I have mentioned (if only briefly) that I am a HUGE Disney fan. I have been this way all my life. My husband, unfortunately is not. He has gotten better over our 4 years together, but to say that he is a fanatic would be lying.
I had always dreamed of a honeymoon at Disney World (as well as a proposal and wedding there, but I digress). But when you meet the love of your life and actually start planning a wedding and a honeymoon - you don't only just think of what you want (shocking I know). James really really wanted to go on a cruise, and as a compromise, we were going to take a Disney Cruise. Unfortunately the only one departing was on our wedding day...so that was out. Liking the idea of a cruise too, we settled on a Carnival Cruise (which was amazing don't get me wrong) and said Disney would be our 1 year anniversary trip.
So here we are. Six months away from our anniversary- planning a trip to Disney.
Now James doesn't really plan for anything, and I plan for everything (opposites attract, right?) But the one thing we knew was that we would not go into debt over this trip. Living the Dave Ramsey lifestyle is very important to us, so we booked the trip in January, to have plenty of time to pay before it was due in August.
Having gone with my aunts family 4 years ago, I knew (somewhat) how to plan this thing. I knew that we wanted to stay on-site and I knew that we wanted a meal plan.
Reasons:
*Convenience: we can park our car on Saturday, and not drive it again until Saturday. Also, we don't have to carry around any cash (when you stay at the park, you can pay for your purchases using your room key). We will still carry cash/debit cards in case of emergencies but that's it.
*Cheaper: I noticed this when I went in 2011, because it was $94 per person, per day for everything (food, tickets, room). However, it is cheaper per person per day the more people that are going. But it does save us money having a meal plan. I have been reading on the exact figures here, and what places to eat to make sure we get the most out of our money.
*Magic Park Hours: Staying on site you have an opportunity to go to the park earlier or stay later on certain days. It may be for only an hour or two, but it is still worth it in my opinion.
For the dining plan, I think the best value is the basic: 1 Table Service (sit down), 1 Quick Service (fast food), and 1 snack a day. There is no way we would eat as much food as the deluxe dining plan pays for, and we would want some sit down meals, so basic was the perfect choice. NOTE: Your meal plans start the morning of your check in and expire at midnight on your check out, so you get an extra day in there. Another reason the basic is really all you need (unless you are a total foodie, which we are not).
We also decided to stay at a value resort. There are three levels: value, moderate, and deluxe. We chose value because we will not be spending that much time at the resort, and even the value ones are nicer than some hotels we have stayed at. One day, we will stay at the Contemporary (deluxe resort) but for right now - value is fine with us!
We chose to only go to the parks for 4 days. With James not being a Disney fanatic and wanting to also go to Sea World one day - I figured 4 days was enough. In 2011, we did 7 days, and by the 7th we were all worn slam out!
So we had it all planned out: Staying on site, at a value resort, eating the basic meal plan, and heading to the parks for 4 days. I booked in January 2nd, and paying a little each pay period, we had it paid off March 13. So now the fun part begins...starting this Saturday, we will be able to see when the parks are open for Magic Park Hours, and I will be able to plan what parks we go to what day. We have to have this mapped out by April 13 because that is when we are able to start making reservations for the restaurants! (& somehow I left this very important event OFF my April goals! :))
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