When my husband asked me to make a list of the things I am most excited for our upcoming Disney trip I don’t believe he expected the list he received. Everyone has heard about the most amazing things WDW has to offer. But – for those of us who have the opportunity to visit the parks on a regular basis – we have those special attractions, events, and areas of the park that we are super excited about for each individual trip. These often change, have unique reasons for our passion, and are sometimes surprising to people. While I share my excitement with you over the next few weeks, I also plan to blog through the pictures with some reasons for the pick and some tips that may help you as your plan your next visit to the parks.

We love to visit Walt Disney World! (Everyone we meet learns that pretty quickly.) Our situation is unique. We try to visit the parks as many times during the year as possible – we are season pass holders and DVC members – but we do not live very close to Orlando. This is the reason for #20 – The Walt Disney World Welcome Sign.

If you are considering a trip to the “Most Magical Place On Earth”, planning is just necessary. The days of blindly arriving at the park and stumbling into fast passes or an open reservation for a table service restaurant are all but gone. (Not totally impossible but incredibly, incredibly rare at least.) Planning for us has become part of the fun and excitement – and we love it. But for me, the trip does not FEEL real until I see that upcoming sign that signals we are now officially on Walt Disney World property.

 (Disclaimer – we use our own pictures for our social media sites – it is very hard to get an excellent picture of this sign because the “no stopping for pictures” rule is strongly enforced. So be prepared if you want a picture of your own as you begin your vacation!!)

If you are trying to decide whether you should stay on property for your vacation, we really recommend you check Disney’s website (or check with any of the numerous travel planners that you can find on Twitter) to get price quotes for any packages they may have available. There is something special about staying on property. (Not to mention, the convenience of having bus service, and the time saved if you are going to need to go back to your room for naps or to swim during the day.) Before we became DVC members (and we didn’t join DVC until after many years of visiting), we could find amazing deals through Disney that made it well worth staying on property. We also continued to check in with Disney to see if they had any new offers available before our trip. Most of the cast members really are wonderful to help you plan!!