Disney Trip

My latest obsession has been planning for a Disney trip for the family to take place spring or summer 2007. We still have a bit of debt to repay from when I was a SAHM - but the plan is to completely repay that before we book the trip, and provided nothing unforseen comes up that shouldn't be a problem.

So far we've decided to take a 7-day land/sea vacation which will consist of 4 days on land visiting the parks at WDW and then get on a short 3-day cruise to Nassau and Castaway Cay. We are so excited! This is going to be the biggest/best vacation we have ever taken, and likely will ever take. We are splurging, but trying to be economical where we can - so if you have any tips about where to eat or how to save a bit on the little stuff that seems to add up on vacations - please share! :) Also DH has trouble with anxiety in stressful situations, so any tips on convenience about Disney in particular or vacations in general are also welcome. Of course I've already consulted the stitching community's WDW expert, Erin - and she was very helpful!

The package we are purchasing includes the cruise, the hotel during the land portion, and our tickets to the four major theme parks, so you'd think there would be little else to plan. You would be sooo wrong! The devil is in the details and we are still trying to decide when to go, whether to fly or drive, whether to rent a car, etc.

When to go is the biggest sticking point right now since we cannot officially book the trip until we decide that part. Of course rates are higher when the kids are out of school, so although I'd rather not take Alex out of school for a vacation - we probably will because the price difference is huge and with the crowds being a bit smaller and the weather a bit cooler that will help DH cope better. On the other hand, if we wait until summer, Katie will have turned 3 and will be old enough to participate in a lot of activities on the ship she cannot participate in while she is under 3. That will have the added benefit of allowing DH and I to do things on our own while she (and Alex) are busy with the kids activities. We wouldn't ship her off to the "kids club" for the entire trip anyway - but it would be nice to have an hour or two of alone time 2 or 3 times during the trip. :) Decisions, decisions!