Making the Most Of Disney World Vacations

Planning Disney World vacations can be intimidating.  There are so many parks and so many things to see and do.  Obviously you want to see as much as you can in the amount of time you have and preferably in the most efficient way possible.  Ideally, you will be able to spend 2 or more days in each park.  Also, keep in mind that using a FASTPASS can mean doubling back over parks you’ve already been to and might mess up your schedule.

If you have kids then the Magic Kingdom is the place to start.  You might want to consider making reservations for dinner at Cinderella’s Royal Table.  Kids of all ages will love this.  If you have preschool age kids they will likely enjoy Toontown the most, it is most suited for the small kids.  Between 6 and 10 Tomorrowland is the best starting place.  For anyone over ten they probably won’t have as much fun in these places and you can go straight to Liberty Square of Adventureland.  This will have the most enjoyment for older kids.  You want everyone to enjoy your Disney World vacations; so tailoring your adventure to their interests is the best way to do so.  With teenagers or adults you may want to consider starting in Frontierland.  This is where most of the water rides are so you’ll have the rest of the warm, sunny Florida day to dry out.  After that your route should probably be with whatever is the closest so you don’t wear yourselves out walking all over the park.

Epcot really needs two days to fully take it all in and see everything there is to see.  The first day should be devoted to Futureworld.  This is where the excitement of Epcot is, and isn’t that what Disney World vacations are about?  Futureworld is where the rides are, and perfect for the first day.  If you get there early in the day try and get to Spaceship Earth first, it will be the most crowded later.  Once you’ve finished up there, head over to Innovations East.  On day two, go back to any Futureworld rides you missed or wish to repeat and then spend the rest of the day in the World Showcase.

The Animal Kingdom and MGM are probably the easiest parks to manage.  Everything is relatively compact compared to sprawling parks you’ve already been to.  It doesn’t really matter where you begin, it’s not a huge event to get to the things you haven’t seen yet, so there is almost no need for a plan of attack.  But as always, you should try and plan your day around any of the special events you wish to see.  Parades, light shows, whatever the case may be, you need to make sure you end up in the right place at the right time.

The Disney Vacation Club

The Disney Vacation Club is owned by the Walt Disney Company and revolutionized the concept of vacation timeshares. It is one of the fastest growing timeshare companies in the nation for many of the same reasons that they Disney World parks are one of the top vacation destinations in the world. Disney knows how to do things right, and they don’t fail on this endeavor either.

In order to become a Disney Vacation Club (or DVC) member you make a one time invest in one of the five resorts and then pay annual dues after that. Unlike most other timeshare properties, investing in the Disney Vacation Club is much more flexible since you can use your points at any of the resorts you wish. Your annual dues earn you points, the value of those points never change. So if you purchase the points today, they will be worth the same in 5 years. The current minimum for membership is 150 points per year and the current cost is $101 per point.

But not only do you have the flexibility of staying at any of the Disney parks, you get discounts off of annual passes and a discount at many of the Disney park restaurants, programs or tours. You can also book dates at your home resort up to a year in advance. Your home resort is whatever property you originally invested in. But you can book up to seven months in advance at any of the other resorts as well. Recently Disney announced that they will begin offering the use of your DVC point for a discount at any Disney hotel. There are set numbers of points that would be needed to stay at one resort for a full year, but the points per day may vary depending on the time of year.

If you decide that you just don’t wish to participate in your DVC membership anymore, you are free to sell it just like any other real estate property. Keep in mind that all DVC memberships have an expiration date ranging from the year 2042 and 2057. There is always the possibility that you will no longer want or need your membership before that, and you are free to sell that membership at any time. Also, there is no negative impact on anyone buying a membership through resale. So if you wish to invest in the DVC program this way, then you will receive the same benefits and the same restrictions as anyone else.

In addition to all these benefits, the DVC is part of the larger organization of Interval International. Your points can be traded for accommodations at Disney Resorts and the DVC locations in Vero Beach, FL and Hilton Head, SC that are run by Interval International. Of if your vacation of choice is cruises, the Disney Cruise Line also accepts DVC points on certain vacation opportunities.