We went to Disney world in 2008.  We went in October, so it wasn't super crowded.  We went 2 weeks before Halloween, so it was very nicely decorated.

We brought in our own lunch and snacks, brought along Grandpa and Uncle so they could ride rids while we sat with our son, and then they'd watch him while we went on rides (to save time).

We made our plan of where to go, and when before going to the parks.  We also used one of those online deals and got 2 free passes.