2025 advice

[DanM3]

Hi,



My family (wife, children who will be 8 and 3) and my dad are considering a Walt Disney World holiday in 2025. We are big Disney fans but we have not been to WDW since 2015. I have kept up with WDW news and I can see a lot has changed, some for better, some for worse.

We are teachers from the UK so tied to school holidays so looking at July or august. We have been in these months before so know what to expect in terms of weather. Looking at 14 days. We are not looking to do universal as our children are too young. We will have rest days and may hire a car depending on price.

Our budget is between £8k and £10k for everything (other than spending money).

My questions are

• Our preference is to stay onsite, either in 2 rooms or 1 room. Is it still likely they will run a promotion in around April time? For example free dining, gift cards etc.
• I was looking into renting DVC points, is this safe and actually good value?
• I will also price up offsite in a villa, I have never done this. What websites and complexes would you recommend? We have always stayed onsite, so I am put off by the long journey from the car park to magic kingdom. We are rope droppers and like coming back to the resort when it gets too busy, so would worry this would be difficult. We also like some of the onsite perks, although these are much less than they were.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. This is a special trip for us as we were meant to go with my late mum, so I want it to be a special trip for my Dad and children.

 

[TinkAgainU]

Are your Dad and the 8 year old comfortable sharing a bed? Many of the DVC studios fit 5 with a pull down bed for the 3 year old, but a single studio might feel cramped for 14 days. Renting points is allowed - just go with a reputable site. Note some DVC floor plans are only 4 guests.

If you go offsite - check out Drury Disney Springs since they include basic meals ( hot breakfast and dinner with drinks ) and shuttles early enough to rope drop. One view & terrace room and one non view room nearby might be an option to save money but have more space.

When buying park tickets you might want to assume a number of rest/resort/pool days especially in Summer!

 

[Ruttangel]

Let’s pick a DVC resort like Beach Club, going to be about 240 points for 2 weeks and maybe you pay $22pp so that’s $5,280, about £4.2k without tickets and any dining offers.
Boardwalk standard view possibly 184pts which would be £3.2k

Both these rooms sleep 5 and put you in walking distance if 2 parks

Edit to add: earliest booking for DVC is Sep 2024 for Aug 2025, only allowed 11 months in advance

 

[TinkAgainU]

If picking DVC resorts - consider 1 week at Boardwalk or Beach Club and 1 week at Polynesian, Grand FL, or Bay Lake. Easy access to Magic Kingdom and can watch fireworks on non Park days

 

[JackosinDIS]

Hi,
Glad to hear you’re getting back to Disney after 10 years!
I would definitely look out for special offers released in April / May time. These can be the cheapest way to get accommodation with a good amount of spending money thrown in.
If you are looking at deluxe resorts, then renting DVC points is the way to go! It is very good value compared to the prices Disney charges for the deluxe hotels (usually less than half the price), but it will be more expensive then going value or moderate with the special offers.
Is renting safe? Yes absolutely as long as you know what to look for… do a bit of research in this if you are going down the rental route. There are lots of UK owners that rent out points as well (myself included).
If you are rope droppers, it will be a massive benefit to stay on site. Look at Bay Lake Tower or Beach Club, both east walking to MK or Epcot!
Good luck with your planning!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

check out swan / dolphin resorts - great location and can be excellent value

 

[nursejackie]

When buying park tickets you might want to assume a number of rest/resort/pool days especially in Summer!

We're lucky in the UK as the 14 day ticket is the most popular ticket, which includes park hopping and memory maker as standard, so would see them through the whole holiday without having to consider non-park days

 

[Kate_45]

I would go with two connecting rooms at pop over a deluxe studio. You get a bit more space, a door to close when babes are sleeping and can still have breakfast of cereal and fruit in your room as they have a fridge. Pop is on skyliner, which is fab.

I would wait till April and see what they offer this year. No point booking anything earlier as flights won't be out yet anyway.

We've also stayed offside and it is nice having the extra room. Used uber and lyft to get about as it was cheaper than car hire and parking and it meant we could park hop, but we didn't have to worry about car seats. We stayed near the animal kingdom entrance and so we're super close. Found the place through vrbo, but don't know that I recommend that particular family of companies particularly.
I think my ideal would be onsite for the first week, using transport, dining credits and making the most of jetlagged early rising. Then moving out to a house and taking it a bit easier.

 

[TinkAgainU]

I would wait till April and see what they offer this year. No point booking anything earlier as flights won't be out yet anyway.

I would go ahead and book refundable stuff just in case prices go Up just keep careful track so you don't lose any deposits!

 

[nursejackie]

I would wait till April and see what they offer this year.

I am waiting (impatiently) for April offers. I notice on their website the current 2024 offers end on 28th March so I'm hoping it'll be not too long into April when they put me out of my misery. Will we get the dining credit and gift card for 2025??? That's what I am praying for. (I am only booking hotel and tickets with Disney.)

We rented DVC points for many years, that's how we managed to stay at deluxe resorts for many years, but every one of those trips were in December when Disney do not offer any extra credits, gift cards etc to UK bookings. Also, if you wait until the 11 month window to book DVC (some are only 7 months before) for an August 2025 trip, any dining credit offer is likely over (that happened in 2024) if you do not get your resort/room of choice. If you want to hedge your bets, then book Disney holiday, pay the £100 deposit then forfeit it if you secure DVC booking of your choice.