Disney 101:
Planning a Trip to Walt Disney World
When planning a trip to Walt Disney World, you first have to consider when to go. Do you like crowds? If not, stay away from anything resembling a holiday. While a three day weekend might seem like a good time to go, everyone else will be thinking the same thing.
If you're looking for the best time to go, try January through mid-February, September (after Labor Day) until mid-November. You can also visit just after Thanksgiving for around two weeks, but things start to get busy again just before Christmas.
One note though, since those times aren't "peak" times, the parks will not be open quite as late (5-9 PM, depending on the park). It won't matter much though, as you'll be able to see everything you want without many crowds.
This totally depends on your distance from Orlando, FL. If you don't like driving, by all means fly. (I live 16 hours away, and I always drive, but that's because I love driving.) If you drive your own car, you'll save on airfare, but you'll spend lots of time driving. It all depends on how much time you're working with.
If you are flying though, rent a car when you get there. Lots of people will tell you that you can rely on transportation from the hotel to the Disney parks, but that's hardly worth the effort. (It make traveling much more time consuming, and much more difficult.) I hate relying on their time table, and it make much more sense to have your own mode of transportation.
Whether you drive yourself, or rent a car, you'll want to have a car because there are lots of other things to see while you're in Orlando. It's nice to have your own wheels.
All over! Disney has a ton of hotels right on Disney property, although they'll cost much more than anything else. Disney resorts start at $79/night, and run as high as $500+/night. The major advantage to staying on property, is that you'll get extra perks like the Extra Magic Hour (you can enter a certain park one hour early), and you're extremely close to the parks.
There are also several hotels near Disney property, and many of these places are much more affordable. Typically you could find a decent room for under $30/night if you look around a bit. You could also save money on a nicer hotel by booking at Hotwire.com. (I got a $129 room for $32 that way.)
If you're going with a large group, you might consider renting a vacation home. Sometimes they run around $100 a night or more, but that's well worth it if you've got a larger group of people with you.
This question depends on how much money you're working with. Lots of people will go to Disney, buy a single day park ticket, and go to the park for the day. A $58 ticket might seem cheaper at first, but you're not looking at the big picture.
As of 6/18/04, buying a one day ticket at the gate is $58. Buying a five day Park Hopper is $265, or or $245 in advance (I recommend buying tickets in advance. you can get them online, from a Disney Store, from AAA, ticket brokers, or from Downtown Disney in Orlando. Doing the math, $245/5 days is $49 a day. Not only is it cheaper, but it also gives you the option to "hop" between the four parks all day long. This option is not available for tickets under four days.
Best of all, when you buy a park hopper pass, the days NEVER expire. In reality, you could use three days on one trip, and you'll already have two days left for your next trip. It's really wonderful to plan a weekend trip where your park tickets are already paid for because they're leftovers.
There's a variety of ticket options available, with different numbers of days, additional options, etc. Just go for the highest number of days you can actually afford, and you'll save money in the long run.
Food in the area of Walt Disney World doesn't really cost much more than it does anywhere else. The food in the parks used to seem expensive, but the prices really aren't terribly bad. You can get a decent meal for $6-10, and snacks might cost $3-6. Drinks average $2-3, so you won't really be breaking the budget to eat in the park. (If you really don't want to spend cash on drinks, you can ask any drink stand with fountain service for a large glass of ice water, and they'll gladly give it to you for free.)
The biggest expense is the tickets. There's no way around it, and if you've got a family of four, you might spend $1000 on Disney tickets. You can shop around for hotels, food, souvenirs, and everything else.
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