Tips When Planning a Trip to Walt Disney World with Children

Recently I have had many people asking me for a few tips when planning a trip to WDW with children and so I have a few. We are always going and we love going but going with a child can be quite frustrating and with a child who has a disorder or has never been to a big amusement park before then follow these instruction on planning this trip! It will help not only the child but will make your trip more memorable.

1. Plan when to go when it will be less crowded. The first time I took Olivia was in May 2010 and it was not too crowded. I have been told that September, January, February, March and May are not too crowded at all. This will be so much easier for you and your child.
2. Get the Dining Plan and let your children help pick the restaurants. Getting the Disney Dining Plan was the best decision that we ever made! Olivia and I got the Regular Dining Plan when it was just she and I who went. The Regular Dining Plan includes 1 Table Service Meal Per Day, 1 Quick Service Meal Per Day, 1 Snack Credit per day, and 1 Refillable Mug. The Quick Service Meal Plan includes 2 QS Meals per day, 1 Snack credit per day and 1 Refillable Mug. And then there is the Deluxe Dining Plan (what we get now) which includes 3 Meals a Day (Can be used on QS or TS), 2 Snack Credits per day and 1 Refillable Mug. Now just to let you know that the dining plan is for each person in the group so this is a very good thing to get. We love getting the Deluxe Dining plan because at Lunch & Dinner we can order an appetizer and a dessert which is very nice as long as we eat at a table service. The only thing that you have to cover is the gratuity which I think is well worth it. The refillable mugs can be refilled now at any Disney World resort unlimited!
3. Check Online for Special Offers Disney Has. I always check online to see if Disney has any special offers going on. That will help me plan on when to go with Olivia as well. Planning a trip with a child can be quite difficult but getting a deal on it will help and having extra money in my pocket might help too. Sometimes Disney has special offers like Free Dining or Stay and Play for Free for the Kids. This might be a good time to take the children. 
4. If you want to keep the trip a surprise, make sure to plan a good reveal! We have only done a surprise on Olivia once and that was taking my mom with us to WDW with us last year and that was a hard secret to keep for a good 6 months. It was well worth it though. 
5. Make sure to pack plenty of clothes for the kids. When packing Olivia's suitcase for Disney World and for any trip I always get gallon sized Ziplock bags and put one full outfit in there. And that way when the clothes are dirty you have somewhere for the clothes to go into. Plus I have several extra outfits that I always pack to bring inside the park with us for an accident or if something gets dropped onto a shirt or she sits into something. Works perfect!
6. Plan on either taking a stroller or renting a stroller for WDW! I highly suggest either taking a stroller with you to WDW or renting a stroller for WDW! For the past several years we have taken a stroller with us and last year was the first year that we rented a stroller from Apple Strollers for a really cheap price. It was less hassle to deal with when packing the car and it was delivered to our resort we were staying at and picked up as well. Perfect! WDW is a lot of walking for anybody and for children who normally don't use strollers I highly using one or thinking about one. Olivia doesn't use one when we are at home but when at Disney World we are prone to having a lot of meltdowns with Olivia and it's better for us to have a stroller to control the meltdowns and for the end of the night when she passes out. 
7. Find a Resort that best fits your needs! Not your Wants! We have always stayed at Value Resorts while at Disney World and we plan on staying there this go round again. We find that they are more kid friendly and Olivia's favorite resort is Pop Century because of the Flower Pool! She loves it there and we have had a lot of memories there! The walls are paper thin but it's nice to go plus if you aren't going to be there in the room a lot then it just makes sense for us to stay in the value resorts. We have stayed at a moderate resort before and must say we loved it there too! We loved having the queen sized beds and the ceiling fan but the walks to the main pool were too long and it was a long walk to the central hub to get our drinks for the most part. Most of the time we had to catch the bus to the first bus stop to get off and get drinks. Was quite annoying at times when it was super hot or late at night. And we stayed two nights at Animal Kingdom Villas which is a Disney Vacation Club Resort (Deluxe Villas) and it was so nice. Definitely something for those who want to spoil or spend more time in the room!
8. Plan your Day's at Disney World! From the first time we went to Disney World, I started to plan our days, where we would go for the day, what restaurants we would eat at and so on. It not only helped out in keeping the day running smoothly but it helped keep the meltdowns at bay. To this day, I still plan where we will be and what restaurant we will eat at depending on which park we will be at. 
9. Allow your kids or spouse to get in on the planning! Let the kids and your spouse get in on the planning!
10. Just Have FUN Planning!!! Don't fret if nothing goes right it's your family vacation! Make Memories!!!!