A little overwhelmed

[photoj]

Hi everyone. This is my first post so please be gentle. Well I'm getting married on Sept. 4, 2005 in Toronto and we have decided to take a Disney World Honeymoon. Only problem is... as a friend said and i quote "It's like planning a D-Day invasion". And i'm begining to agree. We plan on flying out of Toronto on the 6th of September and returing to Toronto on the 11th and getting a rental car while down there. We had originally planned to stay outside the park for $80US a night and get park hopper passes for our stay. This is becuase we would like to keep the honeymoon around $2500cdn but now i'm seeing this deal with free food if you stay at a disney resort. If we stay at a Disney resort i would like it to be romantic and not just another hotel. I'm just wondering what advice you have for us. It is our first trip to Disney and we are getting a little frustrated with all the planning so any advice you would have would be very appreciated.

Cheers

 

[hiwaygal]

I too am planning my wedding for September 20,2005. We are doing the Disney Intimate Package. Our total package, including the wedding and accommodations (Polynesian concierge) is running under $5000US. Of course, the package includes tickets to the parks, but not the dining plan, and (from what I understand) not the Magical Express transportation to and from the airport.

Neither I nor my DH2B have ever been to Disney World...and after trying to plan Plan PLAN!!! our itinerary, I've all but given up! There is just too much stuff to see and do and too many choices. Now I'm down to a couple of PS/ADR's for two dinners and that's all the planning I'm doing!

I have done some research, and I'm sure there are others who are SIGNIFICANTLY more knowledgeable about this than me, but here's my two cents:

I think you can book directly through disneyworld.com and get 4 nights at a "Value" resort, get the Magic Your Way (MYW) package with the park hopper and plus options, and the dining option for about what you are wanting to spend. You can do without the rental car, but you may want it for evening activities (I'm not sure what the busses do).

Now, from what I understand there are LOTS AND LOTS of ways to get a cheaper package, but I'm too confused to learn all of them...and I would think at this point, it's just too much of a hassle.

I will mention that it is my understanding the free dining package is limited to a certain number per hotel/resort. So the "values" may be sold out.

And, to be honest, I priced out the intimate package vs. the MYW package (with the free dining) and the Intimate Add-on and the difference was only about $100. We figured with our eating habits (snack here and there and one "big" meal a day) and since we were paying extra for concierge level, we wouldn't really make good use of the dining plan.

I'm not sure that helps...I hope you get some more information!!

Good Luck with your decision!!

 

[KT27]

I am a semi-Disney Vet, been about 10 times. I love using the Passporter's Guide to Walt Disney World Book. It's about $16.00 on Amazon & explains alot! Hope this helps.

 

[GrammyGrumpy]

Try searching the website mousesavers dot com. It provides alot of information on ways to cut expenses. Sometimes there are special resort rates for Canadian Guests. If you are looking for a low costs romantic resort try Port Orleans and make sure you let the reservationist know it's your honeymoon. Hope this helps.

 

[PryncessChrysty]

If you stay on-site for 7 nights or more from 8/21/05 - 10/4/05, you get the dining package for FREE! My mom just called to add the code to her reservations for September and she saved $1200!! The code is YMP.

I would go to the Disney World website for more info. Put in your criteria to book a MYW package, and you'll see that you can really get a good deal (you won't be able to get the free dining on line, but I would add it, so that when you book it, you know how much you're saving). With Disney's new MYW campaign, I think it's actually more cost efficient to stay on-site. My mom is paying $2000 total for her trip and she's going for 11 days. That's the hotel, park hoppers & food for her & my step-dad.

Go to this thread for more info on the free dining: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=827917&page=1&pp=15

Also, by staying on-site you wouldn't really need the rental car (or have to pay for gas to fill up the rental car).

HTH

Welcome to the DIS, by the way! And congrats on your wedding!!

 

[photoj]

Thanks everyone....i sent a few quote requests off and things are looking better.

Cheers

 

[ead79]

Planning a Disney trip can certainly be overwhelming, especially for first time visitors! Don’t worry—everything will work out just fine. I agree with the idea of buying a guidebook. Passporter is a great book, as is the Unofficial Guide to Disney World. These books can help you understand how things are priced and what attractions you want to see while you’re there. Disney World is huge, so understand that you won’t be able to do and see everything in one trip. Don’t worry though—you’ll have plenty of time to do and see lots of things.

I think it’s a good idea to stay at one of Disney’s resorts so you can use the complimentary Disney transportation to get around more easily. One of our favorite romantic resorts that is reasonably priced is Port Orleans Riverside. It’s one of Disney’s moderate resorts, and it has gorgeous landscaping and a nice boat ride that takes you to Downtown Disney.

A good way to choose restaurants to eat at is to go to http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm to check out the menus of the different restaurants to see what appeals to you. To give you a place to start, some of our favorite restaurants are ‘Ohana at the Polynesian resort, Boma at the Animal Kingdom Lodge resort, Liberty Tree Tavern at the Magic Kingdom, and Le Cellier at Epcot.

Since Disney has released this new package deal that offers free dining, you should definitely consider that. With the free dining package you get one table service meal, one snack, and one counter service meal per night of your hotel stay per person. It could potentially save you quite a bit of money.

I hope this helps a little bit! Feel free to ask questions—we’re more than happy to help!