Just tell me where to start!!!!

[OU1247]

We are trying to plan a trip for my family. My husband and my 13 and 9 year old sons. Just trying to see how we can get the most bang for the buck.

I ordered the passporter book on a friends recommendation and she gave me this site.

I feel so stupid.:eek:

[sharonmickey]

Welcome! By browsing different threads you will learn alot. Hope you have a great trip. Don't feel stupid, everyone here is willing to help you.

[PGHDisneyfan]

Planning my 3rd trip in as many years:banana: !!! Welcome to the mother load of info!!! Lucky for noobs like us their are lots of great people willing to share a wealth of insight!

Brent

[Candid]

:welcome: to The Dis!!!

It's really overwhelming at first but after awhile you start getting the hang of things. Our first trip, I decided to take the advice of Dis members cause no matter what, I still was confused. Once we got to the world though, it all made sense!

First step is picking your dates and your resort (or off-site if that's what you choose).

[PrincessTiffany]

We feel like the best way to get the most "bang out of your buck" is with the Dining Plan. We have been on the dining plan 3 times. Twice we have paid for it and once we got Free Dining (receiving free dining on our September trip saved us almost $1000. Free Dining has been offered for the last three years. The offer will come out the first of April. First for Disney Visa holders and then for the general public. We were offered a bounceback for next year while we were there this September. The dates for September are August 30 - September 27. Free Dining is the best deal Disney offers, as far as most bang out of your buck, but not everybody can go during those dates. Those dates have historically been slow times, but with the popularity of Free Dining growing, it really isn't that slow anymore. And the heat was almost unbearable. But we did save a lot of money). We are a family of six and it has saved us money everytime we used it. Unless you are packing your own pb&js to bring into the parks or going back to your room for a "homemade" meal, I don't see how you can't be saving money. The value is especially good for the kids, there is no way we could feed them on $11.00 per day without the plan. We even used snack credits for breakfast items on our last trip. You could get a whole carton of Entimens donuts and a half gallon of milk for two snack credits. That was a quick breakfast for the kids before we left for the parks. We had a character meal everyday of our trip. I can't remember the price of every single item at every single meal (part of the beauty of the dining plan, not having to worry about prices), but I know the buffet at Crystal palace is about $28.00 per adult and $13.00 per child (the child's price on the plan for the entire day with cs meal, ts meal and snack was on $11.00!) so our bill was about $107.00 (before tip, which was included on our last trip), with tip about $127.00. The dining plan for our family for the whole day was only $120.00. We came out $7.00 ahead just on dinner, then you throw in lunch for the six of us that would have cost about $40.00 out of pocket and say $3.00 each per snack for each of us ($18 total), that has us saving about $65.00 per day.

We have never had any trouble with it. You just hand them the card and they swipe it. No big deal. That's my husband's favorite part of it all, the ease of the plan and not worrying about the money.

Now, I must say I agree that people will not be saving as much money with the new 2008 plan because it does not include the tip. (I also don't think the revamped plan will last past 2008 either, just my opinion.) Even without the tip and the appetizer we would still come out ahead. So, we are "Fans of the Plan!"

[Candid]

ITA with Princess Tiffany! Although some aren't fans of the plan, we wouldn't go without it! DH tends to be one to look at prices first when ordering meals but with the plan he could order whatever he liked! The one thing we found was there was soooooo much foood :scared1: !!! We ended up using most of our snack credits for the all-day type lollipops to bring home as souvenirs for DS's friends. Because you are served so much food with your meals, we often took our desserts to go and had those as snacks if we felt like one (not that that happened often as we were always so full, even DS who is a chronic snacker)

[PrincessTiffany]

Also, we like staying at the Value Resorts (we always stay on-site). We like All-Star movies that best. We have stayed at Pop also and it was good. If your boys are into sports, you will like All-Star sports. Now, don't get me wrong, the other Disney resorts are very nice, the poly is incredible, but we just don't spend any time in the rooms. Just to sleep and bathe, so right now with young kids we prefer the Values. We usually drive down, but once we get there, we park and really never use our vehicle again. The bus system at Disney is very efficient and reliable for park hopping. We love it. Staying on site also lets you have access to the Extra Magic Hours that Disney offers. Well worth staying on-site for. We have flown before and used the Magical Express. It was super efficient and so hassle free.

[PrincessTiffany]

One more post then I will stop inundating you with my opinions. I like the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World travel guide. It has a crowd calender that gives you specific crowd levels for everyday of the year. Makes planning your trip so much easier. I chose the dates we want to go and then pick which parks we will be in on those dates that the Crowd calender recomends. Then I pick what restaurants we will eat at according to what parks we will be in on those days and I make my Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs) at the 180 day mark. We like to tour the parks for 8 days, but I know not everybody can stay that long. At a very (very) minimum I would say you need at least one day per park. Optimum touring would allow 2 days for Magic Kingdom, 2 days for Epcot, 1 day for Animal Kingdom and 1 day for MGM.

Okay, I think I'm done. Happy Planning. If you have any specific questions, just put them on the Dis Board and I am sure you will get an answer.

[rickfromky]

why can i post on some topics and not others?

[lovetoscrap]

:welcome: ! You have started in the right place. I would suggest that you check out our WDW information here at http://www.wdwinfo.com/#wdw-top-info . You will get a ton of information about the parks, the dining--including menus, park maps, room and ticket costs and much more.

Then look around the Codes and Rates forums http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=93 for information on discounts that might be available during the time you want to go.

Read the Resorts board to find out more about the on-site resort you are considering. Many of them have FAQ threads where you get some great photos and details of the resort: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=236234

Check out the Theme Parks board to read about the parks or ask questions. Here is a great thread from there about WDW tickets: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1452684

There is also a great Tips board where you can find out tons of ideas to make your trip better or save money or get little inside tricks: http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=17

Don't hesitate to ask any questions you have!:)

[rickfromky]

and how do i get one of those countdowns?

[lovetoscrap]

why can i post on some topics and not others?

Your registration is not complete yet. You can only post here on the Welcome Board for now. You should have received an email with a link to click to confirm your registration. Look in your Spam/Junk/Bulk mail folder, it sometimes ends up in there. If you can't find it please start a new thread here asking for help and I will see what I can do.

[john2u]

:welcome: :welcome: :welcome:

Have a disney day

:thumbsup2

[OU1247]

This is amazing...ONE POST and already so much info.

Do not be afraid of passing on your knowledge to me.
I really need to book for july but there really are so many deals...
How do you short them out and then wham it's to late?

The 2 properties I have been looking at are

All Star Sports or
Coronodo's. Sports is the Value and Coronodo is a moderate.

[dunbarfamily]

Hi! :welcome:

You have come to the right place! There is a ton of info here and tons of people who want to help. I think the Passporter is good, as is the unofficial guide that someone else mentioned. Even after 4 trips in 2 1/2 years, I stilll learn something from them.

Remember that it can get overwhelming. I would suggest just learning one topic at a time, such as figuring out where you want to stay. Then figuring out what kind of tickets you want, etc. Just a few things at a time.

Good luck, and don't be afraid to ask ask ask away!

[OU1247]

Well I do applicate it all.

I've narrowed it down to either All Star Sports (value) or the Coronado's (Moderate)

Any thoughts....

[dunbarfamily]

I just noticed you are leaving in just about 6 1/2 months. Now is the time you need to start thinking about where you want to eat. You can make ADR's (that is, Advance Dining Reservations) at 180 from your trip. To get in where you want and the time you want, you should try to reserve it as close to that 180 mark as poosible. You can always make changes. Check out allears.net for menus. I think wdwinfo.com has menus too.

Due to the popularity of the DDP (Disney Dining Plan) it can be hard to get into places without the ADRs.

[OU1247]

OMG really I don't even have a hotel yet.
GOsh I need some one to slap me into a REALITY CHECK RIGHT NOW!

[Candid]

This is amazing...ONE POST and already so much info.

Do not be afraid of passing on your knowledge to me.
I really need to book for july but there really are so many deals...
How do you short them out and then wham it's to late?

The 2 properties I have been looking at are

All Star Sports or
Coronodo's. Sports is the Value and Coronodo is a moderate.

It's really hard to sort everything out! First think about your family's needs...ASP is fun and funky and definitely would interest your kids (and DH!) if they are sports fans; CSR has a more "resorty" feel. What about swimming? With your kids ages they may enjoy the CSR pools more then the ASP one. If you don't plan on being in your room very much using it only as a place to lay your head after a long day at the parks, is it worth paying the extra for a mod?

When it comes to dining, I found looking at the menus before I booked worked best for me... http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/disneydining.cfm I made a list of the ones that had foods that my family would like, then I looked at the reviews.

I used both the passporter and the unofficial guide for planning as each contributed something that the other didn't. The unofficial guide was my main pre-trip planning source (beside The Dis of course!) but the passporter was great while there for quick references especially for rides that we weren't sure if DS would enjoy or not.

Personally, go with your first instinct when picking resorts and restaurants...when you picture your family in the world, which resort pops into your mind?

Try not to stress too much over the choices...planning should be half the fun! Remember, whatever you pick, you'll have a great time, it IS DisneyWorld after all ;) !

Geez, I'm long winded today!!:jumping2:

[OU1247]

Well my boys are ALL BOY and love sports.
They are amazing swimmers and on a local swim club so swimming is important.

Can you make reservations for food even if you don't have hotel and tickets yet?

[soonerlpn]

OU1247....I KNOW YOU!!! I am also going in July with my son...when are you going? We are going to stay at All Sports..WE love football...!

P.S..okiediva is my alter ego!!

[OU1247]

GET OUT DIVA!
Who knew.....Talk about a way to escape the Fiesta Bowl Stress.

YOU NEED TO CALL ME.

[soonerlpn]

I know! SMALL WORLD! I am planning on July 21st thru the 26th..J*s birthday is on the 22nd..so I thought we would ring it in with a BANG!

[rickfromky]

how do i get a countdown?

[Unregistered]

I went to tickerfactory.com

[lovetoscrap]

The dining plan can be a great deal, but you will need to think about how your family lives and will park tour. And what is your overall goal/plan for your trip?

My family usually wants to do as many rides and shows as they can. They figure that the time used for a sit down meal is just time they could be on a few rides. Food is mostly a necessity so we will have enough energy to keep going. Needless to say we eat mostly Counter Service. We generally bring our own dry breakfast things--cereal bars, granola, juice boxes etc.. and eat them on the way to the bus. Then we have a big meal around late morning that keeps us going and usually a smalle meal late in the evening. Maybe a snack in the afternoon, but we also bring crackers and things so we really don't need to buy snacks each day. Usually we plan 1 or 2 sit down meal for the 7 days we are there and that is it. The Dining Plan isn't worth it to us. And we are like that at home. Always on the go and quick breakfasts. We dont' go to Disney to relax! We go to have FUN!;)

We did go when we had the Free Dining offer 2 years ago. We found our entire focus for the week was changed. We were no longer there for the attractions, we were there for the Meals. I had the ADR's and we had to work our days to accomodate them. We missed many rides and shows. It was okay, we knew that going into the trip and enjoyed many meals we might never have, but it just proved to us that the Dining Plan didn't work for my particular family. We couldn't eat all that food. We had lots of credits left over. We didn't like realizing we had to skip a few rides because it was time to go for our ADR.

Using the menus available on wdwinfo.com it is pretty easy to look and get an idea of how much money you would spend on food. Then look at the price of the dining plan and decide if you really think it works for YOUR family. Only you know what your family is like.

[tiggerfan1]

Welcome to the DIS boards!!! :)

It looks like the other posters have already given you a lot of great info. If you have any other general questions, try posting your question on the Theme Park Attractions and Strategies board. (For dining questions, the Disney Restaurants board, etc.) You'll probably get even more responses that way (or you may get more info by reading other people's threads).

There is no reason to feel stupid at all. I felt really clueless about WDW before I discovered the DIS boards. By reading through many of the threads, I have learned so much. There is so much to learn about WDW that it can be a bit overwhelming. Just take the planning one step at a time. Getting a good guide book and joining the DIS boards were good first steps. :thumbsup2 Happy trip planning! :)

[dunbarfamily]

Third post to this....sorry!

I was just thinking about you, OU1247, and if I were in your shoes, I would stay at a value resort. You said the boys are all boys, and the values are just as nice as the moderates, in my opinion anyway! They have a nice food court, the pools are nice, and it will give you a good taste of Disney. The value resorts are more "Disneyish" in my mind, meaning they are more "in your face" with disney themeing, while the moderates and deluxes are more resortish themed, which is still nice. THe giant icons are really cool at the values. While you are there, you could catch a bus to the other resort and see what you think for a future trip.

As for food, do what lovetoscrap suggested and look at menus/prices. She's right, only YOU can decide. Everyone does things differently. Maybe you guys are big eaters, maybe not. If you really don't know, I'd suggest going without the plan and keep track of what you eat/how much you spend. Then you'll know for a future trip. For us, its not really about if we save or not. We like having it paid before we leave and being able to order just abotu anything without having to worry about price like we do in real life. We usually don't have a problem eating everything. We love food!

No, you do not need a hotel or tickets to book dining. They will ask if you are staying on site, just tell them yes but you don't know where. FYI, you do not need to be staying on site to book ADRS, but you do need to be on site to get the dining plan.

I hope this helps!

[Rylee]

Hi,

I help 4 different families plan their first visit to DW last year, and all of them said... on their first day there, they felt as if they just fumbled through the day, BUT... by the second day, they felt like pros!

I'll share some thoughts, but of course, they are just my personal opinions and preferences...

Since you have narrowed down your hotel accommodations... are you first time visitors? Do you plan to spend most of your time touring the parks? If so, because of the price difference, I would recommend staying at ASSports. The pools are fine for afternoon swim. If you know you'll want to spend more time relaxing at the resort, you might want to consider spending the extra $$ for the moderate.

Also, if this is your first visit, I don't usually think "Hopper" passes are necessary, (unless you are only going to be there for a short stay and want to experience the highlights of each park.) There is enough to see and do at each park, and "hopping" takes time out of your day. Since you will be a guest at a Disney Resort, you'll be able to take advantage of the Extra Magic Hours (EMH) and for a July visit, the extra money that "Hoppers" would cost, might be better spent on Water Park visits.

Anyone, 10 and over, is considered and will be charged as an adult, for admission tickets and the Dining Plan (DP).

We love the DP. (I have always scheduled one Table Service (TS) meal per day, even when we weren't on the DP. I couldn't stand to eat Counter Service (CS) meals all week, it's a nice break in our day, and we love the atmosphere of the differently themed restaurants) but you'll need to figure out if it works for your family. Read menus and prices at allears. Does your family enjoy dining out or will you be content with CS for your stay? Are your sons picky or good eaters? Even if you don't choose to do the DP, but want to enjoy/experience a meal at a couple of the TS restaurants, you will need to schedule your Advance Dining Reservations (ADR) or you may not get in. *If you don't have Hopper Passes, you'll will need to schedule ADR's at restaurant within, or at a resort nearby, the park you will be visiting that day.* You may want to plan your itinerary around the parks hours for each day of your stay, and then choose your restaurants.

July will be hot and busy! Plan on getting to the parks early in the morning, hitting the "must-see-and-do" attractions for your family, and perhaps taking an afternoon break back at the pool and returning to the park in the evening. Or, schedule your TS meal of the day in the afternoon, (air-conditioned restaurant) when it will be at the hottest point and lines for rides will be the longest, anyway.

Figure out which attraction are must-see-and-do for your family at each park, and learn how to use the Fast Passes. Hit these attractions as early as you can, BUT beyond a plan for a few major attraction at each park, I really recommend relaxing and discovering the MAGIC at your own pace.