Ten Top Walt Disney World Vacation Tips
From the authors of
PassPorter™ Walt Disney World®:
The unique travel guide, planner, organizer, journal, and keepsake!

Ah, October! School is in full swing, summer wardrobes are being packed away, and the foresighted are already planning next year’s getaways to Walt Disney World. Disney makes this autumn even more interesting by starting their Year 2000 a few months early on October 1. With such goings-on be forewarned: Disney has another year of record attendance on the horizon. Pick up a travel guide and start planning early, before the next guy grabs all the magic.

PassPorter Planning Tips are written by Jennifer Watson and Dave Marx, authors of PassPorter Walt Disney World: The unique travel guide, planner, organizer, journal, and keepsake! Available wherever books are sold. Visit their web site at http://www.passporter.com for more information, tips, reviews, and fun!

© 1999 MediaMarx, Inc. Permission granted to reprint this article in whole or part. The text of the article is available in electronic format or by sending e-mail to tips@passporter.com. If you use this article in whole or part, we kindly request that you send a copy to us at MediaMarx, Inc., P.O. Box 3880, Ann Arbor, MI, 48106.

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Planning Your Adventure
It’s never too early to start planning your Walt Disney World vacation. Kids in candy shops have fewer choices to make, and reservations for some restaurants, character meals, dinner shows, and special events are fully booked for months ahead. For the popular holidays, Disney’s resorts may be sold out months or years in advance.

Getting There (and Back!)
Watch for airline fare sales. The autumn off-season has a way of bringing airfare discounters out of the woodwork. Don’t wait around, though. Book your air travel early when prices are traditionally at their lowest, but keep shopping after you’ve locked-in your seats. If your airline offers a better fare, phone immediately and update your reservations at the new low price.

Staying in Style
There’s no need to tote your newly purchased Mickey merchandise and souvenirs around Disney’s theme parks and the Downtown Disney shopping district. Guests at Walt Disney World’s resort hotels can have purchases delivered to their resort at no extra charge. Ask before you ring-up your purchase. Not staying at a Disney resort? Disney will still hold your packages for you at the front gate, where you can pick them up on your way out of the park.

Touring the “World”
Keep your eyes open for FASTPASS, Disney’s solution to the long lines at their most popular rides. Machines outside each participating attraction issue reservations that take you right to the head of the line (as long as you show up within the appointed 60-minute period). You’ll need the printed FASTPASS to use the special FASTPASS entrance—if you have a PassPorter Walt Disney World travel guide, store your FASTPASS in it so you won’t lose it. Then go eat lunch, visit another attraction, or do some shopping while you wait your turn.

Feasting and Snacking
Give Walt Disney World’s full-service restaurants 24 hours notice and they can serve-up meals to suit a variety of special health- or religiously-oriented dietary needs (including kosher). Most restairant menus normally feature choices low on fat, cholesterol and/or salt, and vegetarians will usually also find a few delights.

Making More Magic
Enameled pins are a favorite Walt Disney World collectible. They’re a durable, inexpensive, lightweight, and compact way to remember your vacation. Each theme park, resort, and many rides offer unique pins. Special events (such as the Millenium Celebration beginning October 1) are a great time to start a collection. In fact, Olympic-style pin-swapping is an organized feature of Epcot’s Millenium festivities.

Family Travel
If your vacation plans will take your children out of school, do everyone in the family a favor and be sure they do their homework before you leave for Walt Disney World. Their vacation will be much more carefree, and yours will be, too. It also leaves them free to do an extra-credit report on what they’ve learned at Epcot, once they arrive.

Upcoming Special Events
Celebrate pumpkin season at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party on October 28, 29, and 31, 1999. Disney opens the Magic Kingdom theme park from 7:00 pm to midnight just for the party’s guests. Enjoy a special parade, fireworks, DJ dancing, a costume parade for the kids, and all your favorite rides and attractions. Tickets are around $25. Call 407-W-DISNEY for tickets and details—this one sells out fast!

Winter Disney Vacations
Early December is an especially magical time at Walt Disney World. All the holiday decorations are up and the special events are already in full swing, but the crowds that mark the Christmas/New Years week have yet to arrive. In-the-know Disney fans have made this period their “own,” but everyone is welcome. Alas, it won’t be quite so slow this year since the Millenium Celebration will be in full swing.

Saving Money
Disney’s vacation package deals can sound very tempting, but it pays to carefully compare prices of each part of the package. Most components in a package—airfare, lodging, meals, park admission, and “extras”—come at close to list price (if not more). A package is convenient and makes you feel pampered, but a do-it-yourself plan can trim costs in a variety of ways, especially if you eat modestly or won’t spend every day at Disney’s parks.

As special as any Walt Disney World vacation can be, it’s even better when you plan ahead. There’s so much to see and do, and so many hopes and dreams rest on a successful visit. Start planning now, and watch for more PassPorter Planning Tips in the months to come.