Tips about Planning and Transportation

It has been many years since our first trip but I wanted to share a very valuable tip. Before you go, log onto Disney's website and order or print the park maps and study them extensively before your trip. I had read about the crowds and knew that if we didn't half way know where we were going, we would be lost. I studied the routes to the rides that we wanted to ride first, the restaurants we wanted to eat at and of course where the bathrooms were located. These parks are huge and knowing which way to start was super helpful. - Mindy

Our friends at ALL STAR Vacation Homes send in these tips to remember when booking a vacation home:

-- Verify that the vacation rental services and facilities are reliable. Look for third-party endorsements on vacation rental websites and membership in industry associations, including AAA, Better Business Bureau, Vacation Rental Managers Association, local conventions and visitors bureaus or other tourism and vacation rental management groups. It is also helpful to read guest reviews, comments and testimonials and listings on guest review websites.

-- Review the terms and conditions of the rental agreement carefully. If you have any questions, be sure to inquire prior to reserving a home.

-- Only make reservations over a secure website or phone system that has the ability to accept major credit cards. You should expect to make a security or a reservation deposit.

-- Consider and inquire about travel insurance. Many professional management companies offer travel insurance to provide coverage should any unexpected or last minute emergencies cause a change to your travel plans.

-- Check for guest service contact. The vacation rental company should provide an emergency contact number that you can call at any time for maintenance issues, questions and guest services.

-- Choose a vacation home managed by a professional management company. Vacation rentals managed by a professional management company ensure quality and consistency, and present a variety of hospitality services, including professional cleaning and concierge services. Look for an "About Us" section on the vacation rental website for an established company history.

Don't get stuck in the dark like we did. We rented a car for our honeymoon in Florida. We picked it up during the day. When night fell we were trying to navigate by map. Our dome light in our car did not work. So our next trip we will not forget to bring a small flashlight or most smart phones have a flashlight app. - Jennica McCoy Chryst

For those using Disney's Magical Express (DME) service, know in advance how many yellow Magical Express luggage tags you will need. If you plan on bringing two or more bags per person, let DME know when booking your reservation. They only sent me one tag per person about 30 days prior to our trip, when I needed two per person. - Jessica Brogley

A great way to psych yourself up for an upcoming trip to the World is to save your AllEars® newsletters for later reading. I've spent the last few weeks "catching up" on the latest Disney news in preparation for our upcoming trip. They help keep the Magic alive in the meantime, and are invaluable in terms of tips and information before you go! I, for one, can never get enough Disney information, and being able to read my newsletters one after the other is a wonderful treat when it feels like the Disney countdown isn't moving fast enough! - Karen P. Jordan

EDITOR'S NOTE: Thanks, Karen, both for the positive feedback, and for giving us a chance to shamelessly promote AllEars®!

Here's a tip for UK guests -- If you need to phone Disney to make reservations (restaurants, dessert parties, etc.), try phoning the US telephone number direct using Skype, as this is much cheaper than landline or mobile calls to USA. - Nicky

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is actually a good tip for US vacationers, too. If you use Skype or some other VOIP (voice over internet protocol) service, you can avoid a lot of long-distance charges.

Relatives of ours didn't hire a car before they set off on holiday from the UK. They decided to rent a few days into their holiday. They went to book through the USA website for a large rental firm, but then decided to check the prices on the UK site. They found it was cheaper to book through that, despite being in the USA themselves at the time. - Louise from the United Kingdom

I LOVE your YouTube videos. I watch them a lot -- especially when I am missing Disney World, and want to go right now! I'm not sure how many of your readers know that you have this channel on youtube. But I think it'd be a great "tip" or comment to make! I love your website and appreciate all the work you put into it. We go to Disney every year, and this site is my first site for planning, and for just keeping in touch with my favorite place in the world! - Melissa

EDITOR'S NOTE: Thanks for giving us a chance to plug our YouTube.com channel here, Melissa! You can see all of AllEars.Net's videos, covering a wide array of Disney subjects, at: http://www.youtube.com/allearsnet

After reading the tip in a recent newsletter about utilizing Google Docs for planning purposes, I thought that I'd share, too. I utilize Microsoft OneNote for Disney (and other) trip planning. OneNote is included in the Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition, as well as the higher-end Office editions. I have tabs for an overall trip calendar (generated from MS Outlook), travel itineraries for my husband and me, as well as our two adult children (traveling from different cities), Roman Catholic mass times, dining reservations, park operating hours, and that ever-useful Miscellaneous tab. I then set the Notebook to be shared via MS SkyDrive (Hotmail addresses and the like) and our kids can pull up whatever information I have culled for the trip, as well as dining reservations. OneNote has a newly released iPad specific app, as well as an iPhone App (alas, I have an Android phone. But the Android Disney Parks app is terrific!). All your information available to you at your fingertips! - Cel V.

I am currently planning a trip to WDW for a large group of 15. With crazy schedules and one family living in another state, it's hard for us to get together to plan. In order to include everyone in on the planning, I am using Google Docs (http://docs.google.com/). They are easy to set up, easy to share with others (via email) and allow everyone to edit/add to the document. I just ask everyone to use a different color font when using it. We have three docs going: one to plan where we need ADRs, one to discuss special events/activities that we may or may not want to do, and one that is a to-do list (dates to purchase tickets, reservations, make ADRs...). As we get closer to the trip, I'll probably add another doc for our itinerary (with reservations written in) to allow people to comment on it and make suggestions. - Cate

On a recent trip to WDW, we stayed at the brand new Wyndham Grand Orlando in Bonnet Creek... However, we found out that when some non-Disney hotels include "scheduled transportation" to the parks, it doesn't always mean that the buses run every 20 or 30 minutes as the Disney resorts and Disney Springs member hotel buses do. The shuttle from the Wyndham Grand only went to and from the parks two or three times PER DAY! Just beware that if you want the convenience of being able to head to the parks (or head back from the parks to your hotel) whenever you choose without renting a car, stay at at a Disney-owned hotel or one of the Disney Springs member hotels that run several shuttles per hour to and from the parks. Otherwise, if you intend to stay at a hotel with less convenient transportation options, consider renting a car so you can still come and go as you please. - Jeff Hogan

On a recent trip to WDW, we stayed at the brand new Wyndham Grand Orlando in Bonnet Creek... However, we found out that when some non-Disney hotels include "scheduled transportation" to the parks, it doesn't always mean that the buses run every 20 or 30 minutes as the Disney resorts and Disney Springs member hotel buses do. The shuttle from the Wyndham Grand only went to and from the parks two or three times PER DAY! Just beware that if you want the convenience of being able to head to the parks (or head back from the parks to your hotel) whenever you choose without renting a car, stay at at a Disney-owned hotel or one of the Disney Springs member hotels that run several shuttles per hour to and from the parks. Otherwise, if you intend to stay at a hotel with less convenient transportation options, consider renting a car so you can still come and go as you please. - Jeff Hogan

Buy a thin wallet that fits in your shorts pocket to hold your Disney cards, Fastpasses, and money, then buy an antibacterial lotion that clips to your belt. You can then go right through the no bags line at the park entrances. It saves you waiting in another line. - Michelle

My wife and I have been visiting the World from the UK for the last 10 years. I have never driven, as we both prefer the hassle-free option of resort and Lynx bus systems. We were here in May for the Flower and Garden Festival and were dismayed to discover that Lynx had changed their system of discount fares for disabled passengers. They now require you to travel to the main bus depot in downtown Orlando to apply for a photo ID -- not a realistic option for an out-of-town visitor. As we were coming back in October for the Food and Wine Festival, I emailed Lynx headquarters asking if they would accept my photo ID from the UK. After two emails I got a very nice reply telling me they would accept my ID. They told me to show it along with the email to their drivers and they would give the discounted travel fare. - Paul

Just want to add one note about car rental regarding the Sunpass. We have Fast Lane, the New England version, which can be used in other states. When we go away we bring it with us, and once the car is rented, simply log into our account on the Fast Lane website and add the rental car to our account. Get the benefits of zipping through the autolane without the rental company's fees. - Mike B.