Disney doesn’t want you to be spontaneous. It wants to lock you into a timetable so you never have a chance to spend money elsewhere in town. Don’t believe the system is rigged? One Disney Parks president was frank about the tactic in Bloomberg Businessweek: “If we can get people to plan their vacation before they leave home, we know that we get more time with them. We get a bigger share of their wallet.” The result: Researching a Disney vacation can feel more involved than learning the federal tax code, and some guidebooks can be as fat as bricks. But this book boils it down without getting stuck in planning quicksand.
Excessive pre-planning isn’t fun. Too much research is stressful and spoils the delight of Disney’s many surprises. If you’re not careful, you’ll spend half your time at Disney hunched over your smartphone, battery dwindling, trying to keep up with your own plan. And at the end, you’ll need a vacation from your vacation. That’s where the Frommer’s EasyGuide comes in. This is the guidebook for the rest of us—for those of us who refuse to turn a Disney vacation into a part-time job.
The routes suggested here, loose enough to let the magic in, prioritize what’s worth seeing and when. Observe the basic park patterns and you’ll do just fine. These itineraries assume mild lines (so, not peak season), and if you would like to try a specific table-service restaurant, it’s imperative you arrive with reservations, particularly for Cinderella’s Royal Table and Be Our Guest.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
