Planning a Disney trip? Part 1

To get this shot with the castle behind - place camera lower than the child and angle up.
She was sitting on the ground, so that we had no other
people in her pic either!

One of the first things I do when planning a trip is decide when I want to go. This year we knew that we wanted May, school is in session and as a former teacher, I wanted less crowds and less heat. We decided to visit WDW again, instead of DL because I wanted to wait til my kids were a little older and taller and the unknown is scary, but exciting too! I'm almost thinking I would love to go on a girls trip to DL! Who's in?
After decided on when we wanted to go, that's when I start planning! I love to plan my own trip and feel like I'm in charge! I made multiple reservations through the Disney website and then saved them for price comparison. I also contacted a few travel agencies to see what kind of pricing they could give me too! My dad found that United.com had travel vacation packages too and they honored discounts that Disney was promoting, so I made a travel plan through that website to see what price I would get.
8 days at a value resort (We love to stay at value resorts because typically I don't spend much time here!) Although this time I'm thinking naps are a must everyday to keep everybody happy!
Deluxe dining plan You prepay for all or some of your meals based on the plan you choose. We have never done deluxe, but we wanted to have character meals this time! related post coming soon!
Magical Express (where Disney picks you up from the airport and takes care of your bags) related post coming soon!
Flight to and from Disney
8 days park hopper I wanted the flexibility to go anywhere for dining any day. I also wasn't sure how my girls would like some of the other parks, so this lets me have the option to return to favorite places any day! We might start off at Animal Kingdom and then end with fireworks someplace else!
I priced the package with cutting a few days off the park hopper and it did change my price, but after you buy 6 days, the price isn't that much more or less. I wanted to be able to hit the parks on the day we leave, which is later in the evening and when we first arrive, which is early afternoon. I also wanted the flexibility and mind set that we aren't going to see everything and we can go at a more relaxed pace on some days and maybe just go a few hours, then swim, nap, and then go back. This will be my first vacation with two little ones, a husband who is planning to golf, and no extra adult help. Rider swap will be my friend and I'm planning to do less, in the hopes of getting more out of my vacation and to not be so stressed! I want to go and make happy memories, not memories of melt downs and crying on any one's part!
After all the packages and price comparison, I decided to go with United.com. They were able to beat the Disney price by a few hundred dollars and I was happy with that!
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