1st time onsite - need advice please

[scream machine]

Hi, Ive just joined, I have been browsing the boards for a few weeks and Ive got the Disney bug again afer reading trip reports and dining reports, they are brilliant!

My family and I went to DLP in Sept 06, We stayed off-site at a campsite 50 mile away. We had 3 day hopper passes and absolutely loved it but we missed out on alot as we were on a budget because it was a 12 day holiday and we didnt like driving back to the campsite too late so we missed the fireworks and seeing everything all lit up at night time.

We are going back next year but I have so many questions before I book it! Im a bit neurotic about holidays, I need to know every detail so I know whats happening and when. I hate the thought of booking a holiday and not knowing any details before i get there.

Firstly what time of year is best to go, Id like to go when its relatively quiet in the parks, but also when the weather is better, I know its unpredictable, we were lucky to have great weather last time late in September.

What would be the best way to get to DLP from Mid-wales? We drove last time and it was ok with an 8 and 5 year old but we now have a 10 month old baby too so the easiest option would be best for us.

Which hotel would be best for our family, I dont mind staying slightly off-site as long as transport to and fro the parks is good and runs until after fireworks etc...We also dont want to pay too much - more for spends then!
Also do the hotels supply cots or are the beds big enough for a toddler to sleep in with us? And do we get tickets for the whole time we are there in with the hotel price?

Which rides have baby switch, and which rides would I be able to take our baby on (he will be 18 months -ish when we go?

How much money would I roughly need for food for 2 adults, 2 kids and an infant for 4 nights, 5 days?

Sorry for the exessive questions, I have tried to find answers on the boards but nothing specific for what I want to know.

Hope someone can help, thanks Emma x

 

[A Small World]

HI and welcome

The cheapest hotel on site is Santa Fe - it has 2 double beds and you can get a cot as well. Cheyenne is slightly more expensive but has 1 double and bunk beds and you can get a cot again. Being on site would be easier as you could walk back to your hotel - the shuttle buses can get very crowded.
Have alook at the hotel sticky at the top of the page.

My personal opinion is that driving is still your best option then you can take what you need for baby etc without worrying about luggage allowance etc

If you do have a car - Davy Crocket is another option- log cabins but you do need a car as there are no shuttle buses

There are only fireworks in summer - mid July to end Aug or New yrs eve.

Sep would probably be a good time to go or early summer

 

[BRobson]

Hi, Ive just joined, I have been browsing the boards for a few weeks and Ive got the Disney bug again afer reading trip reports and dining reports, they are brilliant!

My family and I went to DLP in Sept 06, We stayed off-site at a campsite 50 mile away. We had 3 day hopper passes and absolutely loved it but we missed out on alot as we were on a budget because it was a 12 day holiday and we didnt like driving back to the campsite too late so we missed the fireworks and seeing everything all lit up at night time.

We are going back next year but I have so many questions before I book it! Im a bit neurotic about holidays, I need to know every detail so I know whats happening and when. I hate the thought of booking a holiday and not knowing any details before i get there.

Firstly what time of year is best to go, Id like to go when its relatively quiet in the parks, but also when the weather is better, I know its unpredictable, we were lucky to have great weather last time late in September.

What would be the best way to get to DLP from Mid-wales? We drove last time and it was ok with an 8 and 5 year old but we now have a 10 month old baby too so the easiest option would be best for us.

Which hotel would be best for our family, I dont mind staying slightly off-site as long as transport to and fro the parks is good and runs until after fireworks etc...We also dont want to pay too much - more for spends then!
Also do the hotels supply cots or are the beds big enough for a toddler to sleep in with us? And do we get tickets for the whole time we are there in with the hotel price?

Which rides have baby switch, and which rides would I be able to take our baby on (he will be 18 months -ish when we go?

How much money would I roughly need for food for 2 adults, 2 kids and an infant for 4 nights, 5 days?

Sorry for the exessive questions, I have tried to find answers on the boards but nothing specific for what I want to know.

Hope someone can help, thanks Emma x

Hi Emma and welcome - you are certainly in the right place for planning - I will try to answer some of your questions.

I assume for the age of your kid you have to go in school holidays which are always a bit busier - Halloween and Christmas seasons are popular times to visit as the parks are themed beautifully but it will be colder at this time. The summer holidays will be busier but the parks are open later which is a bonus.

I am not sure about travelling from Wales - 3 options driving,flying or eurostar. You may have some budget airlines flying from your local airport to pick up cheap flights

The thrill rides all offer baby switch and your baby will be able to go on the fantasyland rides and some more as well.

Spending money is really a personal choice depending on whether you want to table service restuarants etc and what you want to buy. If you read some of the restuarant reviews you will get an idea of cost.

Hope this helps and starts you off in your planning

 

[rena123pop]

Hi emma
Ive just got back from dlp for the first time. The parks werent that busy and we didnt queue for anything for more than 15 mins. We were also lucky and had ok weather no rain at all.
Not that sure about the best way for you we flew from east midlands and the flight was only 40 mins but then a 40 min ride from airport to the parks.
We stayed in the santa fe which is the cheapest of the disney hotels and it does provide cots and the walk to the parks is only about 20 mins but there was a shuttle bus.
W booked the hotel direct with disney so our tickets for the parks were included in the price.
Not quiet sure about spending money because like someone else has already said it goes on personal choice.
Hope i was some help x

 

[scream machine]

Thankyou both for your advice!

I was thinking of flying, perhaps from Liverpool or Birmingham as they are closest, but its mostly the cost that gives me doubts. I did look up prices, it was roughly £400 for the 5 of us. Driving would be much cheaper but my partner would have to do it all as I dont drive, plus its an awful long time for a toddler to sit without getting bored and upset. Its so hard to decide what to do!!

Are the transfers from the airport pretty straightforward, I just have visions of a crowd of families with kids in tow rushing, pushing and shoving to cram on a bus!

I think we would probably opt opt for counter service most of the time, but its so hard as my daughter has Prader-willi syndrome which means she has obsession with food and never feels full but also she has to be on a strict diet permanently because she gains weight so so quickly. Counter service is definatley a calorie fest meal generally, so we would have to have table service at least once a day, I take it table service has better healthy options.

I think we would probably go back in September as we managed to get on every ride we wanted however many times we wanted, it was brilliant. I think we waited for the longest for Phantom manor and that was only 10 minutes!
I guess I will have to sacriface the fireworks for more goes on the rides!!

Thanks again!

 

[rena123pop]

We booked a private transfer from CDG with rs transport and they were waiting for us at the airport with a sign with our names on and they help you with you cases if you go on thier website they will quote you a price becuase it depends how many people are with you. There is a bus but i heard that it gets really packed and there is loads of pushing and shoving but never used it so couldnt tell you.

 

[scream machine]

Hi Rena123pop!
Thanks for your advice. Flying is the quickest option for us, Ill have to work out if we can afford it first. Driving has its advantages too, like cramming more purchases in!
I really like the idea of walking back to the hotel in the dark with all the other hotels all lit up.
How did you lie your first time? I thought it was amazing, much better than I expected I felt like I was 6 again!!

 

[BRobson]

If you could go on Eurostar , the train would take you right to DLP then you could cut out airport transfers.

Both counter service and table service restuarants have introduced healthier options which is good

 

[A Small World]

If you think its a long way to drive you could do what we usually do and make it part of a longer holiday in France. We drive from the North West to Ashford and stay there overnight then drive to DLP but we nearly always go for 2 wks and spend a few days at Disney then the rest at a campsite in a mobile home.
We stay at one at Easter about an hr away (Berny Riviere) but dont visit from there we move onsite.
This summer we did DLP then went to Brittany , last summer we did the Loire Valley first then DLP. It makes the drive worth while

 

[rena123pop]

Hi
Yeah flying is really quick but saying that i hate it would much prefer to drive but both kids get car sick really bad so it would be a nightmare for us so instead everyone has to put up with me sobbing on the plane lol.
The walk back to the santa fe is nice and it really isnt that far we didnt use the shuttle bus once. The newport bay looks the best lit up i think.
I loved my first time thanks although i do think florida is better but then again you cant really compare the two because florida has alot more different parks to see and i do think that dlp castle is sooooo much nicer.
Cant wait to go back now im already planning our trip for next year but gonna stay abit longer this time cause only had 2 nights so wanna stay at least 4 this time.
Hope our planning goes well and if you have any more questions i will try to answer them but im not really that experinced but some people on here go all the time so i bet they could answer anything lol.

 

[scream machine]

Hi, Its a small world

We stayed at Berny Riviere for 12 days, which was an absolutely great holiday, and very easy to get to DLP. We were contemplating doing that again because we loved it and could have stayed longer but my partner would really like to stay onsite this time.

But I hadnt thought of splitting our stay from the campsite and then to Disney, at least then we will get the best of both worlds!

I didnt mind the drive as we were staying for almost a fortnight but it just seems too far to stay for a few days.

Great suggestion thanks!

 

[scream machine]

Rena,

Im glad you enjoyed it, I sort of spoiled my first time as I researched everthing about the parks before I went so there were no surprises for me.
Ill never forget my kids faces, and the way they had posing down to a fine art by our third day there!

I do think my planning helped us to get on every ride we wanted though, but we did sort of rush around all day to make sure we saw everything. Id like to stay for 4 nights just so we can stroll around at our own pace and enjoy it more.

Youve all been great, I feel really welcomed thanks!

 

[Bolanette87]

Just wanted to point out as well that if your daughter has any specific dietary requirements, you can contact Disney directly and see if they can offer you any help with any needs she may have.... Just a thought!

Bob xoxoxox

 

[A Small World]

Hi, Its a small world

We stayed at Berny Riviere for 12 days, which was an absolutely great holiday, and very easy to get to DLP. We were contemplating doing that again because we loved it and could have stayed longer but my partner would really like to stay onsite this time.

But I hadnt thought of splitting our stay from the campsite and then to Disney, at least then we will get the best of both worlds!

I didnt mind the drive as we were staying for almost a fortnight but it just seems too far to stay for a few days.

Great suggestion thanks!

I wondered if it was Berny Riviere where you stayed - its a great site isnt it. We have done it a few times as a split holiday and it works really well

 

[scream machine]

I would recommend Berny riviere to anyone, its so pretty. We only chose it in the first place for its location to Disney. I could quite easily stay there every year.

Bolanette87 - Thanks for that advice, I might just do that as Im very paranoid about my daughter putting on weight. I did let her have alot of unhealthy food on the last trip but as it was our first time and HEY we are in Disney after all, I felt too cruel not to let her enjoy it for once.
But all the same if we are onsite Id feel better if we sampled a few healthy meals this time.

 

[BRobson]

Oh I forgot to say


Hi Emma and welcome to DLP DIS board
We are a friendly bunch here so please join in on any other thread or if you have a number of questions then just start a new thread for each

If you have not had a look yet, DLP posting rules are here, DIS posting guidelines can be found here.