Even though I’m a licensed Disney travel agent, and would love to just say “YES YOU SHOULD!”, I won’t. Using a travel agent does have it’s benefits. Actually, it has all of the benefits! That being said, the whole reason I became a Disney travel agent was because I actually LOVED planning our own Disney trips. Was it easy? No. Was it quick? No. But as much as we were spending to go to Disney, I wanted to make sure that I could iron out every little detail so we could do everything that we wanted to do while we were down there. I also am the type that likes to plan out every vacation, even the “relaxing” ones. So I would say if you’re a little bit of a control-freak and you’re super organized, you may find that you enjoy planning Disney vacations too. Keep reading to find out all that is involved in planning a trip and see if it sounds right for you.
Here are all of the little details that may need worked out for every trip to Disney World:
• Picking the time of year to go, as well as picking which park you go to each day. While it may not seem like that big of a deal, going to one of the parks that is SUPER busy and close to capacity compared to one that is just the normal “Disney” busy can make the difference in a fun day versus a stressful day. A (good) Disney travel agent is going to take crowd calendars into consideration when picking where you’re at each day of your trip. And they can help you decide if you’re better off going Spring Break versus Christmas Break for example.
• Picking the right resort. Disney has a ton of on-property resorts. They also have a lot of hotels on the Disney property that are not operated by Disney, but meets their high standards of service and quality. Figuring out which one is the perfect fit for your traveling party and budget can be tough.
• Making dining reservations. There are a lot of options for where to eat at on the Walt Disney World Resort property (over 200!). Some are quick service, meaning you walk up to a counter and order (or do a mobile order) and then choose an empty table to sit down and eat. There are also table service, character meals and fine dining options that require a reservation. Currently, due to Covid-19, these reservations open for everyone 60 days before your date of arrival at Disney World, at 7:00am in the morning. They are first come, first serve, and many of the popular restaurants (Chef Mickey’s and Cinderella’s Royal table to name a few) can go quick (within minutes) and be difficult to snag. Your travel agent will be able to help you in this process so you don’t have to wake up early and try to figure out what reservations you need to make. They still might not be able to snag every dining option that you want, but they should be able to get you several good ones and a few backups too. We even have a few tricks up our sleeve to scoop up cancelled reservations to these popular restaurants.
• Selecting your Fastpasses. Fastpasses aren’t being offered right now due to Covid-19 (darn you pandemic!), but we’re all hoping they come back in the near future. Fastpasses allow you to skip the line for rides of your choosing. You only get to pick three per day in advance of your trip (and the process is just like the dining reservations). If you’re not experienced with Disney, you may end up wasting Fastpasses on rides and experiences that don’t normally have a long wait anyway.
• Making sure other fun experiences are on the to-do list. There’s so many other fun activities offered by Disney as well as in the Orlando area. Knowing what to include on your vacation to-do list can be a difficult process.
As you can see, there is a lot that goes into planning a Disney vacation. A Disney Travel Agent can make this planning process stress free for you. If you would like to discuss your upcoming trip or get a quote from us, please contact us at the following:
Email: DisneyAdventuresByAshley@gmail.com
Phone: 812.968.9291
If you would like to continue with planning your own Disney vacation, make sure to follow this blog. Over the next few weeks, we will be posting guides and videos to help make this process easier if you choose to do it yourself.
Disney Adventures by Ashley 