Oh! Luggage! That's the other thing with Magical Express - you can tag your luggage at your home airport, and then you don't have to go to baggage claim. You'll deplane, go to the DME bus, and your luggage is delivered directly to your room (you don't have to be there.) I looove that feature, it's worth staying onsite for me (along with the other things I love about onsite.) Again, the value may be more or less for you!
This is officially my first foray onto this side of the forums! How exciting! Anyway, I am looking to start planning a trip to WDW in 2017 and was hoping for some general(ish) advice to get me started. Any help from you lovely WDW vets would be GREATLY appreciated. We live in the Las Vegas, NV area, so DLR is very convenient for us and we love it, but I want to take a big trip to WDW and experience that resort as well. I am very aware of the major differences between the resorts, so no worries there. Some of the topics I was hoping to get a helping “push” with are:
Days in the parks: I was thinking of one day in each of the following parks (we don’t do water parks, so I’m not really interesting in those, even though I’m sure they are awesome)- Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. I know that there are many that will find my itinerary not long enough, and I understand, but of the four, do one or two maybe beg for another day? In your opinion, which one(s) would that be and why?
Where to stay: If I’m doing this, I’m staying on property. This isn’t DLR, where the rooms at all three hotels are outrageous, so please tell me where you would stay if you wanted a magical time, but to not totally break the bank. I don’t mind to splurge, but I don’t want to spend an obscene amount of money, either. I saw some info. about the Port Orleans French Quarter and it looked interesting. Also, proximity to the parks is important to me. I’d rather be closer than farther away, tbh. I still realize that transportation will be necessary as WDW is so large. I also understand that there are different tiers of resorts at WDW for different price points. Let’s stay out of the top tier, lol.
Car Rental: Yes or no?: If we fly into Orlando does it make more sense to take a shuttle to WDW than rent a car? If we do take a shuttle, are there car rental places near WDW that we can get to in order to rent a car later in our trip (which will probably be a week long absence from work, leaving on a Saturday and returning the 2nd Sunday after)? I haven’t been to Florida in forever and I want to spend a couple of days at the beach also if I’m flying across the country. My thought is to start out at WDW and then end up at the beach before flying back home. Are the shuttles from the airport run efficiently or is there some wait time involved?
Time of year to go: I always prefer to go in “off season” when I go to DLR, so when is that at WDW, really? Our anniversary is at the end of February, so I’d lean towards that time before others and am not keen on going in the summer. I know I need to plan this trip 9-12 months in advance to make reservations for dining, fastpass+, etc., so this is why I’m trying to get all of my ducks in a row early and start learning about WDW.
I am a little intimidated by WDW, tbh. It is so BIG! I’m used to tiny DLR and love it, but I am getting more and more excited by the prospect of visiting WDW, too. I technically have been before, but I was only a toddler and don’t remember a thing. Any information or opinions regarding any of these questions would be SO greatly appreciated.
Days in the Park: We usually park hop and don't tend to spend from morning to night in the parks. We will get up, and if there is Extra Magic Hours at one of the parks, we will go there.... getting there at least 1/2 before they let you in, so you are near the front. Go to the biggest MUST DO on your list and ride... then to the 2nd, and so on, until your planned fastpasses kick in. We always set them up so they are in a row, and done by about noon or 1. Then we go back to the resort, relax by the pool, change and go a another park where we have dinner, or we just go to a nice place in a resort or DTD to eat. We usually don't do the Extra Magic Hours at night, because they tend to be more crowded and we'd rather go, go, go in the morning and relax the rest of the day. Doing it that way, we usually will spend 2 days in Mk, 2 days in Epcot and a day each at DHS and DAK. DHS, if you are only interested in the rides, can be done, if you take advantage of Extra Magic hours and pre selected Fastpasses in half a day... same with DAK... but we like to take our time there and see the animals, etc... so usually we will spend a full day there. If you are going to a waterpark, it is usually less crowded in the afternoon, so you could do an extra magic hours at a park, and they go there. So, at least, you want a day in each park, but if you have the luxury of time, then spread it out over 6 days.
Where to Stay: Much will depend on your budget and taste. As far as taking the Magical Express, it does work really well. There are places to rent cars on property.... the Car Care Center has rental and it can be set up for you at the concierge desk in your lobby. We live in Florida, but my parents have used the shuttle pretty often and have never had a problem. The nice thing is, that you get to the hotel, check in--- or better yet, do online check in before you get there.. bring a change of clothing in your carry on so you can change in the restroom, check your carry-on with the bellman, and when you return... usually within 3 hours of the time you arrive at your resort, your luggage will be in your room. You will, however have to call the bellman to have him/her bring up your carry-on. You can always use the Magical Express to WDW, but you don't have to take it back. However, you may have to return your rental car to the Car Care Center and set up transportation to the airport, unless they can make other arrangements for you.
Time of Year to Go: Well...... the traditional LOW seasons really aren't that low anymore with all of the new and exciting things that have opened up in the Orlando area in the past couple of years, but I would say the 1st 2 weeks of December is really nice. Everything is decorated for Christmas, they are doing the Candlelight Processional in Epcot, the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is happening at The MAgic Kingdom, so you are getting to enjoy the Christmas season without the crowds. Another time would be in later September after the Food and Wine Festival has started in Epcot and the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party has started in the Magic Kingdom. Except for some school groups that still may be lingering in early May, that is also a nice time. The weather is nice... not too humid yet and the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival usually runs until the Sunday of Mother's Day. The week after that, the Star Wars Weekends begin and run for Friday - Sunday for 5 weekends. If you are going at the end of February, as long as you miss President's weekend, you should be fine. The hours may be a bit shorter for the parks, and some attractions may be down for refurbishment, but if you aren't into the "festivals", there are none going on at the time.
Other things of interest: As for getting your ADR's, Fastpasses, etc, you do need to get them in advance, but ADR's don't start booking until 120 days, depending on the place, and the Fastpasses you can only reserve 60 days in advance and you can do your online check in 60 days in advance. Make sure you get your Disney's Magical Experience app for your computer/laptop/phone. You can do all of your planning right there, including picking the color of your Magic Band. I would look at the official and non official websites, or go to your local bookstore or online and see about any planning books they might have. Sometimes by reading the stuff that is "un-official", you get a little better understanding about WDW. The place is vast, with LOTS to do and see. Just remember, you likely will not be able to do it all in one trip, and trying to would likely drive you nuts, or break the bank. So relax, pick out your "Must Do's" and enjoy yourself. And have a Happy Anniversary!
Oh yes, that's right, 6 MONTHS. I knew that, for heaven's sake.
What is "MDE"? I have an account on Disney.com for reservations for Disneyland already, is it similar (but for way more things)?
Days in the parks: I was thinking of one day in each of the following parks (we don’t do water parks, so I’m not really interesting in those, even though I’m sure they are awesome)- Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. I know that there are many that will find my itinerary not long enough, and I understand, but of the four, do one or two maybe beg for another day? In your opinion, which one(s) would that be and why?
Where to stay:
Given that you live in LV, you may want to skip Coronado Springs. As for the other moderates, do you want a Louisiana feel or a Caribbean feel? I like POFQ, CBR and POR in that order. The Swolphin is also a great choice. It's about the same price as the Disney moderates but it's location is between DHS and Epcot. The downsides are (1) a resort fee, (2) pay for parking, (3) no DDP and (4) no free transportation from the airport. Another option (since you're looking so far in advance) is to rent DVC points for a studio. Depending on the time of year, you can get Deluxe resorts at Moderate prices. You can rent over on the DVC Rent/Trade board or from a professional here: http://www.dvcrequest.com/ . His prices are more expensive but you can use his points/price calculators to get a "worst case" scenario. The downside is that DVC point rentals are often non-refundable and cannot be changed ... although if you work with an individual owner those kinds of things can be worked out.If I’m doing this, I’m staying on property. This isn’t DLR, where the rooms at all three hotels are outrageous, so please tell me where you would stay if you wanted a magical time, but to not totally break the bank. I don’t mind to splurge, but I don’t want to spend an obscene amount of money, either. I saw some info. about the Port Orleans French Quarter and it looked interesting. Also, proximity to the parks is important to me. I’d rather be closer than farther away, tbh. I still realize that transportation will be necessary as WDW is so large. I also understand that there are different tiers of resorts at WDW for different price points. Let’s stay out of the top tier, lol.
Car Rental: Yes or no?:
I would say "yes" to the rental car, especially if you are going to want to rent one for a day or two. It may be just as cheap to rent it for the whole week and have it to run offsite for drinks, breakfast foods or snacks.If we fly into Orlando does it make more sense to take a shuttle to WDW than rent a car? If we do take a shuttle, are there car rental places near WDW that we can get to in order to rent a car later in our trip (which will probably be a week long absence from work, leaving on a Saturday and returning the 2nd Sunday after)? I haven’t been to Florida in forever and I want to spend a couple of days at the beach also if I’m flying across the country. My thought is to start out at WDW and then end up at the beach before flying back home. Are the shuttles from the airport run efficiently or is there some wait time involved?
Time of year to go:
I'm not sure if there really is an "off season" anymore. I have read reports that it's pretty busy all the time. I would go ahead with being there for your anniversary. The Half Marathon is 2/21 so it'll be a little busier then.I always prefer to go in “off season” when I go to DLR, so when is that at WDW, really? Our anniversary is at the end of February, so I’d lean towards that time before others and am not keen on going in the summer. I know I need to plan this trip 9-12 months in advance to make reservations for dining, fastpass+, etc., so this is why I’m trying to get all of my ducks in a row early and start learning about WDW.
DVC points will NOT help you at POFQ. Just book through CRO, the earlier you can the better off you are.Thanks everyone for the new information!
The more I've looked around, the more I'm sure I want to stay at POFQ when we go and I'll probably just want to book a Standard room as I'm okay with splurging, but already consider myself doing so by staying on property. I am very much considering using a travel agent (maybe Dreams Unlimited or my local AAA agent, since I am a member) as well. I'm not knowledgeable about the DVC points- is that a big hassle or would it even benefit me at all staying at POFQ?
I guess a big question I have is- when should I start the actual planning process in which I can start making room reservations, etc.? When do YOU start making reservations for things when you plan YOUR trip? I know my hubby thinks it's hilariously early to be worrying about these things, but I want to stay where I want and get everything set up in advance, because I'm a planner!
DVC points will NOT help you at POFQ. Just book through CRO, the earlier you can the better off you are.
With DVC you are always in planning mode. You have to be planning your points out 2 - 3 years ahead of time to ensure that you book when your 11 month booking window opens. I have plans right now for reservations as far out as 2018, including two DCLs using DVC points, a trip to HH, already booked for next month a trip to VB, and DWs birthday getaways in Dec every year (we have been every year since '93 for this getaway and have no plans to stop).