Additional Options? I need your opinion!

BrittanyH · Mar 31, 2015

I am planning a trip to Disney from September 11-22. It will be myself 23, my mom 50, and my son 5. This is our first ever trip to Florida, and I have a few questions; 1.) Is the dining plan worth the extra money? And when I say extra money, I mean almost $1600. 2.) Is the Memory Maker a good idea? I heard the people who take your pictures will gladly use your personal camera to take your picture. 3.) Should I have a Travel Agent? Thanks in advanced for your help!

tink9702 · Mar 31, 2015

1. that depends. Are you big eaters? Do you like dessert or apps more? Do you prefer to drink alcohol? Where are you planning on dining?

2. we don't think Memory Maker is worth it for our family.

3. you don't need one if you are willing to put in the time and effort to plan and spend time on the dis.

karpy111 · Mar 31, 2015

With a child the age of 5 you are probably going to do a lot of character meals. If that's the case the dining plan would be worth it as they get to be expensive. In the past the dates you are going usually has free dining so that could make your decision easy.
I'm also going in September and was looking into the Memory Maker. The are a lot of threads on here that you can get information that will help you make your decision.
As far a travel agent I would say no. Again these boards have everything on them. Plus the Disney CMs on the phone can help you.
One thing you might be interested in September is the Halloween party.

tabistar · Mar 31, 2015

I say no to all 3.

mom2AidanAndEli · Mar 31, 2015

1) Going in September, you may be able to get a free dining plan. Then it's definitely worth it! Keep your eye out toward late spring/early summer as the new discounts are released. Even if you've already booked, you can often have it changed to include the free dining. Otherwise, you'll really need to look at menus and make your best guess about what you'll be eating and add up the numbers. The plan works for some, not for others. It's really based on personal habits/styles.

2) We loved the Memory Maker, just because you know you'll get some great shots, some magic shots, and then be able to use the borders to decorate all your pictures. Again, it's pretty subjective. And I know it's pricey, so if you're looking to cut corners, no, it's not necessary.

3) I've never used a TA. I'm too much of a control freak!!! I like to do everything myself. And if you put in the time doing some research, you'll be fine on your own.

You're going to have a blast!!!

BrittanyH · Mar 31, 2015

Awesome thanks for your opinions! I will definitely search through more of the boards, to get more information. And we are looking forward to the Halloween Party! I heard tickets go on sale next month? Do you know if they sale out quickly?

kmoore7 · Mar 31, 2015

First and foremost, welcome. To answer your questions.
1) In my opinion, it would not be for your group. Maybe, just maybe, the quick service plan.

2) I bought the Memory Maker for our last trip last July 4th. I thought it was well worth it. We had over 400 pictures when we got home.

3) I have never used a travel agent, but I enjoy the planning part and all that goes with it.

Have a great trip!

ShayBells · Mar 31, 2015

I'd say no to all three. For us the dining plan isn't worth it. Too much food where I could save so much money. The memory maker is too expensive for me and my ds isn't that into characters so we wouldn't get that many pictures and you are right they will use your camera. For the last one I like doing details myself. I'm a control freak so I like doing the arrangements myself but if you think you need help it might not be a horrible idea. Really each of these are personal answers. If you and your family eat a lot of food than go for the plan. If you don't than no. If you will spend most of your time stopping for photos and characters it might not be a bad idea but you get to look at all your pictures they take without it and buy what you want (individually) without it. With it you just get all the digital copies. Not good enough in my opinion for as much as it costs.

RJstanis · Mar 31, 2015

I'm on the no dining plan wagon too unless its free. We had free dining last Sept and had extra QS we never used so we got like 3 orders of nuggets and pizzas for the plane. Worth it when its free, I'd rather pay OOP if its not free.

We enjoyed the memory maker and getting it again this year. We took our own pics too with cell phone and point and click camera but the photo pass photographers took better shots as a whole. Plus it gave us easy family shots, free ride photos, and editing options. If you plan on doing a lot of character meet and greets, especially during Halloween party its definitely worth it.

No TA needed unless they can give you a better deal than Disney. We are using one for our trip in early Sept only bc the deal is ridiculous compared to Disney prices. The agency we are using can help plan for you or you can organize everything yourself.

The Halloween party(s) that will happen when you are there shouldn't sell out. I think the last Friday of September parties have been the earliest dates to sell out (obviously halloween reins supreme) during the MNSSHP season the past two years. If you know what dates you are going for sure you can buy them when they go on sale next month just to be sure. Just remember they are nonrefundable unlike a lot of Disney things. The party goes on rain or shine. Keep up with the MNSSHP thread for planning info. A good plan goes a long way for these.

agavegirl1 · Mar 31, 2015

I may be in the minority here but...

Dining Plan....no, get a Disney Visa and start racking up points or buy gift cards and save them up. It is possible to get free dining for that time so hold on and wait on that one.
Memory Maker...yes. Yes photographers will use your camera but some very nice features come with Memory Maker...like a video of everyone on Seven Dwarfs Mine train or extra shots for character meet and greets and "magic shots" with special features added in. Plus, you don't stress over the photos.
Travel Agent... no. Use us. We are here for you! I haven't used a Travel agent since 1998. There is so much information available to you to plan a trip that meets your needs.

CarolynFH · Mar 31, 2015

Can't make recommendations re dining plan - as PP have pointed out, it depends on y'all's eating habits. We like appetizers and almost never get dessert, so it doesn't work for us.

But MM I would recommend! Yes the photographers will take pics with your camera, but they can't do magic shots with your camera (and there are special magic shots you can only get at the Halloween Party, BTW), you'll have to pay separately for ride photos ($15 each), and you can't get ride videos at all without MM. Being your first trip, and with your mom and son, MM will give you some very special shots. So I think it would be worth it for this trip.

cjparker0110 · Mar 31, 2015

I don't know if it's worth adding my two cents, but here goes:

1. As others have said, this is based on preferences. There are plenty of ways to find out what meals are like and the pricing to go with. The Birnbaum book has a great description of food and pricing. If you are burger/fries/pizza kind of people, it will not be worth it unless it's free/discounted. If you like eating fancier meals then it probably will be. I think there is a lower price for children so that should help you decide though I could be wrong there. As for character meals: they are a blast but I would probably just do one...it will be more special!

2. If you just want basic pictures like you normally would have, don't spend the money. If you want something different, then you can pony up. I've seen mixed reviews on whether or not it is worthwhile. I guess if you're looking to save, then it's probably something you could cut out.

3. I would not pay for a travel agent. The internet can do about anything you need for planning: transportation, tickets, hotel, etc. There are many sites with free resources available to help you plan. If you like books, there are many of those too. I always recommend the Birnbaum book because my mom used that when I was a kid in the 80s. I've bought one every 2-3 years to keep up to date with it (it's published yearly). I believe they have a Birnbaum book for going to Disney with kids as well. That might be a great one for you to look at. Also, look on this DIS because there is a TON of free advice from fellow Disney fans.

MmmSuite · Apr 1, 2015

I had free dining last September and I have it again this year! I loved all the character meals!

YES, to MM! I had 900 pics when I left after 8 nights. I also had about 2,100 in cell phone pics too. I like being in the pictures. I like the magic shots! I like having all the pics from my son as Beast in ETWB. Plus, all the pics of my sons doing JTA. I would never buy a ride photo but my face on Dinosaur was priceless and I'm glad to have it.

Between Dis and Kenny the Pirate. I'd say no to travel agents. I like having control. I changed things a lot. I liked planning Disney. We went and never waited more than 20 mins except for Talking Mickey. These boards are so helpful.

staceyeileen · Apr 1, 2015

cjparker0110 said:
3. I would not pay for a travel agent.

Not an argument for or against, just a correction: travel agents don't charge customers for their services. They receive a commission from Disney, which is how they get paid.

WriterGina · Apr 1, 2015

We have used a travel agent in the past (not sure whether or not I can name names/recommend here, so I'll err on the side of not mentioning), and had a great experience with her. She was amazing. But this time I decided to wing it and do it myself and I think we're doing pretty well (although we'll see how it goes when we're actually there in 17 days! I agree with PPs that I'm enjoying managing things myself this time around.

I have not yet used Memory Maker, but we purchased it for this trip, and I'm betting it's going to be worth it. We did something similar on two recent Royal Caribbean cruises, and we definitely loved it--got tons of pictures that we otherwise either would not have had, or would have paid much more for. We don't really use a point and shoot camera anymore, so it's either our phones, or our nice Canon SLR. The phones obviously don't get the kind of pictures you want at Disney for the most part, and while I love using the SLR when we're not trekking around all day, it's no fun carting a big camera through a theme park and stashing it every time you need to go on a ride! Not to mention always trying to find someone to take a picture of your whole group for you with your camera so someone isn't left out of the picture. I'm really excited about the family shots we'll be able to get...I plan to snag every photographer we see!

GillianP1301 · Apr 1, 2015

1) I'm a big fan of the Dining Plan. It's not a huge cost savings, I normally break even or have small savings, but I love the freedom and convenience of it. If you are planning on doing character meals, it is definitely worthwhile when you have a young child because their dining plan costs are much lower than the character meals. I would recommend taking a look at some menus and doing some rough calculations based on how you think you would like to eat while there and see if you can justify the cost that way. There are some online DDP calculators that you can google that will also help with this.

2) I'm middle of the road when it comes to Memory Maker. The photogs will take pictures with your own camera, but there are magic shots and ride photos that go to your memory maker. If you're going to do it, pre-order it because that will save you a little bit of money.

3) I use a TA because she's a friend, I wouldn't otherwise because I do tons of research myself and very on top of what's going on at WDW that I'm comfortable doing my own planning. If you are feeling overwhelmed at all with the planning details or just don't really have time to do a lot of research, then I think a TA would be a good idea, especially for a first trip.

tinkerbesh · Apr 1, 2015

1) Check menus on allears.net and you'll be able to answer your own question. What we do every time we want to decide yay or nay on the DDP is to figure out how much it costs to add it on for 1 day. Then visit the menus and pick out what we'd eat. Compare costs, and voila!

2) We had never gotten MM before, but on our last trip (with DS1 -- his first trip!), we decided to do it. And now I think we'll always get it-- we wound up with soooo many great pictures, and had tons of fun playing around with borders, etc. after getting home. We've never hired a photographer to do photo sessions with our son, but we found it so fun to see what the PP photographers would capture on our son's face. One went out of his way and basically created a mini-session with our son on Main Street, and they are our favorite pictures of the whole trip -- those were worth the price alone.

3) Depends on how much you want to do on your own. I love love love playing travel agent for my family, so I'll never hire anyone else to do it since I enjoy it so much. So see how you feel making the reservations, looking for discounts, making your own fastpass+ and restaurant reservations... It's totally doable with just a little bit of familiarizing yourself with the process (esp with disboards!), but if you don't feel up to it, look for a great agent -- and make sure no one is charging you for the service. Lots of advice on that on disboards.

P.S. Be sure to get buttons to wear that say "first trip" from guest services or from your hotel (if you're staying on site, which I highly recommend!) -- you can wear them for your whole trip, and you will get lots of well wishes (and maybe even a treat or 2 along the way). Also you can get buttons if you're celebrating bday or anything else in particular. Have a magical trip! pixiedust:

BrittanyH · Apr 1, 2015

Thanks for all of the information! I think I will wait until free dining promos come out, and I will definitely be getting a MM! As for a travel agent, I am still not completely sold either way. Thanks for all the additional information, especially about the buttons! As my sons birthday is the week before we leave and my moms birthday is the week after we return!

wdwrich · Apr 1, 2015

BrittanyH said:
Thanks for all of the information! I think I will wait until free dining promos come out, and I will definitely be getting a MM! As for a travel agent, I am still not completely sold either way. Thanks for all the additional information, especially about the buttons! As my sons birthday is the week before we leave and my moms birthday is the week after we return!

When/if the free dining promotion is announced, keep in mind that you have to pay full rack rate for your hotel in order to get the "free" dining plan. Depending on the level of hotel you want and the number of people in your family, a good discount on the hotel room can be more cost effective. You'll have to run some numbers to see which works best for you. Good luck!

mullysisters · Apr 1, 2015

I had free dining once. I drink beer/wine not soft drinks and prefer appetizers to entrees so it was definitely not worth it to me.
I think Memory Maker is expensive but I might not if I was with my Mom and child! Only you can decide.
I always book through Disney Travel. I can't find a less expensive way to go. In 2011 my dad had a heart attack. Although it was only 14 days before my trip Disneyvacations refunded my entire costs on the day I called. The Travel person could not have been kinder or more supportive, no questions asked. She said she hoped I would be able to book my trip again soon and said that she hoped my dad would be okay. Three years later he is better than ever and I have had two more vacations with Disney. I book online and never any worry.
PS I'm from Canada and put it all on my creditcard.

Additional Options? I need your opinion!

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