You may be right, I may be crazy...

I may very well be a little insane to use Disneyland as incentive to potty train my son, thinking I would have a little time before he would "meet Mickey". However whats done is done and I plan to uphold my part of the bargain. That being said I want it to be a good trip and that means planning. I and my wife have been to DL many times and I could probably give you directions around the park over the phone just by what you describe to me. Having a little one with us is a bit of a switch, as we will end up in all the areas we avoided on previous trips. As with all my trips I have a distinct order of how I plan (alongside my travel agent Mary in the Mt Vernon AAA office). Start off with the following and you should do well:

1. How much time do I have between now and the trip? This will let you figure out how much money you can save between now and then. Hopefully alleviating any need to go into debt. I know some people who wait until tax time because they figure they can use their refund on a trip. What ever you are comfortable with.
2. How much money do I currently have for the trip? This is very important, as it will determine not only if you can go, but were you can afford to stay/eat/souvenirs/and transportation/etc. Try to do a budget and then look at how much you can save realistically for this type of trip.
3. Once the money is figured out then you can start looking at the hotels that your budget will allow for. Even if you are on a bare bones budget you can get a decent hotel. You just have to look hard and consult experts ( travel agents, friends who go there a lot, you know). If you have little kids make sure that they have good ratings on travel sites, that they have a pool (your kids are not going to want to be at the park the whole time) and that it is in some part restful. After all that is the reason behind a vacation.
4. Admission and other askadentals. Park admission is steep. However we just learned that if your kiddo is under 2 years old he gets in free (partially the reason we are doing this trip before his birthday). Askadentals are the things that are not covered as incidentals (i.e. glow sticks, balloons, baked goods, and that glass of wine with dinner).
5. Transportation to the park. Do you live close enough to drive (or do you want to do a National Lampoon trip before the park). What would it cost to fly or take the train. Do I take shuttles, cabs, or rent a car. These are all deeply individualized things. I can tell you that we will fly and take a super shuttle, and use the ART system if we need to get around Anaheim.
6. Make your travel lists (what do I need to do/pack/buy/etc. before the trip). These will be revised over and over before you leave. It is just a guideline so that you don't forget your kids blankie.
7. Get in  "park shape". This may mean that you have to do some exercise. Walking, weights, any cardio to prepare you for the hours and hours of walking transfers, lifting of children, and various other activities. It would be a shame to hurt yourself, or get so exhausted on the first or second day that you cannot enjoy the rest of your time there.
8. Review all your travel documents. You will want to be relatively familiar with your travel itinerary so that you will know where you need to be, at what time, with which air carrier/bus company/train station/shuttle company/rental car agency. If you save this for the day of the trip you will just add stress to that day and make it more difficult than it needs to be.
9. Travel. Once you have prepared yourself as well as you can it is time to roll with the punches. Things will happen. It just will so try to remain calm, and work with the people who may be trying to help make your situation better. Yelling at the ticket person doesn't do any good and it might keep you from boarding the plane.

Number nine is very important because once you have stepped out of your house the day of the trip you are on vacation, and therefore have very little control. Things will go right, and things will go wrong. If you plan ahead it will make both scenarios go just a little smoother.