1st time to Disney!!! A few questions

[photochick]

My husband and I are planning to take our kids to Disney next year. My daughter turns 6 next week and my son is 3 1/2.

1- When is a good time to go? We have already decided to take our daughter out of school for the week. (I know, I know! My MIL is a teacher and has already got on to us! lol) We want to go when the crowds are down and the weather is warm but not scorching. We are from Oklahoma so 80 is still pretty nice to us.
2- We would like to take a day trip to the beach. What is a good beach that is a short drive?
3- What resort would you recommend for us? We are thinking possibly the Caribbean Beach Resort.

 

[MommaSue]

I can't help you out with your second and third questions as we are only taking our second trip to WDW next month.

However, last year and this year we chose to go a couple of weeks before Christmas. Everything is decorated for Christmas, it's still value season, and the crowds aren't too bad.

My DD is 8 and DS is 6. I've asked the teachers to give them extra work over the next couple of weeks so that I can get them a bit ahead of the class. That way I'm hoping for them to not have a lot to do while we're away, or to catch up on when we get back.

Hope that helps a bit.

 

[Piglet843]

Welcome

Me and DH go around our anniversary - end of April - and its a good time of year to be there. Crowds are low because its after Spring Breaks but before schools let out. And the weather is usually perfect.

As far as the resort - there are a lot of factors to consider. Is money a big issue? Consider the All Star resorts. Not so much? You really can't go wrong with any Disney hotel. People will be more than willing to give you their 2 cents about each one on the resorts board!
We stayed at the Coronado Springs resort last time. It has just been refurbished and it was nice. But honestly - we didnt' spend a lot of time there!

Anyway - just wanted to welcome you to the Dis!
You'll love it here!

 

[PrincessBetsy]

My husband and I are planning to take our kids to Disney next year. My daughter turns 6 next week and my son is 3 1/2.

1- When is a good time to go? We have already decided to take our daughter out of school for the week. (I know, I know! My MIL is a teacher and has already got on to us! lol) We want to go when the crowds are down and the weather is warm but not scorching. We are from Oklahoma so 80 is still pretty nice to us.
2- We would like to take a day trip to the beach. What is a good beach that is a short drive?
3- What resort would you recommend for us? We are thinking possibly the Caribbean Beach Resort.

Welcome to the DIS!

1. There are lots of good times to go. I would recommend going in March, the end of April, the first few weeks of September, or the first few weeks of December. The crowds are usally pretty low in March, since only college kids get a break at that time. The end of April also has low crowds because everyone goes the few weeks before during spring break. September is usually less crowded because everyone is going back to school and the first week of school would probably be the easiest for your daughter to miss, since they usually don't cover very much information the first week. In December, the crowds will be pretty good if you go before Christmas. You also get to see all the decorations, which are absolutely amazing!

2. We have only been to Sarasota, but it is a very nice beach. The only bad thing is the drive. I believe it took us 2 hours to get there.

3. I can't really answer this without more information. Is money an issue? If it is, then I would stay at a moderate, but if not, I would go for deluxe.

I hope this helps you! Feel free to ask any more questions! Good luck planning

 

[photochick]

Thanks for the replies.

We are not on a tight budget but I wouldn't say money is no object either. I would love to stay at the Animal Kingdom in one of the rooms that overlooks the savannah with the animals but I don't want to spend alot on the room because we will not be in there enough. My kids are pretty active so if we are not at the park we will be at the pool or something.

 

[mdinme]

Forget the beach. Focus on Disney. There is so much to see and do you'll be comatose trying to do even half of it. The beach can be one day-anytime- trip.

 

[photochick]

Can't forget the beach! We promised the kids. My husband and I have been to Negril so we are spoiled when it comes to beaches but the kids have never seen the ocean.

 

[Metro West]

 

[PrincessBetsy]

Thanks for the replies.

We are not on a tight budget but I wouldn't say money is no object either. I would love to stay at the Animal Kingdom in one of the rooms that overlooks the savannah with the animals but I don't want to spend alot on the room because we will not be in there enough. My kids are pretty active so if we are not at the park we will be at the pool or something.

Since this is your first time, I would splurge and go to AKL. It is wonderfully themed and your children will love to wake up and see animals right outside their room. The one bad thing about AKL is transportation. If you have a car you can drive to the parks, otherwise you will probably be relying on the bus.

 

[photochick]

We were not planning on renting a car other than the day to the beach. I was told not to rent a car because you have to pay to park at all of the different parks. Is the bus system not efficient?

 

[PrincessBetsy]

We were not planning on renting a car other than the day to the beach. I was told not to rent a car because you have to pay to park at all of the different parks. Is the bus system not efficient?

If you stay on site then you don't have to pay for parking. The bus system can be slow at times, which can be kind of annoying. Buses usually come every 20 - 25 minutes, but it can be longer than that if they are behind.

 

[pittsburghmarc]

That's so exciting! How many nights? The simplest way to determine low crowd levels is to follow the value season on the Disney website.

 

[mcco5543]

We were not planning on renting a car other than the day to the beach. I was told not to rent a car because you have to pay to park at all of the different parks. Is the bus system not efficient?

The Bus system is wonderful! I truly have no idea why someone posted that comment although I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation that I'm just totally blanking out on.

We never have waited more than about 10 minutes for a bus and that was our longest wait!

The bus system is pretty much down to a science. Some people get up in arms and feel that ten minutes for a bus on vacation is ridiculous, I say hey you're on vacation. enjoy the nice weather while you wait.



I would go during a value season period, its' the cheapest and tends to have the lowest crowds.


I am unable to assist you with your beach question.

As for which resort,
I cant' help you there only because its' such a personal and subjective choice.

I can offer some points to ponder though.

Will you be at the resort a lot? Is this a once in a life time/long time trip for your family?

size of resort, and activities for kids may be important as well as the pool situation and therefore spending a little more money for a groovy resort experience could be worth a moderate or deluxe.

No=Stay at a value, the pools are still very neat, lots of other kids to play with if your kids want to. Very Disney themed, but if you're only going to be there to sleep, then it's much less expensive.

I Know the idea of AKL is totally amazing and seeing your kids faces when they see the animals is a huge draw, but if you really aren't going to be in the resort , that's a lot of money down the drain. Especially when anyone is welcome to head over to the AKL and go to the viewing areas or walk the grounds. You still get to see your kids enjoy the animals and keep some moolah in your pocket. Have a great trip!

 

[MrsMouseEars]

I would recommend CBR...hubby and I went there last yr on our honeymoon (first[/url] time staying on Disney property) and we loved it...beaches at the hotel and lots to do for kids...climbing frames on beaches, pools, slides etc.

This time we're going to POFQ so hope its as good.

Im sure youll enjoy whichever you choose x

 

[Jaleatonbro]

the best time to go to disney world is during the off seasons which are usually after christmas but before spring and after spring but before June. If you are wanting to go to the beach I would recomend myrtle or vero. also, when we began going we would stay at carribean or cornado, cornado is a very nice resort. I wish you luck.

Jaleatonbro

 

[Disn3y]

Welcome to the DIS! Enjoy your trip!