Affordable Disney Family Vacations

Once you have decided how to arrive at your favorite Disney destination, the next step is to decide how long to stay.

At Disney World in Florida, a week-long stay will keep you busy and entertain your entire family. There is something for everyone at the Walt Disney World Resort, and magical adventures await.

Budget Discussion:

Be sure to include all members of your family in the discussion about where to stay, how long, and even how much to budget. By keeping everyone informed and involved, you are sure to head-off disappointed little ones who may want to do it all, while the budget requires choices and compromises. Study the various resources available about the different Theme Parks, or check out books at the Library about your vacation. Realize you will not be able to get everything in one day, and have everyone one in your party select the most important thing they want to see. Make sure kids know there are many opportunities to purchase merchandise, and the exact amount of money you allot to spend on souvenirs and goodies.

Activity Selections:

You may think you want to stay in the "best" resort, go to every Theme park, and all the extras like the water parks, Downtown Disney, Disney Quest, Pleasure Island, plus all the sports related activities sounds like the way to go, but your budget may be more modest. A few decisions ahead of time, and a couple compromises will go a long way to making everyones dreams come true without breaking the bank.

Choose Theme Park:

Depending on the choices your family makes, you may want to limit how many Theme Parks you will see during your stay. Perhaps you will want to spend the majority of your time at Animal Kingdom, or take younger children to the Magic Kingdom for most of your trip. Maybe you want to experience Disney's Hollywood Studios, or perhaps EPCOT. If you focus on just one or two, and maybe a water park for one day, you can take your time to explore without feeling rushed or that you have to skip things to keep to a tight schedule.

Do not forget that small children will need rest, and so do Mom and Dad! If you build in some "down time", everyone will enjoy being together more. Make sure you choose age-appropriate adventures for every member of the family, and let little ones know in advance that they may not be big enough to go on every adventure - Mom may wait with the younger ones while Dad takes the older kids on certain rides, etc. If they know what to expect, there will be less "fussing" when the time comes to implement your plans.

Choose Admission type:

Decide how many days you want to spend at each Theme Park and that will help you decide on the type of admission ticket that will best fit your needs. A multi-day park-hopper will allow the most flexibility and access, but if you only have a couple days, you may want to focus on just one or two Theme Parks, and limit the amount of "hopping" you will do on this trip.

Remember, it's better to go at a relaxed pace, get the most out of each day, and come back on another vacation rather than exhaust yourself and your kids by trying do too many things, and not enjoying any of them. Spend a little extra time to notice the small details and don't feel rushed. You might not get to everything, but your memories of what you did get to see will be happy, vivid, and you will look forward to your next trip that much more!

Best Time to travel:

You will want select the best time for your family to go. While the Christmas holidays and Fourth of July are truly magical at any Disney Resort, it is also the busiest and most expensive. If you are able to be more flexible, choose a relatively quiet time of year to go, and remember that the middle of summer is peak travel time, and the hottest time to travel to Florida.

Length of stay:

Next choosing your length of stay will help you stay within budget. Seven days may be perfect for some families, but you might have to compromise here and only stay 4 nights. Spending fewer nights may mean you will have less overall expense, but you might feel you have to pack more into each day. The best tip is to go at a comfortable pace, enjoy each choice to the fullest, relax, and realize you may decide to make another trip next year to catch some of the attractions you may have missed this time.

Choose Resort Category:

Next, choose the resort you where you want to stay. Splurge for a real treat for a fewer number of days at one of the Deluxe resorts, or go with a lower price end resort for a longer stay. Either way, you will experience Disney's legendary service and attention to detail. The lower priced resorts are big on atmosphere, fun, and very family friendly - the restaurants are more affordable, less "fancy", and are "kid friendly" meals. The Deluxe hotels offer more formal dining, and cater to a more adult pallet, though of course still plenty of options for the kids. You can dine anywhere on property, so even if you chose a budget hotel, you can always splurge on one fancy dress-up dinner at one of the Deluxe Resorts.

Choose Resort Location:

Besides choosing the price range of the hotel, you will also want to select the location. If your budget dictation only a few days, you will want to maximize your time by staying closest to the areas you plan to visit. While all the transportation on property is convenient and efficient, you will still spend less time getting around if you stay closer to one Theme Park or another. If you have small children with you, consider a resort close enough to your main Theme Park experience so you can go back to the room for afternoon rest time, and maybe a quick dip in the pool.

Planning for you Affordable Disney family vacation is the first step in your adventure!