The thought of visiting Disney World for the first time can be overwhelming. No need to worry, I'll give you some helpful tips that will make planning your visit a breeze. In case you didn't know, the Walt Disney World Resort includes 4 Theme Parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom), 2 Water Parks (Blizzard Beach & Typhoon Lagoon), and more than 20 Disney Resort hotels.

One of the first things you need to determine is what time of year you will visit. The best times of year to visit and avoid the crowds are:

After Labor Day through the week before Thanksgiving
The week after Thanksgiving to the week before Christmas
Late winter/early Spring (but avoid the week before Easter)
The last week of August (many schools start back up at this time and you'll find that the crowds will start to thin, the advantage of this time of year is that the parks are open the latest, during the other off-periods you'll find that the parks close much earlier).

My personal favorite time to visit is either during October, or the week after Thanksgiving. I love October becase the Epcot Food & Wine Festival is in full swing (a great time for any foodie), and all of the Halloween decorations are displayed throughout the parks. The week after Thanksgiving is ideal because the weather is starting to cool down, and all of the beautiful Christmas decorations are on display.

Once you know when you're going to visit, you can start planning where you're going to stay and what parks and activities you want to enjoy. There are a couple of websites that I highly recommend when planning a trip to Disney. One of the first places to visit is the Official Disney Website, www.disneyworld.com/planning. This site gives you information about pricing, resorts, park maps/hours, and even has a Mom's Panel that will answer your questions. The Disney website will walk you through the various types of resorts, vacation packages, and dining options. You will be able to view pictures of all the resorts and compare pricing.

A couple of other sites I recommend are www.allearsnet.com, and www.mousesavers.com. These sites will give you up to date information about events at the parks, resort and hotel reviews, restaurant menus, and how to purchase discounted park tickets.

There are always deals on the internet for Disney park tickets and Disney resorts & local hotels. The sites I mentioned above are great resources for these types of savings.

There is a lot to see and do at Disney World, which is why planning ahead can help make the actual trip more enjoyable. I would suggest that you decide which parks you want to visit and then take a look a the park maps to determine which rides/attractions are important to you--that way you will see everything that you REALLY want to see.

It's also a good idea to make dining reservations as early as possible (you can make them up to 90 days in advance of your trip). Most of the restaurants, especially character dining experiences, book up well in advance. A must for most children is Chef Mickey's, which is located at the Contemporary Resort. There are many character dining experiences, and you can find a listing of all of them on the Disney website.

Once you get to Disney World, make sure you wear comfortable clothing and shoes--there is a lot of walking involved. A hat & sunscreen are also good items to bring along--the Florida sun can be brutal at times.

The Disney "Cast Members", aka Employees, are highly visible and always available to assist guests with questions, directions, dining recommendations, etc.

The most important thing to remember is to relax and have fun. Disney World is one of the most magical places to visit, and it has something for everyone.

Good luck and have a great trip!!!!