Going on a vacation to Disneyland? Whether it’s a family vacation or a trip with friends, a visit to Disneyland is always cause for excitement. What better way to make sure your visit is perfect than with proper planning? Planning is a big part of having an awesome Disney vacation and you should never be too sure or too busy to make time for it. Here’s how: Timing is important. Plan your Disney vacation during a time when weather is comfortable and friendly. The summer may not be the best choice of all because it’s usually hot and humid. And then there are those unpredictable summer storms that appear out of nowhere. Spring is usually the loveliest time of the year to visit or maybe October to have an awesome Disney vacation.

If you want to avoid the crowd, late November and early December will usually have smaller-than-usual number of visitors. You’ll love the short lines and short waiting time to get to the rides and entertainment. But if summer is the only time you can go, don’t worry you can still have an awesome Disney vacation. There will be a lot of people, but Disney is quite efficient and effective in handling big crowds to make sure you will have an awesome Disney vacation.

Book ahead of time. It’s only logical to get your bookings way ahead. Call your travel agent or your favorite airline and get your reservations in place. That way you can schedule your flight at a time that is best for you and you will surely have an awesome Disney vacation. You should also get in touch with the hotel where you will be staying. If you’re going during peak seasons, you might have trouble finding a vacant room, so make sure you call ahead of time. Your airline and hotel might even throw in a good early bird discount.

Have a budget. Disneyland has dozens of wonderful places to go and visit and thousands of reasons to make you want to spend. A family of four will spend about $1,600 for a week of fun, including hotel room and entrance tickets if you buy during value season. If staying offsite seems less expensive, check out the hotels that are conveniently located. Figure in your expenses for meals, gas and a rental car. You have lots of options, so make sure to shop around to have an awesome Disney vacation.

Learn about Disneyland. Disneyland has four amazing places you can go to on a vacation: Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and MGM Studios. All of these means there are a lot of things you can do in so many places… and a lot of money to spend on souvenirs and gifts. That is why it’s important that you learn about Disneyland, what it offers and what you want to do to have an awesome Disney vacation.

Find out about the most popular rides and entertainment and the times during the day when they are packed. You can avoid long queues by knowing which rides have more crowds and which rides don’t. To have an awesome Disney vacation, it’s also important that you learn what time the park opens (so you can go in early) and what time it closes. The water parks are quite popular and will have long queues by noontime. Animal Kingdom closes early so you might want to schedule your visit early during the day.

Take it easy. There are so many things to see and you can’t realistically enjoy them all in one day. A great thing to do is to go to the parks early, take the most popular rides and go back to take a rest in your hotel or resort at noon time when the sun is hottest. When you are well rested and refreshed, return to the parks in the late afternoons or early evening. Better yet, learn to use common Disney tools such as the transportation system and Fastpass strategically to ensure you will have an awesome Disney vacation.

Enjoy yourself. Learn to improvise. You’re there for an awesome Disney vacation and with so much happening at the same time; something just might not go as well as planned. If this happens, relax. Don’t let a small glitch ruin your Disney vacation. Have fun with your family and enjoy an awesome Disney vacation.