Thinking about a spur of the moment trip and need serious help

[cissy]

Went to Disney 3 years ago and planned for a year. Everyone on this board helped make our trip AMAZING!! This time we are thinking of going in a month....oh my!! Had planned on October 2011 but circumstances have changed and we are looking into late Feb now.

Details then questions.....2 adults, 2 DD's (8 and 9). Will have own car. Thinking 4 days in parks and 2 days doing outside WDW stuff. Pool a must! We are morning people and will hit parks early rather than stay late. Kids not all that adventurous riders although BTMRR and Splash were huge hits last time.

1. Where to stay? Looks like there is a deal on some WDW hotels and kids play free. This may be enough savings to stay at WDW instead of off site but maybe not??

2. Value or Moderate? Stayed at Poly last time but not willing to spend that much now. And do we split our stay between hotels or is that more of a pain than it is worth?

3. Dining plan? Last time we ate at lots of character meals and sit downs but kids wont be into that this trip. May want one or two sit downs for dinner but with our own car may prefer to go out in Orlando.

4. MGM? Kids hated it last time but they are older now and maybe they would like it. Definitely want to do MK, AK and Epcot. Than decide on 4th day which park they want to do again.

5. Universal? Kids are so-so about HPotter and not big riders so maybe we skip? But if HP is a really cool thing than maybe we go.

6. What else is a must see in Orlando? Ethical qualms with Sea World so I am not sure I could do that one. A few people have mentioned a Medieval dinner show but I know nothing about it.

Thanks for any advice you all can give. I am a little nervous that I don't have a lot of time to plan.

 

[lovealatte]

Here is what I would suggest!!

Check the pricing on value vs. mod. If they're pretty close in price, I'd go with the mod. you mentioned pool is important, mods have slides. If going with value, I'd say go with POP- it's newer, I stayed there in 09 and had no issues.

Especially if you will have a car and are considering eating offsite, don't bother with the dining plan. Save some money and possibly put it towards staying at a mod.

Definitely go to MGM! (Now DHS). Toy Story Midway Mania is new since you've been there (I think?) and it's a lot of fun. But as a warning, it's always super packed- you will need to get there at rope drop (good thing you're early risers)

Universal- if your kids are soso on Harry Potter.. I personally wouldn't bother. Since it's total HP immersion, they'd probably just be soso about that too. I don't know much about the rest of universal but I do know they have a lot of thrill rides.

Those are my thoughts.... hope that helps! Have a fantastic time

 

[kwdw]

I wouldn't split your stay at two places. It's too short of a time - you'll waste time with the gathering up of stuff and the move.

Late Feb - could have beautiful weather for a pool, or maybe not..... I'd book the value resort - and if the weather is going to be awesome for a day - maybe spend the money saved on the hotel at the water park. If the kids don't need to hit the pool based on the weather - you saved money for sure.

 

[cissy]

Good advice on the dining plan. I did not think about it, but are the WDW pools heated? Slides are probably a must as well so hopefully the mods will be a good price.

I asked the kids about HP and they both said they not really interested. MGM it is then!

Okay, so if we go moderate, which hotel is best for is considering their love of pools and since we have a car?

Anyone want to chime in on attractions outside the world? These are girly girls so NO alligators or space stuff, unfortunately!!

Thanks!

 

[waffles77]

The kids play free promotion is actually a super savings - especially if you are staying at a Value resort. It would probably make the cost somewhat equivalent to staying outside the park considering you would have to rent a car.

IMHO I am not sure that having a slide may be worth jumping to a moderate and I don't feel that the room size is really that big a difference.

But if you do want to go to a moderate, I would suggest POFQ or Carribbean Beach. The themes are more fun for the kids.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

You want to go in feb and swimming is a must?

 

[cissy]

Yes, swimming is a must. We went in December 3 years ago and swam every day at the Poly pool. My assumption is that the pools are heated? Typhoon Lagoon is open now so I am not sure why swimming in Feb would be an issue. I have to give UG kudos on knowing how kids see a vacation.....one of the best things about WDW for them was the pool!! LOL

 

[KELLY]

Here is what we did. We are staying at pop for 8 nights. We only do around 2 Ts meals so we added the QSDP. We did the kids free promo. Free dining would have saved us more but I didn't realize the promo ended in December. I just like the fact when we go all the food is paid for.

For us to upgrade to a modertae it was 650.00 more. That is alot of money for some extra space. We are hoping for Fd for Ocotber beacuse we will just bump our trip up and then the price diffrence will only be around 250.00.

 

[KELLY]

Wanted to add my kids pefer pop.

 

[NJ2Boardwalk]

Went to Disney 3 years ago and planned for a year. Everyone on this board helped make our trip AMAZING!! This time we are thinking of going in a month....oh my!! Had planned on October 2011 but circumstances have changed and we are looking into late Feb now.

Details then questions.....2 adults, 2 DD's (8 and 9). Will have own car. Thinking 4 days in parks and 2 days doing outside WDW stuff. Pool a must! We are morning people and will hit parks early rather than stay late. Kids not all that adventurous riders although BTMRR and Splash were huge hits last time.
Your kids are light years away from where they were 3 years ago! They will LOVE all aspects of Disney. IMHO I'm not an "Orlando" hopper when I go to Disney. I figure, if I'm going to spend the money to go, stay on property and buy passes..I'm going to soak in all the Disney I can!
Yes, the pools are heated, but the air may not be! End of Feb will be hit or miss on that. Sounds like your kids will go in whether its 70 degrees or 30.
1. Where to stay? Looks like there is a deal on some WDW hotels and kids play free. This may be enough savings to stay at WDW instead of off site but maybe not?? Yes there is a deal now..if pools are a must, and with your kids ages - I would definitely stay moderate. If you are only going to buy 4 days worth of admission there will be plenty to do at the resort, at Downtown Disney, etc...

2. Value or Moderate? Stayed at Poly last time but not willing to spend that much now. And do we split our stay between hotels or is that more of a pain than it is worth? Again, definitely moderate. The activities and amenities will be worth it. If you stay Port Orleans you can take the boat to Downtown Disney, Coronado has a great pool area, Caribbean Beach has a great theme. Don't forget about the Cabins at Fort Wilderness....very nice and lots to do. Although in Feb it would be my last choice. Would not split stay, too short of a time.

3. Dining plan? Last time we ate at lots of character meals and sit downs but kids wont be into that this trip. May want one or two sit downs for dinner but with our own car may prefer to go out in Orlando. If you are not going to eat every meal in Disney, dining plan not worth it at all. But don't be so sure your kids won't want character meals, my girls are 15 and 17 and they STILL love Chef Mickeys!!

4. MGM? Kids hated it last time but they are older now and maybe they would like it. Definitely want to do MK, AK and Epcot. Than decide on 4th day which park they want to do again. Your kids are so different than 3 years ago. They will LOVE Hollywood Studios. They have the Disney Channel "kids" show, Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story Maina...etc.

5. Universal? Kids are so-so about HPotter and not big riders so maybe we skip? But if HP is a really cool thing than maybe we go. Can't comment, never been.

6. What else is a must see in Orlando? Ethical qualms with Sea World so I am not sure I could do that one. A few people have mentioned a Medieval dinner show but I know nothing about it. When I'm in Disney, I stay in Disney.

Thanks for any advice you all can give. I am a little nervous that I don't have a lot of time to plan.

Planning is the best part!! Have Fun!!

 

[K and K's Mommy]

I've stayed at all three levels. While I loved my stay at ASSp, I am not sure I could go back after staying at a deluxe. But, I would go back to a moderate. The rooms are bigger and to me, it was quieter and not as hectic. We stayed at POR and enjoyed it. I think the pool is better at POFQ though.

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

i would check pricing on CSR. they have a great pool, and a great, giant hot tub. the rooms are recently refurbed and we had a great stay there in november.

 

[Mrs. Sojourner]

I would go with the QS DDP. We went in November and our kids had grown a lot since the last time (two oldest DDs were 10 & almost 8) and I don't think it actually saved us any money not having the DDP this time (especially since this will probably be the last time they are considered kids for the DDP).

I'd stay with the Value Resorts. If you want to go swim at a pool with a slide one day you can hop in your car and go to one of the other pools at another resort.

I'd skip Harry Potter and try DHS again. It will be much cheaper to get the extra day at Disney then going to IOA which it sounds like they probably wouldn't enjoy all that much. My kids loved Little Mermaid & Prince Caspian.

What about some time at DTD? My girls like to walk around down there and do some of their some of their souvenier shopping.

Hope you have a great trip!

 

[eliza61]

I love last minute trips specifically because you don't obsess over planning. We had an opportunity to do this and it was fabulous not having to worry about ADR's.

I would skip the dining Plan (I'm not a fan anyway) since you have a car. There are way better restaurants offsite especially for table service. Counter service usually doesn't matter to me.

I agree with previous posters, If pools are important, go with the moderate resorts.

i wouldn't split stay. I'm having a hard time convincing myself to do it on a 9 day stay.

I would still do Universal. Harry Potter is supposedly cool but they also have some other neat rides and universal usually gives great deals on the tickets for both parks.

Have fun.

 

[NJ2Boardwalk]

""I'd stay with the Value Resorts. If you want to go swim at a pool with a slide one day you can hop in your car and go to one of the other pools at another resort."""


Sorry, but this is incorrect. You CANNOT hop in your car and go to another resorts pool.

 

[Mrs. Sojourner]

Sorry, assumed it was. I still don't think a slide is worth the upgrade.

 

[UncleOrville]

I love "last minute" trips! When I went at the beginning of last March, it was uncharacteristically cold, but we went swimming one day and had a great time. Pools are heated, it's just cold when you get out! Hopefully the weather will work out for you and your DDs will get to have some pool fun!

If you have a car, I would not get the DDP (but I'm generally not a fan of it). For resorts, I'd check out the Swan/ Dolphin. Sometimes they have good rates, and I really enjoyed their pools. Close proximity to Epcot, MGM, and Boardwalk activities is also great.

As for going to MGM, I think your girls may be more interested now based on their ages. There's a Disney Channel music stage show, which they may be interested in. There's also a new American Idol show - I haven't seen it, but if your girls are into the TV show, it could be cool to check out. Toy Story Mania is one of the best rides Disney has. There's a drawing class in the animation building where a Disney character artist walks you through drawing one of the characters - it's about 20 minutes long and they offer many sessions throughout the day. They may be interested in Tower of Terror and Rock'n Rollercoaster now (not sure, but they may have been too young to try them last time). I'm not personally a huge fan of MGM - I'd probably choose to do Epcot twice if I had 4 days - but I know a lot of people who really love some or all of these attractions.

We went to Universal's Islands of Adventure in the fall to check out the Harry Potter land, and while Harry Potter was great, I was not at all a fan of the rest of the park. It was also around $90 for a ticket into only that park for 1 day (it's around $120 I think for a ticket to both Universal parks for the day).

Happy planning!

 

[cissy]

Wow! Great advice!! Okay, since some of the mods are having a special, I think we will go with one, especially if we get a fridge as we are apt to eat a quick breakfast in the room.

A slide is a kinda big deal cause it gives them something to do in the pool besides just swim around. And I think Universal is out cause I have been asking friends and a lot of them disliked it, especially after WDW.

Gonna give some thought to the QSDDP though. Had not even considered it. Thanks!

I love this forum!!!

 

[gailanncreates]

I'd try for either CSR of POR as they are newly refubished and now have queen beds! Also great themed pools for kids. I'd skip DP altogether; we too are light breakfast people, and since you have a car you could make a quick trip to get easy b'fast foods and snacks.

 

[mikki'smom]

This past December my DH and I (we're both retired) were watching the Weather Channel listening to their doom and gloom about how cold and snowy our weather for that week was going to be ( we live in Alabama and we aren't used to that)....I looked at him and told him that I could be in the car in an hour and on the road to WDW if he could....exactly one hour later we were on the road, called Disney and they said they'd have our room ready, and then called the kids and told them we'd be back Friday....it was a wonderful trip....