For the introduction and part 1, click here.

In this section, I’m going to talk about some of the websites I use for planning our vacation. There are a lot of good sites out there to use. But these are:

 

The Three Biggies

 

UnderCover Tourist – This site has calendars that will let you gauge the crowd levels for the days you’re thinking of going. Use the color coding to decide which day you should go to which park. Should you avoid a particular week like the plague? Which park is open longer/shorter? In addition to Disney, it includes information for Universal Studios and Universal’s Islands of Adventure. And if that’s not enough, you can order tickets from them with tax already included in the price. That means, they’re cheaper than paying at the resort or the parks – and you don’t waste precious touring time standing in a line to buy tickets.

https://www.undercovertourist.com/

 

MouseSavers – Check out this site for good discounts on hotels, shopping, and theme parks around Orlando. Be sure to sign up for the newsletter because they will periodically send out a link with a special Under Cover Tourist page that will get you discounts on the already less expensive tickets available at Under Cover Tourist.

http://www.mousesavers.com/

 

DisBoards –  The DisBoards are a great place to ask fellow Disneyphiles for advice on your upcoming trip. The two boards that I’ve seen the most helpful people are Disney For Families and the disABILITIES! Board. Just a note on the disABILITIES! board, I recently helped a cousin with some information for an upcoming Make-A-Wish trip she and her family were doing with their son. They have great folks on there who are so helpful. If you have a child or family member with a Wish trip, check out that board. The Dis also has a really good newsletter you can sign up for as well as a podcast.

http://www.disboards.com/

 

Other Helpful Sites Continue reading →

A little background.

Mike and I have been married 19 years. We had The Boy after 17 years of marriage. When we went on our first Disney World vacation with him at a little over 2.5 years old, we felt a bit like rookies again. We’ve been to Disney countless times. We used to have annual passes and would fly down or make the 12-hour drive in a day and hit the parks and then drive back home. But this was our first trip to Disney World with a child. Yes, you read that right. I’ve lost track of how many times we’ve been to Disney World, but we’ve never gone with a child. Going to Disney as an adults-only trip is awesome. You get to experience the shows, like Fantasmic that always bring tears to my eyes; you get to eat at amazingly good restaurants in EPCOT and Downtown Disney. You can stay up late and watch all the great fireworks shows and then amble your way out of the park avoiding the crowds. Going to Disney World with a toddler is a whole new magical and (sometimes) frustrating experience.

Being married to Mike has taught me something of how his vacation style is. He loves going on vacation, but hates thinking we might be lost. Over the course of nearly a score of years, I’ve learned how to do a lot of research for where we’re going. I learn maps, make plans, but leave enough flexibility to go with the flow. I enjoy this. Doing a Disney vacation is an order of magnitude harder in planning.

The Two BIG Rules for a Disney Vacation for anybody Continue reading →