Please help...

[barkley1]

....me get started. We are going this sept/oct and I don't even know where to begin! Travel,agent or not? Where to stay, onsite, offsite? Meal plan or not? Anything I need to book NOW before reservations get full?

I don't know what any of the acronyms mean, except WDW and AK, lol.

Dd will,be 3 and DS will be 5. Not really into princesses, but she may start noticing them a little more between now and then. They ADORE Minnie and Mickey.

Any advice is much appreciated! I have looked through some past threads, but am wanting the most current info, and get overwhelmed by it all!

[anonomom]

First,

See if your library has the Unofficial Guide to Disney World. If they have an edition released within the last 2-3 years, borrow it. That should give you a great overview of pretty much everything, including discussions of on-site vs. off, etc. Read through it, make a list of the things that really catch your fancy, then use your list to decide where to go from there. For instance, if there are 5 or 6 sit-down restaurants you're dying to try, the dining plan might be a good bet for you. If one of the onsite hotels looks fabulous to you, then you can think about that when planning. And so forth.

Second, set a budget (maybe do this first). Certain costs are fairly fixed -- ticket prices aren't ever highly discounted, for instance, so you know how much it will cost to get into the parks. From there, figure out how much you'll have left in your budget and that will give you a starting point on where to stay.

Third, if you're going in September or October, you can't make dining reservations for another few months (ADRs, as they're called in Disney parlance, can be made 180 days in advance). You have time to do your research and decide what you want. And you do not have to have hotel reservations or park tickets in order to make dining reservations, so you have plenty of time.

Fourth, start browsing around at Disboards.com. That's where you'll find the most recent information on discounts, etc. There are usually fairly good discounts in the fall, particularly free dining, so it's worth keeping an eye on the boards.

I hope this helps. I love Disney and particularly Disney planning, so let me know if I can help in any way. :-)

[barkley1]

Thank you so much! Our library has the 2014 edition of the book, so I will start there :)

[Claki]

I had a very similar post a couple of months back. And others responded to me that they had posted similarly too. Just wanted to recommend one of my favorite resources, the site WDW Prep School. She has a great step-by-step breakdown of what to tackle first. After two months of planning, I've really come a long way!

[barkley1]

Thanks Claki!

[westwoodmom04]

I agree with pp, but also would suggest that you tackle hotel reservations as soon as possible. Rooms get booked surprisingly far out, especially if you are considering staying at one of the disney vacation club properties. I'd do that before dining reservations.