1st Disney Trip! Help!

[pshepherd]

We are planning on doing Disney this time next year (June 8-12ish). We will be traveling with our kids, my parents and sister. Kids ages 9,6,2,13. We are splitting kids so 4 people per room.

Here's the deal, none of us have ever been. I have been discussing with a travel agent whom has been helpful, but I am looking for any other tips.

Although id love to fly, driving is a cheaper route (from Dallas)...unless there is some secret to plane tickets!

Looking to either stay at a moderate resort or possibly do the Fort Wilderness with the parents RV. Depending on gas.

Planning on the standard dining plan. Need advice on how this works, character dining, etc.

Are extra things like BBB worth the extra $$ your 1st time? (I have 2 little girls)

And any advice on Disney with a toddler!

TIA

 

[Marionnette]

We are planning on doing Disney this time next year (June 8-12ish). We will be traveling with our kids, my parents and sister. Kids ages 9,6,2,13. We are splitting kids so 4 people per room.

Here's the deal, none of us have ever been. I have been discussing with a travel agent whom has been helpful, but I am looking for any other tips.

Although id love to fly, driving is a cheaper route (from Dallas)...unless there is some secret to plane tickets!

Looking to either stay at a moderate resort or possibly do the Fort Wilderness with the parents RV. Depending on gas.

Planning on the standard dining plan. Need advice on how this works, character dining, etc.

Are extra things like BBB worth the extra $$ your 1st time? (I have 2 little girls)

And any advice on Disney with a toddler!

TIA

Many of your questions should be asked on specific boards within the disboards forums.

For tricks on airfares and advice on other modes of transportation, you want to pose specific questions on the Transportation Board.

Use the Resorts Board for information about the Moderate Resorts (or the Codes and Rates Subforum for discounts and code watches.)

Camping tips and information about Fort Wilderness can be found here.

And while I do not think that the dining plan is any bargain, you can find answers to any questions that you have by checking the Dining Plan Subforum of the Restaurants Board.

Traveling with small kids and want to know about BBB? Check the Families Forum.

But if you have specific questions about how to make your trip more affordable, you can ask them here. However the standard answers will be:

• Drive instead of fly.
• Stay offsite
• Buy your tickets from an authorized ticket reseller
• Bring your own food into the parks
• Share meals. Drink tap water.
• Limit souvenirs

 

[eliza61]

Did you guys pick you a guide book?. Pick up one, there great intro to the world and the kids will have a ball reading about the rides.

Birbaum (I think that's the name) use to have good ones.

 

[lisaross]

i would do the dining plan, as 10 and under is kids price

We are planning on doing Disney this time next year (June 8-12ish). We will be traveling with our kids, my parents and sister. Kids ages 9,6,2,13. We are splitting kids so 4 people per room.

Here's the deal, none of us have ever been. I have been discussing with a travel agent whom has been helpful, but I am looking for any other tips.

Although id love to fly, driving is a cheaper route (from Dallas)...unless there is some secret to plane tickets!

Looking to either stay at a moderate resort or possibly do the Fort Wilderness with the parents RV. Depending on gas.

Planning on the standard dining plan. Need advice on how this works, character dining, etc.

Are extra things like BBB worth the extra $$ your 1st time? (I have 2 little girls)

And any advice on Disney with a toddler!

TIA

 

[LovesTimone]

We are planning on doing Disney this time next year (June 8-12ish). We will be traveling with our kids, my parents and sister. Kids ages 9,6,2,13. We are splitting kids so 4 people per room.

Here's the deal, none of us have ever been. I have been discussing with a travel agent whom has been helpful, but I am looking for any other tips.

Although id love to fly, driving is a cheaper route (from Dallas)...unless there is some secret to plane tickets! - I am assuming that you will be driving in several cars, which might work out better for the long ride, as you can split up the kiddo's when needed. Are you planning on driving straight thru or a one night stop. Which I would suggest with 4 kids. Easy.. basically and easy drive -I10 to I75 -

Looking to either stay at a moderate resort or possibly do the Fort Wilderness with the parents RV. Depending on gas. - Would suggest a moderate, for your 1st trip, That way everyone has some space, and can take a break when needed, and privacy would be important for me.

Planning on the standard dining plan. Need advice on how this works, character dining, etc. - DP is 1 QS or CS meal - counter service sorta think fast food - 1 TS Table service - sit down - this is great so you can book your Character meals, 1 snack - this can cover a lot on things, from bottled water, to Mickey ice cream bars, There is a thread just dedicated to snacks credits. This is person, per night, ( with the exception of children under 3) They can eat off your plates. - Do be aware of the automatic tip on the bill at the sit downs, with parties over 5 people. Also your entitlements or credits are good till midnight on check out day.

Are extra things like BBB worth the extra $$ your 1st time? (I have 2 little girls)- BBB is... Lets be honest.. very pricey, But they are way to cut down on the cost, There are a lot of people who make they costumes, so buy them ahead of time, some just do without all that and just get hair done. This is something only you can decide on.

And any advice on Disney with a toddler! - Try to stick to a nap schedule that you use at home. I would plan down time mid-day when its super hot, not just for the little one but for all the kids... big kids included. As the heat, walking, early morning rope drop and late nights will wear on a little one as well as a big one. Bring some familiar item and snacks, and I would let everyone bring along 1 favorite bed time pal.

TIA

There is so much great information on the DIS boards. Take time to plan, but realize you will not be able to see or do even half of it, take in the scenery, and let the memories happen. Have a magical 1st trip...

 

[Burnedout]

You have time. so I'd make a reasonable list and gather information as you go on each idea.

I like the Unofficial Guide to Disney personally.

 

[amberlynnhawkins]

For our first Disney trip, we used the online travel agency *********************.com. HUGE help!! We're going back in the fall, and we're using them again -- their quote (for them doing ALL the work) was IDENTICAL to booking ourselves straight through Disney. They automatically scan all their customers whenever Disney releases new deals to try to save them money. They're great sources of advice too.

Oh, I ALSO recommend the dining plan. It was just SO much easier to budget with the food already paid for before we left. The only money we had to worry about were for souvenirs, tips, and driving money.

 

[kymom99]

As said before, here on the budget board many will tell you to stay offsite. I would beg to differ though. I have been 4 times and stayed onsite each time. My next trip will finally be offsite because I feel that my son will be older and we are familiar enough with everything. We also plan to go to Universal. If we were only doing Disney, I would stay onsite. For a first trip, it is so much more special that way. You will have some of your party wanting to go back to the resort while others want to do a few more rides. The resorts are lots of fun and make you feel so special. My favorite mod is CBR. Check out pictures on allears. There are often discounts on rooms, so keep your eyes on the Disney website.

A couple ideas:
Have everyone pick 2 or 3 must do rides/shows at each park. That will help you plan your itinerary.
Tell the kids to wait until the last day to buy a souvenir. That will keep them from wanting everything they see. You could even have them take a pic of things they like so they can look back and make their decision.
Have a great time!

 

[ellochka]

I am researching for our first trip, too.

1. Staying offsite with a big family will give you a lot more room. I found great deals on HomeAway. Personally, we like to have a bedroom of our own, even though we just have one toddler.
2. Based on reviews, kids seem to like cheaper resorts, like Art of Animation and All Star Movies because those are more themed. However, connecting rooms are not guaranteed.
3. You can stay in nicer resorts in "villas" (studios, 1br, 2 br) on-site cheaper if you rent DVC point. We went that route, but the dates are not as flexible as at the hotel, and you will have to rent through a private person, so it's definitely not for everyone.
4. We are in OH (about the same distance as Dallas), and driving is not for us. It's a long trip, you might have to stop overnight both ways (additional costs and vacation days), have to stop for bathroom and let the kids run around, and at the end, you will arrive tired both times. Unless you enjoy long road trips together, I would not do it.
5. I had a spreadsheet made out with all expenses for 5 nights, and food was the biggest expense at 29%. Hotel and air were both ~23%, and park tickets were 20%.
6. You must make your ADRs on the dot on day 180. If you are staying onsite, schedule the most hard to get on your second or third day, this way you can schedule them 181-182 days in advance. I am planning to schedule a bunch of character breakfasts/dinners upfront, and then decide if I want to keep all. Talk to your girls about their preferences. Mine is fascinated with meeting Cinderella at the castle, so we will do Cinderella's Royal Table (I might have to sell my kidney to get that reservation, though, LOL!). Go on the reservations site to see which ones are hard to get by just trying random days.
7. Google Disney dining plan calculator. I tried our presumed reservations, and none of the dining plans delivered better value than paying out of pocket.
8. I am not sure about BBB. The experience looks fun, but all girls get their hair just sleeked back. Mine wants the Cinderella updo (puffy in the front), so I am not sure they will be able to it. I will be buying the costumes ahead of time on eBay, and she has her crown already ($20 on Amazon, and it's by far superior to what is sold with costumes). She does like her nails done, though, so I am still thinking about it...
9. Generally speaking, if the budget is tight, I would add the money where it will eliminate aggravation, and cut the luxury option elsewhere. There are many many ways to get the experience for free at WDW, so there is really no need to pay for CRT to meet the princesses.

Good luck!

 

[ellochka]

Here is what on our character dining "wish list":

1. Chrystal Palace for breakfast.
2. Akershus Royal Hall. Princess Dining. Same as CRT, but cost one dining credit, not 2 on the dining plan. Fallback option if CRT is not available.
3. 1900 Park Fare Cinderella's Happily Ever After Dinner (Grand Floridian). This is just Cinderella, Prince, Stepmother and Stepsisters. Apparently, the stepfamily is hilarious.
4. Fantasmic Show Dining.
5. Chef Mickey's (character, Comtemporary Resort). This one is really hard to get, and might get cut for budget reasons.
6. Cinderella's Royal Table. Non-negotiable.
7. Cape May Café (character, Beach Club Resort).

We have read reviews on tripadvisor.com to get a feel for what these are like. Seems like the food is so-so, but the experience is fun.

 

[mello]

We stayed at Carribean Beach Resort on our first (and what we thought was our one and only) trip. We really enjoyed it. Toward the end of that trip we bought DVC, and well... the rest is history.

I agree with pp that, even though staying offsite can be cheaper - WDW is so huge, that unlike Disneyland, it can really take away from your experience to be offsite and so far away. We've known several sets of people that tried to save $ staying in condos or houses offsite, and didn't really enjoy themselves, as it took them an hour or more to get from their place into a park, there was no going back mid-day to rest, etc.

Anyway, another thing you might check on is renting points from a DVC owner. You can head over to the DVC boards to find out about that. If you're able to get a 2br reserved, 8 people can sleep in it, plus you'd have the kitchen, washer & dryer, etc. It might be as cost effective, depending on which resorts you're looking into, etc.

One thing we do that saves $ (as well as being convenient) is eat breakfast in our villa before heading out to the parks. Also, if you're so inclined, you can do lunch or dinner in the villa too, and most (if not all) the DVC's have bbq areas. We like keeping bottled water in the fridge, and we take that in the parks with us, so we don't have to buy a lot of water & soft drinks every day.

We used to get the dining plan, but we're going to try it without on this next trip. So it will be interesting to see how that goes.

I also agree with pp who mentioned having kids wait until the last day to get their souvenir. We've done that and it works nicely. Or alternatively, since you have a year before you go - get the kids Disney gift cards for every occasion between now and then, and that can be their spending $. We've gone that route too, and it's amazing how frugal they are when they're spending their own gift cards instead of your money!

As for BBB, well it's a splurge, and it's time consuming, but your kids are at about the right age for it (well, except likely the 13yo; and 9yo might be upper edge - my dd did it at 9 and wanted the crazy looking one lol). Maybe that too, could be part of a BDay or Christmas gift - you could get ahold of a brochure or make up a "gift certificate" for them. We have done it early in the day on a day we have scheduled a princess lunch or dinner of some sort (you could do CRT or BOG or 1900 PF), to get some extra mileage out of the whole thing, since the "real" princesses seem to really love the little princesses.

Have fun planning!

 

[mello]

9. Generally speaking, if the budget is tight, I would add the money where it will eliminate aggravation, and cut the luxury option elsewhere.

Good luck!

ellochka,
I really think you're right about this!

One reason we like doing a sit down / character meal once a day is that it's "one-stop shopping" for 3 things:
1. food
2. a cool rest
3. characters without a line

So, even though those meals are expensive - they can be worth it, depending upon your perspective. Same can be said for staying onsite.
However, when it comes to park tickets, it might be just as convenient to stay in one park per day, and thus less expensive than buying park hopper tickets.

 

[mirage0306]

i would do the dining plan, as 10 and under is kids price

I just wanted to kindly correct this statement--10 is a Disney adult. Only children 9 and under pay the kid's price on the dining plan. 10 and up pay adult prices.

 

[happycorgi]

Beside planning, one thing that is always forgotten is realizing how Big Disney is. What we tell people who is going for the first time, don't except to do everything. Hopper passes are more money but it gives you a lot of flex and well worth it. Like going to one park in the morning than going back to the hotel/house for lunch than going to another park when it gets busy. Taking time out not just for the little ones makes the trip more enjoyable. Also have every one make a list including the little ones (which is usually seeing characters) and than combine those list into one. It is more work but everyone will feel like they are part of the trip. One last thing do not wear new shoes, make sure you wear comfortable shoes, you will be doing a lot of walking. I have seen women wear high heels and not even make it to the front gate. I have seen little children with raw feet because parents got them new shoes and did not break them in before they hit the park. Have fun planning your trip it is so much fun. As a family we always make a count down calender for our Disney trip and the kids have so much fun crossing the days off. Also we put on the calendar when we need to do something like making restaurants reservations 180 days away from your trip.

 

[danygirl]

When we stayed onsite with a big family the cost was huge. Since then we have stayed off site in a cheap hotel (only worked because my parents were onsite), in a condo ( worked well, we had our own room to get a break from kids and kids had room to get a break from each other, plus we did breakfast in the room), and at a downtown Disney hotel

The downtown Disney hotel was a great deal. They run buses all day long and even over Christmas we were not over crowded. The price was much better and they had a Disney store in the lobby. One of the Dtd hotels is a suite hotel, some have their own character meals, the hilton even has extra magic hours.

We drive and the adults are usually tired when we arrive. One year we stopped at Daytona for the first day so DH could rest while I entertained the kids. We drive thru the night so they could sleep but we we're beat. The next time they were older so we drive in the day and arrived around midnight. That actually worked better - we got a good sleep and hit the parks refreshed.

We found a water park to be enough for one day. Get there when it opens and spend some good time and then chill at the hotel. If you buy water park and more tickets say 4 day water park and more you can do a day in each water park and then 4 park days

Even if you buy the meal plan bring snacks. A hungry kid is a cranky kid and if you are in line it is so easy to pull that snack from your bag and calm the kids

Buy your princess dress at home. Even if you don't do BBb your girls will enjoy wearing their dresses in the parks. You can also just get the pixie dust in the hair at the barbershop on Main Street for a lot less if you find BBb to be too pricey

Buy those light up toys or glow bracelets at home and surprise the kids with them at your first nighttime parade. It will save some bucks but still be magic!

Drink the free tap water.

It is tempting to try to do it all but you just can't. Don't make yourself crazy.

 

[MommaBerd]

If you are set on driving, I would highly recommend considering the Wyndham bonnet Creek resort. (There is an entire thread devoted to it on the Orlando Hotels and Attractions board.) it is located on Disney property, though it is not owned by Disney. But, you still enjoy the "Disney bubble."

For our family of six, it just made sense to stay in a place where the kids have a room or two to spread out and we have a room. Additionally, my mother-in-law would drive over from Daytona Beach and stay with us for a few nights, and so she was able to have her own room too. It is no more expensive than staying in two hotel rooms. In fact it's usually less. You can make your meals, wash laundry, etc. in the comfort of "home."

The cons to staying off-site: You don't enjoy the ability to make early ADR and FP+ selections. No Disney transportation (but you'll have your car). No Disney theming. No DDP.

You just have to decide what is best for your family.

I'm a big fan of the Unofficial Guide to WDW, too. For the kids, I love Guide to the Magic for Kids. Though I would probably wait to give it to them until a couple of weeks before it's time to schedule your FPs. The biggest thing you can do to help yourself is read, research, and read! Knowledge is power! ;-)

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[crisi]

For your first trip, time will be the commodity in shortest supply. You will need to sleep. You will need to figure out a way to the the two year old extra sleep. You will need to eat. But you'll also have a very limited amount of time in the parks, and you'll want to see "everything" - you can't see everything - so start choosing.

Two hours at BBB is two hours less on rides. Maybe that's a great trade to see the delight on your kid's face - but on the other hand, its a big time commitment. An hour long sit down dinner (often an hour and a half if they can't seat you right away) is an hour less worth of time in the parks - you may need that sit down time to recharge and it might be really important - or you might come to resent the time taken when you haven't gotten on Jungle Cruise yet.

To me - a character meal (or two) is worth the time/expense - you combine eating (the food isn't great, but its adequate) with seeing characters. Most other meals at Disney aren't worth the time if you are limited on it (we eat out at Disney a lot, but we are past the first/second/third trip stage, and into the "more than ten" stage where time becomes less of an issue).

Get a guidebook - spend some time in the library figuring out which one is best for you, buy that one, and check the others out. Guidebooks need to be current for the Magic Band change, but something a year or two old will give you an attraction run down and an idea of what to prioritize. Then start prioritizing. Read here, but keep in mind that the things someone here loves and MUST DO might not appeal to you. And the things that are panned by others might turn out to be your favorite (someone's favorite is the Tiki Birds)

Plans are useless - planning is everything - Dwight D Eisenhower. Have a plan, and be prepared to throw it out. Getting yourself educated about the parks, rides, park layout, etc. will let you throw out the plan, and pick up a new one that makes sense (i.e. "the line for Splash Mountain is too long....lets ride Pirates" is a better decision than "lets ride Space Mountain" - due to distance and their ability to handle crowds.)

 

[crisi]

If you are set on driving, I would highly recommend considering the Wyndham bonnet Creek resort. (There is an entire thread devoted to it on the Orlando Hotels and Attractions board.) it is located on Disney property, though it is not owned by Disney. But, you still enjoy the "Disney bubble."

To be clear - Bonnet Creek is not on Disney property - the land it sits on is not owned by Disney. It is, however, adjacent to Disney property on more than one side, and the entrance to the resort is on a road that runs through Disney. Its a nice resort, and if you are driving a great choice (you'll pay for parking at the theme parks).

The Swan Dolphin ARE on Disney property, but are not operated by Disney. However, their contract gives their guests the benefits of Disney guests (Magical Express, Early Entry, Transportation from their hotel to the parks).

 

[MommaBerd]

To be clear - Bonnet Creek is not on Disney property - the land it sits on is not owned by Disney. It is, however, adjacent to Disney property on more than one side, and the entrance to the resort is on a road that runs through Disney. Its a nice resort, and if you are driving a great choice (you'll pay for parking at the theme parks).

Yes - true distinction - didn't intend to be misleading.