The most important part of budget travel to Disney World is advance planning. Research and book your transportation, accommodations, meal plans, character dining, and theme park tickets as far in advance as possible for maximum savings - and to make your visit is more pleasant.

Let’s start with air travel to Orlando and hotel. Airfares and hotel rates are least expensive from mid-January through February and September to October. It pays to research and compare.

Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground accommodates everything from RVs to tents; rates start at $41 US per night. The value resorts (Disney’s Pop Century and Disney’s All-Stars Movie, Music and Sports) have rooms as low as $82 a night, and the moderate resorts (Disney’s Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, Port Orleans French Quarter and Riverside) have rooms starting at $145. (These prices are for what Disney calls its “value season,” as opposed to peak season; the next value season begins Aug. 5 for those resorts and July 29 for the campground.)

One advantage to staying at a Disney property is access to extra Magic Hours. Each day, one of the parks opens early or stays open later for resort guests only.

Disney’s Magic Your Way package runs less than $1,600 US for a family of four staying six nights, seven days, at a value resort, and includes theme park tickets. For vacation packages, call 407-939-7675.

The Disney resorts also offer Disney’s Magical Express, which consists of free round-trip transportation from Orlando International Airport, with baggage delivery. Hotel guests can continue with free transportation by using Disney buses, ferries and the monorail system to visit theme and water parks, and Downtown Disney.

Another possibility is to use a search engine like Expedia.com to book a package of airfare, hotel and car rental, depending on your needs.

If you’re staying at a Disney property and driving to the theme parks, Disney will waive the parking fee.

Check out the dining plan when you stay at a Disney World Resort. You can save 40 per cent per person when you purchase the Magic Your Way Package plus dining. The plan includes one table service meal, a quick service meal and a snack, per person for each night of your stay. To book, call 407-939-7500. Disney is offering a free dining plan with a stay at certain resorts, Sept. 2 to Sept. 22; go to disneyworld.disney.go.com/ and search for “free dining plan.”

Dining with a Disney character like Cinderella or Winnie the Pooh is one of the park’s most popular experiences. Character dining can be booked up to 180 days in advance. The meals sell out, so make arrangements as soon as reservations become available.