Explain Disney to me, please!

[lolobug]

It is a huge property with many hotels and 4 theme parks. I have read that it is bigger than Manhattan. There is also golf, fishing, and shopping. Plus 2 Water Parks and 2 mini golf parks. Downtown Disney has shopping, dining,

We really enjoy staying at a Disney Resort. We park our van and ride Disney buses. While we are there we forget all the problems back home and enjoy talking and spending time together.

Most rides at the Magic Kingdom can be ridden together.

Enjoy planning your trip,

Thank you!

 

[Nancyg56]

Hi!
We are planning on Jan 22-29. We are most likely going to be up and moving by 9am. We will take a leisure approach to the parks but also want to see downtown disney. Thank you!

I think that we should start with your expectations and combine them with your budget. I do not believe in breaking budgets to stay on the monorail line, it is convenient to the MK, but very expensive. But, if you want to return to the resort several times a day, (and I think this is one big waste of time) and you plan to spend most of your time at MK, i agree the Poly is the place to stay.

You should know that even going to Epcot from the Poly takes time so consider that when making resort plans.

One thing to consider is the expanse that is WDW. It is huge and getting from place to place takes time. You only have a week, and while my family is no way close to being super troopers, we get to the parks early. If you consider "up and moving at 9 AM" what time do you plan to get to the parks? I am not being snarky because there is no wrong way to tour, but I would hate to see your family spend vacation dollars and be disappointed with what you were able to experience.

I think that there is a a lot to be said about the WDW moderate resorts. We stay at POFQ a lot, it is a lovely resort, compact and kid friendly, and a very nice compromise between a deluxe and a value and off-site. You have all of the benefits of onsite, spend less money than deluxe, and still have some of the amenities that a value may not have. There are plenty of options in this category to choose from. My DD and DSIL love the Poly, and I adore AKL, but we can get two trips instead on one if we stay at a moderate, so if my DH is not traveling with us we skip the deluxe options.

If you share what your budget is, and what you need to stretch it to include, you will get more suggestions.

Thank you everyone! I read ALL your comments/suggestions. I'm overly concerned about the transportation, I think. I probably do not need to be. We are traveling in January, so I'm hoping its not mobbed , anyways.
I'm going to reevaluate. Thank you!

WDW transportation is very good. We fly in so we take DME to the resort and never even think about driving until we return home. It is especially convenient if you have people who may be on different schedules. If your party wants to split up, it is as easy as hopping on a bus. You do not need to plan around a rental vehicle.

 

[magicbob]

Explain Disney to me, please!

This is like asking for the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything (the answer is 42, BTW).

Some great suggestions have been made. I'd also recommoend staying onsite, but don't plan to return to the resort 2-3 times a day. Most people hit the park in the morning and then go back to the resort for a break/nap/swim during the afternoon and then return to the park in the late afternoon/evening.

You can also plan on a day or so where you don't go to a park, but just relax at the resort pool, etc. There is LOTS of stuff to do outside the parks.