So you have made the decision and commitment to do a Disney trip, what do you do next? Research would be the answer to that! Most trips you have to make need at least some basic level research before going. While Hubster is more about going with the flow, I am definitely a planner. My type A personality requires me to informed as much as I possible can, and I actually like travel research. The enjoyment and willingness to do this kind of level of research is definitely a benefit when doing Disney research. When you start with Disney research, you are probably going to be to be overwhelming, but have no fear. Below is the guide line that I have for what I have used and are currently using.
Where to start:
1. Disney : This is probably a duh place to start. The Disney World website will give you some basic ideas of what is available. I have found the resort page was best for getting some pricing information if the locations you are looking for are available. It also lets you see pictures of the room and lists some amenities. You can also sign-up for a My Disney Experience account which you will need to get. There is a chat bar available, but I have never found it very helpful because they do not really give you much as far as indepth answers. This because Disney isn't a fan of putting stuff in writing because writing means there is a chance they could be held to something they don't want to. You do have the availability to call old style which I found more beneficial. Once you have an account you can favorite things like resorts, restaurants, and rides. While the account did exist when we went on our honeymoon, a lot of the functionality like fastpass pluses and connecting everything was not available yet, so that is something that is new this time to us. I have read or heard several times that favoriting things will help with dining reservations and fastpasses. You can also sign-up for a planning DVD through this website as well.
2. Unofficial Guide: Walt Disney World: I vaguely remember someone referring to this book about Disney as the Bible for Disney trip planning, and I would have to say that they were pretty much right. This was my primary source the last time we went, and it is where I started this time. It is really thick for a reason because it is packed with lots of good info. This is where I found information about good discounts that saved use money on the trip. For example, I would have never known that two Disney Resorts offer a teacher/military discount that allowed us to stay on property or a great discount ticket location. They come out with a new one each year each August. I saw some changes between my 2009 edition vs my 2015 one, but I did not see much difference between 2015 vs 2016. So if you are starting to plan before the newest edition exist, then I do not see any reason you would need to purchase a second book unless some major changes have come to the park between the editions. They also run a website,Touring Plans, which has some updating to it. They have a membership level which I will talk about later. The only complaint I had was I wanted more info on restaurants than what they gave. Luckily, Zagat's had a guide that was recently published that I used in conjunction. Unfortunately, they have not updated that since we went, and there has been quite a few changes and additions since that so it is not a valid source anymore.
Got the Basics down and still seemed lost. What now?
You could probably plan most of your trip with the two sources above. We did 7 years ago, and it was a great trip. However, since we did have a few bumps here and there, I wanted more than what I was finding, and here are some of my go to guides.
1. WDW Prep is probably my favorite new source. I actually discovered this more as a podcast which I really got into earlier this year. I pretty much devoured all them within 2 1/2 months of listening. About halfway through the podcast, I figured out the creator, Shannon Albert, had so much more than just a podcast. She had a website with a wealth of knowledge along with using social media to give fast updates. I pretty much follow her on everything except snapchat and parascope because I don't subscribe to either. She recently started a membership program that you can sign-up for. It has three levels at varying cost. I picked the highest level because it gives you a chance to set-up a question and answer session about your trip. Mine is actually tomorrow, so I will update the post to include the information. The membership also has forums that are helpful for getting info asked of others in the planning or post-trip stage. Shannon has the best overall trip planning tips. She is very much in touch with the everyday person, and she gives tips that are logical and resourceful. She is definitely a go to if you are very budget conscious. Plus she is usually more on the upbeat side of Disney.
2. The Dis is another group I started out getting into through youtube. I happen to find their 7 in 7 series on WDW, and it was really helpful since they had walkthroughs of them to see what the hotel had to offer. From there, I started watching their weekly shows on youtube until I realized I could get them in podcast form as well. The shows on youtube are mostly talking, but they also include vidoes and pictures at times. This group is great for Disney news. They do get a bit negative at times, but overall, I have enjoyed listening to the show. If you follow their facebook account, then you can get daily reports about Orlando. They also do a series on Universal Studios if you are interested, and they also have forum for getting information on a variety of things.
3. WDW Radio- this is another podcast that I listen to. He is really descriptive, but I found that his food reviews are generally what I like best on his show.
4. I mentioned above that the people who do the Unofficial Guide also have a website called touring plans. They also have planning materials and a membership service. The membership service is good for looking at views so far. You can check out a map of different resort, and they have pictures for certain rooms. This is to help you when reserving your room or deciding if the different views are worth paying the extra money. They also have a crowd tracker and lines monitoring app. I did not get the membership last time, so I have not had a chance to check to see if these are worth the value. They have planning elements as well.
5. Pinterest and Youtube.com are both full of awesome Disney. I have mainly used Youtube for finding reviews on restaurants because that is the part I am working on planning at the moment. I have two different boards currently going. My All things Disney board is information for planning. I have not gone through all the stuff there, so I am not sure how useful some of the materials are. My Disney Outfits is more about outfit ideas for while we are in. Disney Bounding has made for lots of cool ideas.
For some, this may bit overwhelming, or your time may be limited. The best two things for that are either take your time planning or go through a travel agent. We are a year out, and I have been planning for a year already because I only have pockets to plan during breaks. If you do not want to wait two years to go, then the travel agent is your way to go. The Dis has its own company called Dreams Unlimited, and Shannon Albert backs Keys to the World. I have not ever used a travel agent, so I have no idea which is better. The good ones with specific Disney knowledge will have an authorized logo from Disney. After researching, you will be able to start making the fun choices like resort and eating. My third post will be about picking resorts, and I will be posting around the mid to late July after I have my phone planning and making our resort reservation.
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