Newbie Questions

[homebrew]

Okay, here goes. After reading this board for several months I am now ready to make reservations and want to get it right. I arrive Orlando January 1, 2003 and depart January 6, 2003. 2 adults and 2 kids. Already have flights, arrive MCO at 10:30 am and depart 6:00 pm. Should I:

A. Book rooms seperately now and look for codes, discounts, etc.

B. Book a package, don't think so from what I have read here.

C. Buy a 6 day hopper pass or just a 5 day?

D. Is there anywhere to go on the last day, for free or inexpensive, instead of buying a 6th day and going back to the parks?

E. Ooops, another one. Where should I buy the hopper passes, or rather where is the least expensive, sounds much better than cheapest?

Thanks in advance.

[CaliforniaDreaming]

A: Definetly!

B: I'd just get the room only.

C: 5 day pass.

D: Downtown Disney and/or DisneyQuest :)

I had a 5:30 PM flight home last March (a Monday), and we went to Downtown Disney on our last day. We had lunch at Rainforest Cafe and shopped. It was a nice relaxing day before heading back home. We also got to the airport a little early, trying to get bumped off our flight to get an extra day in Orlando! ;) However, the flight was NOT oversold! First time I've never had an Orlando flight not oversold! (it was full, though)

[NHAnn]

I agree with California on A, B and C. HAving to check out and get to the airport early these days, you wouldn't want to squander a day's pass on just a few park hours. As far as D: here area couple of additions/alternatives to the excellent suggestions of DD and DQ - Disney's mini-golf, Boardwalk for lunch and shopping and if you haven't stayed in or seen any of the Epcot resorts (YC/BC, S/D, BW) you could check one or more out while at Boardwalk, get an ice cream, people-watch, rent a bike....

On E....we have been buying our park hoppers at our local AAA office, there's a discount for members. Not sure if there are other better discounts available.......maybe someone else will know!

Happy planning!

[CaliforniaDreaming]

I bought my park hoppers at check-in, they programmed them onto the Resort ID. :)

[Janet2k]

I would book with Dreams Unlimited Travel (the owner of this website). They will work hard to get you the best rate, and they will check periodically to see if a cheaper rate has come out. With a travel agent like that, you can relax and not worry about checking the Internet five times a day for the best deals. Anyhow, this is all my humble opinion. Here's their link: Dreams Unlimited Travel's Website (http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/).

[rlyrehc]

D-We stayed at the AKL two weeks before Easter and we had a late day departure so we did something a little different this time. We had room service on the balcony for breakfast, checked out and then left our bags with bell services and headed to DD for some shopping and a late lunch at Rainforest Cafe. At around 3 we returned to the AKL and changed in the changing rooms by the pool and spent a good amount of time there and in the hot tub. When it was time to go we went back to the changing rooms and showered and changed (and used their blow dryers! ):) We stopped at the front desk and made sure that we told them how much we appreciated this service. It felt like we had an extra day at the lodge. If you are staying on-site you may want to see if your hotel has the changing room and allows staying past check-out. Oh, and another thing...Your key remains good until 11:00 PM of the day you check out so you continue to be able to charge and are considered an on-site guest.