Advice Please?

[parkfamx4]

DH, myself, DD12, and DS9 are finally making our 1st DWtrip. We are planning on driving from Arkansas, about 15 hours. We are staying 6 nights at Value Resort. Not sure yet, DD wants Pop and DS wants Movies. How soon in advance do I need to book my package, my TA says the fall discounts should come out about June or so. Any week in September will work for us. Taking kids out of school. Ordered the DVD, and the kids have watched and are ready. How do I do all of this with ADR's, etc..... The dining plan looks like it will be good for us. What else will I need to do and when????

 

[indigoxtreme]

You can go ahead and book and if Fall codes discounts come out you can add those to your room. You can call Disney yourself and book or use a TA, be sure you get a Disney savey TA. You only need to put a 200.00 deposit down if you are getting a package and the balance needs to be paid 45 day prior to trip. When the spec Sept code came out last year I was able to add it to my reservation. The DP is wonderful, check out the Sticky about the 2006 dining plan below from this site. Let us know if you need any thing else.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1023429

 

[parkfamx4]

So how soon in advance do I need to book this? My TA (disney specialty) said that I could probably wait until middle May til middle of June to see if discounts come out. She also said that I need to be deciding about ADR's and even though its value season, I still need to book them. Can I cancel during the week we are at DW if we decide to eat somewhere else? Thanks for all the great info that I've found on this board!!!

 

[GEM]

I just wanted to say hello and welcome from a fellow Arkansan! It's nice to "meet" you.

I would agree that you should probably go ahead and make your reservation now, and that you can always add a discount later if something becomes available. As for dining, you can make those arrangments at 180 days out, but for the time of year you are talking about, you probably only need to take care of the most popular spots that early - Chef Mickey's, Cinderella's, etc. You should be able to wait a bit later for most things, I would think. If you do go ahead and make them, you can always cancel if you change your mind any time before or during your trip. Cinderella's is the only one that requires a depost and it has a 24 hour cancellation deadline, I think.

Please let me know if I can be of any help! We've made the drive from Arkansas to Orlando many time! It's really not that bad, although it always takes us longer than we think it will.

I hope you have a great trip!

 

[parkfamx4]

How long does it usually take you to get to Disney? We live north of Monroe, LA. Maps R Us says it's 858 miles. We are planning on driving and leaving about 2 or 3 am so the kids will sleep for a while. We are planning on about 16 - 18 hours. THANKS

 

[parkfamx4]

Also, we are checking in Sat. Sept. 23, 2006 and staying 6 nights. How will the crowds be around this time/??? Any info is appreciated!!!!!

 

[deefranco]

Go ahead and make your reservations, including the ones for your meals. We went last September and I made our reservations on time and things were starting to fill up. It was the best time of the year to go. Everyone who worked there kept telling us that. Just make sure you get travel insurance in case of a problem with weather. We did, but were lucky. Our trip was scheduled after Katrina hit and a week after we got home, the other big one hit. The weatehr while we were there was great!! September was beautiful. If you have any other questions, I'd love to help.

 

[deefranco]

Forgot to mention about the crowds, they were awesome. The longest we waited at MK for any line was 5 minutes!! There were a lot of people there, but it couldn't have beeen any better, unless we were the only ones there. We can't wait to go back, planning for 2007.

 

[bubba73]

Book early to make sure you get what you want. Disney is always busy. Get the dining plan. It is a great deal. Stay at POP! Stay at POP! Stay at POP! Stay at POP! Yes, I stayed there and I enjoyed it tremendously!