Some people think that planning a trip is half the fun.

ashw100 (aka, Ashley) is one of those people. In this pre-trip report she describes in detail her planning for a 2015 Walt Disney World trip for her, her husband and their three little kids.

What’s amazing about this report is the level of detail Ashley goes into. Seriously, if you have a young family and are considering a trip to Walt Disney World, this is a must read. Especially as Ashley is attempting to plan a trip on a budget (or at least, that’s the original plan) and so offers several great tips that would no doubt be useful for other families.

I also found this part particularly interesting:

I never considered flying because I knew this would kill my budget. … I remembered that my husband had miles with Delta. His miles would cover most of the fees but, we would have to pay $500 out of pocket. This was a huge deal. Not only were we saving money but, saving a bunch of time as well. … I sat on the computer for an hour picking the best flight options and re-calaculating. When I went to book, it wouldnt let me use the miles. I read the rules on using miles and our trip was in line with that, there were no blackout dates, and before I went to purchase it told me how many miles I could use. I was so frustrated … I decided to check Southwest just for fun and saw that they had flights to Tampa for $768. That just seemed too good to pass up, and I have found some amazing deals for a rental car under $200.

Isn’t that interesting. Are you listening Delta? Make it too difficult to use miles and the average traveler will simply take their business elsewhere.

Just saying.

Back to the topic at hand though. Ashley’s accounting of her Walt Disney World trip planning, and the challenges that arise along the way, is riveting reading. And it’s also interesting to read a pre-trip report in that others are able to chime in with great advice that Ashley’s family can take use to better their trip.

And, of course, it’s oddly fascinating for those of us who aren’t as “into” Disney to peek in on those who are. And yes, Ashley and her husband qualify as, even though they have young children, they themselves are planning to take an anniversary trip to the Magic Kingdom later – without the kids.

Read the thread in its entirety: Second star to the right and straight on til morning