Plan what time of year you want to travel to Walt Disney World. Even hard-core Disney fans try to avoid the heavy crowds, and the good news is that Disney offers resort discounts during the times of the year when park attendance is lower. Visiting Disney World in January, September and the first two weeks in December often means milder temperatures, smaller crowds and the best resort rates.
Stay on site at the Walt Disney World resort. Most of the themes and décor at the Disney resorts have little to do with Mickey Mouse or any of the animated characters. Disney's Polynesian Resort immerses guests in a Hawaiian paradise. The Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter Resorts give guests the feeling that they are in Louisiana. Although Hidden Mickeys have been subtly inserted into the terrain, there will be no portraits of the Mouse on your hotel room walls.
Guests enjoy free transportation throughout the resort by monorail, the Disney bus system or boat. The biggest perk of staying at a Disney resort is the Extra Magic Hours program, in which resort guests get additional hours of park admission.
Choose the attractions that appeal most to you. Cinderella and the princesses are mainly confined to Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom, with a few exceptions, which leaves the non-Disney fan the rest of the parks to enjoy. Disney Hollywood Studios is home to the Rock-n-Rollercoaster Starring Aerosmith and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Epcot Center has thrill rides such as Soarin' and Mission SPACE, all without a Mickey in sight. Epcot's World Showcase, with international pavilions that transport guests around the globe, might make you forget you are at Disney.
Visit Downtown Disney and Disney's Boardwalk. Downtown Disney's Marketplace and West Side provide guests with upscale dining, shopping and entertainment such as Cirque du Soleil and the House of Blues. The Boardwalk offers sports fans the ESPN Club, and Jellyrolls will have the over-21 crowd singing into the small hours of the morning.
Relax at Fort Wilderness, which provides guests with a wide range of outdoor experiences. Horse trails, water excursions, biking and camping are all available. Finish your day with the popular Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue dinner show, where diners enjoy buckets of ribs, fried chicken and good home cookin'.
Discover the cinematic and television attractions the parks have to offer. Animated classics such as "Toy Story" and "Finding Nemo" have attractions dedicated to them, but so do other non-Disney favorites. Disney's Hollywood Studios is home to Star Tours, an attraction based on the "Star Wars" series and even hosts "Star Wars" Weekends each spring. DHS also thrills guests with the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and gives guests the chance to try out their singing voices with the American Idol Experience.
Release your inner child and have your picture taken with Mickey just once. One of the best, and often least crowded, places to find Mickey is at Epcot's Character Spot in the Innovations West plaza. Guests can meet and greet the most popular Disney characters indoors in the air conditioning. Do it for the kids, or do it for the memory. Just do not underestimate the magical power of the Mouse himself.
