1st trip and lots of questions!

[daisydoo]

Hi everyone,
we are hoping to go disney in 2014. I am thinking spring time as I dont want it too hot, but also dont want to be queuing loads!
Its worked out to be cheaper going in may than April, but Im also considering March as thats when my daughter and hubbys birthdays are, and think it would be lovely to be out there then.
Can anyone tell me about the weather and crowds in March and May. Which would you recommend?
Also am looking to stay on I drive, quite fancy the Doubletree and Crown Plaza as they have shuttle busses and I dont want to hire a car.Does anyone have experience of these, or anywhere else they would recommend. There will be me, hubby and 10 year old daughter.
Thomas cook quoted £1500 for park tickets, for all the parks. Is this a standard price or can they be bought cheaper elsewhere?

Many thanks, Im sure there will be more questions to follow!

 

[queendisney]

Hi everyone,
we are hoping to go disney in 2014. I am thinking spring time as I dont want it too hot, but also dont want to be queuing loads!
Its worked out to be cheaper going in may than April, but Im also considering March as thats when my daughter and hubbys birthdays are, and think it would be lovely to be out there then.
Can anyone tell me about the weather and crowds in March and May. Which would you recommend?
Also am looking to stay on I drive, quite fancy the Doubletree and Crown Plaza as they have shuttle busses and I dont want to hire a car.Does anyone have experience of these, or anywhere else they would recommend. There will be me, hubby and 10 year old daughter.
Thomas cook quoted £1500 for park tickets, for all the parks. Is this a standard price or can they be bought cheaper elsewhere?

Many thanks, Im sure there will be more questions to follow!

Hi..welcome
Firstly you are saying that you going to 'do Disney'. Personally if you really aren't going to hire a car (we don't either) then I wouldn't really stay the whole time down I-drive and rely on the shuttles..Maybe think of doing a split stay, maybe a week at Disney or Lake Buena Vista then a week on I-drive to do Seaworld and Universal/IOA..You will waste so much time getting to and from Disney staying on I-drive and often the last shuttle back leaves before the fireworks, let along sitting on the tarmac in the middle of the bus park waiting for your bus!
We went in May the first ever time and thought the weather was hot but not too humid, obviously March would be cooler.
Be careful with park tickets price them all up carefully..how many days are you really going to want in Seaworld, Universal, IOA, Disney..(you are only there for maybe 14 or 21 days after all) Don't be fooled into buying length of stay passes if you really aren't going to need them. (although sometimes they can work out cheaper)
Also look into pricing up individual element of your holiday ie the flights, hotel, tickets all separately instead of a package as it can work out loads cheaper..our holiday this year for example was over £800 cheaper diy then with Virgin Holidays! Although I do understand why 1st timers do go for packages.

 

[dixonsontour]

Welcome!

May is lovely - we went early May last year. Warm and not too busy plus Epcot was beautiful - there is a flower and garden festival on then.

Be careful with March/April. It can be very busy with Easter and spring break crowds.

One site I would recommend joining before you book is touringplans.com. Costs $10 a year. But it gives a crowd prediction out of 10 eg 10/10 bad - 3 hour waits for rides, 3/10 good - no waits. If you have flexibility obviously go 3/10 week not 10/10. Gives you a heads up on US holidays aswell - you don't want to book and find out it's a US bank holiday.

Agree to think carefully about where you stay if not driving. Whilst hotels advertise shuttles they may not be convenient eg dropping you at Epcot then you have to take the disney transport to the other parks. Also they may only be once a day - I read someones trip report where they always missed the fireworks as they had to rush back to the bus. Plus time taken commuting on the bus.

Disney's onsite deals for 2014 should be out in next few months. If they offer free dining again when you factor in no need for a car and free food it can be a better deal than staying offsite plus very convenient.

Tickets - don't rush. What parks do you want to do? You can't do everything. Once you have a plan ask on here what the best option is for tickets. So many first time visitors overbuy tickets. eg you can buy US disney MYW tickets not just the uk ultimate tickets travel agents here sell.

Finally please stick around and ask away on here. Without being rude a lot of travel agents are not disney specialists and their advice can be out of date or incorrect.

Happy planning

 

[dixonsontour]

I posted before reading queendisney's response - see she also mentions missing the fireworks.

 

[Aliceacc]

Hi and welcome!!

In 2014, Easter is on April 20. The days immediately before, and the week after Easter are crazy-busy, so you'll probably want to plan to avoid them.

Also, consider staying on site. Disney transportation is great, and you get the added bonus of EMH parks. In addition, it gives you access to the meal plan if you want it.

We're hoping for August 2014; I plan to book as soon as the rates are released this summer. I get such a kick out of the planning!

 

[Canooknic]

If you are considering the Doubletree near SeaWorld I totally & utterly recommend it!
When my fiancé and I stayed there we vowed that we would never stay anywhere else again (then had our boys and have decided their first Disney experience should be on-site!).
You can walk through the rear carpark and cross the road and you are in the seaWorld carpark (which is where you can get a coach to Busch Gardens). When we were there we were the last pick-up/first drop off on the Disney bus too.

The I-drive trolley stop is right outside so we had easy access to all the restaurants too.

If its not the SeaWorld one you're talking about please disregard this message!

 

[daisydoo]

Thanks to everyone for replying.

How long does it take to get to the parks on the bus? If we dont use hotel shuttles is there another form of transport we can use?

The Doubletree is the one by seaworld so would be happy to stay there!

Although I would like to visit all the parks I was sort of imagining a day in a park, and then maybe a day by the pool or a bit of shopping. We're planning 14 days. Is this feasable or not enough time.

After talking with travel agent, she said shes going May, and it was cheaper for her to stay of site even with free dining etc.

I would definately avoid Easter, but what is it like early March say. I have it in my head US schools have month off in March, but cant for the life of me think where I've got that idea!

 

[jaideo]

May is defenently the better time to go.
If you want to stay offsite, you have also the opportunity of the public transportation (called lynx), which is quite good in Orlando.

Check also the official UK-Disney-homepage. They have sometimes very good deals with a dining-plan for free (like at the moment).

 

[queendisney]

Thanks to everyone for replying.

How long does it take to get to the parks on the bus? If we dont use hotel shuttles is there another form of transport we can use?

The Doubletree is the one by seaworld so would be happy to stay there!

Although I would like to visit all the parks I was sort of imagining a day in a park, and then maybe a day by the pool or a bit of shopping. We're planning 14 days. Is this feasable or not enough time.

After talking with travel agent, she said shes going May, and it was cheaper for her to stay of site even with free dining etc.

I would definately avoid Easter, but what is it like early March say. I have it in my head US schools have month off in March, but cant for the life of me think where I've got that idea!

Personally I wouldn't listen too much to Travel agents, they generally do not know much about Orlando, you are far better off with the advise on these boards.
It can take a while to get to Disney with a shuttle bus depending on traffic as the normally go down the I4 along with the rest of Orlando! Sometimes they are shared buses with other resorts, somethimes they are pretty full when they get to you..but it could be as quick as 20 mins from the hotel you are considering. But remember that once you arrive at Disney you not dropped off at the entrance to the park for MK and will then have to use transport (monorail or ferry) to get there. For Epcot, AK and HS you tend tobe dropped off in the bus park relatively near the entrance. Another thing to consider is that should you decide that you really can't stay out all day in the heat/rain or you really need a break you then have to repeat the process and buses may not be very frequent. I remember one year we stayed off resort without a car and found it really hard going and this was without kids to think about. Another thing to think about is the pick up points in the bus park are not proctected from the elements, there are not shelters or seats it is just tarmac, not pleasent on a really hot day or rainy day..
Your other option is the Lynx bus with is very cheap and you can get a weekly pass (kids go free) but they are every 30 mins and will only drop you at the TTC and you will again have to make you own way to all the parks from there.

With 14 days you will def need to factor in some chill out days but in reality you only have 12 whole days and you def will not be able to do everything so it is vital that you do plan to some extent..look at what parks have the most to offer your family (make sure you look at the height restrictions as well so you know what not to bother with), join a touring plan site, plan to get to parks for opening so you can get so much more done. Its a HUGE place Disney and its this that people are blown away by when they go the first time..you will not get it all done..

Free dining, plus the convenience of staying on resort is fab but its not cheap and you can certainly do it a whole load cheaper not staying on resort. We love it purely because I love the magical feeling it gives me and also because we know that our food cost is as good as sorted in advance..
but mainly we love it for the convenience of nipping in to the parks in the morning, going back for a swim/rest in the afternoon when it gets very busy and hot or the rains come, then nipping back in to the parks in the late afternoon early evening. You also get the EMH (extra magic hours) which really helps as well.

 

[Claire Bear]

Canooknik, can I ask if you stayed in the tower at doubletree hilton? We were thinking of staying there and wondered if it's worth the extra money to stay in the tower or if the other room are sufficient.

 

[WiganTony]

As a few replies have noted, beware that hotel shuttles may not suit your plans, and may only operate once or twice a day.

If you do stay near to Seaworld, the Lynx no 50 takes you to Downtown Disney or the Transport and Ticketing Centre. From there, you catch the boat or Monorail to Magic Kingdom, monorail to EPCOT, or bus to Hollywood Studios and EPCOT.

The "split stay" option may be better, especially if you stay at one of the Downtown Disney hotels, which offer a half-hourly bus to the four Disney Parks, and you can walk to the restaurants at Crossroads/LBV (Olive Garden, iHop, Chevvys, Sweet Tomatos etc) or walk to Downtown Disney.

 

[daisydoo]

Thanks for the replies, I think I'm more drawn to the Disney resorts now! Am odd to check the Dtd hotels.