Drowning Newbie.....need guidance :-)

[momto2sillygirls]

Wow....now that I finally learned how to post a message, I think I am ready to join in :-0 . I am in awe that this group exists and I think it is going to be great !

My family of four (me, hubby and two girls ages 2 and 6) are planning to take a WDW vacation w/my parents beginning Oct 3-7. I have NO idea where to start but it HAS to be cheap and GREAT too...is that possible?

We are in Tennessee so we would LOVE to fly but really see no way by how expensive everything else is going to be.
I would also LOVE to have a character meal for the girls. So, I know that much so where do I start? Is it best to book through the website? Are there discount codes?? Discount groups? Help !!
April

 

[jgates]

Hi hon - you will get it straight - don't worry!

I would start investigating where you want to fly out of. You may find good values. Check the transporation board for helpful hints.

You do need to decide a few things up front.

1. What type of accomidations are you looking for? On-site, off-site, suites, standard, budget, deluxe? What types of discounts are you eligible for? AAA, government, etc? All of this can have a bearing on what you can do for rates.

I have my preferences of course - Swan on site (no room charging priviledges - no Mickey wake up calls) and if I were off-site again I would go to the Marriott Village at Little Lake Bryan and head for Springhill Suites or Fairfield Inn. Examples of discounts at the Swan - nurse, government, firefighter, AAA, entertainment book, etc. Marriott would have gov't, AAA and usually they have just some 'special' rates. Holiday Inn Family Suites is a VERY popular off-site place and I think they have some special grandparent rates too. Onsite if you are doing budget the kids would love the All-Stars, PopCentury etc but you would be doing 2 rooms - check for discounts (see below).

2. How many days do you want to spend at the parks? Do you want to do any extras like a waterpark? All of that will help determine what type of ticket you want to purchase. There are a wide variety of choices. Your 2 year old I believe is a freebie - that will help!!!! Possibly your parents don't want to do as many days at the parks? They may need a different length ticket.

3. Renting a car? Check out codes on mousesavers.com - excellent resource for all sorts of disney discounts. Get the car booked and taken care of - you can always cancel later. That will give you one concrete cost you can check off your list.

4. Determine how many 'special meals' you want to do - character etc. They can add up. Weigh the amount of time to drive back offsite to eat vs. convenience and park time. Many people go offsite for lunch or supper and come back. I don't feel it is worth it on a frequent basis. However, if you are in a hotel without breakfast included, those buffets at Sizzler or Ponderosa would be an easy cheap way and you are doing it at the beginning of the day rather than losing driving time both ways.

That's enough homework for now......Keep us up to date and we will do our best to help.

And my ongoing piece of advice....... Sell Plasma!!! Put that $$ towards Disney!!!

 

[MRS AR]

Without knowing details, flying may not be out of the question. If you and your husband agree to get a cc like Capital One Miles one and charge all of your normal expenses that will take a cc (phone bill, etc., even taxes this time of year) the ff miles can really build up between now and Sept. when you would need to make a reservation. If you own a business you can rack up enough miles to pay several tickets in that amount of time. An easy trip traveling to Disney is the beginning of a great vacation.

 

[momm2four]

Where in TN would you be driving from? We are in Chattanooga and the drive down wasn't that bad...of course the TV/VCR helped a lot. (We went Oct 5-10, 2002 and it was a great time to go)

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Family Suites. Soooo close to the parks, free breakfast and absolutely wonderful pool area.


Check out www.mousesavers.com for deals/codes. The Unofficial Guide to WDW was a great help too. This board will be your greatest resource. I learned so much in the ten months that I planned our trip, that by the time we went in Oct., I felt like I already knew the place, even though I had never been.

Have fun and welcome!
Lori P.

 

[tink2dw]

Go to the library and read all the WDW guide books you can!! It will really help to get you oriented!!

Right 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

For Air fares sign up at all the Airline Web sites that fly out of your airport that fly to Orlando or MCO in airline speak. Then Check Expedia,Travelocity for airline deals. Also check out the Transporation Board air,car deals.
http://www.disboards.com/

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

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.htm

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

Water Plan
The water in Florida smells and tastes like sulfer!! WDW sells bottled water for $2.50 each for a small bottle!!That can be a real budget buster!! SO a Water Plan in necessary. Here are some of the solutions That have been posted

1. Buy water filtering Britta Sports bottles.

2. If you Drive bring cases of your Favorite bottled water from home

3. Flying, Buy bottled water at Walmart near All Stars.

4. Send cases of your Favorite bottled water to your WDW Resort

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

 

[sandy3550]

Originally posted by momm2four
Where in TN would you be driving from? We are in Chattanooga and the drive down wasn't that bad...of course the TV/VCR helped a lot. (We went Oct 5-10, 2002 and it was a great time to go)

I didn't realize there were that many of us Tennesseans on here! I am from Morristown (about 30 minutes from Knoxville). Small World! The flights out of TYS are outrageous! I have to agree that the drive was not bad at all! We took our 1st (and until Dec. 2004) our only trip in 2001 and split the driving time by staying overnight in Georgia. I think in all total, the drive was about 11 hours & we drove about 7 the 1st day & then 4 so that we got there at a good time. Anyway, nice to see all the Tennesseans here on the DIS!

And my ongoing piece of advice....... Sell Plasma!!! Put that $$ towards Disney!!!

jgates could you tell me more about this? I have a rare blood type (ABneg) and know about donating blood, but plasma? TIA Sandy (who is desparate to raise money for Disney!)