confused by so much information!

[spudcity]

We are planning our first vacation to WDW in Jan. 2008. Please help us decide: is it best to stay in the resort or outside? Is it best to purchase the dining package or not? Can we bring groceries in if we stay in a resort? We need to keep as tight a budget as possible but also want to eat as reasonably and as nourishing as possible. When will we be able to get prices for 2008? Need imput!!

 

[kat08]

You may be able to stay off site for a little bit cheaper but the packages that Disney offers makes the price difference menial. IMO, it's better to stay on site because Disney's service tops anywhere else. There's just something about staying at a Disney resort. Also, you will be able to use Disney's transportation and you get access to the extra magic hours.

We will be staying at POP and will bring a wheeled cooler. Once we check in, we will go to Wal-Mart (or similar) and getting things like water, soda, snacks, some fresh fruit, milk, etc. Each night, DH will fill up the cooler with ice and we'll be good to go. If you will be flying and you won't have your car with you, there is a grocer that will deliver to your room if you set it up in advance.

We are getting the meal plan because the food at Disney is expensive and we wanted to have it all paid for in advance as opposed to having to worry about how much we are spending at every single meal. This will enable us to not have to worry about what we are ordering, how much it will cost, how much money we have left, how much to tip, etc, etc, etc. In case you haven't checked it out yet, the meal plan includes 1 counter service meal, 1 table service meal and 1 snack for each person 3 years old and over in your package (for each day of your stay.) The counter service meals include soft drink, entree (or combo meal) and dessert for each person; the table service meals include appetizer, entree, soft drink and dessert for each person. It also includes the tip! If you watch for deals, you can sometimes find free meal plan included in the package (most commonly done in late August-Sept.)

There IS a lot of info. Good luck planning your trip. If you're stuck, ask. These folks are great!

Oh, one tip: When you come across a piece of info on these boards that you think is interesting or think you might want to remember, write it down right then or you may not remember it.

 

[mcco5543]

I agree totally with the above posters advice and would do it exactly the same way.

I'm not sure you're going to need the cooler full of snacks and drinks though. You get a LOT of food on the Dining Plan (which I reccomend if you are a. on a budget, B. Big eaters, C. regular 3 times a day meal eaters.) However since you are into eating as healthy as possible a few snacks like granola bars and such thrown into a backpack would be good in case you don't see anything healthy or satisfying enough for you.

 

[3princesses+aprince]

The last time we went was in 2005, we are going again next May. We priced it all out(because i had to convince dh to stay onsite, he's alittle cheap) And it was not really a big difference. Onsite you do not need a car rental, or have to pay to park. We are doing the Dining Plan, and we will definately make out with that, especially because we want to do quite a few character meals. And my best friend(makdyn) told me that she didn't have to buy any extra food on the dining plan!

 

[DisneyBarlans]

We go every year, and we're going 3 times this year. We have done it with the meal plan and without. The advantages to the meal plan are that your food is already paid for, you get huge portions with desserts and appetizers, and you really do save money if you would go to table service restaurants every day normally. The disadvantages are that you have to make dining reservations in advance-the restaurants fill up quickly on average depending on the season. You also have less time to tour the parks because you spend a lot of time eating. On our next trip we're bringing things for sandwiches for a couple of days, and the rest of the time we'll eat counter service. We only have one reservation at a table service restaurant. You can bring food into your room, depending on where you stay most of the resorts have a mini fridge (except the values). We bring a backpack with a few drinks and snacks with us into the parks because food is really expensive there.
As far as staying inside Disney goes, ever since we started doing it, we'll never go back. You get the extra magic hours, and so many other perks-it's worth it. You can stay in a value resort if you don't want to pay a lot for a room. Have fun planning!

 

[pezheadmeg]

Also keep in mind that if you're flying and staying on Disney Property, the Magical Express is included in your reservation. It means not having to worry about arranging transportation to and from the airport. Last time I went without ME, Mears was $56 a person round trip. For a family of 4 that's 2 nights at a value resort!

As for the packages, it was a debate between a 4 and 5 day package last year. It was a question of do we really want to hit the park both the first and the last days? The differnce with an onsite package for an extra day was all of $5 a person! You won't get that if you stay offsite.

The mods have fridges, there are grocery stores that deliver. If you're at a value and driving, Walmart and Target sell the little fridges for about $60, it pays for itself.

As for the DDP, it all depends on eating habits. I am the utmost diet controled health freak, thus for me it's way too much food and I choose not to do it. What I do is I save up my coins through out the year, I then roll the coins and cash them in. I then take that money and buy a set amount of Disney $ to budget for food (this year it was $100 for 5 days, or half of what the DDP would've cost me!)! With just food I was more than within in that budget.