Don't be "Last-Minute Lucy"

Once you decide to take your family to WDW and select your resort, you must make your reservation as soon as possible. Why? Availability and cost.

Waiting until the last minute can cost you dearly in your search for rooms in your resort of choice. To grab a discounted room, remember that the early bird catches that worm... er... room. Discounted rooms are usually limited in number, so the longer you wait, the less chance you have of snaring it.

Rooms in the Contemporary Resort's Tower are often sold out during peak season

Once you book your room, make flight and car rental reservations right away to get the flight time and ground transportation you want. Your airfare and car rental costs creep up as you get closer to your vacation date, so book these as soon as you can.

Remember: Availability goes down and cost goes up as you delay in making your reservations.

Don't Underestimate Your Costs

Estimating the cost of your trip involves research, reading, talking to people, and anything else to help you prepare your budget. One of the best ways is to talk to people about what the expected costs are for various things. Where and how long you stay play important parts of this formula.

Begin drafting a budget immediately. Build it very carefully, and consider the cost of getting to Florida, into your room, into the parks, food in your family's mouth, and those Disney souvenirs. Include into your budget everything you can think of.

Meals in many of WDW's best restaurants can be pricey, so plan accordingly!

Your estimate is your best guess. It is best to know what you are committing your wallet to before the start of your vacation so you can avoid sticker shock when you get to Orlando.

Don't Forget to Read the Fine Print

When going on any trip, understand policies, rules, and regulations for airlines, car rental agencies, and your vacation destination. Know luggage limits for your airlines as well as airline guidelines for when to be at the airport. The airlines have changed many policies since 9/11 so it is more than a good idea to become familiar with these changes.

Rules for air travel have changed a lot since last Fall.

Be comfortable with your car rental agency guidelines. Know what is expected so you are not surprised with the policies associated with your contract. This includes, pickup and drop-off policies as well as points regarding upgrades, insurance, taxes, and so on. Don't assume your regular car insurance covers your car rentals. Read your own insurance policy carefully as well.

If you work with a travel agency, make sure you understand the policies on deposits and cancellations before you book your vacation. If you are uncomfortable with any of the policies, find another agency that offers your comfort level.

A WDW visit means an assortment of policies. Regardless of where you stay, make sure you understand the policies of your hotel. Read your admission media so you are clear on the parameters of your ticket. If you are using credit cards or discount cards, make sure you are aware of how the discounts are used.

Know all of the details about the admission media you purchase.

Before your vacation, invest some time in digesting the various policies that affect your vacation. These policies are made to protect all parties, so it helps if everyone understands their responsibilities to one other.

Don't Ignore Those Tips

How many times have you heard that experience is the best teacher? One of the best ways to prepare for your first WDW trip to is to listen to those who have been there recently, and have them tell you what works and what doesn't. Talk to as many people as you can, and take their tips seriously. A tip mentioned over and over again should raise a flag that says, "Hmmm, this could work for me!" Read trip reports and take note of the tips mentioned in them.

Be a sponge and soak up all the tips you can from those who can help you.

Don't Take the Onsite/Offsite Debate Too Lightly

First-timers who really don't understand the pros and cons of the offsite/onsite argument make the mistake of taking this debate too lightly. This is one of your biggest decisions, so it is critical that you weigh all the factors.

Since arguments can be made for both sides of the debate, and it is very important to truly understand both the positive and negative aspects of the two choices.

Make an informed decision about your accommodations.

This is another case where talking to friends who have been to Orlando can serve as your best resource. Find out what the highs and lows of their resort experiences were, then weigh their comments against what your family's preferences are.

For many people, the choice comes down to convenience and cost.

Don't Forget the Option of Renting a Car

The first visit to WDW can be overwhelming. Because the size of the resort and the many roads can be confusing, many people use the Walt Disney World Transportation System as much as possible. You've heard the phrase, "Leave the driving to us." But should you?

Do you have the patience to wait for a bus? Are you more comfortable on your vacation if you don't have to worry about the responsibility of renting a car, finding your way around the WDW resort, parking the car, not to mention the additional expense of a car?

If buses aren't your cup of tea, consider renting a car.

Perhaps you are always in a hurry and can't waste your time waiting for a bus.. Are you on a special schedule that doesn't match the bus schedule? Do you favor being independent?

Consider the option of renting a car well before your trip. For most people this decision comes down, once again, to cost and convenience.

Talk to people who have rented a car, as well as those who have just used the transportation system.

Do Take Discounts Seriously

Many people tell me they don't take discount opportunities seriously. They say, "Oh I can't be bothered looking for discounts and getting this card and asking for this discount, and doing this and that."

I believe these people are either lazy or just don't care about their hard-earned money. Then again, maybe they don't understand or take seriously how much money they can save on their vacation by taking just a few extra steps.

Maybe an example would help: Let's say a standard rack rate for a seven-night stay at a moderate resort is $171 per night including tax, for a total of about $1200. The same room can be had with an Annual Passholder discount for $118 per night or $833. We have just saved $367, which is the price of an Annual Pass. So for the same price, you get a "free" Annual Pass, which can be used for further discounts.

With just a little bit of effort, you can be rewarded with savings that make your vacation even more enjoyable.

Discounts on airfare, car rentals, reservations, meals, souvenirs, admission media, and even miniature golf are there for everyone.

Do not ignore discount opportunities. People who complain that WDW is an expensive place to visit may be just a bit too lazy to explore the possibilities.

If you don't take discounts seriously, then you won't save serious money.

Do Be Physically Prepared

Yet another mistake made by first-time visitors to WDW is in underestimating the physical demands a trip of this magnitude takes. Walking, waiting in lines, heat and humidity, climbing in and out of boats, cars, vehicles, long days... phew.

When first-time guests step into a WDW theme park, they feel an adrenaline rush that prompts them right into a breathless, whirlwind tour of the park. It's natural to want to see and do as much as possible. Some people however, crash and burn because they were unprepared for this type of physical activity.

One year my family visited WDW with another family. These folks just didn't understand what they were in for, and by the third day, were worn out. One person came down with a migraine. The doctor at Sandlake Hospital said it was brought on by fatigue. Another person had to spend a whole day in his resort room to rest from three days of park hopping. I thought I prepared them for the trip -- Guess I didn't do a good job.

Be physically fit before you go... unless you want to spend a day or two resting in your room.

You'll do a ton of walking on a WDW vacation.

Trip Planner columnist Lani Teshima agrees. After feeling "totally tuckered out" every night after a full day in the parks, and then waking up to aches and pains all over her legs and feet, she vowed to get in shape for her next trip. She spent six weeks exercising at least three times a week, and reported that she didn't even feel tired at the end of the day during her most recent visit to WDW.

Do Plan an Itinerary

Although you should not have a strict itinerary or schedule, you should have a pretty good idea of your priorities. Make a list of what you definitely want to see, while leaving yourself some flexibility to enjoy some surprises.

Don't go blind into a WDW trip with no idea of what you're going to do. Although this approach may work for some, it does not work for most visitors.

A strict, rigid schedule does not work. You never know what the crowds will do to your schedule. Remember that you will find it very difficult to do everything there is to do at WDW on one visit, so think about your priorities.

Unless you plan to spend a month in Orlando, you cannot do everything on your vacation... just have a few things in mind.

Do Browse the Internet

What does this have to do with a trip to WDW? Everything. These days, the fastest way to get up-to-date information is the Internet. You are using this medium right now to read these words aren't you? MousePlanet is a great place to look for the latest information for your trip. Of course the Internet can be used to avoid all of the problems mentioned in this little session. So use it.

Next time: A Visit with a "Disney Specialist"

Class dismissed.

Photos on this page by Brian Bennett unless otherwise noted

MousePlanet's WDW Trip Planning Guide has a ton of information about trip planning that you may want to look over.  These pages, especially, cover the kinds of things that Mike has discussed in this article: Planning Your Trip  |  Accommodations  | Walt Disney World Primer  | The Parks

If you want to heed Mike's advice and seek out the experience of other WDW travelers, you can read through some of the trip reports in MousePlanet's Disney Trip Report Archive.

Here's a list of the trip reports that Mike has written that are part of MousePlanet's archives!

Michael Scopa -- August 1999 -- Walt Disney World (CSR)

Michael J. Scopa -- July 1997 -- Walt Disney World (WL/CBR)

Mike Scopa -- July 1994 -- Walt Disney World (WL / CBR)

Also, don't miss Lani Teshima's column, "The Trip Planner" for more travel planning information!

Brian Bennett, author of MousePlanet's WDW Trip Planning Guide (and publisher of the Disney Trip Report Archive), writes:

The first Disney trip report that I ever read was a report by Mike Scopa that I downloaded from the America Online travel library in late 1994. The report was a detailed description of the Scopa family's trip to WDW in the summer of that year.

As soon as I was done reading it, I was hooked.

I picked my own brain and documented my own trips and the things I'd learned from my own experiences. Then, in 1995 I actually wrote a report as the trip unfolded. I took a laptop with me and spent some time in the evenings documenting what had happened that day. (I've repeated that process for my own reports ever since.)

In July 1996, I started my Disney trip planning Web site. Besides including my own reports, I asked for permission from the authors of several other reports and added them to the offering. Since then, the number of reports has expanded greatly. In 1997, I added an information summary for each report to make it easier to sort through the reports that are available.

I still 'blame' Mike for hooking me on this Disney habit.

Thanks Mike!

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