How to Make your Disney Dream a Reality
Many dream about going to Disney World. However, too many people leave it as a dream and just accept that it won’t happen for them. I believe that if you want something you have to find a way to make it happen. Never give up on a dream. I have a few ways for how to make your Disney dream a reality. Such as, dream, plan, and save. In addition, I have created a free printable budget sheet.
Now, I have been dreaming of a Disney World vacation since 2000, ever since I stepped foot in Disneyland with my school choir for Magic Music Days. I had so much fun and was so sad when I left Disneyland on the last day. After that experience I had a desire to also experience Disney World. I ordered one of those free Disney World planning DVD’s and had fun watching it and dreaming of a Disney World trip.
Dream
“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”
Walt Disney
Everything starts with a dream. If you want to make something happen, dream about it and then take action. At times a Disney Vacation might seem unattainable. For that reason, dreaming is important. You won’t give up, if you remember what it is your working towards and have hope that it will happen. A good way to keep the dream alive is to create a dream board. Cut out pictures of Disney World and paste it onto a poster board.
Once I decided it was time to just make my Disney vacation a reality, it took three years to save up the money but I made a plan to make it happen.
Plan
Planning is important because until you know how much a Disney vacation will cost, you won’t know how much to save. First, figure out how many people will go on the trip. Get an estimate for all the trip expenses. Things like, airfare, car rental, food, tickets, hotel, and souvenirs. I have created a vacation budget worksheet to help.
To estimate the cost of hotel and park tickets, go to the Disney World website. There you can enter in dates and party size to see the different cost for each hotel. Walt Disney World has three different Resort tiers, Value, Moderate, and Deluxe Resorts. Also, it’s important to realize that the room price will change based on when you go. Once you pick a hotel, it will give the option to add park tickets. Then it will show the total cost for the hotel and tickets. However, that’s just if you plan on staying on property.
Staying on property comes with perks such as, Disney’s Magical Express. Which is Disney’s free bus transportation service, from the airport to the Resort. Moreover, you don’t have to pick up your luggage from the airport. They will collect it and take it to your room. However, the luggage delivery option is not currently available. Hopefully this will change once things go back to normal.
Meal Planning
The biggest expenses will be hotel, and park tickets. However, food can be a really big expense as well. Especially if your party size is bigger. Food at Walt Disney World cost a lot. Make sure to plan ahead where you will eat. That way you can get an estimate of food cost for your vacation. My favorite website for Disney restaurant menus is Allears.net.
As you can tell, planning a Disney World vacation takes time and research. But for me, that’s part of the fun and it keeps the dream alive. It’s very important to get an estimate of all the expenses you can think of. This will help you know how much to save.
Save
The next very important step for how to make your Disney dream a reality is to save. Money is one of the main reasons people never go to Disney World. If you save consistently a little bit every month you will eventually save enough to go to Disney World. You might be thinking, I never have money left over at the end of the month.
The first thing you should always do, is to set the vacation savings aside as soon as you get paid. Make a commitment that as soon as you get your paycheck a certain amount gets put into savings. Because if you wait until the end of the month, nine times out of ten you won’t have anything left.
Also, think about what expenses you can eliminate. Perhaps, eat out less. You can save a lot of money by cooking at home. Perhaps, you like to get things from the vending machine at work or you drink a soda each day. Dollars really do add up. Think about it, if you buy a 20 oz soda for $1.88 every day that’s $56 a month.
Also, if you can’t figure out what to eliminate, use a small notebook and for a month write down every time you buy something. You might be surprised by the results. Keep the notebook on you at all times so you don’t forget to write down a purchase. Once you have done that for a month, you will be able to see how much you spend a month on various items. Then you can choose what to cut back on.
The budget sheet I made will help you figure out how much money needs to be saved for the trip. Then, divide the total number of months before the vacation with the total trip cost. This will give you the amount that needs to be saved each month to achieve your goal. Don’t be discouraged if it takes five years to save enough because at the end of it is a Disney vacation. You will be closer to making your dream a reality then you were a few years before.
Travel
Once you have estimated the cost and saved money, it’s time for the vacation. It will be great, it will be fun. Make sure to enjoy it. There might be stressful moments. However, make sure to take in each moment. Don’t be so worried about getting everything done. Disney World has so many things to do, you will never get it all done. That’s why I made a printable for must do’s at Disney. To make sure to plan for the things that are most important to experience. Also, take lots of pictures. They will help you cherish the memories for years to come.
I hope this helps to make your Disney dream a reality. Just remember what Walt said.
“First, think. Second, dream. Third, believe. And finally, dare.”
Walt Disney
Your Thoughts
Any other suggestions? How would you make your Disney dream a reality? How long have you been dreaming of a Disney vacation? What is your favorite thing about planning a vacation?
