Could you please advise this first timer to WDW?

[wdw_first_time]

Greetings!
We (Me, my husband and 5 yr old son) are planning to visit WDW in 2 weeks (for 4 days in 1st week of May) arriving on thursday night and leaving on monday evening. I just booked our plane tickets from JFK for $150/person roundtrip. Now I am thoroughly confused with the options available for lodging.

How far are Disney Downtown Area Hotels from attractions? In particular Best Wesern Lake Buena Vista? Currently there is a promotion for 4 nights and 4 day ultimate park hopper for 2 adults for $800. Is it worth?

Should we rent a car ($30/day) if we are not planning to eat our meals in the park. What are the hassles of driving and parking?

Has anyone bought the Disney meal voucher from eBay? What do you think of it? Since I want to make the reservations tomorrow, any help is appreciated.

Thanks

 

[tink2dw]

Congrates on you trip!! You did great on Airfare!!

In my opinion Disney Downtown Area Hotels are nearly if not more expensive than staying on site at WDW. I thought you could Only get ultimate park hopper while staying at a WDW resort,not Disney Downtown Area Hotels. By using the "room only" codes you can get great discounts for onsite resort rooms.
Check this out MouseSavers.com,codes for anyone. All Stars- $74. a night
http://www.mousesavers.com/disneyresorts.html#codes
Then if you can buy 1 Annual Passholder ticket you can use these NEWLY Released codes. All Stars-$59. a night.
http://www.mousesavers.com/disneyresorts.html#ap

Many here buy Breakfast items in Orlando and eat breakfast in their hotel room,to save money. You can buy a foam cooler to keep milk and jiuce,water[WDW sells an 8oz bottle of water for $2.50 a real budget buster. Florida water smells and tastes like sulfer,yuk!! Some buy the Britta sports filtering bottle to filter the taste.check it out here
http://www.epinions.com/content_39284477572


Now you can start deciding what are the things that are "must do's" and "must see's." And decide the length of your trip.

Then decide on the tickets you will need here.
http://www.mousesavers.com/tickets.html

To keep an EYE on All the discounts for on-site and off-site resorts check here often and sign up for the MouseSavers.com newsletter to get all the best news.
http://www.mousesavers.com/wdw.html

Check out the Transportation Board rental car deals or Town Cars with a 30 minute grocery stop.
http://www.disboards.com/

Start a WDW change jar to save for your trip.[there are many tips here on this board!!]

Save money on Souvenirs by shopping at discounted Disney merchandise shops before going to the parks.
Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores
State Road 535
Near Walt Disney World Resort

Belz Factory Outlet World
5401 West Oakridge Road
(I-4 Exit 30A)
Phone: 407-352-9611

Orlando Premium Outlets
Vineland Ave.
Off I-4 near DownTown Disney
Phone: 407-238-7787
And Near Lake Buena Vista
and Downtown Disney

Also you can decide where you will want to eat and start making plans to make your food budget and check the Priority Seatings Calculator to know when you can make PS's some are as far out as 730 Days.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/pscalc/dispscalc.html

Also to help decide where to eat you can find menu's at Deb's wdw site,this works 2 ways to see where to eat what,and how much it costs, to finalize the food budget.
http://www.wdwig.com/menu/menus.htm

To keep all this info in one place,here is a computer Disney Vacation Planner. It will print each day on a seperate sheet. Also check the pull down menu's at the top for loads of info!!
http://www.intercot.com/planner/default.asp

Well,this should get you start on a thousand more Questions!! So,don't be shy! Ask away!! The kind members here will share what they know! So,check back often!!

tink2dw

 

[disneyjunkie]

Originally posted by wdw_first_time
Has anyone bought the Disney meal voucher from eBay? What do you think of it? Since I want to make the reservations tomorrow, any help is appreciated.

Thanks

You can order the meal vouchers from connections. It's $1 for the first 30 days. After that you can cancel the membership or keep it for $79 for the year.

They also have park passes.

Here are a few threads from the budget board about connections. If you don't want to join, maybe you'll find someone here that has extras they want to get rid of.

http://disboards.com/search.php?s=&...d=112327&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending

 

[SusanD]

I just got a email from Hotwire (we got our rental through them for Avis) and they have excellent deals for weekly rates. Closer to $20/day for a mid-size.

 

[maggiew]

You got a great deal on the airfare.

I don't think the best western deal is a good one. To estimate, you can get 4 day adult park hoppers for $200 each. That's $400. So you are paying $400 for your hotel. (This doesn't include what you would be paying for your son. ) I would buy your tickets and hotel separately. Look into staying at the All Stars. One of the above posts lists some discount codes. Your son will LOVE the All Stars. Request All Star Movies if available and request a Toy Story Building.

If you stay at the All Stars or another on site resort, you will not need a car. You can take Mears shuttle from the Airport to the hotel. If you stay at one of the downtown disney hotels, you may or may not need a car. The buses run every half hour all day long. This is less frequent than "real" disney buses, but still great. I personally wouldn't rent a car and just use the bus.

DONT buy the meal vouchers from ebay. They sell for WAYYY above what they are worth. Either join the trial period for Connections and order vouchers and then cancel membership within a month, or pay cash for your meals. You can save money by using the vouchers, if you use them properly. Look at wdwig.com for the menus and see if you would come out ahead with the vouchers. The Quick and Casual vouchers are $11.25. Somewhere at the top of the Budget board is a thread with the list of restaurants these are good at.

If you join Connections, you can also get a 4 day park hopper plus for $197. These are some of the cheapest tickets I have seen. Connections materials usually come in 3 days if the order s over $50.

If I were you, I would try to stay onsite at Disney in the AllStars. I would buy the tickets separately. I wouldn't rent a car. I wouldn't buy the meal vouchers from ebay. If you join Connections (even for the trial period), maybe I would buy the meal vouchers, and I would probably buy the 4 day hoppers from them.

If you want to do a waterpark, you need either the park hopper plus or the ultimate park hopper (length of stay) ticket. If you are only doing the 4 parks, then you only need the park hoppers (no plus needed). The ultimate park hoppers (length of stay) include the water parks and disney quest, but are more expensive and will expire on your last day. So if you don't plan to do the other stuff, it isn't worth it. Extra days on park hoppers never expire.

You could also take the Tiffany Town Car shuttle from the airport to the hotel and they will stop at a grocery store for 30 minutes at no extra charge. So you could pick up some snacks, etc. The Town Car would only be a little more expensive for you than Mears, but you could save money with snacks. Plus it is more convenient.

If you have any more questions, just ask. I hope this helps. Also, read mousesavers.com

Maggie

 

[Boo Mc]

Since you're only going to be there a few days, I'd eat in the parks. Eat breakfast bars or cereal in your room then make lunch your big meal (it's cheaper) then a light dinner or snack. It might be a little more than eating offsite but worth the time you'll save IMO. THe restaurants at Crossroads are affordable and if you stay in DD you can walk to them. If you're not staying on-site you'll have to pay to park at the parks ($6). Not sure if you need UPH tickets as you only have 4 days. You might just want a regular hopper. At your son's age I'd probably do MK, AK, MK again and DD/swimming on Monday. Since you won't have a full day Monday it might be a waste to buy tickets for that day. Our kids love the DD stores and it's free! Take his suit and he can play in the fountains. I think you could easily spend 2 days at MK (and it's our kids favorite) but you may want to hit Epcot/MGM instead. The nice thing about 2 days at MK is that you can actually enjoy yourself instead of running around going "no we can't stop for cotton candy we have to move, move, move" Believe me, we've all seen parents doing this and it usually results in a cranky kid. Have a great time!!

P.S. I think they still have those vouchers at AK that give you lunch with beverage then ice cream or popcorn and another bottled water/soda later in the day. I think Flame Tree and Tusker House have them and the food is decent (not just burgers and hot dogs).

 

[crazelion]

I would not buy meal vouchers off of E bay. It could get expensive. Also people have join Connections for a 1 then cancel after there 30 days is up too buy meal vouchers. Also check at Downtown Disney places to eat and Crosssroads because it will be cheaper.

I have not done either. I like to be able to choose the food places at the last minute then to be tie into a places I have to eat just because I have a vouchers.

 

[wdw_first_time]

Thanks for your tip on lodging and transportation. I was able to find good deals on hotel and car. Expenses so far:

Delta: Roundtrip from JFK/NYC: $124+ tax = $150 * 3 = $450

All Star Music: $74/night * 4 = $296 + tax = $332
Thanks to mousesavers.com for code: AEA
I called Central Reservation Office and showed interest in All Star Movies, but the rooms were sold out and I opted for All Star Music. However, the agent asked me to call the Reservation Office everyday to find out whether rooms are available in All Star Movies since people cancel the rooms every day. Since there are 14 more days for our first trip to WDW, I plan on calling them every day and hoping to get All Star Movies. Any opionion on All Star Music? The agent told me we have to walk 300-400 feet from the bus stop / food court to reach our building in All Star Music. I do not know whether our 5 year old son can walk that far. We are planning to take a mid afternoon break daily.

Rental Car: Avis: Mid Size: $15/day *4 = $60 + tax = $86
Got this great deal through Priceline. I was surprised when my bid for $15/day for midsize was accepted. I figured out I'll be paying more for Mears to and fro from airport for 3 of us. We plan on eating out dinner daily and need a car for that. Since I am staying in the Resort, I have free parking too.

Only major expense pending: Park Hoppers. I tried to join Connections. But it rejected my registration saying: "Sorry. We do not serve your area" even though my ZIP is in New York City. I called the customer service and they asked me try after few hours, but the glitch remained.

I have a question about strollers: Our 5 year old son may get tired walking/standing all day. We disposed his stroller 2 years back. Is it wise to rent it or buy one? Any tip on this?

Also I am thinking of buying Birnbaum's Walt Disney World 2003: Expert Advice from the Inside Source. $12. The Central Reservation Office agent suggested me to buy this book.

Again thanks for your help and suggestions.

 

[Sharby]

Congrats to you wdw_first_time!

From the time you first posted - until this last time you posted - you have learned an amazing amount. (BTW - I think you'll learn more from DISsers than you will from Birnbaum - so you might want to check to see if you can get the book from your library and save the $12. - put that money towards a stroller for your son. )

I have stayed at ASMo and ASMu. Both are great - but Movies is slightly more 'fun'. However, if you don't get Movies - you will still have a fantastic time - Music is a very close second to Movies. (Almost everyone rates the AllStars as 1. Movies 2. Music and 3. Sports.)

Keep planning. DISser's love to help. And let us know how your family's trip went afterwards - we love feedback!

 

[Local_Girl]

Welcome to the DIS--and congrats on your first trip!!

You mentioned that you weren't sure if your son could walk the 300-400 feet at the resort...if this is the case, I would DEFINITELY plan to either purchase a stroller or rent one in the parks (though renting the park strollers won't help you out at the resort). We have a DS9 who did fine, but our DD6 (5yrs at the time of our trip) tired quickly and complained of sore legs. She normally has boundless energy...but the parks are huge and there is lots of walking involved. We finally decided to rent a stroller for her, and she was happy/comfortable, which made us happy too! It also makes a wonderful "pack mule" when you get weary of lugging your own stuff around.

And I agree--you've done a great job getting some good deals for your trip! Hope you guys have a wonderful time!!

 

[crazyforgoofy]

You accomplished a lot in a short time! Congrats!

As for a stroller I'd suggest you consider a cheapie umbrella stroller from WalMart or someplace. They're lightweight and easy to handle. We paid less than $10 for Isabella's (she's almost 5) for use on our Dec trip and we're taking it back in June. She didn't use it all the time but often enough it really made sense and saved us SO much money in 8 days. The airline bagged it in a big plastic bag and it made it just fine. She's not too tall but think an even taller kid would fit.

We love ASMusic as much as Movies and since they're so close you can wander through both if you have time. Time will be the big issue for you since you're there such a short time and there's so much to see and do so plan a bit and then relax and enjoy each moment. I'm guessing you'll be back again before too long.

 

[disneyjunkie]

Originally posted by wdw_first_time
Only major expense pending: Park Hoppers. I tried to join Connections. But it rejected my registration saying: "Sorry. We do not serve your area" even though my ZIP is in New York City. I called the customer service and they asked me try after few hours, but the glitch remained.

Try dealpass.com
You can join simple escapes there. They have the same vouchers as connections. You can join for 30 days.

 

[NotUrsula]

... I suggest you go down to your local public library and see what guides they have. You may be able to get several of them that you can use for two weeks for nothing. Here's a tip most people don't know: if you tell the circulation clerk you will be out of town when the books are coming due, they will almost always adjust the due date so they are due after you get back.

If you are a AAA member, they also have pass discounts. Not as good a discount as Connections, but a lot less trouble.

 

[tink2dw]

You can go online at the www.AAA.com site even if you haven't joined yet to see their price on WDW tickets in your area!!!

 

[baileygirlsmom]

We rented a stroller several times for our 5 year old. They are $8, but you get $1 (disney) back when you turn it in. Also, if you park hop, keep your receipt and you get another at a different park on the same day for free. It was a lifesaver for us!