Many people may find planning their trip to Disney World very confusing, but planning is the key to making the most of your time and budget. To start, the first thing to do is to decide when you would like to go to Disney World. Typically, the most crowded period is the summer season along with the major holidays such as the Christmas, New Year, and spring breaks. Basically anytime kids are out of school. The least crowded period of the year is January to February (up till the President's Day) and September to November.

If you are concerned about the weather, Disney World has a pleasant climate most of the year, but Orlando can be very hot and very humid during summer. The fall is cooler and winter varies from downright cold to good enough for swimming. Spring is warm, and may become hot at times.

Now that you have decided when to go to Disney World, the next thing to decide is if you are going to stay on-site at a Disney World property or off-site.

The Disney on-site options are very convienent and have many advantages. They have also become more affordable, with the addition of the All Star Resorts. Rooms at these resorts are the smallest in the Disney property, but are extremely comfortable and adequately furnished for a family of four. The room rates vary from $79.00 to $99.00, depending on the room location and time of the year. Other advantages of staying on a Disney property include:

Free parking for your car.

Depending on the resort, you can purchase a "resort mug" that will allow you to get free drinks (excluding alcohol) from the resort for the duration of your stay.

Anything bought in the parks can delivered directly to your room for free.

Free transportation to all of the Disney . Disney transportation tends to be more frequent and reliable than transportation provided by off-site hotels.

Extra Magic Hours ? depending on the day - the major theme parks open early for resort guests, or are open later for Disney Resort guests only.

Character breakfasts can be booked allowing you to dine with Disney's most popular characters including Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald etc, not only in theme park restaurants, but also in many of the resort restaurants.

Off-site resorts, on the other hand, can offer a larger variety of options. You can find some really good deals and save money. Hotels with suites and even house rentals are available in the area and are a great option for large families and families traveling together. If you do stay off-site, a car rental is a must. Although most of the hotels provide shuttle facilities, a one-way trip to Disney World may take up to 75 minutes. Moreover, by the time you get into the bus, it may just get too crowded, making the journey too uncomfortable for you. Keep in mind that even if you rent a car, you have to fight the heavy traffic on your way and pay to park at the theme parks.

So how do you decide? Choose five hotels that fall within your budget and list what requirements are important to you. From this list a top choice should emerge. Generally, for families with young children and first timers, I would recommend staying on-site. For large families, those with older children, or those that plan to do more things in the area other than Disney, there are many off-site properties that would probably meet your needs.