There are few things more exciting for a family than planning a vacation at the Magic Kingdom and spend a few days just bonding and enjoying themselves. Before you pack your bags, a bit of planning is necessary if you want to make the experience a truly memorable one for the entire family.
1. Start with the Budget
The last thing you want after the vacation is a pile of unpaid bills, so before you go, create a budget (a spreadsheet program will come in handy) and use it to track every expense you incur. Remember to put everything in it such as souvenirs you buy, tickets, food, drinks, and hotel fees and so on.
2. Don’t Use Borrowed Money
It’s best to pay for the family vacation with cash rather than credit card or by loaning money from a bank, since you’ll have to pay for it anyway plus interest. While you may have to wait a while to save enough cash for the vacation, you’re better off doing this than paying the interest later on when you could have avoided it. Another option is to charge the cost of your vacation to a card that offers points and then pay for it immediately from an account that bears interest.
3. Know Where to Go
What this means is you should schedule your visit when the theme park isn’t too crowded. The best times are weekdays during the school calendar year, although the peak times can vary depending on the place. Regardless of which park you decide to go to, visit during the morning before the park opens so you get the chance to get on as many rides as you want without waiting in line.
4. Try the Onsite Hotel Perks
While staying at a theme park’s onsite hotel may cost more, you’ll get some privileges and perks that aren’t available elsewhere. For instance, some amusement parks offer free bus services to and from your hotel to the airport and they will even get your luggage from the airline, a really convenient service. Some of these amusement parks also provide their hotel guests with extra visiting hours, a nice way to get on a few more rides.
Universal Studios in Orlando offers their onsite hotel guests something even cooler- and that is you don’t have to wait in line for the attractions in the park. So while you will be paying for staying in the hotel, you’ll get additional benefits, so you need to work it out and decide if it’s worth it.
5. Don’t Make Unnecessary Purchases
If there’s only going to be one rule you’ll want to follow when planning a theme park vacation, it would this: don’t buy anything in the park that you can purchase outside of it. And while you’re planning make sure that you buy ahead all the essentials such as refillable water bottles, baby supplies, bandages, pain relievers and other stuff you think are necessary. And don’t forget waterproof bags so your phone doesn’t get wet in a water ride.