Disney vacation question

[NickTheGreat]

We've been to DW a lot and we don't even have kids :twitcy:

I think you should stay at Disney properties. Especially with kids. There's just something about the various buses, monorails, boats, etc that are cool. It's almost like you never leave the park.

Bringing food isn't a bad idea, but the food and souvenir prices aren't as bad as you'd think. Things still add up with a family for 2 or 3 meals, over multiple days.

 

[keepngoal]

We've been to DW a lot and we don't even have kids :twitcy:

I think you should stay at Disney properties. Especially with kids. There's just something about the various buses, monorails, boats, etc that are cool. It's almost like you never leave the park.

Bringing food isn't a bad idea, but the food and souvenir prices aren't as bad as you'd think. Things still add up with a family for 2 or 3 meals, over multiple days.

$15-20 for a burger fries and a coke? And that was 2008 .... its bad.

 

[wolverine68]

Really good advice in this thread. I'm a Disneyfanatic (stayed on property 16 days once). I agree with WDW over DL as well, more to do, more space in the parks, but I'd also advise that you see DL at least once (including California Adventure which has an awesome Radiator Springs if you have a "Cars" fan.
I also recommend "The Unofficial Guide" for either park. Great information. Not tied to Disney so they tell the truth about rides and most importantly restaurants.
I'm in with the others who say to stay on property. Good lord, I could go on forever talking about the hotels. I'll try to keep it short...
Deluxe Resorts:
Not worth the price by my way of thinking, but worth visiting for restaurants. If your daughter wants to meet characters, make reservations at the character meals. They will visit your table while you are eating so you won't have to wait in line (lines to meet characters can be longer than lines for the attractions). However if I win the lottery, I'm going on a trip where I stay in each one for a week each!
Moderate Resorts:
A good middle ground between price and atmosphere. My favorite is Port Orleans French Quarter (amazing theming) followed by Caribbean Beach (great central location, you can see the fireworks from Epcot and Hollywood Studios from the pool area, but too spread out leading to some long walks).
Value Resorts:
I have no problems with these, they have fun theming and nice pools. I was just looking into going this April/May and room rates are about $105 per night right now. You'll have to wait longer for busses (especially if you stay for the fireworks) but as has been said, you don't spend much time in your room. My favorite is Pop Century because of its location but most people like All-Star Movies. I have not stayed at the Art of Animation yet, it's geared towards families that want a suite, but I have heard great reviews.
Lastly, if you want a reservation at a specific restaurant, call in 60 days early (that's the soonest you can make one) and I mean 60 days before you want to go. Cinderella's Royal Table (the restaurant inside Cinderella's castle) is booked within minutes of the reservation office opening. Seriously my (now ex) wife and I both called as soon as we could in the morning 60 days out. I got a reservation and she was told that it was already booked.

 

[wolverine68]

My tip is you can bring your own food into the park. We rented a locker and put our 'cooler' of food and snacks in there. IIRC, i calculated a savings of over $150 per day on food and drink.

My family has actually shipped things like drink boxes, fruit snacks, cereal bars, etc. via UPS to our resort to avoid paying park prices for things.

 

[longtimeclone]

$15-20 for a burger fries and a coke? And that was 2008 .... its bad.

Where are you eating? If you go to one of the quick service places you should be able to find something to eat for under $10. The trick is to not buy a soft drink with every meal and to bring in refillable water bottles. Last time I was there it was $2-$3 for a drink which really adds up for a family at every meal.

 

[aeroclone]

Good food tips here. You can pretty much bring in anything you want for food, as long as you are willing to carry it. I think they may restrict rolling coolers. We basically carry what we can fit in a back pack.

Also, when it comes to the quick service restaurants, you can always request a cup of ice water for free, as opposed to paying the crazy prices for bottled water or soft drinks. Doing that, it is pretty easy to get a meal for under $10. You can also order a kids meal as an adult. My wife isn't a big eater, so she goes that route often. Given that we tend to be there in the summer, I'm more than happy to go the water route.

 

[mustangcy]

Some good tips here - though I'm still a little lost on where you actually go to book a package? Expedia? Disney direct? Where is the best place for deals? I'm thinking a value hotel on property seems like the best for my family (going to cancun in the spring, gotta same some coin)...

 

[cydsho]

Some good tips here - though I'm still a little lost on where you actually go to book a package? Expedia? Disney direct? Where is the best place for deals? I'm thinking a value hotel on property seems like the best for my family (going to cancun in the spring, gotta same some coin)...

We went through AAA when we went 2 years ago. Things went really smooth. As far as food, we looked at it as a complete vacation and did not want to worry about hauling food, having to get it, etc, so opted to purchase one of the meal plans. It was a bite the bullet decision but it made the eating part a secondary concern. You knew you already bought it so you just had to decide where to go. Made the trip totally more enjoyable and I would do it again. Even next time when we will take 3 kids instead of 2.

 

[tec71]

I just booked our tenth visit Tuesday night. The last five or so we've stayed on property at a variety of places. I've just been booking the hotel through the Disney site I've booked tickets and meal packages through there before although we only did the room this time. I have also done it over the phone calling Disney direct. It's always been easy.

 

[cyrevkah]

Some good tips here - though I'm still a little lost on where you actually go to book a package? Expedia? Disney direct? Where is the best place for deals? I'm thinking a value hotel on property seems like the best for my family (going to cancun in the spring, gotta same some coin)...

I have a friend who just got approved to be a Disney Agent. PM me if you want her name.

 

[wolverine68]

Travel Agents that specialize in trips to Disney:

http://www.kingdomkonsultants.com/

They are active on a message board that discusses trip planning:

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/forums/wdw-trip-planning.6/

BTW, so glad to get away from the VEISHEA threads!

 

[mustangcy]

We went through AAA when we went 2 years ago. Things went really smooth. As far as food, we looked at it as a complete vacation and did not want to worry about hauling food, having to get it, etc, so opted to purchase one of the meal plans. It was a bite the bullet decision but it made the eating part a secondary concern. You knew you already bought it so you just had to decide where to go. Made the trip totally more enjoyable and I would do it again. Even next time when we will take 3 kids instead of 2.

I must be behind the times. I thought AAA was an automotive outfit Any one have a specific value hotel on disney site that could recommend? Also, for those that didn't do the meal plan did you just go to a walmart close or something to do sandwhiches?

 

[tec71]

We usually stop on our way from the airport for food (breakfast and snacks) even when we've had the meal plan. Of course we don't buy nearly as much or the same stuff. Its still nice to have some snacks or drinks in your room. It can be quite a walk to the food court areas or gift shop from your room if you just want a soda even with the meal plan. If you aren't on the meal plan then it's a must in my opinion because a candy bar can run you $2.50 or so in the food court/gift shop on property. Ouch. We usually make a stop at Wal Mart. It can be a little out of the way depending on the airport you come from but its worth the trip. While its obviously more expensive than Wal Mart there are many Walgreens that are closer. Still cheaper than buying on property.

 

[Jer]

We went to DW the first week of May last year for 4 days and it was awesome because it was around the 3rd least busy week of the year. We stayed onsite at Art of Animation (needed a suite since I snore bad) and couldn't imagine not staying onsite if at all possible. We flew Allegiant last year and used a car service to drive us the hour to the resort and used the bus system around the park.

This year we're going again but for 8 days instead of 4 and are using Delta so we can fly into the main Orlando airport (15 mins away rather than 60+ mins) and are renting a car. We really liked Art of Animation for a family resort and are staying there again this year.

A hidden perk of staying onsite is that whenever you buy something at one of the million shops throughout the park, you can have them deliver it to your room so you don't have to carry things around all day - and it's free.

We didn't do a meal plan last year and won't this year either. Our 3 year old son is incredibly picky so there are a couple places in Magical Kingdom and Downtown Disney that we eat at without breaking the bank.

This year we did a ton of research on the price differences and pros/cons of staying onsite vs right outside the gate at a nice suite and the price was actually very close, especially since if you go through Disney directly there is sometimes a 30% off package discount. Airfare was actually cheaper going Delta through Atlanta and into Orlando proper rather than Allegiant direct to Sanford International further away.

There are some good research sites out there like allears.net and mousesavers.com if you want additional insight into discounts.

 

[tec71]

We went to DW the first week of May last year for 4 days and it was awesome because it was around the 3rd least busy week of the year. We stayed onsite at Art of Animation (needed a suite since I snore bad) and couldn't imagine not staying onsite if at all possible. We flew Allegiant last year and used a car service to drive us the hour to the resort and used the bus system around the park.

This year we're going again but for 8 days instead of 4 and are using Delta so we can fly into the main Orlando airport (15 mins away rather than 60+ mins) and are renting a car. We really liked Art of Animation for a family resort and are staying there again this year.

A hidden perk of staying onsite is that whenever you buy something at one of the million shops throughout the park, you can have them deliver it to your room so you don't have to carry things around all day - and it's free.

We didn't do a meal plan last year and won't this year either. Our 3 year old son is incredibly picky so there are a couple places in Magical Kingdom and Downtown Disney that we eat at without breaking the bank.

This year we did a ton of research on the price differences and pros/cons of staying onsite vs right outside the gate at a nice suite and the price was actually very close, especially since if you go through Disney directly there is sometimes a 30% off package discount. Airfare was actually cheaper going Delta through Atlanta and into Orlando proper rather than Allegiant direct to Sanford International further away.

There are some good research sites out there like allears.net and mousesavers.com if you want additional insight into discounts.

Are you going for 8 days during the first part of May? That's a great time to go. That'd be like 12 days at other times of the year.

 

[nj829]

I must be behind the times. I thought AAA was an automotive outfit Any one have a specific value hotel on disney site that could recommend? Also, for those that didn't do the meal plan did you just go to a walmart close or something to do sandwhiches?

Pop Century is a pretty good value resort, and the best part of Pop is if you choose to use Disney transportation, they do not share bus service with other hotels, so instead of stopping at All Star Sports and then Movies and picking up/dropping off various guests, you get direct service.

 

[Jer]

Early May really is like getting an extra 40% of time because the lines are about 50-75% less according to people we've talked to and research we did online. I don't recall where I saw it, but it was a breakdown of each week throughout the year, the number of visitors to each park, the average line wait time, etc and it was amazing how much of a difference there was.

 

[Jer]

Has anybody here rented a car and used it to get around the parks? Last year we found that we spent about an hour a day waiting for the bus and with a 3yr old that likes to go to bed at 7, that's a big chunk of time. We are renting a car this year, but I'm wondering if that will really help much. I know if you stay onsite like we are that parking is free at the parks, but not sure about how close you get.

 

[St. Lou Clone]

We used MouseSavers.com about 2 years ago.

Booked on-site, flew into Orlando. Did the Magic Express with no rental car.

I highly recommend the meal plan, simply so you don't have to worry about budgeting for food while you are there.

I liked the mousesavers people, because they were keeping an eye out for the discounts that come up after you book. We had something come up, and they re-booked us with the free meal plan for our stay in October.

When we go back, we will go a similar route as last time, it's just way easier to stay on site. We also used the ship to our room thing a couple of times when we bought stuff. But that wasn't much for us.

 

[nj829]

Has anybody here rented a car and used it to get around the parks? Last year we found that we spent about an hour a day waiting for the bus and with a 3yr old that likes to go to bed at 7, that's a big chunk of time. We are renting a car this year, but I'm wondering if that will really help much. I know if you stay onsite like we are that parking is free at the parks, but not sure about how close you get.

We typically drive to the parks (have stayed on-site once and still drove most days) and the parking really depends on how early you get there. If you hit "rope drop" when the park opens, Epcot won't be running a tram, and Hollywood Studios may or may not be, but it's generally a 5 minute tram ride to the front from the lots.

Magic Kingdom is the only one that driving to is a pain because you have to take either the monorail or boat from the TTC to the gate vs. taking the resort bus that drops off at the gate. At the start of the day it feels quick, but at the end of the day it feels like an hour wait to leave and get back to the car.