created, we still look back on those days with fond memories.  So memorable, we saved the letters we received leading up to the storm.

HEADS UP!!!

A DISNEY FIRST!!!

GOOD LUCK FINDING ICE!!!