Contents
Chapter 1: Peak Seasons- What are they?
Chapter 2: What to know before you go
Chapter 3: Choosing your resort
Chapter 4: Making the most of your time at the parks
Chapter 5: Disney Dining
Chapter 6: You’ve been to the parks- Now what?
Sample of the Preface:
“Walt Disney World is the number one family vacation destination in the world. Crowds flock to sunny Florida to soak up the rays and, with luck, a bit of pixie dust. Along with countless others, my family journeyed to this magical world with visions of Mickey and Minnie, a castle with real princesses, and rides that went beyond our imaginations. We waited excitedly for the big day when we would pass through the lands that promised us fantasy, the future, and adventure around every turn. What we found, however, was more of a world the Disney villains might have Imagineered. We encountered tremendous crowds, cranky parents, whining kids, enormous groups of teenagers, and more terrors than any tower could have caused. What we found were…the Peak Seasons.
Had this book been available in 2003, when my family made our first trek into Mickey’s home turf, perhaps I would have been prepared. Sure I had done some research at the local bookstore, but none of those guides truly captured the reality of a peak season. I never realized that the summer months are, for lack of a better term, crazy! However, somehow we still had fun even as we jostled our way through the stroller brigade, the blazing Florida heat, the “Johnny come lately” parade cutters, and resort pools so crowded we had to squeeze our way into the water.
In Walt Disney World Peak Seasons: Maximizing your Disney Vacation, I lay out these details. I want you to truly understand that although the parks may be at capacity, there is a way to maximize your vacation with very little headache. I will help you when you have to make the trip during the summer, Spring Break, or the Christmas season because of school schedules. Not everyone can pull their children out of school to go during the “off-season.” In a perfect world, we would go during January or September. Life isn’t perfect, and we have to go with what fits our daily lives. To us, and thousands of other families, that is a peak season.
Other tour books may devote a page or two to the summer or holiday seasons. These time frames are my main focus. My methods are quite different as well. I haven’t sent a hired staff into the parks to get information. We pack up the van, drive seventeen hours from Peoria, Illinois, and tour the parks with two young girls. I really do have a Disney Peak Season Family. With thirteen family trips to Walt Disney World under my belt since 2003, all during the summer, late December, and Spring Break, I have the knowledge and expertise to give you what you want when it comes to planning a peak season trip- the truth. The peak seasons may be intimidating, but I am living proof that it is possible to have a magical vacation despite the crowds.”
Sample of Chapter 3: Choosing your Resort
WDW Peak Season Advice
Do:
· Stay On-Property
· Take advantage of the perks of staying On-Property
· Utilize Extra Magic Hours
· Take a break in the afternoon to go back to your resort
· Return in the evening when others who stayed the whole day are exhausted and leaving.
· Use Disney Transportation to visit other resorts
· Use Disney Transportation as a fun way to break up your day. Ride in the monorail, ferry or boat to get a different view of Walt Disney World
Don’t:
· Stay off-site, at least not your first few visits
· Fall for the “Free Shuttle” and “Minutes from Disney” advertising you will see from off-site hotels
Sample of Chapter 4: Making the most of your time at the Parks
“In order to maximize your time at the parks, you must begin your strategy first thing in the morning. Get to the parks early! If you do not adhere to this, your trip will be set up for disappointment right from the beginning. Most books have touring plans and such, but the majority of these plans will not work during the peak seasons. Some offer the “commando style” touring approach that, unless you are a marathon runner, have no kids, or don’t care to actually enjoy Disney, work just fine. Who wants to have to race from ride to ride or stick to a strict schedule while on vacation…….
PRESS RELEASE FOR BOOK
HOW TO MAXIMIZE YOUR DISNEY VACATION
New Travel Guide Helps Disney Peak Season Dreams Come True
(Peoria, Illinois)-February 3, 2008
You want to take that dream vacation to Walt Disney World, but you are limited to the traditional school calendar. Your only options are Spring Break, Summer, and the Christmas Season. How will you maximize your Disney dreams during these peak seasons? In his newly released book, Walt Disney World Peak Seasons-Maximizing Your Disney Vacation , Scott Donahue has the plan for you. With tips on everything from resorts to restaurants to rides, Donahue has included everything you need to know in advance to have the best Disney vacation possible.
According to Donahue, it took thirteen peak season trips to Walt Disney World with his wife and two daughters to perfect the tips that will help those of us that have to travel when school is not in session. Because Scott and his wife are both teachers and his daughters are school-aged, they do not have the luxury of off-season vacationing. Rather than not taking the trips because the parks are “too crowded”, Scott decided to meet the crowds head on and prove that the time of year didn’t matter. All it takes is planning.
Walt Disney World Peak Seasons-Maximizing Your Disney Vacation contains in-depth descriptions on each of the peak seasons. It is filled with a wide variety of tips and hints for making the most of your time in the parks despite the higher crowd levels. His DO and DON’T lists provide advice for navigating the parks, making advance reservations, and what to do after you have conquered Expedition Everest, Space Mountain, and Mission Space. Anyone who has traveled to Walt Disney World during a peak season, with or without children, will understand how important these details can be.
DVC resale licensed broker Jaki Apetz of http://www.resalesdvc.com/ wrote:
“Wish this book had been available years ago. The information contained in it is highly useful to someone going to Disney regardless of whether it is peak season or not. The goal is to make your visit less stressful and the author’s valuable information certainly does that.”
Walt Disney World Peak Seasons-Maximizing Your Disney Vacation is now available on the Web through the official web site: http://www.wdwpeakseasons.com/. It may be ordered through http://www.amazon.com/ and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/.
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