The best way to get started with your Disney vacation is to visualize how you want the trip to end, what is your ultimate goal? It is to enjoy time with your family? Get away from the office? Relax? Spoil the grandchildren? What is it that you want remember at the end of the trip, what are those objectives?

Why ask this question, you may ask. The reason is that many people have bought into the great marketing that the Walt Disney Company kicks out every holiday. Then they save all year, work overtime, and then spend what amounts of a life’s savings on a weeklong trip; spend even more then they had saved so they can enjoy all of their hard work; and then have their child have a melt-down at 3pm on the first day! But since we’ve spend all this money, worked so hard, traveled so far, we drag out family militaristically through the park – because we’re at Disneyland, we have to have fun!

Or here is another scenario… half way through the day your child just rode Autopia for this very first time, and they loved it… they ask to go again. You just waited in a 45 minute line and this was your second ride so far. The reality is that if you tell them, “if we have time later” – it typically doesn’t happen. Why? Because Disneyland is so expansive, over their 100+ acres that even with 5 days in Disneyland, you still will not have time to experience everything. So typically, there is “no time later”… But, if you’re there as a family – then another time through the ride would be a great memory for them – and it can be great family time together in line.

Another tip we’ll share later centers directly over the vacation or relaxation part of a Disneyland vacation. Many people think it will be relaxing, but the only way for this to be true is if you intentionally make it this. There are many things which are vying for your attention that, if you let it, will consume all of your available time. If you want a Disney vacation to be relaxing, it can be, but just decide that up front and later we’ll share how this can become reality.

Finally, understand what can realistically be accomplished and you’ll have a great time. I recently took a trip with my son (17 months) and our 6 year old friend – yes, a boy’s trip to Disneyland. It was for exactly 24 hours (travel time included). We had an absolutely amazing, fantastic trip – spent only about 10 hours in the park any everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Tyler loved the fact that he got to drive the Autopia cars twice, experience snowfall, and fight Darth Vader on stage after being selected as a Jedi Padawan. Fantastic trip, very short, but met our expectations.

From Blue Bayou restaurant in New Orleans Square at Disneyland

It’s back, I just got this offer in the mail today:

Book a Disneyland® Resort vacation package and get one FREE* child’s airfare on select flights for each paid adult traveling with your party when you travel to the Disneyland® Resort through June 17, 2009. Book your vacation by May 31, 2009.

More information at www.disneyland.com/ckff

Just some quick thoughts on the new Disney Official Fan Community called D23. A lot has been said about the value of this new program and some people love it, and others are questioning the value… Here is my quick reactions:

• Initial reaction: this has the potential to be something great – Disney just needs to not mess up a great idea!
• It’s about time that an official fan site becomes available
• The price at the moment does appear to be a bit expensive for the limited number of benefits, and really only provides value if you are going to use everything you have access to
• However, all of the details are not known yet — the mystery gift will have  a large barring on the value

But here is the my rant…

• About half of the things offered by this new club was already in existence under the annual pass – so, while the annual pass has had it’s value decreased, and then eventually repackaged as a separate package to purchase doesn’t sound right — almost like raising the price on something, only later to put it on sale (back to the original price) but now calling it a sale. Beyond that, there are a bunch of other programs which offer various benefits, many of which overlap to some degree.
• What would it look like if we really kept it simple. Let’s return to just the annual pass and pour more benefits into the annual pass. I wonder how many people who purchase D23 already have an AP?
• Realize that each new program which comes out and has overlapping value, actually decreases their individual value over time… let see if I can make this a bit more clear: the annual pass provides a bunch of benefits, including discounts at restaurants and merchandise (which is part of the value of the AP); but then there is the Disney Visa Card (which isn’t the best card out there, but) provides similar discounts; and then there is the Disney Vacation Club — and how much do you want to bet that this will include discounts. Now, individually if you just had one, they might add up to be significant. But when I have the Disney Visa Card, the AP and now D23 — those small discounts become insignificant.
• Sooo instead of a bunch of programs, how about just one or two programs – and pour value into the AP, instead of fragmenting the value (and decreasing individual value, yet maintaining the cost)…

Just my thoughts… I am curious to see what comes out as this comes near.

Simply a quick shout out to Mickey Mouse has he celebrates his 80th birthday. Boy, does he look great for his age!!!