You've chosen one of the more expensive times to go to WDW. Only Christmas and Spring Break are more expensive. Generally, rooms at WDW go for a higher rate in June and early July than they do in August. And airfare in the summer months can be higher than it is in mid-January. But since you've got teachers in the family, you may not be able to go any other time. In any event, I would suggest doing all your planning yourself and avoiding packages.
The Accomodations You can either choose to get 2 rooms at a hotel or rent a vacation home for about the same price. The vacation home will give you more room to spread out, the convenience of a kitchen and a private pool. Take a look at
AllStar Vacation Homes to get an idea of what is available. The hotel will give you the luxury of maid service and the convenience of a food court or restaurant. The
Holiday Inn Family Suites has a "Classic 2-Bedroom Suite" which sleeps 6 and has a kitchenette with microwave and coffeemaker. If anyone in your group is over age 50, you can book your suite at a "Senior Savers" rate.
If you stay on-site, the rooms will be smaller and more expensive. The theming and service will be outstanding. You cannot beat the convenience of staying on-site. A good compromise would be the DTD hotels or the Dolphin/Swan resorts near EPCOT.
In general, I don't care for Priceline because you don't know what you're getting until you've already committed your money. Many people have had great luck with them but if you or your in-laws are particular about your accommodations, you may want to stick with sites like Expedia, Hotwire or Orbitz to help you price your room.
The Car If you stay off-site, you will definitely need that car. Factor that into the cost of your off-site vs. on-site decision. Most car rentals are cheaper for a week than they are for 6 days. Mousesavers.com has lots of hints for using codes to get the best price on rental cars. The earlier you make your reservation, the better the price that you'll be able to get.
Since you're flying into MCO, look for a company that is located in the airport (National, Alamo,
Avis, Budget, Dollar and L&M). Other companies require that you get in a van and drive to their remote location to pick up your car. This causes quite a delay in getting to WDW from the airport.
Make sure that you factor in the taxes, surcharges and other fees into your total cost. Some companies (like National) will give you a quote with everything there for you to see. Others don't include those fees in their quotes, making their prices appear lower than they actually are.
After making your reservation, regularly check back on the company's website to see if the prices have dropped. You can always cancel the original ressie and make a new one without a penalty.
Tickets/Passes: The least expensive way to purchase Park Hopper Passes (PHs) is at your local
Disney Store. Disney provides a nice discount as an incentive to pre-purchase your passes. If there is no Disney Store near you, then you can also order your Park Hoppers from Disney.com.
However, if you want Park Hopper Plus Passes (PHPs), which include "plus" feature that allow visits to the water parks and Pleasure Island, you will do better to visit one of the online ticket brokers like
Paramount Travel ,
Ticketmania , or
MapleLeaf Tickets . Their prices for PHPs is generally lower than the price Disney charges for those passes. Note that these site will include the taxes in their ticket price quotes. Disney.com does not add the taxes in to the ticket costs until you check out. Don't forget to include the cost of shipping in your decision.
For 5 adults doing 4 days in WDW, I would suggest the 4-day PHP at Ticketmania. Their cost per ticket may be a little higher than the other 2 sites but they ship for free. I've used them several times in the past and have never had a problem with the passes I received.
Food Your dining habits are going to determine your food budget. Are you big breakfast eaters or is a cup of coffee and a bagel more your speed? Do you prefer a sit-down dinner or a buffet? Do you snack often? The links already provided by others to WDW menus will give you a good idea of what kinds of foods are available and the prices that you'll pay for them.
Keep in mind that if you have a car and a kitchen, you have many more options than you will if you are staying onsite in an All-Star resort with no car. Orlando offers a wide range of dining options for every budget.
Definitely budget for water, especially for June/July when it can be
very hot in Orlando. Consider purchasing Brita water bottles for each member of your group. Have the restaurants in the parks give you cups of ice to fill the bottles as they deplete. As the ice melts, you will have cold, good-tasting water for a lot less than the $2.50 per bottle that WDW charges for Dasani.
Other Budget Considerations
- Don't forget to budget for long-term parking at PIT or BWI.
- Remember to tip the Skycaps, maids, bellhops and restaurant waitstaff.
- If you rent a car, remember to refill the tank before returning it.
- Budget for tolls between MCO and WDW.
- Budget for parking at WDW if you're staying off-site and driving to the parks.
- Take lots of pictures but budget for the developing or printing of them.
[/list=1]
Have a great time planning and stop back to let us know how things are coming along!
