Parties at Disney World can be either a great boon to your trip or a great detriment depending on whether you plan appropriately. Planning is a cornerstone of any Disney vacation and is one of the easiest ways to wind up turning what could be a great vacation into a lousy one. Many people think they'll just show up and have a good time, but like anything worth doing in life, Disney World is worth doing well.

Disney World hosts several parties during the course of the year. These include Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, The Pirate and Princess Party and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. On these days the parks close early to normal visitors and then re-open solely for those guests who have purchased a special ticket for the event. Disney only sells a limited number of these tickets; so many times this can be an opportunity to enjoy the parks at a lower crowd level.

Don't assume however that the parties will always be sparsely attended. Often times, particularly as holidays approach, the parties can be a hard ticket to get and the parks can be very crowded. Once again planning is the key. Make sure that the party you're attending meets with your criteria. Some people enjoy the throngs of people and the chaos that comes from the heavily attended parties. Other people try to minimize line waiting by buying a ticket to one of the earlier parties.

The other key is to make sure that you're not planning on "doing" a park on a day in which it closes early for a party. Many people's vacations are ruined by thinking they're going to go to the Magic Kingdom on a given day, only to find out they have to leave by four o'clock because a party is going to start. Check the Disney website before you assume that the days you want to visit are ideal.

Disney World trips are all about planning and the parties are no exception. They can be a great opportunity to enhance you visit to Disney World or they can be a barrier. The difference will come in how you approach them.

Vitaly Indinko writes about Disney and other travel topics at WorthyPosts. Learn more about Disney parties like Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party http://worthyposts.com/content/mickeys-very-merry-christmas-party-mvmcp-2009 as well as many Disney World tips.