Fianally a Resort decision

[jaw62901]

I have decided to stay at the All-Star Sport resort Dec 26 thru Jan 4. The only decision left is do I go with the Silver Dream maker package (2111 w/ perferred room and airport transportation) or the Gold Dream maker package (2679.52 w/perferred room and airport transportation). I am going by myself so I am not sure which package would be best for me. Any information would be great. I do like the fact that all your meals are covered and that you can choice between 125 participating serivces, counterservices, dinnershows etc. I also, like the Theme park tour idea. I would really like to hear from someone who has gotten the Gold package and get his/her toughts on it.

Thanks,

Jason

 

[MELSMICE]

We have never done a package, but I'll BUMP this up for you.

 

[susy]

Have you
thought of going Dec 25??? Recently there have been great codes, but they always expire after the 25th (jumping from really cheap to holiday rates). I saved my exterminator a bundle when he mentioned he was going to WDW on the 26th. I immediately gave him the code that I had and he called and changed his plans.

Also, I would not book a package. Everything separate will be much cheaper. Be sure to book through the Cetral Reservations office , with the 5 day cancel policy.

I bet Disney just hates us!

 

[Gillian]

Friends of ours also saved a LOT of money by changing their trip to start before Christmas!

If you do a search on Gold you should find some helpful threads. There is a little box for search terms at the bottom of this board, or you can use the search button at the top of the board. If it says search has been disabled, try it again at a weird time of day.

Hope that helps!

 

[Gillian]

PS discounts for that time of year aren't out yet but you can still book now. You'll need to watch here or mousesavers.com and call for the discount when it becomes available.

 

[sherrycurl]

I have booked the pofq with the gold plan package. I have never used a package I have always did everything seperate. This is the first trip after my husband has passed away. I am taking 2 teenagers. I felt that having everything paid in advance would be better for me. Less worries about carrying money. I also like the idea of 3 meals paid for. It will allow me and my kids to eat whenever, wherever. My 2 kids like to go to the park all day and I like to go relax in the afternoon. With this package I do not have to worry about giving them money, they can go boating, to a park, or have lunch. I thought the benefits outweighed the cons this trip. On other trips it was better for my pocketbook to do everything seperate. Yes we had fun, and we did everything we wanted cheaper, but having to carry money or travelers check and the carrybags for the wallets was a real pain. I am looking forward to not having to take anything but me to the parks. Shopping can wait until the last day on the way to the airport. I hope you have a great vacation.

 

[XStAnt]

Jaw,

The packages don't seem like a good value. The Gold package is $568 more than the silver package. For this you essentially get 1 more meal each day, since the silver package has 2 wishes which can be used for meals. In your 9 night stay I can't imagine you spending $568 for breakfast. I'm not sure if you get something else in the gold package that's important to you.

In reality, the packages are overpriced. Have you priced the regular dreammaker package? Get the price for that package and compare it to the Silver plan. What's the difference in price? Since you're probably planning on using the magical wishes for meals, determine if the difference in price makes sense for you. Divide the price difference by 10 (the number of days you will be at Disney). That is the amount per day they are charging you for your meals. Will you spend that much for lunch and dinner each day? Unless you are eating all of your meals in sit down restaurants I have found it doesn't pay to get a package.

For example, if the price difference between the dreammaker package and the silver package is $600, then you would have to spend an average of $60/day on lunch and dinner. While it's possible to spend that much, I'd be surprised if you did it for all 10 days.

You might even want to consider a room only reservation with an AP. Others can probably provide more info on this as I do not know the prices, etc.

Good luck.

 

[TRAPPED-PARENT]

I don't understand your logic about not wanting to carry money, etc. Just get charging privileges on the Resort ID which you need to carry with you anyway.

Also, if you can't trust the teens with money, I wouldn't think you would trust them to go off on their own either.

As far a meals ... I don't know too many people that will eat three full restaurant meals (they are usually huge) every day for 10 days. We usually just do two meals and then a snack if necessary. By going with the 3 meals a day plan, you will just be throwing your money away.

I would get things separate ... but if you really want to do the package, get the cheaper one where you have a better opportunity to get more of your money's worth.

 

[Gillian]

XStAnt, the gold package includes 3 meals a day PLUS unlimited recreation & I think tours. So once you decide a package is for you, it's just a matter of will you use the recreation & tour features? Boating, La Nouba & tours are all expensive, so it can be worth it to be able to do them whenever you want. There aren't wishes with the gold plan, so it is hard to compare the 2.

It would add $63 per day for gold, boating, tours, dinner shows, Cirque, without worrying about the # of wishes you are using. Could easily be worth it for some people!

 

[KellyJ]

When we first started going to Disney, one of our favorite things to do was try out all the different restaurants. We only had one child then and she loved the recreational stuff at the resorts. We used the packages then and never had any problem getting our money's worth.

Now, we have 3 kids who never want to take the time to stop at a restaurant and would live in the parks if they could so it's much more beneficial to us to do everything separate.

While the packages might not be as good a deal as they once were, it is still possible to more than get your money's worth. Just be sure you will use most, if not all, of the package components and in the case of the all-inclusive package, take advantage of the dinner shows and the more expensive restaurants. We were able to eat at several of the more upscale restaurants that we would never have tried if the meals weren't included in the package.

Kelly

 

[susy]

Remember that park hopper ticket never expire. That mean, if something happens during your trip (illness, etc) you don't miss park days. Remember the recent thread about the new bride who hurt her back the second day of her honeymoon and spent the rest of her honeymoon in her hotel room? They had a package. All that money wasted!