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Are you visiting Walt Disney World in the near future? You choice of accommodations will play a large role in having an affordable Disney vacation. Knowing all your options will help you make the best choice for your family and your budget.

As you make a choice on where you will stay on your Disney World vacation, you should consider several things: the time of year you are visiting, the size of your family, and whether you will need transportation while there.

You will find that the busiest times of the year, like the summer, holiday weekends, and Christmas/New Years are also the most expensive for the Disney resort properties, and these rooms will typically be booked far in advance. So for peak seasons, or on short notice, you may find off-Disney properties to be least expensive.

The size of your family also plays a role, since if you have a number of children that will require more than one motel room, you may find that a larger “suite”, villa, or rental home may be less expensive than renting multiple rooms.

Also think about your transportation needs: how will you get to and from the parks? If you stay on a Disney property you can use their resort transportation. But if you stay off-site, then you will need to see if your hotel/motel offers a park shuttle. If not, then budget for a rental car.

Let’s look now at your accommodation options at Walt Disney World.

More and more families are turning to vacation homes or condos for their Disney World vacation. This type of property will allow more space for your family, typically sleeping from 4-16 people. If your family requires multiple hotel rooms, this option will mean a cost savings for you. Plus, with access to a kitchen, you will be able to prepare and eat in for some meals if you wish, which will also save you money.

Off-site properties can also be a great way to help have an affordable Disney vacation. Non-Disney hotels/motels will probably cost less, and possibly a good deal less than what you would pay for a Disney World resort property. To make certain that this is truly the most economical option for you, see if the off-property hotel you are considering offers things like free breakfast, or free park shuttles or will you need to rent a car?

What about Disney World resort properties? Disney typically offers a number of “perks” to their resort guests that can make this the most affordable choice for you in some circumstances. You will not have to worry about transportation as Disney’s Magical Express buses will transport you to and from the airport, and their extensive resort transportation system will get you to the theme parks…saving you quite a bit of money. Plus Disney offers “Extra Magic Hours” which provides you more time in the parks than non-resort guests. And with the regular promotions that Disney offers, you may find that a Disney vacation on-site can actually be extremely affordable.

Once you choose, before booking, make sure to compare your pricing options, whether you stay on or off Disney property. It is not unusual to get a better price from websites like Expedia and Travelocity, than the one you are quoted by Disney or the off-site hotel. Also be sure to check for discounts through groups like AAA and AARP. If you are a teacher, ask about discounts as well: the Walt Disney World Swan and Walt Disney World Dolphin often have teacher promotions.

Researching and comparing all of your options for where to stay will insure that you make the most economical choice, and actually have a very affordable Disney vacation.

Nancy Bobby has been traveling to Disney World for over a decade. Her most useful resource to save hundreds of dollars on a Disney vacation has been the Ultimate Disney World Savings Guide. Get help with your own affordable Disney family vacation and get her free Disney vacation guide at her website www.theaffordablemouse.com.

If you are planning your first visit to Walt Disney World, congratulations! You will be visiting one of the most “magical” vacation destinations there is, filled with literally hundreds of attractions, rides, restaurants, hotels and events. Feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of trying to figure out how to start planning this wonderful vacation? This article will focus on some of the very first things you need to do before you book anything. Doing your research is central to planning the most affordable Disney family vacation.

If you can, start planning at least 6-9 months before you think you want to visit. And then determine when you will go. The best way to do this is to think about your comfort level with things like crowds and weather. To illustrate: if you don’t like crowds, you should not plan a visit during the most crowded times of the year like Christmas, Thanksgiving, spring breaks, or the summer. And if you hate hot/humid weather, stay away from Florida during the summer!

The next thing you will want to do is figure out what you and your family want to see and do while at Disney World. Seem strange? Believe it or not, you will find it helpful to know at this point in your planning, which parks you will be spending most of your time at, or if there are any special events you will want to attend. By looking at this early in the process, you can then plan your trip to take advantage of this information.

To do all this, good planning guides are important to give you an overview of what you can see and do at the parks. I have two favorite planning sources:

1. The Disney World website is a great place to start. as you can order their free planning DVD. To do this, you need to sign up for a log-in, which I recommend that you do. You will then be sent a lot of Disney vacation planning information, as well as be emailed special offers and promotions.

2. The Ultimate Disney World Savings Guide, which is an e-book written by a former Disney castmember. Not only is it filled with tons of great park information, it has a number of excellent strategies for saving some serious money.

Since you now know when you will be there and what you want to do, you will want to see how long your Disney vacation will be. Once you see how much available vacation leave you have, and check your work/school schedules, you will then need to determine how long you will need to see everything on your list. This relates somewhat to the original discussion about the time of year you will be visiting Disney World. If you will be there during Florida’s hot summers, or the most crowded times of the year, you should plan for additional time: more people or park breaks to cool off will result in it taking longer to see everything. The same applies to if you are bringing little ones, as you will want to add in extra break time for them as well.

Now the most-asked question usually is, how long will it take to see and do “everything” at each of the parks? In my opinion, you should plan for at least 5 full days to completely see all four parks. And you should add more time if any of the above conditions apply to you.

The last thing to decide before you book anything is, how much can you afford to spend? If you want to plan an affordable Disney family vacation, this is probably the most important step, as having a budget in mind at the very beginning will help keep your costs down. It is important to be honest with yourself and be realistic. Not having an extravagant budget does not mean you can’t have a fabulous vacation!

When you are going, what you want to see, how long you will stay, and what you can afford…these are the things you need to know at the very beginning. Once you do, then you can proceed to booking your vacation, and can look forward to having a fantastic and affordable Disney family vacation.

Discover how you can save hundreds of dollars on a Disney vacation with the Ultimate Disney World Savings Guide. For help planning your own affordable Disney family vacation and to receive a free bonus guide filled with Disney vacation tips and strategies, be sure to visit www.theaffordablemouse.com.