New to Disney--Some questions to ask

[pegasus2017]

I'm planning a vacation the last week Dec. '08 and doing my research. I love the idea of a Disney resort because of all the obvious perks. But I'm concerned with the dining aspect. Are there any Disney hotels with a fridge and microwave? I saw a quote that a dining plan works out to be about $40 per adult. That just doesn't seem sensible to me. I'd love to have the option to eat on our own, at least breakfast and lunch. I would splurge a few nights during the week for a fancy dinner, but not everyday.Advice?-Peg (coming with hubby, and 2 kids ages 12 and 9)

 

[Aliceacc]

Hi and welcome!

I started a newbies thread that may help answer some of your questions: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1715551

Check the resort fact sheets at www.allears.net for the amenities that come with each resort.

As to the meal plan: it would be $40 for you, your husband and your older child. You younger child is under 10 and would be $10 per night. If you choose not to go with the meal plan, you can still make ADRs (Advance Dining Reservations) 180 days before your vacation begins. Take a look at the menus at allears and ask on the dining board for recommendations.

 

[misricsmith]

I we too are going dearly december
most deluxe and mods have the frige
and microwave

hope it helps
we stayed at pop last year with 11 and 5 yr old and infant
way way crowded
for 9 days
trying the poly this time!

 

[Deb & Bill]

I we too are going dearly december
most deluxe and mods have the frige
and microwave...

Refrigerators, yes. Microwaves, no, unless you count the one in the food court.

DVC villas have refrigerator and microwaves in all villas. One bedrooms and larger have full kitchens.

All Stars Family Suites have microwaves and refrigerators.

By the way, the last week of Dec (between Christmas and New Years) is the busiest time of the year. Parks close to any incoming guests frequently during the week.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Keep in mind, it is highly unlikely you will take valuable park-touring time to return to your resort every day to prepare and eat lunch.

 

[gatorgirl2]

Congrats on your first trip to Disney. Your children will probably be more interested in the atmosphere and rides, rather than the food, so dining plan would probably be moe of a pain than benefit.

However, a couple character meal reservations would certainly enhance your children's experience. Much better use of time to get pics with characters over a meal, than to stand in line 30 minutes at the park for a photo op with one character. You can save money by eating a bagel or bowl of cereal at the hotel room, or bringing snacks for lunch (we snack on pb crackers, granola bars or fruit while waiting in lines). A fridge in the room would help for drinks--never used a microwave.

 

[Rylee]

I'm planning a vacation the last week Dec. '08 and doing my research. I love the idea of a Disney resort because of all the obvious perks. But I'm concerned with the dining aspect. Are there any Disney hotels with a fridge and microwave? I saw a quote that a dining plan works out to be about $40 per adult. That just doesn't seem sensible to me. I'd love to have the option to eat on our own, at least breakfast and lunch. I would splurge a few nights during the week for a fancy dinner, but not everyday.Advice?-Peg (coming with hubby, and 2 kids ages 12 and 9)

Hi,

A few thoughts...

Christmas week is the BUSIEST week of the year. If possible, you may want to consider changing your dates. If you do visit at Xmas time, do your homework... take advantage of the Extra Magic Hours (EMH), be at the parks at rope drop, use fast-passes, make Advance Dining Reservations (ADR) at the 180 day mark, etc.

Dec. 19 - 31 is "peak season" pricing for Disney resorts. (The highest all year.) Although, I strongly recommend staying on-site at a Disney Resort.

Concerning tickets and the Dining Plan (DP), anyone 10 and over is a "Disney" adult. If your child will still be 9 at the time of travel, the DP would cost your family about $125 times (X) the number of nights you are staying. You would each receive 1 Table Service meal (TS), 1 Counter Service meal (CS) and 1 snack, times (X) the length of your stay. Tips are NOT included. The DP would protect you from holiday pricing at some TS restaurants. Read menus and prices at the allearsnet site to decide if it is a value for your family.

At the Value Resorts, you can request and pay for a small fridge.
The Moderate Resort rooms include a small fridge.
The All-Star Music suites have a small fridge and microwave.
The Fort Wilderness Cabins have a full kitchen.
The DVC Studios and Villas, have microwaves and a small fridge or full kitchens, but cost a lot more per night. (More than the cost of the DP for your family.)

If you are looking for budget friendly advice...

The best option is... a room at a Value Resort, no DP, bringing snacks and breakfast items from home (or order and have delivered to your room)... pop-tarts, granola bars, juice boxes, fruit snacks, mini-cereal boxes, etc., and eating CS meals for lunch and dinner. Try sharing a few meals... order 2 complete meals... sandwich, salad/fries and 2 sandwiches, or 4 sandwiches and 2 fries, etc. (The portions are large and you'll probably find you will still throw away some food at the end of the meal.) The food courts at the Value Resorts offer a nice selection and I seen others say you can even purchase a couple slices of bread and peanut butter for picky eaters. The food courts also have a microwave available. Also, consider shipping yourself (or ordering) a case of water or carry refillable bottles in the parks.

Second choice - a room at the Value Resorts with the DP.

Third choice... The family suite at All-Star Music resort. This will cost more for the lodging and you'll need to weigh the cost of the room to the value of preparing your own meals, along with the time and inconvenience of returning to the resort and preparing meals.

Since you are visiting at the busiest time of the year, I would not recommend travelling off Disney property to dine, but if you'll have a car, it is another option.

Have a magical trip!

 

[Lynne M]

Also keep in mind, Christmas week is so packed that the parks can reach capacity, at which point guests will be refused entry until the crowds drop back down to a safe level. If you leave MK to go back to your resort and eat lunch, you many not be allowed to re-enter the park until much later in the day.

It sounds like this is going to be your family's first trip. If it's at all possible, you may want to consider traveling at another time of year. The last week of the year is the busiest week of the year, and it can be very difficult for first-timers to manage. Waits for rides and food will be very, very long, and you will need to make any dining reservations six months before your trip.

Also, the resort rates are at their absolute peak that week. It's the most expensive time to go. If you travel at another time of year, you may save enough money to help cover the cost of the dining plan.

 

[Reginak]

The above posters are right. You are picking the busiest week of the year (I believe that Easter week and some of the spring breaks are next). So, if possible, consider traveling during the first two weeks of December or amytime during January. The difference is amazing: all of the Christmas decorations are up; the lines will be short; and you can relax and not have to rush through everything. Many teachers will work with you if they know far enough in advance (I would and I teach HS English and Math.) There is a lot of advice on Disboards about projects that can be tied into a Disney trip. I also know that this is sometimes impossible; jobs, school regulations and teachers sometimes prevent a trip while school is in session.

Now, I will tell you that there are many experienced travelers on these boards that go for Christmas week every year and have a wonderful time. Most of them take more than one trip during a year and do most of the rides during the off-season trip. When you go, consider planning some things at the resorts such as dinner at the WL followed by a sleigh ride. Read and plan as much as you can before you go. Be sure to use Tour Guide Mike at http://www.tourguidemike.com/index.asp ; it will be worth every penney.

Don't judge WDW by this trip. There are many times during the when the waits for most rides are for five minutes or less and the trip can be relaxing and peaceful. Don't push yourself too hard; it will be impossible to do everything in one trip. Just keep reminding yourself that this is the first of many trips, I hope, and that you will have time to fully explore later.

Whatever you decide, I hope that you will have a great trip. We will be glad to help you in any way that we can.
Regina

 

[pegasus2017]

Now you all have me nervous. I think I'll change our dates to a quieter time. But thanks for all the meal suggestions. Lots of good tips.By the way, I am a teaching asst. and all the free time I have is going to be the busiest!

 

[Rylee]

Now you all have me nervous. I think I'll change our dates to a quieter time. But thanks for all the meal suggestions. Lots of good tips.By the way, I am a teaching asst. and all the free time I have is going to be the busiest!

Does your school have a Feb. break?

We have gone during this time and it is the least busiest of the school breaks.

Sorry to make you nervous, but wanted you to be prepared. A Disney vacation cost a good chunk of change, and would be very disappointing to not get to see and do much, due to large crowds and long, long wait times.

 

[Rylee]

Where is Central Valley? I'm near Syracuse.

 

[pegasus2017]

Now I'm considering Oct 9-13th. I have off for Columbus day weekend, as do my kids, and my daughter will still be 11 so she can be considered a child as far as prices. By the way, Central valley is about 50 minutes north of NY City.

 

[finnie48]

Hi pegasus,

Welcome to a world of great information!!

Just a thought - if you are in the teaching profession the Swan/Dolphin deluxe hotels have discounted rates (about the same as a Disney moderate). They are not Disney owned, but are located in the Epcot resort area right next to the Boardwalk,Yacht and beach Club hotels and have most of the perks that Disney resorts do - transportation, extra magic hours, purchases you may have made in the parks delivered to your hotel.

Have fun planning and keep asking questions. And remember, you can not do it all in one trip. WDW is a most magical place and needs to be savored, not rushed through. Whenever you go have a fantastic trip.

Peg and Bob

 

[ashef]

Especially for your first trip, you'll have much more fun in October than during the crush of Christmas week. And sorry to have to tell you, but at WDW, 9 is the cutoff for "child."

 

[Deb & Bill]

Now I'm considering Oct 9-13th. I have off for Columbus day weekend, as do my kids, and my daughter will still be 11 so she can be considered a child as far as prices. By the way, Central valley is about 50 minutes north of NY City.

Like ashef said, nine is the cut-off for children's prices for dining and tickets. They actually don't call them children's tickets, but ticket for Guests aged 3-9 and Guests 10+. They used to allow kids up to 12 to eat at the lower price (like the littler kids), but they raised their price a few years ago (maybe 3 or so). So all guests, ten and over, pay the higher price for tickets and dining.

You may want to purchase one of the newer guide books. Birnbaum's is a very nice one with lots of photos. And it is authorized by Disney.

Enjoy your planning.

 

[Rylee]

Now I'm considering Oct 9-13th. I have off for Columbus day weekend, as do my kids, and my daughter will still be 11 so she can be considered a child as far as prices. By the way, Central valley is about 50 minutes north of NY City.

I think this is a much better time for crowd levels and resort pricing, too.

Another money saving tip... don't purchase the extra options on tickets... hoppers, water parks and more, or the non-expirey... stick to Magic Your Way (MYW) base tickets.

Check out the mousesavers site (sign up for the free newsletter) and if you are going in Oct., you'll stand a better chance of possibly finding a discount code or applying a AAA rate to your room. (Not many discounts available for the holiday season.)

 

[Reginak]

You will really enjoy your trip. First of all, as soon as it is available, look at WDW calendar for October. Odds are that on most days of your tripthe only park open after 7:00 pm will be the World Showcase at Epcot. That is why we purchase the park hopper option (most evenings we go to Epcot for dinner); also, some days we will start in one park and then in the evening hop over to another to avoid the crowd or because of extra magic hours (on certain days of the week one of the parks will open a couple of hours early or stay open several hours longer for WDW resort guests only - these parks usually have the largest crowd except during the magic hours). Get a guide like the Unofficial Guide to WDW or Birnbaums Guide to WDW to learn about the which parks have the smallest crowds each day and plan accordingly. It is nice to avoid a lot of the lines.
Finally, relax and have a good time.
Regina

 

[skipperkim]

Now I'm considering Oct 9-13th. I have off for Columbus day weekend, as do my kids, and my daughter will still be 11 so she can be considered a child as far as prices. By the way, Central valley is about 50 minutes north of NY City.

That's a great time to go. The Halloween party at MK is going on and so is F&W. If you do go then, be sure to get park hopper tickets. If you do a dining plan you can use your snack option for a pastry for breakfast. You can ship items for breakfast and snacks to your resort and it will be held until your arrival. If you have a fridge in the room, your resort gift shop will have 1/2 gallons of milk and juice for sale. Can you tell I eat breakfast in the room? Last time I went was for free dining, now that's a great deal. If is going to happen it should be announced next month.

 

[pegasus2017]

God, I'm so glad I found this message board. What a wealth of information! And I also have to pat myself on the back...I'm glad I started all my "research" so early. There's really just SO MUCH to consider. Pity the poor fools who think they can just go without any preparation!
Anyway, here's a couple more questions for the group. First of all, I've now decided on a moderate resort (CBR) and the DDP. Funny how I started this planning with the idea of saving money by staying in an outside hotel and going to the local grocery store. My trip is getting grander by the day. But ya' know, it IS Disney for pete's sake. Gotta splurge a little.
My question is this: Everyone is talking about discounts and codes. If I book through Expedia I can get the same pkg for CBR, with 5 day hoppers, DDP, and airfare for just about the same price as the same pkg with POP. If I go with that plan, how do I get discounted codes and where and at what point do I use them? I also plan to pay with a Disney Visa for more perks. Any advise would be appreciated.