Disney Vet Needs Help figuring out WDW

[andee2000]

Oops: I think I found the right place to start, I found it on the main page rather than in the board list itself. Phew. Still, if anyone has advice I'd love to hear it. Thanks!

My mom informed me last night that she would like to go to WDW for their 50th anniversary, so in 2 years ( Spring 2017). Being a planner, I want to start planning and saving now so we can have a fab trip.

We've only ever been to Disneyland (grew up in California for a bit.)

I just went over to the WDW boards and it is a little overwhelming. Does anyone know where to start over there? Like which board to start at? Having never been there I have zero thoughts on hotels and how long to stay. Anyway, if someone could point me to a starting point I would very much appreciate it. FWIW, I looked over there and didn't see a trip planning board or first timers board, but I may have missed it, that is why I didn't just post this over there.

Thanks!

 

[HydroGuy]

I have a thread I wrote that is bad need of an update but may help.

"An Introduction To WDW For DLR Vets" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=16541636

 

[andee2000]

Hydro, Thank you so much!

 

[figment_jii]

I skimmed HydroGuy's thread and I think much of the information is still helpful. I think the biggest area where things have changed is in regards to FastPasses. WDW has implemented the FastPass Plus (FP+) system. Basically, guests can now reserve their FPs before they arrive at WDW. On-site guests can reserve FPs up to 60-days in advance and everyone else can reserve their FPs up to 30-day in advance. I suggest you look at mesaboy2's FP+ SuperThread for more infromation:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/fa...ed-priorities-and-strategies-part-ii.3326057/

If you're going in two years, there is the potential for a lot of things to change, so keep that in mind if you start making any decisions based on how things are working now.

I think the first questions to consider are:
1. When to go (weather, crowds, special events, etc.).
2. Where to stay (on-site or off-site? Value, moderate, or deluxe?)
3. How many days

You mention September and that can be an interesting month. Depending on when you go, it might be very hot and humid, so keep that in mind. HydroGuy also has a comparison weather thread that will help give you a sense of what the weather is like in FL in September.
http://www.disboards.com/threads/detailed-weather-data-for-dlr.1711391/#post-23004158

The Epcot Food & Wine Festival usually starts in September and runs through early November. It's a lot of fun. You can find lots of information about it on the Disney Food Blog. Here's the link to the 2014 master page:
http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2014-epcot-food-and-wine-festival/

September also has the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) at the Magic Kingdom. It's a hard ticket event, but with an amazing parade and fireworks show. It's pricey, but a lot of fun and worth going at least once. I wrote up a comparison of MHP and MNSSHP a few years ago (so something are out-of-date, but it'll give you a sense of what MNSSHP is like):
http://www.disboards.com/threads/ha...-superthread-3.2959331/page-108#post-49493997

In terms of where to stay, the first big question is whether to stay on-site or off-site. WDW is much bigger than DLR, in terms of geographic footprint. So staying on-site and off-site is both a question of cost and a question of time. If you stay off-site, you will most likely need to rent a car to get yourself to the parks in a timely fashion. I always stay on-site, so I don't have much thoughts about the off-site locations. There are three levels of resorts at WDW: the values, the moderates, and deluxes. You can probably guess that the values are the least expensive and the deluxe resorts are the most expensive. The perks (like EMH, free theme park parking, room charging, magic bands, FP+, etc.) are the same, but the difference is room size and resort location. The Deluxe resorts all tend to be close to one of the theme parks. I would start by looking into the different levels of resorts and the basic costs to get a sense of what is in your budget. Mousesavers has a table of all of the rack (non-discounted) rates for the various resorts in alphabetical order:
http://www.mousesavers.com/walt-dis...ls/disney-world-resort-hotel-discounts-codes/

There are other major(ish) difference in planning a DLR versus WDW trip, but this is a starting point. Once you have an idea of when you want to go, where you want to stay, and how many days you want to be at the parks, then the other questions will come up.

 

[andee2000]

Figment,

Thank you for that information. We will likely be going in March. We want to stay on-site. At DLR we always stay off-site because everything has been so close, but the size of WDW is overwhelming to me and I'd rather be close. I ready Hydro's WDW thread and it was very helpful. Especially, knowing there are taxis available; I like that there is an option for that if there are long waits just for busses. The fumes from busses generally make me sick, therefore, I rarely take a bus, so having a different option makes me happy, even with the cost.

 

[figment_jii]

Ah...sorry, so for some reason, I thought Spring said September. In the Spring, there is the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival. It was cute, with lots of topiaries and some gardening seminars. It's not as big as the F&W Festival, but still fun.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/guides/epcot/events/ep-flower-garden.htm

In terms of transportation, if you stay onsite, you can take Disney transportation (some resorts also have boats and the monorail, it just depends on where you are going and where you are starting from), rent a car, or take taxis. I usually rent a car because I like have the convenience of getting places on my own schedule, although there are a few places where buses are still the best bet (i.e., Magic Kingdom). A lot of folks recommend using Taxi Fare Finder to get a sense of the taxi rates. In general, I think you can get between most locations in WDW for less than $25 plus tip.
http://www.taxifarefinder.com/

If you want to rent a car, there are several options on property. I usually rent from the Alamo/National counter at the Dolphin because I can walk there from Epcot or the Epcot resorts. There is also the Car Care Center near Magic Kingdom.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/car-rental-services/

 

[andee2000]

Wow, there is a lot of information on the WDW boards. I spent the entire weekend just reading. So much, but so fun. In my searching I found Shades of Green which is near the Polynesian and available to military active duty and retirees at a great rate. It looks like you get the Extra Magic Hours with your room key, but no other Disney resort perks since it isn't a Disney property. That was a nice find. I'll still look at other places, but the rooms like large. We will see.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[helenb]

Another possibility if you want to stay close to resorts (limit bus travel) but have a discounted rate is to stay at the Swan or Dolphin hotels. Not Disney hotels, but in the Boardwalk area, and you can walk or boat to Epcot and DHS.

 

[skier_pete]

WDW vet here...agree with Figment's comments mostly...except where he says parts of September are hot and humid depending on when you go, correct that to be "all of September".

Since you are talking March though that won't be a problem. Can be cool, but should be a nice time of year. Fairly busy because of a lot of college spring breaks, but as long as you avoid Easter you will miss the worst of the crowds.

The buses get a bad rep, but really they are not so bad (they are propane powered so do not spit out fumes). If you were to plan on taking taxis everywhere, you better add $500 to your budget or just rent a car. We use taxis when the bus travel is too inconvenient (hotel to hotel transport for a meal) but mostly avoid it. Rarely is the wait for a bus more than 20 minutes, and usually more like 5-15 minutes. To me one of the great pleasures I get out of an on-site WDW trip is that I never have to get behind the wheel of a car.

Would agree first you should decide on your dates. I would recommend a minimum of a week to get through the basics of Disney World. There is so much to see and do there you couldn't see it all in 2 weeks, so take whatever time you can.

Once dates are set, then worry about hotels. If this is a once in a lifetime type trip, I would suggest an on-site stay. It think the moderate hotels are very nice, but if you are interested in Deluxes, or want something larger than a hotel room, consider renting DVC points. It definitely can save you money versus Disney's resort rates. You can rent directly from an owner, but safer and easier (and a little more $$) is to rent through a reputable broker.

After that you would next consider dining options. WDW differs greatly from DLR in that many restaurants book up months in advance, so depending on what you want you may need to book at the 180 day mark.

Enough for now - I gotta run.

 

[figment_jii]

WDW vet here...agree with Figment's comments mostly...except where he says parts of September are hot and humid depending on when you go, correct that to be "all of September".

I went once at the end of September and one or two of the days weren't really humid (still warm, but not what I'd call hot). So, that's why I said depending on when you go because there is always the chance that the weather will play nice and not be hot and humid.

 

[Laz]

Remember that even if you spend a week at WDW, you won't be able to do/see everything. Make a list of Must do's, Like to do, Can live without, etc. If you stay on site, do take advantage of EMHs. We get more rides done during those time than any other. If you go in the hot months, remember that the combination of heat and humidity will drain you very quickly. Expect afternoon rain during the summer months.

 

[scrapshappen]

I'm a Disneyland vet who just returned from my second trip to WDW a few weeks ago (first was 14 years ago so it might not count). We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside and thought it was perfect for our intended purpose (sleep and shower is all we did there really). We also had no complaints about the bus system and found it easy to navigate but we only went to one park a day and pretty much stayed there from opening to closing since the hours were shorter. We only took advantage of extra hours once at Animal Kingdom. From everything I read, whatever park has the extra hours tends to be more crowded so we avoided them. It's just a different touring strategy at WDW since everything is really spread out. At DL we focus on riding all our favorites as many times as we can while still enjoying everything else. At WDW, we tried to just enjoy everything and not worry about repeating rides as much. (Although I think my kids still managed 5 rides on Space Mountain and 4 rides on Rockin' Roller Coaster).

 

[andee2000]

So much advice! I love it. After talking to my parents we decided on going in February. It is a busy time of celebration for us: it will be my dad's birthday, my parent's 50th wedding anniversary, our 17th anniversary, and my son's 15th birthday. All within three days of each other. My mom, due to her anniversary, narrowed down that date for me and let me know. Hahaha.

My dad, retired military (we are previous Air Force as well, just not retired), checked out Shades of Green and said that I'd where he wants to stay. It's his people! We will also be getting, if available, military salute tickets through the base, so four day park hoppers. Oh and my mom also said Universal, specifically Harry Potter related attractions, will be on the agenda.

So now that hotel and tickets (for WDW) are set I can start figuring out how to use my 4 Disney days and one or two Universal days. Dining plans aren't really much of a draw for us, we tend to eat when we feel the need and don't feel, except for one or two meals, to be to scheduled during vacation. We will see. And it looks like with the Shades hotel you can still get EMH. I would miss out on super advanced dining and fast pass reservations, but I will just have to figure that out.

I apologize for not replying to specific posts, I am still getting used to using the quotes and my tablet all at once.

 

[MineMineMine3]

Shades of Green is an amazing place to stay! You can order military salute (and many other) tickets through SoG- they will email you about 45 days in advance of your arrival. You complete a form, fax it back to them, and they will email you scans of your tickets.

You can link your tickets in MDE and make FP+ selections at 30 days out- you will need to make selections for each day separately, at the 30 day mark (unlike staying on site, where you can make FP+ selections for your entire stay at the 60 day mark).

SoG has their own bus system (runs less frequently but it is usually less crowded) or you can walk/catch a ride on a golf cart with bell services to the edge of the property to get to the Poly. From the Poly, you can take the monorail to MK or the TTC, where you can catch a bus to HS or AK, or another monorail to Epcot.

The only area with room for improvement at SoG would be dining. We have done the breakfast and dinner buffets, as well as eaten in Mangino's Bistro. They are all OK, nothing special- much of the focus is on meat items (something I am used to as a vegetarian, but SoG restaurants take it a bit further than most do). That being said, I never went hungry, just enjoyed some meals more than others.

I found great information for our last trip (December 2014) on FP+ on the Theme Parks Attractions and Strategies board. There is a thread that gives recommendations on prioritizing your FP+ selections. It was very helpful! I got a new computer and lost the bookmark, but the author would be like the "HydroGuy" of FP+. If you create a new thread on the board and ask about it (thread with FP+ selection recommendations), someone will post the link for you.

Have fun planning your trip! I am on this board as we are planning our first trip to DLR in December!

 

[jkpmac]

One of the big differences between DLR and WDW is the restaurants. There are so many, such an amazing variety and many are worth trying. That being said, because WDW is so large, you need to plan a dining experience around the park you are visiting. For example if you want to try O'Hana in the Polynesian resort, I would reserve it for a day you were visiting the Magic Kingdom. The travel time from say the Animal Kingdom and back could easily waste a couple of hours or more. Oh yes, I highly recommend O'Hana, we try go with every visit. I won't get into a debate about the dining plan at WDW, but since we went on our honeymoon to WDW in 2000 we have always used it, and have always been satisfied. So if you want to stay in a WDW Resort it is an option.

A little planning can go a long way, and make your vacation an enjoyable adventure instead of a frustrating rush to see and do everything. FYI in 7 trips to Disneyworld, I have never seen and done everything, so don't try to. Of course that being said we are planning our first DLR trip for July and California for that matter. We are naively thinking we can do Disneyland, California Adventure in 3 days and MGM Studios, and the San Diego Zoo in two, plus dip our toes in the Pacific Ocean!

 

[queenofthehive]

A website that is great for newbies is www.wdwprepschool.com. She guides you thru the steps in planning your WDW trip. It is a great resource and good place to start. She also has weekly podcasts which are extremely informative. Good luck and happy planning!

 

[andee2000]

I found great information for our last trip (December 2014) on FP+ on the Theme Parks Attractions and Strategies board. There is a thread that gives recommendations on prioritizing your FP+ selections. It was very helpful! I got a new computer and lost the bookmark, but the author would be like the "HydroGuy" of FP+. If you create a new thread on the board and ask about it (thread with FP+ selection recommendations), someone will post the link for you.

Have fun planning your trip! I am on this board as we are planning our first trip to DLR in December!

I think I may have figured the multi-quoting out. Yay me, much easier on the computer to do. I love Hydro's posts from the Disneyland boards and he also helped me out when I asked about the a question about WDW. I'll check his FP thread too!

One of the big differences between DLR and WDW is the restaurants. There are so many, such an amazing variety and many are worth trying. That being said, because WDW is so large, you need to plan a dining experience around the park you are visiting. For example if you want to try O'Hana in the Polynesian resort, I would reserve it for a day you were visiting the Magic Kingdom. The travel time from say the Animal Kingdom and back could easily waste a couple of hours or more. Oh yes, I highly recommend O'Hana, we try go with every visit. I won't get into a debate about the dining plan at WDW, but since we went on our honeymoon to WDW in 2000 we have always used it, and have always been satisfied. So if you want to stay in a WDW Resort it is an option.

A little planning can go a long way, and make your vacation an enjoyable adventure instead of a frustrating rush to see and do everything. FYI in 7 trips to Disneyworld, I have never seen and done everything, so don't try to. Of course that being said we are planning our first DLR trip for July and California for that matter. We are naively thinking we can do Disneyland, California Adventure in 3 days and MGM Studios, and the San Diego Zoo in two, plus dip our toes in the Pacific Ocean!

Thanks for the advice about the dining.

My first trip as a mom to Disneyland and trying to do everything made me exhausted. As a kid in California we would do day trips to DL, so I had no idea. Our first trip back in 2008 we bought the Southern California City Pass (didn't know about military discount tickets at that time) and did 3 DLR days, 1 Sea World day and the beach for one day. It was crazy. I shoved too much in a short amount of time, I also screwed up by going to DLR without a plan and heading there mid-day on our first day and not having a plan. Ugh. Never again without some sort of plan. The next time we went back to DLR I had a plan, utilized the FP system and had a great time.

 

[jkpmac]

I am going to add a little fuel to the fire. On all our visits to WDW we have stayed on a resort. On our Honeymoon, we stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort. It was lovely, and the rooms were organized into small buildings that were grouped together. Our section was a fair walk, from the main resort complex, but it had its own pool and laundry facility. After that we generally stayed at PoP Century. Bigger, more people, more of a line up for laundry, but the pools were never all that crowded. I met people from all over the world in the laundry, just waiting for the dryer cycle to end! The room difference.....honestly the only thing I really noticed was that the room only had one sink as opposed to two. Maybe it was slightly smaller in area, but I never had problems, and we had one extra with us when we started staying there. We have relatives that stay at moderate and High end resorts all the time, and I just shake my head. You can go to any resort for a dining experience, and you really never spend all that much time actually at your resort except to sleep or a swim break. The exception would be the Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge because a view of live animals would be fascinating. We stayed at the Sports resort for a few days when we went on the cruise. My biggest recommendation for that place would be...... don't go when they have an international sports competition being hosted by Disney!!!!!!!!!!. All the facilities were packed all the time.

Just a thought.

 

[skier_pete]

I am going to add a little fuel to the fire. On all our visits to WDW we have stayed on a resort. On our Honeymoon, we stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort. It was lovely, and the rooms were organized into small buildings that were grouped together. Our section was a fair walk, from the main resort complex, but it had its own pool and laundry facility. After that we generally stayed at PoP Century. Bigger, more people, more of a line up for laundry, but the pools were never all that crowded. I met people from all over the world in the laundry, just waiting for the dryer cycle to end! The room difference.....honestly the only thing I really noticed was that the room only had one sink as opposed to two. Maybe it was slightly smaller in area, but I never had problems, and we had one extra with us when we started staying there. We have relatives that stay at moderate and High end resorts all the time, and I just shake my head. You can go to any resort for a dining experience, and you really never spend all that much time actually at your resort except to sleep or a swim break. The exception would be the Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge because a view of live animals would be fascinating. We stayed at the Sports resort for a few days when we went on the cruise. My biggest recommendation for that place would be...... don't go when they have an international sports competition being hosted by Disney!!!!!!!!!!. All the facilities were packed all the time.

Just a thought.

I would agree with much of this sentiment. We have stayed at Pop Century and was very impressed by the quality of the resort in general. It was not as spread out as you would think nor as crowded. The services at the moderates are slightly better. (The pools are nicer, there are typically water craft rentals available, and often a sit-down restaurant.) But I wouldn't put them miles ahead of the moderates. And it is very true that if you tour Disney like most people tour Disney, you are rarely if ever in your room.

However, I would disagree on the rooms themselves. We have stayed in a POP room and CBR room with 3 adults + 1 child and there is definitely a difference. For one, the moderates now all have queen beds versus full beds. The square footage difference is only about 50 square feet, but that number is also about 20% of the room size, and for a room you are in for a week, and it can make a big difference. For two people in a room I don't think it matters much, but for 3 or 4 it definitely does.

What I would say though is if you were traveling as two couples, I would consider getting two rooms at a value over one room at a moderate, which would give you significantly more space as well as more privacy. (I know the OP already decided on Shades of Green.)

One thing to mention if you are thinking February...try to avoid President's week unless you have no choice. While not the most crowded week of the year, a lot of us northerners come down that week. You also have a long weekend at the start of the week and you have the Princess 1/2 marathon at the end of the week. Most other weeks will be significantly less crowded than that one.