Best place to book?

[Beth66]

Hi -

My husband and I are heading to Orlando at end of May. We plan to visit his Mom about an hour from Orlando for a few days and stay in Orlando for a few days and go to the parks. He has never been.

We don't want to break the bank at some of the high price hotels and would prefer our stay to be as romantic and quiet as possible - next time we go we will probably have a child with us.

We are considering Caribbean Beach or Port Orleans.

What is the best way to book the trip? We can't really do a package since our flights are for a longer period (8 nights) vs. how many nights we need in Orlando resort - probably 5.

Also - what about tickets? Best way to buy them?

Thanks! And any other suggestions for moderate/romantic hotels is appreciated.

 

[Cmbar]

Everybody has their own suggestions. But my suggestion would be Port Orleans French Quarter or Port Orleans Riverside in the Mansions. POR riverside is where we spent our honeymoon so it will always be romantic to us. I have never been to Carribean Beach but I did here it was really spread out with a lot of walking. We were just at French Quarter and it is truly a lovely resort and small so it is a short walk to everything including the buses. I really enjoyed it and especially the nice boat ride to Downtown Disney that runs through the day. It is a romantic thing to do and you can go to pleasure island if thats your thing or you can eat dinner at DTD or simply just ride the boat or walk along the river. It really is a nice resort. Oh Also I saw a couple doing a carriage ride along the water at POR (both Riverside and FQ) That looked romatinc! However if you want a "Beach" theme you might want to go with CBR.

Generally speaking it is usually cheaper to book all the parts of your stay separately to save money and it is not that difficult. However, Disney has added some new features recently like an "a la carte" type of ticket option that allow you to pick and choose the type of tickets you want and how many days. You can actually set up a "package" on Disney's website that will allow you to select your ticket type and possibly add a dining option. (which I hear is a good deal if you choose to get it)

But if price is a concern then depending on when your going you can often stay at a nicer resort by booking with a "discount code". I don't think they are out yet for May. So if you want to use a discount code you can't do the dining option but I think you can still add tickets to your reservation. I'm sure others will clarify for you. I generally rent DVC points (a whole other issue, but if interested in learning more check out the Disney Vacation Club section of these boards. It generally is a way to get to stay deluxe for Moderate prices) You can PM if you have any questions about that.


Anyways the best way to start is to keep reading these boards for tips.

OH yeah if you are flexible about what days to hit the parks, I would suggest during the week instead of weekends since it is more crowded on the weekends. May is a good time to go but depending on when you go in May remember the kids in the south get out in Early to mid May.

Happy Planning!

 

[Beth66]

Thanks very much - you have been very very helpful! I think the Port Orleans sounds perfect for us!