A Trip to Disney World

When I plan a trip I always start the same way, I ask myself what my schedule is. Since my fiancé has Sunday and Monday off, I usually plan the trip to start on Sunday and end on Sunday. This ensures that Jess will not have to take extra days off and we may even get an extra day or two. The following is a trip we would take to Disney world in Florida, including a brief look into our planning process, (which incidentally will reveal the kind of vacationers we are) and it will include what it would take for us to accomplish everything we would do in Disney. I will be breaking this down into days for convenience.

My fiancé once told me she had never been to Disney World before. I decided right then and there that she should go one day. So, I sat down and started researching what it would take. Since then I have lost that trip information, but, I can always redo the research. So, I did. In this report is a $5000+ Trip that starts with one thing: a Google search.

These days planning a trip has become much easier since the internet has expanded vastly since I was in high school. I type in "Disney World", and click on the first link. This link takes me to the main site. I am greeted with a banner that has options such as Parks & Tickets, Places to Stay, Things to Do, Help, and Cart. Under the banner is a section for planning a trip that is simply labeled “Price Your Vacation”. Following this is a bunch of images and links that I have always ignored.

1. For this site to be up and running, it involves a lot of man hours and a good webmaster, maybe even more than one. The number of pages is extensive, and the details are vast. While I prefer to set things up by calling the place directly, this site is just as good for planning. Besides, I can always call and ask questions if any arise.
   

Since this is quite an extensive site and searching for each individual thing would take forever, I just go to the “Price Your Vacation” tool near the top of the site. Since the trip is for my fiancé, I decide to plan the trip around her birthday. I selected August 11th - August 18th which is a Saturday to Saturday trip. I select that there are 2 adults and a room in the Port Orleans French quarter. French Quarter might not be the cheapest room as it is a moderate resort as classified by Disney World, but, it is a special occasion, so we are going to splurge a bit. Once I have selected the broader details, I hit “Find Resort” and I am taken to room selection page. We are given the following room options:

• Standard View - two queen beds and a view of the parking lot. priced at $244.57 USD a night, excluding taxes.
  
• Garden View - 2 queen beds and as the name states, the room has a view of the garden. Priced at $250.00 USD, excluding taxes.
  
• River View - two queen beds and as the name states, the room has a view of the Riverfront. Priced at $260.43 USD, excluding taxes.
  
• King Bed - one king bed and has views of the garden, courtyard, and Riverfront. Priced at $275.57 USD, excluding taxes.
  
• Pool view - two queen beds and has a view of Courtyard Pool. This room is unfortunately unavailable for the dates I suggested so, pricing was not available.
  

Since it is just my fiancé and I, we opt for the King Bed with a view of (Place what room we would get here)

I am next taken to a page to select my park tickets. Since we will arrive and check in on Saturday and leave the next Saturday, we will have a total of 6 days to go to the parks. We are given ticket options for no tickets up to 10 days with each day dedicated to one park.

1. The cost per day keeps going down the more days you go for but,, after 5 days it straightens out, with each day past that costing $21.30 USD.
   

Since my fiancé is a little bit anti-social, I ask her if she would like to do a 5 day park pass and spend a day to ourselves taking in shows and eating (we are both foodies, but, only I really show it)

They also have two different park hopper options

• Standard Park Hopper - allows same day access to all four parks. Priced at $79.87 USD per person.
  
• Park Hopper Plus - priced at $106.50 USD per person. It includes the standard option and access to
  

        o Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park
        o Disney's Typhoon Lagoon
        o ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
        o Disney's Oak Trail Golf Course
        o Disney's Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course
        o Disney's Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Course

Since we are not really golfers or kids, nor are we really into sports that don’t have sharp pointy items in them, the plus option is not the one for us. We select the standard Park Hopper Option.

1. To me, this is a great way to improve sales and customer happiness as being limited to one park a day can be very annoying, particularly if you finish with a park too early.
   

Since my fiancé and I are foodies, a dining plan is a must, especially because the meals at some venues can be expensive... very expensive. So, I click the dining plan button at the bottom of the page.