1st trip with help needed please?...

[loysrus5]

Let me start by saying I have been reading these boards for about two months and have gained some very valuable tips. I have a few questions if anyone would like to give some advice, it would be much appreciated. We are a family of 5, me, dh, dd16, ds6 and dd3-4may2. we would have liked to have gone on out 1st wdw trip by now, but getting things together has been a bit overwhelming. I have narrowed it down to this--
1. we want to stay onsite-not in two rooms, but together???
2. we will only get the base tickets-no epcot, or water parks needed
3. dining plan or not is a question????
I am amazed at what I see people staying on site for $ wise. Exactly how do you come across these deals on your rooms??? Could someone explain to me the dvc points? thing? in detail? What is the next best time moneywise and heat ( i dont want to sweat to death) to go now that we are in March?? Please someone help me. I am really trying to do this on my own, but am getting tempted to call a travel agency. we wanted to spend around 3000.00 total. any suggestions would be appreciated. Can you tell my frustration with this rambling thing??
thanks in advance, Robin

 

[dfarner]

If you want to go this year, then I would go in the fall if you want to avoid the heat. October is a beatiful month at Disney World. As far as staying onsite w/out 2 rooms, you could either rent from a DVC member or you have the option of the ALL STAR MUSIC family suites. Also, I'm pretty sure some of the Deluxe rooms will accomodate 5. POR does as well with a trundle bed but it would be really crowded IMO. I would not suggest that route.
You mentioned base tickets-you can get the one day/one park tickets for as many days of your trip as you want. That is the cheapest way to go, but park hoppers are very good to have too.
I love the dining plan and would suggest it if you are staying onsite,but it also depends on what kind of eaters your family is. If my math and pricing are correct it would be around 137/day for your family to have the dining plan (check that). If you think you will mostly eat at fast food-counter service type places, then I would not get the Dining Plan. Disney World has some fabulous restaurants though, some of which are very expensive. If you would like to eat at those type of places then I think the dining plan is your best bet as you could easily spend that much in one meal.
You can look on this board to rent DVC points from a member. They usually go for about 10-12 dollars per point. You would first need to decide when you're going, look at the point chart to determine the number of points you'll need, and go from there. Sometimes Ebay has postings as well, but they are mostly for studio units (not big enough for you) for 5 days. I would also look on Redweek.com for listings. Good Luck!

 

[ILMICKEY]

Hello,
I am going in November, right after Thanksgiving. I am renting points for the second time. 1st time I bought them on ebay, second (November) I bought through the disboards. Both times we have rented Studios. They have 2 queen size beds. We are staying at BWV this time and it has a bed and a sofa sleeper. Sunday-Thursday was 12 points per night. This is value season. I believe Fri, and Sat. are around 23 points per night. Prices vary per person. It seems most sell for around $11 per point, ours took 60. I feel we got a deal. Then you have to totally be able to trust the person, though the person I rented from seems very very nice, I did get everything in writing through e-mail. He made all the arrangements and will be sending me a confirmation letter when he receives it.

How many days are you staying? Now through fall will be pretty warm down there. The last time we went was the 2nd week in December. Crowds were low and the weather was perfect. Jeans and sweatshirts!

Hope I helped!