Travel to Disney World...my review

We traveled to Disney World with 2 children. We booked the travel ourselves... so I thought I share some of the things I learned.

When to travel:
I learned June and December are their peak time. July and August are so hot and humid. We traveled during the low season which is end of October. During that time, Disney offered free dining when you stay 5 days 4 night. So, if your children are in school, check out the teacher conference day and plan around that time.

Transportation:
We booked our travel online through Walt Disney World . The provide free transportation from the Airport to the resort area and back. Disney also provide buses that runs on average every 20 min to the parks which is very convenient. The bus runs until 1 hour after the park closes.

If you want to go to downtown Disney, you need to catch the bus at a resort.
Disney Saratoga Springs Resort is the closest to Downtown Disney. You can walk from one of the bus stop to go to Downtown Disney.

Where to stay:
We originally want to take the most economical option, which is staying in Value Resort (Pop Century Resort). They had a special offer going on for free dining. If we up grade to Moderate Resort (Coronado Springs, Caribbean), we would get a Dining Plan which includes table service.
The table service is kind of nice because it includes dining with characters. The kids love them...
Ceteris paribus, we would have chosen the Value resort, a place to sleep at night as we plan to be at the park all day and a Dining Plan.

Where to dine:
I think Disney dining plan saves us some money. On average, water, ice cream, pop corn are about $4-$5 each. One entree like burger, pizza is about $9-$10 plus you need drinks and may be dessert. One entree for table service is about $20, depending on the restaurant you go, plus drinks and dessert. Disney dining plan gives you points to spend and is very convenient. If you have a budget, I think it's a good plan to go. But remember, you still need to pay for the tips.
You can learn more about Disney dining plan.
It's highly recommended to make a reservation for dining with characters. We booked ours one months before the trip and it's almost gone.

Parks:
You can get a fast pass on certain rides. You come to the ride, swipe your ticket and it tells you what time to come back with minimal wait time. In the mean time, you can do something. The draw back is you can only get 1 fast pass at the time. Say if you get a fast pass at 2:06, you can not get the next fast pass for a different ride until 2:06.

We went to all 4 parks. Every parks has our own favorite. At Disney Hollywood, you should not miss Midway Mania. You sit in a ride and try to shoot the most point.
At Disney Animal Kingdom, "It's tough to be a bug" is our favorite. It's a 3D move with effects. Don't miss the surprise at the end of the show...
At Disney Magic Kingdom, Monster Inc Laugh floor is an interactive show.
At Epcot center, Soaring is our favorite. Try to get the fast past early. We got in at around 11 and the fast pass was at 7.

Fun activity for tween?
Try Kim Possible at Epcot. It's a scavenger hunt with technology. They could "control" some special features in every "World" using the cell phone.

Do I need a park hopper?
It depends. We spent one park a day. With small children, they walk slow, they need to go potty, they wan to eat... now... there are so many things that would slows you down.
If you want to hop parks, you may want to consider that you may need about 40 minutes plus for the bus. Twenty minutes for waiting (in case you just missed the bus) and about 20 minutes or so for the ride, depending on the distance.

Where to shop:
There are big stores (Emporium- Magic Kingdom, Mouse Gear - Epcot) in each parks that sells many Disney theme merchandises and many small booths that located almost every where and there's some specialties store tailored for each theme at the end of the ride or show. Say, we went to see Nemo show, the would have Nemo themed items in that store but not in the other place.
Disney Downtown is another place you should not miss. If you have a certain merchandise you want ( I was looking for a Nerd backpack ), ask the shop keeper as other stores in a different place may carry it.

Where do I get the Disney beanie custom ear hat:
Magic Kingdom, Le Chapeau. When you get in the park, it's one of the very first stores, across The Emporium. If you are facing the castle, it would be on the right hand. They have lots of choices. You can even pick and choose the beanie, the ears, the name... sky is the limit...
Don't expect to see a person with a sawing machine doing the custom name like used to be. It's now all computerized. You can choose 3 different fonts from "traditional" or "fun" or "script". Don't forget to mail your Disney postcards. The mail box is in front of the Emporium.

Some disappointment:
We ordered cake 48 hrs before to be delivered to the restaurant. I expected that the restaurant would know about this. They actually did not and didn't have the cake we ordered. So, I miss my birthday cake.

Everything is so spread out... which means it takes time to get to one place to another. Every morning, we need to walk for 10-15 minutes before we get to the main building for breakfast.

When is a good age to go?
It depends... The more important is your youngest should be at least about 44" and taller... There are rides that is limited to small children. So, he or she may miss the ride while one of you must wait with the smaller child(ren) who can't ride.

My two cents:
Do you really have to go to Disney? It depends....
When you go to Disney parks, you could see it as going to a theme park. Unless your children are so into Princesses and other Disney characters, any theme park should do.

I do believe Disney parks have a little bit of everything. Theaters, shows, rides, food... experience that cater to all ages. I think that's nice considering not everyone are into rides.

If you go to all parks, stays at Disney resort and all meals at the parks or resort plus transportation... it is an expensive trip that you probably have to save before you go. So, it's somewhat true it's a place where a dream (to go to Disney) comes true...

Wouldn't you agree?