I LOVE DISNEYLAND and I got to do an awesome trip there last year, my first ever without grumpy parents grumping the entire time. Someday, I hope to go to Disney World since the only time I went was when I was 18 months old. Anyway, I hope you have a good time when you go, though I think I enjoyed planning my trip half as much as being on it!

seananmcguire:

Disney World is magic if you’re a theme park person (and pure misery if you’re not).  And they really do their best to make it accessible* to as many people as possible, because at the end of the day, Disney Wants Your Money.

Budgeting is key with WDW.  Prices go up every year or so, but they try not to do massive jumps; you can usually ballpark what an area of the vacation will cost by pricing now and adding 7% for every year you’re planning to spend saving.  Resorts range from the Campgrounds at Fort Wilderness, aka, “I have three twelve-year-olds and don’t mind sleeping on the ground,” which can go as low as $39 a night, and the Swan and Dolphin, aka, “eat the rich,” which can range up to $3,000 a night.  I prefer what they call the Deluxe Moderate Resorts, which cost about as much per night as a downtown hotel–$280 to $350–and come with hot and cold running amphibians.

Oddly, Disney does not advertise the frogs much.

Park Hopper tickets are an absolute must, when it comes to added expenses, and I will put off a trip for a year if it means I can save and pay for the meal plan.  Now, the meal plan is not for everyone; it’s a “research this first” thing.  But I will say that it has absolutely improved my life in every possible way, because it means that by the time I reach Disney property, everything has been paid except for tips, gratuities, and souvenirs.

I hope you get there!

(*I mean this both in the sense of “can I afford it” and the sense of “can I do everything with my assistance device/medical needs accounted for.”)

Thank you! This is awesome info. When I planned my Disneyland trip, I went with the good neighbor hotel package that made life a million times easier and set us up right outside the gate, plus breakfast and 5 day hoppers. Disneyland is practically a second home to me and I still made a couple of discoveries on that trip that definitely would make my next trip easier, but having essentially never been to Disney World, I have 0 idea what to expect on that side of things.

 I do hope I can get there too! Hoping for sometime in the next 5 years or so.