Now that you have decided to go to Disney World, when to go and how long to stay, next up is how to get there. Sometimes it is obvious to drive if you only live a few hours away or to fly if you are visiting from the United Kingdom, but what about everyone else that could do either? Here are some things to consider when making your decision.

1. Cost For most of us, cost is a major factor in whether we drive or fly to Disney World. When thinking about the cost of driving, be sure to include not only the cost of gasoline, but also dining and a possible hotel stay along the way. When reviewing the cost of flying, don’t forget to include airport parking, checked bag fees and possible rental car costs.
2. Time Another thing to consider is the time it will require to fly or drive. Once you include the time it takes to get to the airport, the two hours they want you there prior to your flight, the flight itself and the commute to Disney World, it could easily take seven plus hours to fly. Would the drive require less time?
3. Flexibility With driving, you are on your own schedule rather than at the mercy of the airlines. Is that important to you?
4. Kids Do you have small children that would go absolutely crazy having to ride in the car for a day or more? Or would they go nuts on the confined space of the plane?
5. Luggage Do you require a lot of luggage or equipment when you travel? Would it be difficult or expensive to take all of it on the plane? I remember taking trips to Disney World when my boys were young. We had tons of luggage along with two full size car seats, a portable crib and a double stroller. There was a lot juggling we had to do on the plane and through the airport!

My thoughts: Living in Colorado, it would take us three full days of driving just to get to Disney World, so for us it is an easy decision to fly. However, we do often take road trips with our kids. We use this rule of thumb for whether we drive or fly. If we can make the drive in about 10 hours or less, we drive otherwise we fly. We find that much more than 10 hours in the car is too long for our family. My husband prefers to drive if possible, because he likes the time flexibility and the freedom to take whatever luggage and gear he wants.

No matter whether you choose to drive or fly, you’ll soon be arriving at the happiest place on earth…Disney World!!

1. Budget Obviously the longer you stay the more money it is going to cost, so you’ll want to think about how much you have to spend.
2. What Do You Want To Do You’ll also need to consider what you want to do on your trip. Disney World consists of four theme parks, two water parks, a shopping area, several resort hotels, golf courses, spas and many other things to see and do. You could easily stay for a month and not see and do everything. Think about your top priorities. The more you want to see, the longer you’ll want to stay.
3. Your Pace What kind of pace do you want to keep on your vacation? Do you want to relax and take your time or do you want a fast-paced trip? The more relaxed you want to be, the more days you’ll need to stay.
4. Your Stamina You can easily walk several miles per day touring Disney World. How many days in a row can you be active and on-the-go before burning out?
5. Will You Visit Other Places Outside Disney As much as I love Disney World, there are other things to see in and around the Orlando area. If you think that you want to visit Universal Studios, Sea World, Kennedy Space Center or the beach, be sure to add extra time.
6. When Will You Be Back If this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, you will probably want it to be longer. If you plan on returning soon, you may not feel the need for as many days.

My Thoughts: After considering all of these things, most people find that a trip of about a week to ten days works well. That is the amount of time my family usually spends in Disney World during each of our trips. This amount of time will give you a good chance to see a lot of what Disney World has to offer, plus allow for some time for relaxation along the way.

No matter what length of trip you are able to take, any amount of time in Disney World is wonderful!

So you’ve made the exciting decision to go to Disney World! Now the next question is when to go. There are a lot of things to consider when deciding what is the right time of year for your family to visit.

1. Prior Commitments These could be work events like a conference or business trip and family events like weddings, birthdays, kid’s sport seasons or the school year.
2. Weather Does the temperature or rain in Florida make a difference to your family? Historically, June, July, August and September are the hottest and wettest months of the year. The average high temperatures can reach well into the 90’s and it is normal for Disney World to receive seven plus inches of rain each of these months. On the flip side, it can get very cold in Orlando during the winter months. I have been there in January when the high was only 40 degrees and our entire family had to buy coats! 
3. Disney World Events During the year, Disney World has several seasonal events that take place. In January, there is the Walt Disney World Marathon. During the spring months, Epcot hosts the International Flower & Garden Festival. In June, Hollywood Studios has Star Wars weekends. Then during the fall months, Epcot has the International Food & Wine Festival. There are also special parties during certain times of the year at the Magic Kingdom. During September and October, you can attend the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and in November and December, there is the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. These are just a few of the many celebrations that Disney World has throughout the year. You may want to keep these dates in mind in order to attend or to avoid the extra crowds. For a complete list, check out Disney World’s events.
4. Crowd Levels Although, Disney World is busy every day of the year, there are certain times that are more crowded than others. As you would expect, major holidays and any time kids are out of school will be the busiest. However, it can also be very busy during minor holidays like President’s Day weekend and during the special seasonal events listed above. Typically it is least crowded when kids are just returning to school after their summer, winter and spring breaks. Great times to go when the crowds are the lowest are mid-January to the beginning of February (exceptions are Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend and the Disney Marathon weekend), just after Labor Day until the beginning of October and the week after Thanksgiving until the week before Christmas.
5. Disney Hotel Pricing Another thing to consider if you are going to be staying at a Disney World resort is their pricing structure. As you can imagine, the hotel rooms are more expensive when the parks are busier. The pricing has several different levels. In order from most expensive to least they are: Holiday (all of them even minor ones), Peak (spring break and just before winter break), Summer, Regular, Fall and Value (least busy times of the year). You will also find that weekend nights are generally more expensive than week nights.

My Thoughts: For my family, the best times to travel to Disney World are during June and October. My kids are old enough that missing school is now difficult for them to make up, so we reserve our trips to when they are on break. We find that June is nice, because even though the crowds are starting to pick up, it isn’t quite as hot as July or August. We are also very fortunate to live in a school district that has a fall break during the month of October. This is by far our favorite time of year to visit Disney World! The weather is still warm, the crowds are lighter and we can enjoy Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival plus the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in the Magic Kingdom!

There may seem like a lot of things to think about when deciding when to go to Disney World, but the most important thing to remember is that any time you go to Disney World will be a great time!

What about you? Have you been to Disney World before? When is your favorite time of year to visit? Please leave a comment!