We just found out that some of our friends are going on a last minute trip to Disney World. They are going in June. (Yeah, I know, it’s April 19th and June is a long time off if you are planning a normal vacation, but going to Disney World is not a normal vacation. It’s an adventure.) So …

Dear (insert friends name here),

Here is Dad’s advice for putting together your Disney World trip.

First – pick a hotel. if you can afford it and can find a room book the Polynesian Resort today. If you want to go cheap, (and rob those beautiful children of a wonderful experience) book 2 rooms at Disney’s Pop Century Resort today. Yes, it’s that simple. One or the other. Call me if those are not available and we’ll discuss options.

Second – plan some meals – it’s probably too late to get into any of the Disney sit down restaurants, but it never hurts to try. Go to Disney’s Restaurant Site and see if you can find any openings at any restaurants that interest you during the time of your stay. Some of the hotel restaurants might have some availability, but they can be disruptive to a good plan. If you don’t find any sit down restaurants, you can start looking at menus for the quick service restaurants. See Disney World menus here.

PS. You asked about the dining plan calculator go to Dad’s Disney Dining Plan page to download the spreadsheet.

After you have some meals planned, you need to plan your park days. Check out Dad’s Calendar pages to see what times the parks are open.

Magic Kingdom Hours
Epcot Hours
Disney Hollywood Studios Hours
Animal Kingdom Hours

I’d suggest doing the Early Extra Magic Hours then changing parks around noon. Take a little break in the afternoon and  go to a different park in the evening. The late Extra Magic Hour park is probably a pretty good idea.

Do not miss things – here are a few things you don’t want to miss.

Firework shows – Wishes, Illuminations and Fantasmic are all not to be missed.
Make sure to ride all of the roller coasters. (I know, you keep telling me they won’t match anything at Cedar Point, but you should at least try them with an open mind. You might be surprised, especially if you look at the scenery screaming by.)
Slow down and see the special stuff. The flowers, the details in everything Disney does, the cleanliness of the parks, and the free extras like Jammitors, the talking trash can, Devine all of the little things Disney does to make the park special.

And remember my number one tip – GET TO THE PARKS EARLY!!!!!

Hope you have a great time,

Dad

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