BY MARJORIE TREGER

Okay, whose Big Idea was it to go to Walt Disney World during Christmas week? Talk about crowded! All-time attendance records were broken this year, and during our stay each park closed at least once because it was filled to capacity. Could this possibly be an enjoyable trip?

Actually, yes, thanks for asking. With some significant guidance from various web sites and Jennifer and Dave's Passporter books, our thirteen-day "Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise Extravaganza" is on record as our best family vacation yet!

This was our second time touring Disney World as a family, and our first Disney Cruise. And yes, the timing of Christmas week was my Big Idea.

You see, our first trip to Walt Disney World was Christmas week following the tragic events of 9/11. Of course, tourism hit an all-time low, but we were fool enough to travel anyway. It was a good trip: not busy at all, the parks were fun and we were able to cover a lot of ground. Even with a four-year-old and an eighteen-month-old, weather in the low 40s and lots of rain! Returning home, we were anxious for another trip to "the World," so I planned around my teaching schedule, which means, we had to travel when everyone else does too.

Well, a lot has changed since that first trip. I'm no longer teaching, so we could have traveled another time of year. Tourism is back and families are making up for lost time. Many people had to put off vacations due to concerns over terrorism or family being deployed to the war or economic worries. Now, there are still bargains to be had on vacation deals, including Disney, and people are feeling more confident that the world might be getting a little safer for travel; at least, safe enough to visit their favorite Mouse!

My husband, Stephen, and I are timeshare owners. I know this can be a hot topic for many people. Timeshare has had a pretty bad reputation sometimes. We love it. And for both of our Florida adventures we traded our timeshare for accommodations in Orlando.

This time we stayed at Orbit One Vacation Villas in Kissimmee. This is one of the older timeshares in the Orlando area. Built twenty years ago, it is a smaller complex with 116 two-bedroom villas. We like the feel of a smaller resort and were very pleased with our trade. The location was certainly a selling point: only two minutes from Walt Disney Resort Maingate, it was easier to get to after a long day at the parks than many of the on-site properties! (You don't have to be a timeshare owner to stay there; they sometimes have rooms available to book on your own.)

So, how did we make the most of this crowded time at Walt Disney World? Well, the answer of course is careful planning.

The saying, "Time is money," is never more true than when on vacation. Especially a Disney vacation. You're paying a premium to visit Walt Disney World. The more time you spend planning at home, the more value you will get for your dollar on vacation. You want to spend less time waiting and more time doing!

I love to plan. It can become compulsive. I can write out schedules to the minute of what we "should" be doing and where. I also know enough about traveling with two small children and an occasionally grumpy husband that sometimes those plans just have to be thrown out the window.

So, here's how we had the best time possible at Disney World. After choosing the worst possible time to go, I knew we would have to plan our days carefully. After choosing which park to attend each day, I used Jennifer Watson's and Dave Marx's touring plans as outlined in their PassPorter Walt Disney World Resort. These were my guidelines as I adapted each one to fit my family's needs and interests.

Every day we had a specific schedule, which we promptly ignored. Okay, not completely.

Being from California, we just could not get our body clocks on Florida time, so we couldn't follow the usual advice about being at the parks at least 15 minutes before they opened. But this was, after all, vacation. So we didn't make ourselves do it. When we got to a park I estimated where we were in the day according to my carefully crafted schedules and that is where we picked up. For example, when we got to Magic Kingdom an hour after park opening we skipped Dumbo and Winnie the Pooh and went straight to the next thing on the schedule, PhilharMagic (which was WONDERFUL, by the way). The schedule just served as a guide for what COULD happen, not what HAD to happen.

Using this approach we managed our expectations, refused to wait in super-long lines, prioritized what was important, enjoyed the moment and had a great time, in spite of the crowds. It's sort of the Zen approach to Walt Disney World. Be where you are, when you are. If we were on Main Street, we stopped to enjoy the Brass Band. At Casey's the kids spent an hour listening and dancing to the tunes of the ragtime piano player. At Disney's Hollywood Studios we joined in a dance party and sat in the middle of the street to have a few belly laughs with the Improv Troupe doing spontaneous comedy shows. There was fun all around us, waiting to be had, without a wait! We just had to stop and embrace it.

On a practical note, one thing that really did enhance our experience was the use of the park strollers. Now, I know there are families out there who would, under no circumstances, push a child who is perfectly capable to walk around the parks, especially if that child is over a certain age. Well, in daily life I would have to agree. But, once again, we were on VACATION and using a stroller was a financial decision, not a moral one.

Financial? You spent $15/day MORE than you had to? Yes, we did. And here is why: it was a case of spending money to save money. By spending $15 for a double stroller, my children could last longer in the parks and we could cover more ground between rides and activities. Therefore it increased our bottom line value. Any time you can increase the amount of fun you can cram into the short time you have on a Disney vacation, the hourly cost of your vacation just decreases.

There were two special events we chose to attend this trip. The first was the Fantasmic! Dinner Package and the second the Candlelight Processional Dinner Package.

Since the parks were so crowded and we really wanted to see Fantasmic! at Disney's Hollywood Studios but we did not want to wait in line for over an hour, we decided to do the Dinner Package. This is a package where you choose a restaurant and for the price of dinner you get Priority Seating at Fantasmic! We ate at Mama Melrose's. The food was good and our waiter was delightful. We had reservations for 8:20 pm following Fantasmic! We arrived early and they were able to seat us right away.

The Fantasmic! Priority Seating is all the way to the right side of the venue, which was okay for viewing. The entrance for the Priority Seating is towards the front of the park by Oscar's Garage. It's quite a walk to the seating area. Overall, this worked out well for us to see Fantasmic! during a crowded time, but I wouldn't spend the money otherwise.

Our other special event was the Candlelight Processional at Epcot. Again, we booked the Dinner Package, this time eating at Coral Reef. The reason I chose this restaurant was because it has the huge aquarium to entertain the kids. We sat in the back section, so we didn't have a terrific view, but the kids enjoyed it just the same, especially when the human divers, who were Disney guests purchasing the experience, made their way through. (This is something my husband really wants to do!) The food was okay, as was the service. Nothing special.

The Priority Seating for Candlelight Processional turned out to be not worth it. Maybe it was because it was the very last performance and it was over-crowded, but even arriving in the Priority Seating line an hour before the performance, they had run out of Priority Seating before we got in! We still got seats and the performance, narrated by Gary Sinise, was outstanding. I highly recommend this experience, especially if you are moved by the Christmas story and carols. The music and narration were wonderful. The most amazing thing, however, was the man signing the performance for the hearing impaired. What passion! He brought the performance to another whole level.

All in all, there were many challenges to overcome at this busy time of year. With the use of planning tools and managing expectations, we had an excellent time.

Here are my favorite tips:

• Make the most of your limited time on vacation. By having a plan, even if you stray from it, you can increase the value of your vacation.

• Use the tools you have available. I really recommend the Passporter books. Find an expert you like and make their tips your own.

• Location, location, location! When choosing where to stay on your trip, make sure it's a good fit for you and your family. Just because some people think there is no magic if you stay off-property, doesn't mean that will be true for you.

• Stay in the Zen Zone. Choose the things that are most important for your group to see or do and plan around those events. Leave lots of time to experience the spontaneous magic that lingers in the streets of Disney.

• Use the tools you have available, Part II. Do whatever you can to make the vacation as comfortable and fulfilling for all the people in your party. If traveling with children, consider a stroller to travel in between the "lands" of the Magic Kingdom. You'll do more in less time and with less complaining!

• Do less to do more. By scheduling down time during a fast-paced vacation, you can ensure that when you and your family are on the go, you can go longer, harder and enjoy it more. If you're in the parks for more than three days, consider taking one whole day off to explore the cheap and free things to do at Disney World.

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