Hey there, I’m back 🙂 , and this time I’m starting to plan the Disney World part of our 2019 trip. We decided to split our three week trip into three main portions: Disney World, Sea World and Universal Studios. I will elaborate in detail over the next few weeks on each and every portion, but today I’m all about planning our Disney stay.
I don’t know about you, but I find that half of the fun is the planning. So even though we are a year and a half away from our trip, it’s never too early for me to get started with the planning.
When planning a trip I tend to first set the timeline, meaning how long the trip will be and setting the specific dates. Because we are flying in from overseas, there does have to be a flexibility in the dates, as we are restricted to flight timetables, but I do need to know in advance the preferable timeline.
If possible, I prefer to first purchase the plane tickets before making the hotel reservations. That prevents last minute changes in the reservations. As soon as the flights are booked and the accommodations are set in, I can get stuck into the rest of the itinerary planning.
This time, we decided to take our trip in January. We’ve been to Disney World in the summer months and found the crowds to be too much for us. Last trip was in October, and it was wonderful. We even got to enjoy Mickey’s not so scary Halloween party, which was great fun. But this time my middle one will be sitting for her VCE exams in October, so the next best time for us was January.
Timeline set. Too early for the flights, but I can still set an approximate timetable, including decisions made about how long and where to stay during our trip.
Out of our 22 day trip, 10 days are dedicated entirely to Disney World . I must tell you, that if it was up to me, we’d stay there even longer, but time is limited, and we do want to enjoy more of what Orlando has to offer. So 10 days it is.
Maybe being slightly obsessive compulsive (only when it comes to travelling), I like to plan my trips to the dot. Meaning, taking care of every aspect of my trip, including a full day to day and hour to hour itinerary that includes, where we stay, what and when we eat, every activity etc. Everything has to be planned ahead. It’s not that plans can’t be changed, if necessary (and we have done that in the past), but I find that having a plan gives me a calmness that allows me to enjoy the holiday much more.
Accommodation
First thing first, the accommodation.
So many articles and posts were written on the question of ‘on or off site stay’ – what are the benefits of staying on site, or is staying off site really cheaper or worth while.
For example:
http://www.disneytouristblog.com/saving-time-versus-money-disney-world/
http://www.disneytouristblog.com/disney-world-hotels-off-site-on-site/
https://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/staying-onsite-or-offsite
This is such a complex question, and it really comes down to your personal preference. So, I won’t get into it, only to say that in our experience we like to stay on site.
For us, usually staying for 7-10 days, we find it to be more of an immersive and magical experience, something we would miss out on staying off site.
So, 10 days on site stay. Now the question is where to stay on site.
Even though mostly more expensive, there are options for a value stay on site. Resorts are divided into several levels, from value resorts, through moderate and deluxe.
For a detailed explanation on the different types of resorts I recommend the following post from Dad’s guide to WDW:
http://www.dadsguidetowdw.com/disney-hotels.html
It all depends on your budget and the experience you are looking for. Every resort has a different theme and level of amenities. Size of rooms and features are also determined by the level of the resort.
We had stayed, in the past, at Coronado Beach Resort (moderate) and Art of Animation (value).
At Coronado Beach, there were more amenities, more dining options and better equipped rooms as a whole. At the time, we were four adults, two kids and a baby. We stayed in two adjoining rooms and in a whole it was a lovely experience and suited our group at the time.
On our next visit there were only the five of us. The girls were grown up, and all five of us staying in the one room would be cramped, at the least. Two rooms was out of the question budget wise. We also wanted more of a Disney experience in the resort itself. After lots of research, we decided that Art of Animation was the right fit for us.
On the one hand it’s a value resort, meaning pricing would be on the lower mark. On the other hand, although slightly more expensive than other value resorts, it was the only value resort offering a family suit. Having the option for a separate bedroom and bathroom for us grownups was definitely worth it. Added to that the special theming of the resort – Disney’s animation. The resort is divided into four sections – Lion King, Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo and Cars. – It’s just a great resort to stay in. We loved it.
So, where do we stay this time?
On the one hand, the girls wanted to stay at Art of Animation. They simply loved it there and wanted to go back. On the other hand, this time I wanted to be more adventurous. I wanted to stay at one of the monorail resorts. And, we mustn’t forget the good old all important, and most annoying budget restrictions 😡 .
Well, decisions had to be made, and after lots of surfing and much research and reading, a compromise was found – we will divide our stay into two resorts (simply genius 😉). I found that not only is it possible, but quite common, and moving between the resorts is quite easy (check out in the morning, go to the park, and return to your new resort, luggage waiting for you to check in).
After much deliberation, it was decided. We will split our stay between Art of Animation (staying there for our first 6 nights), and The Polynesian resort (staying there for the last 4 nights, hoping to meet Lilo and Stitch, we love so much).
There is so much more to share with you, so much more that needs to be planned, but I don’t want overload you with information, so, I think that will do for now.
Next time I think I’ll tell you a bit about the dining options….So excited 😀 .
See you then 🙋