Would you stay cheap & eat well or stay deluxe & eat cheap?

[dansyr]

We would definitely stay cheap and eat well. As a matter of fact we stayed at ASM so we could do the gold plan the first time. We really enjoyed all the nice meals and such.

 

[Desnik]

We would stay deluxe and eat cheap. To us the resort is almost the most important thing!! We spend alot of time at our resort and with 2 small kids we don't goto alot of sit down restaurants. DD is a very light eater, actually we all are and DS is only 14mo. So, there are so many ways to save on food without pinching pennies. Bring breakfast items with you and eat them in your room or on your way out. It saves time and money. Eat a big lunch as close to dinner time as possible. Most counter service places offer big portions. Split meals whenever you can. This may not work for big eaters. For us it does b/c none of us are really big eaters. DH and I don't eat breakfast. We feed the kids breakfast in our room before heading out. We eat lunch at a sit down restaurant about 4 days out of a 7 day trip. For dinner it is usually counter service. We also bring alot of snacks, juice boxes from home(we drive).


While I don't worry about the money I spend while I'm on vacation, I don't want to be stupid with my money!!LOL Why pay for a sit down breakfast when(in my family)only one person will really eat it. Why would I pay more for the same meal at a restaurant just because of a couple hours difference. At most sit down places the same meal they offer for lunch is much more at dinner time.

I would say you need to think about what really is most important to your family. Do you all love to eat and are big eaters? Is the food at WDW something you all look foward to? Will you be at the parks from opening to closing? Or will you spend alot of down time/swimming at your resort?

Good luck deciding!

 

[Mercy]

Ok, I'm with the group that says split the difference... stay moderate and eat moderate. Like someone else said to get your money's worth out of a meal plan, you would have to do a lot of sit-down meals and that eats (no pun intended) up a lot of time. Plus I would worry about making sure I did use all my wishes and making sure I was not wasting them, etc.

I just reserved two rooms at CSR, and it was about the cost of one deluxe room. That way you can plan a few nice meals and then eat the rest on the go, or when you feel like it.

 

[Boardwalk Tigger]

I think eating cheap gets old very quickly. I would would either stay at a moderate and then combine at few counter lunches with a Character breakfast or two and some nice meals for dinner. I would not stay at CR or budget hotel. I would think about staying either at a moderate, AKL, WL or the Dolphin. All of these hotels have great pools for yourself and the kids. The Dolphin is much nicer than most people realize witha great pool area and a super location.I would look for discounts on the rooms. Are they available when you go. Check out Mousesavers.com. Good luck.......

 

[maggiew]

I think there are a lot of things to think about when making this decision.
1. Is this your first trip or your 10th? If its your 1st, you will probably just want to do all the regular "park" stuff, like rides and shows, so you may not get the value out of the silver plan. If it is your 10th trip and you've "been there, done that" with the rides, you may enjoy kicking back and really getting good use of your wishes with fancy meals, Cirque, Hoop Dee Doo, etc.
2. Are you park commandos or do you hang out at the resort a lot? If you are park commandos, then the room isn't more than a place to sleep and shower, so stay value. If you will hang out a lot then a deluxe might be better. Do your boys like slides at the pool? The values do not have one, but CSR (a moderate) does. They would probably really like that one.


My personal opinion is to stay value and live it up!!!!! I probably wouldn't do the silver plan unless you really planned it well to get the most out of your wishes. If not, you are better off paying cash for everything. I personally am happier when I have more "wiggle room" in my budget for extras. You may REALLY feel like eating a Dole Whip one day (or two or three ...) Or you may really get sick of counter service and just want to eat a sit down once in awhile. Or maybe that picture from Splash Mountain is just TOO GOOD to pass up. It would be too bad if you couldn't do those things because your budget wouldn't allow it because you stayed at the Comtemporary.

From your picture, it looks like your kids are relatively young and would love the theme of the values (All Star Sports???). Or try a moderate. I bet they would love CSR. The theme would be great for boys (although my 2 girls loved it too) - especially the Ranchos section. It is very Cowboy/western. The pool is great too with a great slide.

Maggie

 

[bigbabyblues]

For us, this time around, we're going to stay cheap (ASMo) and eat fairly well. My boys are younger than yours look like though, so that may make a difference. I'm waiting for the look on my then 4-yo face when he sees all the huge Toy Story things at Movies.

What about a FW Cabin? That would allow your entire family to stay together, you wouldn't have to get two rooms. I've heard they're nice, but I've never been to them or even looked at pictures. I don't know about the deluxe resorts, they may or may not sleep 6, but for some reason I'm thinking I read that they don't.

Good luck planning your trip, you'll have a great time!

Steph

 

[w8ting4pooh]

Wow. Thanks to all for the different ways to do this trip. Several people recommended not staying at the CR. Two savannah view rooms at the AKL are only $100 more than two garden rooms at the CR. That might be what I book.

We stayed at the CSR and the Dolphin before. Both were nice. We are doing 3 nights at the POFQ before our package begins this time.

I think we'll stay deluxe and forget the silver plan. The kids are dead set against the value hotels so I guess I'll do what makes them happy. Like I said in my first post, I was debating this because it would be nice to have most everything prepaid before we leave.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I would stay cheap and eat cheap. We plan on some sit down meals, but I wouldn't want to tie myself down trying to use all the wishes. I wouldn't want to not use some of them, but would want to spend most of my time at the parks.

We eat most of our breakfasts in the room, partially to save $, but also because it's faster for some of us to eat while others are getting ready in the mornings, and we are not big breakfast eaters.

We do buy a ride photo, and others things that we want. We really think about where we want to eat out. Last trip we went to Boma and Prime Time Cafe, along with some counter serve restaurants.

We have stayed at deluxe properties in the past, but last visit my 4yo and I stayed at Pop Century and had a great time. Next visit I hope to stat at POFQ. Staying and eating cheap means more trips!

T&B

 

[Lexxiefern]

I would stay deluxe eat cheap. The hotels really make the trip for me!!

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

I would stay at AKL or WL deluxe but not as expensive as others.

Then make one PS for nice restaurant for each day. I can feed my children neices/nephews better for almost the same price at CRT for lunch then at counter service.

Cinderella's Royal Table
Bill of Fare for the Prince or Princess
Reserved for Cinderella's Little Friends (11 or under)
Meals come with beverage
$4.99
Blossom's Chicken Strips - served with corn and mashed potatoes
Major's Cheeseburger - served with corn and mashed potatoes
Jaq's Cheese Dog Rolls -served with corn and mashed potatoes

Columbia Harbour House
Little Mates
Reserved for Mickey's Little Friends Only Please
Served with Character Cookies and a child's beverage
Macaroni and Cheese - $3.49
Bologna and Cheese Sandwich - $3.49

PECOS BILL TALL TALE INN AND CAFE
Future Trailblazer Special
Child Hot Dog - with character cookies and child's soft drink $3.49

PINOCCHIO'S VILLAGE HAUS
For Children --
Peanut Butter and Jelly with chips and child's beverage $3.49
Child's Hot Dog with chips and child's beverage $3.49

 

[DonaldsGrl103]

I personally would choose deluxe and eat cheap. My room is the most important to me when I get back from a long day in the park. But whatever you choose Im sure you'll enjoy, so have a magical trip!!

 

[Sami]

I would stay moderate and eat moderately well. We have stayed at Poly, CR, ASMovies and POFQ. POFQ gets my vote. We really only do a few character meals, and a few breakfasts. We enjoy eating at sit down restaurants as well (Alfredo's, LeCellier to name a few).

You know your family best so I would recommend doing what makes your family happy.

 

[PatriciaH]

I would stay moderate or AKL/WL and eat moderate. Maybe a quick BF most days and 1 or 2 character BF's, counter sevice lunch and a nice dinner every night!

 

[*Fantasia*]

When doing Universal...I stay on-sight which means expensive, so we eat cheap (but nothing is really cheap).

When doing Disney...we stay at the value or moderate resort then we can do character meals and do some shopping at DD.

I'm splitting our stay again... RPR (eat cheap) then at POP (eat with the characters).

 

[goodferry]

If you are interested in having your trip pre-paid, why not buy some quick and casual vouchers for counter service meals. There is info on them on the budget board. I would stay at the AKL and bring some vouchers and have fun!

 

[wdwstar]

buy disney vacation club and stay at our dvc home resort , eat expense and fly

 

[ducklite]

The one comment I have to make about "eating cheap" is that there are quite a few counter service options that are not burgers and fries. I would scope those out if you decide to go the "eat cheap" route, and look for non-fried options as well. If I ate burgers and fries (or fried food in general) all week, I'd be so ill I wouldn't enjoy myself. I also think it's important to have one sit down meal a day to relax and regroup. You can make that lunch for lower prices.

Anne

 

[blowinbubbles]

Hmmm, I've thought about this for a bit and have come to the conclusion that I'd rather stay deluxe and eat relatively cheap!

I might do one or two character breakfasts for the kids, and next time I go, I would like to do dinner at Ohana's.

Usually, though, we have a decent breakfast, then have a late lunch in the parks. That could either be hotdogs or sitdown. But in the evenings we usually do just counter service, mainly because it would be too much trouble to get the kids out of the pool and dressed for a fancy dinner!

We are not park commando types, (Well I am, but with the kids we're not!) so we might do the park for 5-6 hours before someone gets cranky and wants to go to the pool. So since 1/3 to 1/2 of the day is spent at the hotel, I like to have a nice atmosphere!

 

[MrsJ Henry]

I'm going with my husband this time and we will be in our room more than I would be if I were on one of my trips to the world with "the girls" (cousin and friends )
When I go with them we are in the parks all day and spending money on a room would be a waste. We would only be there to sleep.
With my husband he needs time to relax and we are going to spend some time by the pool and take a longer vacation. So we are staying at the Yacht club.
So the more you read on here the more I think you will be able to decide what kind of vacation you and your family would really like.
I also think it would be nice to see if you can get a good deal on a moderate and kind of go middle of the road.
But decide what is best for all of you.

 

[Kitty 34]

Stay deluxe and eat inexpensively with maybe a few nice restaurants (Chef Mickeys for sure) thrown in there!!