In my honest opinion, the words “Disney vacation” and “wing it” do NOT go in the same sentence! I realize I am a bit of an over planner, I have a friend who teases me because I PLAN to be spontaneous. What can I say, it works for me! So obviously when it comes to a Disney vacation I go into planning overload! While I may be on the extreme (okay crazy) end of planning, it is a good idea to know before you go!! Which is why I am going to write a series of posts on this very topic. I don’t think people realize the importance of planning for these types of vacations. I’ve heard people say they didn’t enjoy their Disney vacation for a variety of reasons, yet they all come down to one thing, poor planning.
I know this won’t come as a huge shock to anyone, but Disney can be expensive! It’s not fun to shell out all this money only to come home disappointed because you weren’t able to do all that you wanted to, or didn’t know what attractions were being refurbished, were unsure of show times, didn’t make dining reservations, didn’t know about Extra Magic Hours, and so on and so on and so on! It may leave you feeling like you didn’t get your money’s worth.
For me, planning is essential! There are several resources that can help you plan a fabulous vacation based on how YOU want to travel. The first, and I think the best, is your Disney Travel Specialist. They can help you plan an itinerary that will work for your family. While some families like to savor every minute and cram as much as they possibly can into one day (that would be me, in case you were wondering) not everyone is a go-go-go traveler. Your agent can show you how to make your Disney vacation work for you! There are also some great books and websites out there too. My favorite is TouringPlans.com. With the use of Touring Plans you can find out the best days to visit parks, wait time for rides and attractions, statistical weather information, etc. It’s a wealth of information, and when you book with Wishing Well Travel you receive a complimentary subscription to the site and all of its planning tools. Again, your agent will walk through all of this with you.
Like I mentioned earlier, this is only the first installment in the Know Before You Go series. My hope is to share useful tips and tricks that will aid in planning your most magical Disney vacation. Over the next several installments I will touch on topics such as: travel with babies and young children, importance of dining reservations, height restrictions, helping children overcome fears, etc.
I read somewhere that expectations on Disney vacations are higher than any other vacation people take. We all want that “magic” that Disney promises! We all want our children to laugh and run into Cinderella’s arms! We all want to throw our hands in the air as Big Thunder Mountain roars around the track! All of this and more is possible if you “know before you go”. 
Haley has been a Disney Travel Specialist with Wishing Well Travel since 2012, you can contact her at Haley at wishingwelltravel.com, find her on facebook or Request a Quote from her online.
