A little reassurance needed...

[michelelf73]

I’m just looking for a little reassurance from the knowledgeable people here that my upcoming trip will turn out well and I’m just worrying for no reason. A little background...my family of 4 vacation every year with my cousin and her family of 5. We’ve been to Disney twice, the last time 7 years ago. Both times we stayed on propert and had the meal plan. Both times were in the spring with free dining and we had a great time.
This time we are very limited to when we can go, all of our kids are older and school is a big consideration. The only time we can go is over Thanksgiving. Even though we like the convenience of the meal plan, it is too expensive to get our 11 and 12 year old Disney adults so we wouldn’t have gotten it anyways. We aren’t park hopper people, one park a Day is enough. The kids do like to swim a lot. We all wanted to stay together in one unit and we vacation well together.

-We have booked a 4 bedroom condo at Regal Palms through VRBO that has great reviews.$1100 for 8 days. We looked through DVC rentals and the cheapest 2 bedroom villa was $5300 for the same time frame.
-We drive, so we would be paying for parking either way whether it be at a resort or at a park.
-We are planning 3 sit down meals in Disney and we will do quick service and off property for the rest. Most breakfasts will be at the condo.
-We know it will be busy but we will rope drop, use fast passes and then wait in line when we have to.
I am super excited but just second guessing everything. Just looking for a little reassurance.

 

[NH-to-FL]

First, to DisBoards!

It looks like you have it pretty well thought out.

You have already prepared yourself for the increased holiday crowds which will be different from your previous spring visits.

You have discovered that staying off site can save a lot of money. It will take a bit longer to drive to and from the parks but there are a couple of backroads you can use to avoid the traffic on 192. Take a few minutes with Google maps and look for Funie Steed Road. From Regal Palms, go north on 27 and then turn right onto Florence Villa Grove Rd, then left onto Westside Blvd, then right onto Funie Steed Rd.

There is a Publix super market right next to your resort where you can get all of the groceries you need. They also have a very good deli for prepared foods. And there are a couple of restaurants in the same plaza.
Wishing you a visit!

 

[michelelf73]

Thank you so much!!!

 

[Gr8t Fan]

You're prepared for the crowds, so you'll have a great time. We were there Thanksgiving week in 2014, 2015 and 2016 (and will be there again this year), and while it was crowded, we always managed to have fun. It is Disney after all.

 

[100AcreWood]

Sounds like you found a great deal! Have fun! I think you will enjoy staying offsite with all the space.

 

[KenHutch]

Just remember any trip to WDW whether onsite or off is far better than anywhere else.

 

[michelelf73]

Thanks for your replies. And you are all correct in no matter where we are staying, it’s a trip to WDW!!!

 

[HopperFan]

As others said - you are prepared and have reasonable expectations. Your park plans sound perfect. If you will be there pre-Thanksgiving, try to push as many park hours into the early days as possible, crowds will be better than the second half of the week.

Whenever we stay at Wyndham Bonnet Creek, or Sheraton Vistana, or Hilton Orlando .... we wish we weren't so park focused and spending more time at the resort/hotel pools etc. Going a holiday week - it would be so much easier for me to do shorter days or mornings/evenings ...with lots of down time at the pool and resort. It makes it two vacations in one! That area will be much more peaceful than park area and the pools look great.

If the resort time becomes important to your vacation plan then it will be so much easier to leave the parks.

 

[Woodview]

First, to DisBoards!

It looks like you have it pretty well thought out.

You have already prepared yourself for the increased holiday crowds which will be different from your previous spring visits.

You have discovered that staying off site can save a lot of money. It will take a bit longer to drive to and from the parks but there are a couple of backroads you can use to avoid the traffic on 192. Take a few minutes with Google maps and look for Funie Steed Road. From Regal Palms, go north on 27 and then turn right onto Florence Villa Grove Rd, then left onto Westside Blvd, then right onto Funie Steed Rd.

There is a Publix super market right next to your resort where you can get all of the groceries you need. They also have a very good deli for prepared foods. And there are a couple of restaurants in the same plaza.
Wishing you a visit!

A Perfect reply …….. well done & I Hope that NH-to-FL has taken in your reply.

ALSO Note that there is a New IHOP in the Mall where Publix is And a Good UK Fish & Chip eatery.

In fact there are so many eating places within the drive to Disney ( Hwy 27 NORTH …. & Hwy 27 North onto Hwy 192 )

there is NO NEED to eat in & around Disney .

 

[WorldWalker18]

Sounds like you have a great plan. Have fun!

 

[michelelf73]

Thank you everyone, I feel much better about our plans!!

 

[coast2coastmickey]

To make things easier, consider paying for one annual pass, then regular tickets for everyone else. It'll give you free parking at Disney ($176 value over 8 park days @ $22 per day), and it should convey discounts at most restaurants on site. See if it saves you a little money overall even after paying extra for the one ticket to become an AP. Then, if you decide to return to Disney within 12 months, it's one less ticket to buy.

 

[kathy884]

Sounds like a great plan to me. We think onsite is overpriced and almost always to offsite condos with a larger group (great value) and lots of fun IMHO. It's definitely worth trying and if you miss being onsite, there is always that next trip where you could go back to onsite. I think what you are doing, though, is definitely worth a try to see what you think. We think there is a lot to be said for all staying together at the same resort, and the great value the lovely offsite resorts provide.

 

[DisLiss]

Sounds well planned out to me. Have a great time!

 

[Ginger R]

Sounds like you have a great plan so you will be fine! Enjoy your trip!

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

The only thing I will add is this. Since you are going at a very crowded time of year (Thanksgiving), a good touring plan is essential. I recommend you get a Touringplans.com subscription and use their touring plans to plan out your days and your Fast Passes. I've been to WDW twice over Easter Week, which is also a very crowded time. Rope drop and a good touring plan allowed us to do everything we wanted to do without waiting in huge long lines. I didn't do a whole lot of customization (although you can). I found that their standard plans worked so well!!!

 

[pattyw]

Sounds great! Staying offsite is fine! The commute time isn't that bad and you'll be saving a lot of $$! We stay at Universal hotels. We are much more comfortable there and we drive to the Disney parks. When you're happy with your accommodations, the drive is pleasant!

Have a great trip!!