How to Create a Disney Tour Plan

“In its most basic form, white space is the unoccupied area between two elements. And despite its namesake, it doesn’t necessarily have to be white. Regardless of the background that you’re working with, white space can be an extremely effective tool when you want to divide elements from one another. It can also come in handy when you’re trying to draw attention to a specific item.” www.newsdesigns.com

What does white space on a newspaper have to do with a Disney tour plan? Plenty.

Every day, I work with folks who, in their quest to fit as much as possible in their Disney tour plan, insist on creating a newspaper full of words. Paragraph after paragraph, column after column of words. No White Space At All. Their days are one long run on sentence that terminates with them in a heap on the bed. Nothing in the day was memorable, because nothing was treated as memorable.  In their quest to fit in as many thoughts as possible, they succeeding in creating nothing but an inundating cacophony of words.

In order for your Walt Disney World story to be memorable, you need to employ some white space in your tour plan. How to do this? Spend a few hours at a park. Then, leave. Yes. Leave. Go back to the resort and rest, swim, and relax. A few hours later, go back to the parks. This down time will become the  white space in your Disney tour plan. The morning will stand apart, and the evening become special. Memories will be made because this white space made them possible.

If you’ve always wanted to have a Disney dinner with Mickey, then, put some white space around your meeting with The Big Cheese. Don't wedge this potentially amazing memory (and expensive one to boot!) between a rushed afternoon and a hectic evening. Try this tour plan idea instead. Visit Mickey on a morning off. Sleep in a little. Have a fun morning jumping on the beds with the kids. Then head off to meet Mickey happy, rested, and excited about what is to come. Afterwards, if you want to include a Disney theme park in your tour plan, fine. The point is, if you want a moment to be special-- you need to treat it like it’s special when you create your tour plan.

A professional Disney tour plan, like those created by Help Around the Mouse, will skillfully distribute white space. Efficient, relaxed, well paced, and presented in a format that flows well.... this is how a professional, customized tour plan will read as you move through your Disney day. Daily breaks are not optional tour plan components, or a waste of time. Instead, this white space is an incredibly important, fundamental ingredient to any successful Disney vacation. Without well designed white space punctuating your plan, nothing on your Disney vacation will be able to stand out. 

Not even a 5 foot mouse. 

The Best Time to Go to Walt Disney World

When should we go to Disney to avoid  crowds?

When folks tell me they want to visit Disney when the crowds are the lowest, I can’t help but feel they are operating from a mistaken assumption. I can almost see the sugar plums dancing in their heads... empty parks, no lines, and ride after ride on Space Mountain.

And I know this is not what they will find. I have been to Disney in the traditionally best, low crowd time.  I know that even if they don't have to wait 45 minutes for a 2 minute ride on Peter Pan (which they probably will), they will find a host of other things that I bet they haven’t even considered.

Let’s look at January--  a much less crowded time than say, June. But, let’s consider the realities of January travel. It can be cold. Yes -- mitten and hat cold. Those beautiful resort pools will probably sit empty. And, park hours are much shorter. Animal Kingdom, for example, closes at 5:00 PM!  And, since the attractions need to be refurbished on occasion, guess when Disney accomplishes more than the normal amount of these refurbishments? You got it. January. This is best?

September is another traditionally best time to go to Disney World. But, if there’s going to be a hurricane, guess when the chances are best? That’s right-- September. And September is about as hot and humid as it gets in Central Florida. You won’t want to be in the parks in the afternoon. It isn’t fun. It’s steamy, heavy, hot and uncomfortable. And the Free Dining (Hurricane Sale) that Disney offers to increase attendance at this time makes the restaurants crowded, and reservations very difficult to come by. Again... this is best?

As for the lines at the attractions, just because there are fewer people in the parks, don’t assume that the lines will be shorter for the rides. When they are busy, Disney has more Cast Members working the attractions, and all the cars are on the tracks. But, when its slower, they cut back on staffing. This mean the number of cars on the tracks are reduced. And consequently, it takes longer to get through the line, and the lines grow. And those refurbishments? What do you think happens to the lines at Space Mountain when Splash Mountain is closed? Hmmm.... this is best?

Now, let’s be clear. My point is not: Don’t go to Disney in January. My point is: Have a realistic picture of Disney in January. Or September. Or August. Or December.  Then, tailor your trip to the playing field. In January, plan to enjoy some comfortable afternoons in the parks. In September, reserve your dining early. In August, enjoy the pools in the afternoons, when no one but a tourist would be walking on black top in Central Florida!

I think the best time to go to Disney is when it fits your budget and your calendar. Period. I don’t ever consider crowds. Ever. I have been during the incredibly busy, decidedly not best time of Thanksgiving, Easter, Presidents Week. And I have been in the slower best time of January, October, and early December. The criteria that really matter are weather, park hours, and show times.  I can not manage these away. Crowds? A good plan can make them a complete non -issue, any time of year. Yes, even at Christmas.

The question is not when can we avoid crowds, it is how!  Visit Walt Disney World when it fits your life. Don’t wait for the best time. Go when you want to, and create the best time!

Let us know--- when do you enjoy going to Walt Disney World?

Walt Disney World Transportation Planning

I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date....

A Walt Disney World Transportation Plan is an important part of any Disney vacation Itinerary.  I can’t tell you the number of folks that have asked us to get them a dining reservation in the Animal Kingdom Lodge at 5:00, but don’t want to get out of the pool at the resort until 4:00. 30 minutes to get ready, and 30 minutes to get there-- what’s the problem, right?

If you are adults and have your own car, your 60 minute estimate might be okay.  But add in Disney transportation and children, and it’s a whole new ball game. A much longer ball game!

First things first-- let’s look at how long is really takes to get the kids out the door. No... how long it really takes.

‘Where’s my other shoe?’, ‘I can’t find my pin lanyard!’ ‘Do you have the room key?’ ‘Is the water bottle in the backpack?’ Just getting the troops mobilized and out the door can take more time than you think. Don’t kid yourself -- because reality won’t be so kind. A realistic Disney transportation plan can’t ignore mobilizing the troops.

Now, let’s add in the element of Disney resort transportation. We walk to the bus stop... (yes, it can be a long walk), we wait for the bus, we ride the bus. The walk and the ride time are going to be predictable. But the wait? It could be one minute, but it could be twenty. And, unless you want to be twenty minutes late for your meal with Mickey, you need to budget twenty minutes here. 

Finally, we arrive at the park. Park? I thought we were going to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge? Well, we are. But Disney transportation does not provide buses for resort to resort travel. You will need to take a bus to a park, and then transfer to a bus to the Disney resort. So, we need to add another twenty minutes of waiting time and more riding time to our Disney transportation plan.

Are we feeling stressed yet? 

Disney transportation is a huge factor in your over all Disney vacation plan. Not only do you need to know how you are going to get from Point A to Point B, but you need to budget for all the walking, the waiting, the riding, and the walking again. Not accounting for the time these steps demand can easily lead to a great deal of unnecessary stress for you, and your family.

If you don't know how to navigate the Disney transportation options of buses, water taxis, ferries, monorails, and walking paths, you will want to work with a Disney planner who can show you the way. A good Disney vacation itinerary will seamlessly transport you from one Disney location to another, and insure that you won’t be late for the dinner with Mickey that was so important to you. 

All of our Help Around the Mouse custom Disney itineraries and tour plans clearly show you how to get from one location to another... On Time!  To take the uncertainty out of the Disney transportation maze, come on over to our website, and see just how we can Help you Around the Mouse!

Planning a Disney World Vacation - Do I need a plan?

“A plan? No thanks! I prefer to go with the flow... this is a vacation! We don’t need a plan”

Now, understand please that I have no problem with that concept. Relaxing, and enjoying the serendipity in a moment is one of life’s great gifts. 

The problem is that in our friends’ case, this ‘Go with the flow’ non- plan is more accurately translated:

“We want to do what we want to do when we want to do it, and we want it all to flow naturally, with no stress”.

Ouch. No really. OUCH. You need a plan!

A Walt Disney World vacation is the number one family vacation destination in the entire world. They employ a world class marketing department that insures Disney hotels are booked, Disney restaurants tables are reserved, and Disney theme parks are full. Time of year, time of day really doesn't have a lot of bearing on the issue. Thousands upon thousands of people are always at Walt Disney World.

Do our friends really think the seas will divide, laying bare a golden path on which they will revel in their their magical, pixie dusted, once in a life time vacation, basking in the glow of all their Disney dreams come true?

Right.

Unfortunately, I can tell you exactly what our friends’ ‘we don’t need a plan’ vacation day will be like. I’ve seen it over and over... and over. 

• They sleep in-- because, after all, they're on vacation!
• They arrive at the Disney parks at about 10:30. 
• They grab a park map and stand in the middle of Main Street, U.S.A., staring at it. 
• They decide on Space Mountain (because it’s always Space Mountain). 
• They arrive at Space Mountain. Wait time. 70 minutes. 
• They discuss:  “Do you want to wait, or find another attraction with a shorter line? Look--- Jimmy’s can't ride this-- he’s too short. Let’s do something we can do together.”
• They decide to try Dumbo. Wait time. 85 minutes.
• They ride Snow White instead. 40 minutes wait for a 2 minute attraction. The witch makes Jimmy cry.
• They spot Mary Poppins! “I’m sorry folks. This line is closed. Mary Poppins will be back in 45 minutes.”
• They are hungry and had promised the kids they could eat with Winnie the Pooh.
• There is no room with Pooh. If they want to wait, they might get in by 3:30.
• Jimmy wines. It’s 1:00. He usually naps at 1:00 and hasn’t eaten anything.
• They are starting to get hot, as it’s central Florida.

I can’t go on. It’s just too painful!  It’s sad really. So much effort to do so little. And it happens all the time. Had they done their pre- vacation homework, created a Disney plan, or hired a professional to plan with them, this vacation morning could have been so much more magical.

Disney planning professionals, like Help Around the Mouse, know Disney’s attraction height requirements, how to use Fast Pass, how to tour Fantsyland, the Disney character meet and greet schedules, and Disney’s restaurant reservation policy. Our friends could have done all of Fantasyland, Adventureland, eaten with Pooh and come back to ride Space Mountain twice... with no waiting!

So please-- do yourself and your family a favor. Go to WDW with an itinerary and tour plans for your Disney vacation. You can spend countless hours surfing the web and browsing the many Disney related travel sites, such as AAA and Allears, and eventually, you will put together your best guess for a Disney vacation itinerary. Or, you can hire Help Around the Mouse to create a customized tour plan tailor-made for your family.  We can build a plan customized to your family's interests, your taste in food, your favorite Disney characters, your special needs, and much more! 

C’mon guys. A Disney vacation is a big deal. You want to give this amazing gift to your family. And, the old saying is absolutely true- He who fails to plan, plans to fail. So, get going! Go buy a book or go hire a planner. But please... go do something!