Disney World MARCH 2013

[petsaregreat]

Hi!
New to the board and planning a trip to Disney World in March 2013. It will be our first time there with our kids. Thinking that the Fort Wilderness Cabins will be the best fit for us for for budget and size of living space.
We recently flew out of Hamilton airport and my husband loved it. Refuses to fly out of Pearson now. Might have to though since I googled and see that Westjet only flies to Orlando a couple times a week.
We have to go to Disney on March Break- any idea of the weather we could expect? How busy will it be? Like so busy we shouldn't go? LOL
If I received a PIN now would it expire before next year?
Any advice would be AWESOME!
Thanks

 

[Ted in Halifax]

I've stayed at Fort Wilderness and wonder why you are think best fit for your budget. Just curious. Is there something else ... how many people do you have in your party?

Have you considered flying out of Buffalo? Renting DVC points? All things that you could consider.

You are off to a good start to be planning this early.

 

[Cdn Gal]

In the past 5 years we have done 3 March breaks at Disney, bc like you that is the only time we can go. The weather is great, the crowds are full of Canadians and Texans since it is their March break too. You need to have a plan, and you need to hit the parks early. We leave at around lunch and take a break in the pm, then come back in the evening. You will have a fantastic time! We too are going this March and I am very excited about it!

 

[mtmbyck]

I have gone every March Break for at least the last 7 years. Weather is a mixed bag. I've been when it rained and was cool most of the time. But then I've been years like last year where it was 80s and sunny the whole week.

Crowds are heavy. You have to learn to use fast passes and as pp said, arrive EARLY. We rarely stay all day at a park and often leave for a rest and return later in day. Last March there were days where they reached max crowds in the parks I recall.

I haven stayed at FW but if you need space I suggest you price Saratoga Springs or Old Key West in a 1 or2 bedroom. We rented a DVC members points to stay in a 2 bedroom. Still pricey at 250 per nightbut a deal for March Break in that type of accommodation.

I believe PINs have an expiry date but not 100% sure. Plan plan plan. That's half the fun. We're counting down to this March Break in Kissimmee but we only do Parks a couple of days now that the kids are older.

Let us knowing you have any other questions. This board is full of great tips!

 

[petsaregreat]

Thanks for the great hints!
What does renting DVC points mean?
My DH and I will be travelling with our boys- ages 4 and 5 when we go next year. I thought the cabins would be good because there is a bedroom in the back, a "yard" and a "family room" so we wouldn't be confined to a typical hotel room. If you have other suggestions at where to stay I would love to hear them!!
Thanks!

 

[Ted in Halifax]

Ironically, when I first went to Disney, we stayed at the Wilderness cabins with our 3 and 5 year old. Although, they are lovely, in hindsight I would have been better off at a "typical" Disney resort. The transportation system to the parks was slightly more complicated than a typical resort like POP Century and I wasn't comfortable letting my kids play in the yard (Reason: Cars, Golf carts, kids on bikes, the ground cover and terrain). These cabins go have a full kitchen, so you could save money by preparing your own food, but as my wife points out "ARE YOU CRAZY, I'M NOT GOING ON VACATION AND COOKING ALL WEEK".

Don't get me wrong .. if I need a place for 6 people, this would be on this list, but for a trip with 2 young kids. I would be looking for something like POP Century ... you will find ample places for the kids to play and really, the only time you will get to your room is when they are ready to sleep (Usually after a kid meltdown).

Renting DVC points means making an arrangement with a person or a company that allows you to rent someone elses Disney timeshare points. Case in point ... I need 2 nights of accommodation in Disney, prior to our cruise in March. My wife has always loved Animal Kingdom lodge and we have never stayed there because of the price .... lets just say $390 per night plus taxes would be normal, so 2 nights would exceed $800. This year, I rented points for 2 nights, in a Value Studio, for $282 in total for both nights (26 points at $11 a point). That's a very good rate ...

Now, the down side of this. Renting from someone involves risk ... yes, you could get ripped off. Or for a few more dollars you could rent from a company like dvcrequest, thus minimizing your risk. Downside number 2 ... if there is a free dining offer, you can't get it. Or if there are free days offers, or gift cards, etc etc, you can't either.

Here's what I would suggest. If you are flexible on your timing when you could head to Disney ... i.e. You could head there on Say February 28th, 2013, you are likely to encounter free dining (No guarantee) . I would avoid March break, where prices go up for rooms and flights and discounts/offers disappear if possible. I would look for a free dining offer at the POP Century, so this means basically that you would pay for your room and Disney tickets and that your dining package would be free (this would amount to approx $100 per day in Savings). Yeah I know ... if someone is a teacher ... then this is a no go.

If you must go on March break and there are no "offers" then renting points may be the best option (you can add dining to this process) and you could buy tickets for disney thru undercovertourist.com to save some money.

Also, depending on your kids and how they react to a car drive ... I would consider looking at flights out of the US. This has been a major savings for us. You could expect to save somewhere around $300 per person.

Ted

 

[mtmbyck]

Great tips Ted. I'll add that I also have rented points and found this website (the disboards) under DVC rental very helpful. I did end up renting one through another site. My renter was so sweet and after many conversations on the phone, we met in Ottawa on her family vacation (she's from New York) . Theres all kind of other things to learn before renting (down payment, risk, no tickets or meals, no deals). But if you are going 1st week of March (still considered low season) you may get a good rack rate on a 1 bedroom at Old Key West or Saratoga just through Disney or Mousesavers or any travel expert. This way, kids can go to bed and mom and dad can sit up and have a glass of "pop" on the balcony or In your living room. I agree with you that a hotel room gets to be cramped with 4. And while it is mostly used to sleep, I do find on a hot day after 6 hours in a park, we all need a bit of a recharge in air conditioning in the comfort of your own room.

If SSR and OKW are too pricey, try the value resort family suites next. But Ted is right, you can get a sweet deal on POP with dining and tickets in late Feb/first week of March. By March 10 you are In peak season.