Disney Parks Tips and Tricks #1

The Magic of Disney is, well, Magical. It can affect everyone from a child to the elderly. However, it is just plain hard to plan, save and execute the plan to go. I have planned more than a few trips to Disneyland and I am currently planning a trip to Disney World in October. As a Disney fan and the wife of a Disney fanatic, I have come up with some seriously awesome time and money saving tips to ensure everyone gets as much of the Disney Magic as they can. It will be a several article series and this one is about the planning phase.

Tip #1 Plan as Much in Advance as Possible

This means plane tickets, hotel rooms, restaurants, entertainment, transportation and activities. Planning and reserving the items above means you will be sure you and your family get to do them. You also get the best prices on hotels and planes. I managed to book a week in Orlando and round trip air fare for 2 people at $856. I booked that ten months in advance.

Also Disney ticket prices tend to fluctuate base don their perceived demand. The earlier you buy the tickets, the cheaper they generally are. The same is true for car rentals.

Certain restaurants at Disney Parks, such as the Blue Bayou, Coral Reef, Oga's Cantina and Be Our Guest almost always fill up a week before the date you want to eat. You can reserve these tables up to 60 days in advance and I recommend you do so for each evening meal you plan in the park. Disney's park websites are wonderful resources.

I started planning my Orlando trip for my wife and me 2 years in advance. You should also include your spouse in the planning as saving for the trip can be tough. However, it is best not to tell your kids until 3 months beforehand. This way they do not get disappointed should the trip get canceled due to forces out of your control and you reduce the Disney park freak out that happens when a kid finds out they are going.

Tip #2 Plan Your Dates With Care

The day you plan your trip can seriously reduce the price you pay for tickets, transportation and hotels. The summer and holidays result in higher prices and bigger crowds. Also certain anniversaries can result in higher crowds and pricing.

I have found that early spring and late fall have the lowest prices for Disney World. Disneyland does not have fluctuating prices on tickets. However, the hotels and airlines have lower prices on flights and room rates which can seriously make it far more palatable financially to do a Disney vacation.

If you are willing to feel the pain and go during a holiday or during the summer, it can be a very rewarding experience. My wife and I have gone during Halloween and Christmas time and enjoyed it immensely. The park is all decorated on theme, there are holiday foods, parades and shows. They also will make it snow during Christmas, which is the first time my wife saw snow fall. They also will change up some of the attractions like The Haunted Mansion and Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout (Mission Breakout at night time is especially fun during Halloween).

My wife and I plan on going to Disney World for her birthday this year. As it happens that the park opened on her birthday 50 years ago, this means the park will be especially crowded, but special merch and parades will make it worth it.

Planning the days that you will be at each park is crucial too. Disneyland Resort is made up of the original Disneyland and the Disney's California Adventure Park. Disney World is made up of the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios. Each has their own attractions, restaurants and merchandise. To get the full Disney experience I recommend spending time at each park. 2 days the original Disneyland, Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom are also recommended as they have the most to see and do.

Tip #3 Plan On Eating in the Park

The Disney tickets are certainly expensive, but there are other expenses that add up. Food is the most expensive. To be perfectly honest, you should plan on eating in the park. It can take up to an hour to leave the park and get to the car and then tack on ordering and eating and you have lost valuable Disney Magic time. I think it is worth the extra money to put in the budget to be able to eat in the park.

The food in the park is generally really good. Only a few things have not been good that I have had (The blue milk is far superior to the green in Galaxy's Edge). It is a little overpriced, but generally not by a whole lot for what you get and the convenience makes up the rest.

I have successfully planned on $50 per person per day. That usually will cover a lunch and a dinner for each person. I always get a hotel that has a breakfast, which allows for a more leisurely morning and that you do not have to pay for one in the Park.

I also include a separate budget per person for trinkets, souvenirs and snacks. The amount depends on what I have left over from my initial budget, but I plan on about $20 per person for snacks per day. Also bringing in a water bottle is a great idea to beat the Southern California or Floridian heat without shelling out 4 bucks at the park.

I do also bring home water bottles of water filled up at the the park. That way when the time seems dark or depressed you can drink a little bit of Disney Magic.

Tip #4 Get Everything on the Same App or Website

I tend to use Expedia for all of my reservations, but most of the travel apps all us the same pricing. It is also advisable to stick with one app or website for all your travel or vacations to earn loyalty points. These points will save you some serious cash in the long run.

I also book package deals, which allow the site to offer far lower pricing. The package is usually the travel (car, bus, plane) and the hotel. The sites also allow you to pick where you want to go as well as including extras like pools, breakfast, parking and in-hotel restaurants. It will also allow you to plan how far you will travel form the hotel to the park every day. I recommend no longer than a ten minute drive as parking can be a serious hassle.

I always look for a hotel that has free/low cost perks like free breakfast, pools, free parking and pets. Pets are great for traveling with, but it is often hard to find a hotel that will accept them. La Quinta hotels all accept free pet stays and have free breakfast.

Most travel sites also have refund and credit options should your trip be canceled due to unforeseen things like a global pandemic. Expedia is especially good when doing this as I had to cancel a trip to Bakersfield due to Covid-19 last year.

Tip #5 Disney and Your Pet

Bringing pets on your trip can be a real joy and a real pain. I have a tiny emotional support dog for my wife and she is an excellent travel dog. We still have problems with her, even as good and small as she is. We took her on two trips to Disneyland and took different approaches each time.

When driving, you need to keep your pet safe with a carrier, seat belt or other restraining device. This is for your safety as well, as a scrambling dog or cat can often be dangerous for the driver. You should also plan to stop at rest stops along the way. Most will have special pet relief areas with dog waste bags, but not all will so plan on bringing some with you.

We drove down both times, as were unable to afford air fare. The trip is generally about seven hours from Sacramento to Anaheim including a meal stop. The trip down the first time was great. We did have to plan on extra stops for the dog to relieve herself though. The second trip was a 14 hour nightmare due to the grapevine (the road over the mountains along I-5) being closed due to snow and there being a sinkhole in Santa Barbara along the detour. Again, extra stops to accommodate the dog were required.

Hotels will often post on their site or on a travel site what their pet policy is. Often an extra charge is applied, but many will outright deny your furry friend staying with you. Motel 6 and La Quinta both offer free pet stays and are decent enough as far as hotels go. I cannot recommend the Motel 6 Main Gate in Anaheim enough. Our hotel we originally booked would not accept our dog and we needed a spot last minute. We ended up saving money, getting a better room and being closer. They also helped us look for our darling dog when she slipped out of our room (we found her).

Disneyland and Disney World both offer pet boarding. Our first trip down we boarded our dog at Disneyland. It turned out we didn't have one of the vaccines required (Bordetella) and had to get her a shot. The kennel recommended a walk-in dog clinic. A phone call and two Uber rides later we were back and ready to go. The actual kennel stay was $20 per day and allowed us to visit our little girl during our stay at the park. They provided water while we provided food and treats. She did not like the kennel though, so we decided to leave her in the hotel room the second day and she was much happier. But know that the option of the kennel may be better for your pet.

Also make sure to buy food for your furry friend while at your destination. It is a hassle to bring along dog food for a week long vacation, especially because they can get into it while you are in the car. Also it is not economical to bring it on an airplane.

Tip #6 Plan for Travel and Rest

It is hard to plan for the days at the park with all of the things you have to juggle like transportation, money, food, bathroom breaks, show, parades and the lines. It is also an exhausting experience to physically do all of that. Therefore it is important to arrange for days of rest.

It may seem a waste to have a day off in the middle of your Disney vacation, but staying rested is important, even for the kids. I generally recommend a day off when you get to your destination as well as a day rest after you get back. I often find a day at the beach after you get to Southern California is just what I need. It is relaxing and carefree after the stress of the trip and builds up a reserve of energy for the physical activity needed for the actual park vacations.

Also allow for time to make the trip. Planning to drive down and do an activity the same day is asking for trouble unless you are relatively close by. Flying and driving take their toll and you need to be in top form for Disneyland. A day for travel each way is often the bare minimum I allow. It makes the whole experience so much more enjoyable when you aren't still stressed form travel.

This may seem obvious, but good sleep is a must. Most of the parks at the resorts open at 8 or 9 AM and close at 5 to 8 pm. That is a long day. Make sure you are hydrated, fed and rested each day. Nothing is worse than having a physical breakdown in the middle of your expensive vacation. Make sure you, your significant other and your kids (if you are bringing them!) have enough rest or the vacation quickly devolves into one big temper tantrum .

To the Reader

I hope that some of these tips help, or just lead to some revelations on your own. There are other articles to follow with more tips for your Disney Vacation! Until then, enjoy and innovate!