Are you planning a Disney trip someday soon? Are you overwhelmed? The task of Disney planning can be daunting, but with a few tips under your belt, you will forget the stress and be goofing off with Goofy in no time!
Confession time: My first time to Disney (as a mom) I had no clue what I was doing. As a result, we missed a lot on that first magical trip.
So over the next few weeks, as my family is gearing up for our next Disney trip, I thought we would share some of what we know and love with all of you.
Now some of our tips might fit you like a great pair of mouse ears, while others may not be your cup of the Mad Hatter’s tea.
Feel free to take note of what you find useful, leave the rest and share with us if you have additional tips that you find useful.
Note: Due to my family’s experiences, many of these tips will most likely be helpful for those with kiddos that are 6 and under, although some topics (and Disney in general) transcends age. 😉
Disney Planning Series Itinerary
Here is what our Disney Planning Series will include:
- Introduction
- Part 1: Lodging (Onsite or Off and Choosing a Disney Resort)
- Part 2: The Parks (When to Visit and Which Park Which Day)
- Part 3: Top 5 Parks Tips
- Part 4: The Parks ~ Fireworks & Parades
- Part 5: Food Options
- Part 6: Characters
- Part 7: Our Favorite Places
- Part 8: Transportation Options
- Part 9: The “Extras”
- Part 10: Apps We Love
I cannot WAIT to get started. We may even have to get Miss Add involved and have her give us a few pointers from a kid’s perspective!
Free Professional Disney Planners I Recommend
Now as you are waiting on this series to unfold, did you know that you can have a Disney Travel Agent help you plan your trip completely free of charge? I didn’t know that on my first couple trips and tried to plan everything on my own. However, Disney planning can be made a lot easier with the right person by your side.
Why? Disney Travel Agents work with Disney day in and day out and know about specials and announcements that I can’t possibly keep up with on my own. There are tons of agencies out there, but it is important to work with someone who can help you meet your specific needs. Below are two planners I highly recommend that have helped me plan some of our Disney Vacations, totally free of charge.
Pixie Sonya at Pixie and Pirate Destinations
Pixie Sonya with Pixie and Pirate Destinations has helped us plan two different trips.
The first of which Miss Add broke her leg right before we left for our trip. Pixie Sonya was a godsend in helping us figure out how to navigate this “bump” in our magical road to Disney. She was amazing and truly helped us figure things out with little time to spare.
Pixie Sonya also has a fantastic knack for knowing lesser known activities and details to help everyone from a first timer to an old timer create a truly unique and magical vacation.
During our last trip She even sent me a text while we were on our last trip alerting me about the special secret opening of the New Fantasyland months before it was scheduled to be open. Imagine our surprise (and delight!) when we were able to stroll into Belle’s Cottage and over to meet Ariel and the gang Under the Sea totally unexpectedly! You can contact Pixie Sonya here to begin planning your own memories.
Erin at Second Star Travel
Erin over at Second Star Travel is a childhood friend of mine, fellow Hoosier and also a huge Disney enthusiast! She is helping me plan my current trip on a smaller budget.
As a single mom, Erin knows the ends and outs of Disney on a budget and is a great resource on stretching those Disney dollars to give you the most bang for your buck. Disney planning comes natural to Erin, she is currently scheduled to take her daughter Eden on their 6th trip to Disney this fall and she has done it all on a single income.
Erin is sharing a lot of her great info on her new blog and can be contacted here to begin planning your vacation. If you have the will, Erin will help you find the way.
Note: Neither Sonya nor Erin paid me to say these things. They are just my personal opinion. Free services are available for all Disney goers, not just Disney addicted bloggers. 😉
Stay Tuned
This concludes the really long introduction post to our Disney Planning Series. Next up is Part 1: Lodging to hear my pros and cons of staying on and off property.
We have done both. Any guesses as to where we prefer? Or better yet, what is your favorite place to stay?
About Cris
I am the mama behind GOODEness Gracious and the owner of Cris Goode Solutions. Here at GOODEness Gracious, we like to keep it light and fun as we cook up family meals, share our super mommy secrets and chat it up about the GOODe life:) So come on in and sit a spell.
Jacqueline Wilson says
CanNOT wait to read this whole series. THANK YOU for doing this. We are planning on going (hopefully next year), so this will be so helpful!
crisgoode says
Yay for Disney! I am so excited that it might help you plan your trip!!
Eternal Lizdom says
I will be following along! We are doing our first trip to Disney this June. I went to Magic Kingdom for 1 day when I was 5. And I went to the Experience Conference this past Sept and stayed at the Contemporary, did breakfast at 1900 Park Fare, and enjoyed the MK for Night of Joy. Which all means I have very limited experience. My planner is Katie at Hi Ho Vacations – she’s awesome. She recently rallied a large group of women to fundraise for a mom who had planned the trip when her husband passed after a terrible battle with cancer. We raised money and Katie was able to add so much magic to their trip!!!
crisgoode says
Wow! What an amazing gift in such a heartbreaking time.
I can’t wait for your family to have its own magical time! Disney is such a special place. I hope our tips can help 🙂
Erin Elliott says
Thanks Crissy! I can’t wait to ready what all your have to say either. Your blogs are always awesome and worded so well. And like you, I love everything Disney. It’s interesting transitioning from having a young child, to now almost a tween. One thing is sure, Eden still loves Disney.
crisgoode says
Thanks so much Erin! I actually took the idea for this series from an email I recently emailed a friend full of all my tips. Everyone has to find what is right for them, but we have found our magical recipe I do believe 😉 I am a little anxious for those tween years too… but I think we will both have our Disney fans for many years to come!