It's hard to summarize years of research, bargain hunting and dreaming in a easy to read format, however I will attempt to do so.
Resources I have used:
This website has been an invaluable resource to my bargain hunting. I have probably read this entire website at least twice, however it continues to change and new deals are constantly being posted. Also their e-mail newsletter includes extra savings from time to time (however those savings depend on your specific travel)
This was the a very informative guide and since it came so highly recommended I found a copy of it at my local library and am in the process of reading it cover to cover. It give a great overview of how to tour the parks, what rooms to request and dining review. (more to follow when finished reading)
Also there will be a 2012 & probably a 2013 edition prior to my leaving so more than likely I will be ordering the 2013 edition that includes traveling with kids.
The official website of Disney World. It has given me a plethora of official information on their hotels attractions official ticket prices etc. Also the pictures area invaluable in trying to figure everything out versus reading descriptions.
This website is a matrix style website that will show you airline prices for an entire month at a time for your length of stay, however you cannot book directly from this site. Which is a plus for me considering many of the booking website "hidden fees." However I will also check the other booking site orbiz, travelocity, kayak, cheapoair, etc. to see if I can find a better rate then the airlines website. If there is a difference I will go to that particular airlines site and see if they have a best rate guarantee (most do) and book the flight through the airline and receive whatever perks they offer with their guarantee.
Note: None of these booking sites check
SouthWest Airlines, and this airline will need to be checked separately. Which will probably be of importance to me considering SouthWest has recently bought AirTrans Airlines which has/had the most direct and least expensive for my local airports.
(more about finding airfare in a later post)
Travel Agents
In the constant changing world of Disney it will be beneficial for me to have some help in my endeavors. There are two travel agent companies that I have come across that specialize in Disney Travel and will updated your reservations to maximize your savings.
OLP Travel was the first travel agent I came across years ago and is more than happy to give you free quote and work for you for no charge (they work off hotel commission.) They also have many planing tool right on their site. The other agency I've found is
Small World Vacations they will also give you free quote; they also seem to be a bit more active with their customers, however there aren't many planing tools.
(will give a review which ever one I use)
To date this has been the cheapest place I have found for tickets. Also if you sign up for the mousesaver newsletter (see above) there is an extra savings on tickets.
RideMax and/or
Touring Plans
RideMax (90 days @ $18.95 or 1 year @ $29.95) is a full-on program that will give you an itinerary based upon the criteria you set. You pick the attractions you want to see in a given day it will tell you when to see them and in what order to maximize your time at Disney. So if you want to ride Dumbo 5 time in one visit it will give you the best 5 times to visit it. I used this program at Disneyland during the busy season and it made our trip great.
Touring Plans (free for basic; however, to make it useful though you'll want the subscription 1-year @ $10.95 35% off with the Unofficial Guide) gives you a plan to visit the park (and seems to be perfect for those who have not visited the park). These plans do not give you times but rather a step-by-step attack plan.
