The countdown begins…..
We will get to the fun parts, but knowing the journey is important!
We booked our trip way in advance… like WAY in advance. Greater than 365 Days. I honestly am not sure who the countdown was harder for.. me or our kids 😬 so lesson learned number 1. Even though you want to share the excitement, try to refrain until at least under a year lol.
I watched a video recently of a family that surprised their kids with a Disney Cruise as they were driving there, and I was thinking… man I wish someone would surprise me with a trip like that as an adult! It is so hard to be patient ✨
For our Disney Adventures we planned for a 3 night stay at the Polynesian, and a 3 day Park Hopper. Then we traveled to Fort Lauderdale and sailed away on a 4 night cruise on the Disney Destiny. We booked all of this through a Travel Agent. If it had just been planning for Disney World, I would have done it myself. However, the cruise was new to me and I wanted help from someone with more experience. This is something you do not have to pay extra for, the travel agents compensations is from Disney. So that was kind of a no brainer.
Initial Thoughts on Pre-Planning Experience 💭
- Booking in advance is awesome, because you can pay off your trip over time.. so when you go it is “free”… that is just girl math 💅🏻
- If you book through a Travel Agent, you have to go through them for all of your payments. I did not love this piece, because it was not always convenient to wait or sometimes it would be forgotten.. Also we seemed to have back and forth about the balance so that added confusion at times
- Next time we will book ourselves because I love the easy access of paying through the Disney Portal. I also am one to stock up on Disney Gift Cards when on sale at Target or Sam’s Club to pay down my trip while feeling like I saved a few bucks 😅
- If planning a trip like this that involves a lot of coordination.. write everything out! Or keep track in a spreadsheet. This saved us a lot of time.
How did we pick our Resort?
Typically when we travel to Disney we enjoy staying in the Moderate Resorts. This trip though we were celebrating 2 Retirements, and my in-laws 50th Anniversary. So this celebration was extra special! We decided to book the Polynesian. It was on my Bucket List, and the kids had never been either. We liked the idea of easy transportation via the monorail. We also looked at Riviera, Beach and Yacht Club, and the Grand Floridian. Ultimately, I think we were sold on the tropical theme and beautiful resort pools 🌺
Key Takeaways 🌟
- If staying at a Deluxe Resort, please be sure to have a rest day scheduled into your trip. I loved the resort, but wished we would have been able to enjoy it more
- If your trip is quick, and you don’t plan on being at the resort often… go with the Moderate or Value Resort (Don’t sleep on the Value Resorts, I grew up with amazing memories at several of them!)
- Check on active construction at your resort before going – they had construction going on at the Poly. We knew that and didn’t care, but I could see others having a problem with it.
How did we pick our Cruise Ship?
Ok so this was TOUGH. I had never been on a Disney Cruise Ship, not for Vacation anyways. I used to work on a few of the ships when they were in Port, and have wanted to go as a guest for the longest time. The ships are all so beautiful, so I did some research. I know what my kids enjoy most, so I just kept that at the forefront as I was learning about the ships and where all they travel. Also, I thought about the coordination of having to leave out of Port Canaveral or Port Everglades.
I loved the idea of going on the Destiny, it had not even officially set sail when we booked it. It just seemed to have everything we wanted most! Marvel, De Vils, Haunted Mansion.. great for our whole party. We planned a 4 night cruise with stops in Nassau and Castaway Cay. 🚢⚓️
Key Takeaways 🌟
- DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH – you know your family best, so it is important to look into the themes and offerings of each ship
- The additional coordination from Disney World to Port Everglades was seamless with a Travel Agent, but it was an added step that could be skipped by choosing a ship based out of Port Canaveral
- If you are going to travel to Port Everglades, you need to utilize the Brightline Train and you must stay at a Hotel with Disney Transportation to the Ship when embarking
Feel free to comment any questions on the process of this all. It can feel SO overwhelming trying to bring a Disney Trip to life, but I promise anyone is capable of booking the perfect vacation! You don’t know what you don’t know, so let me fill in the gaps!
Ultimate Disney Packing Guide! 🏰
More to come ✨✨✨✨
Em
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