For someone that hasn’t been to Walt Disney World very often, there can be a lot of things to decide upon when you are planning your trip.  One of the biggest things that people overlook is how to tell your child, wife, or other significant person that you are taking them to Disney World on a vacation!  If you are taking your children, one of the greatest things that I have found to “spill the beans” are the Disney Customized Maps.  These are special maps that you can order free of charge from the Disney World website once every six months.  They are printed with all of your favorites listed for each of the parks, and they come on oversize, durable paper so that you can keep them as a souvenir for years to come.  My wife and I gave them to our daughter as a means of telling her we were going when we stayed at Coronado Springs in 2007, and she loved taking the dots and star stickers that came with the maps and putting them on to mark her favorite things that she wanted to try and the resort we were staying at.

There are two designs that you can choose from, the classic design (pictured above) and the character design (shown below).  Personally, I prefer the classic design; even though you can’t tell from the image above, the paper reminds me of the type of parchment paper that you would see the location of buried treasure marked on.  However, this time around we ordered the character design, which shows a different character for each of the parks.  For Magic Kingdom, the character that is shown is Dumbo, for Epcot, Nemo, for Hollywood Studios, Woody, and for Animal Kingdom, Simba.  In addition to the style of map you want, you can also select your own favorite locations, or you can choose favorites based on an age range.

In order to order the maps, you do have to have an account at Disneyworld.com.  In addition, you need to provide your address so that they can be mailed to you.  I’m sorry, but the maps can only be sent to addresses in the United States.  However, one thing that you can do if you live outside the US is to print out the maps yourself!  This isn’t quite the same feel as getting them in the mailbox, but it’s the next best thing.  You can also print them out at home at any time if you are waiting out your six-month window between ordering for home delivery.

If you are looking for a neat, free Disney keepsake, keep the Customized Maps in mind and order a set, even if you don’t have a trip planned yet!

Mike is a Disney Fan from North Carolina.  His current project is planning his families trip to Disney World next June.  You can also read about Mike’s Disney experiences at My Dreams of Disney.