First Disney Trip so overwhelmed! Help

[tinamarie123]

Hi! So I am starting to plan our trip for next year. (Fall 2013) I am not even sure, maybe it is too early to start planning?

First let me say I am one of those crazy coupon people who can get a cart load of groceries for $2 and where as though I know a trip is expensive we are a single income family and I am trying to do it on as much of a budget as I can.

I am super savvy with buying household things and super cheap clothing but I started to explore a disney cruise and my head is spinning!!

It is Myself, my husband, his 20 yr old, our (will be) 7 yr old and (will be) 4 yr old. I am leaning towards a cruise as for all of us to fly to florida from NH I figure a cruise may be better. So I am asking the experts!! Where do I even begin? How do I find the best deals?

Thank you so much for any help!!

 

[DreaminOfDisneyWorld]

First of all, it is NEVER too early to start planning a Disney vacation! You're just allowing youreself plenty of time to get everything in order. You're definitely going about it the right way...the folks on here will surely help you out. I will say this...when we starting looking into Disney cruises we were a little blown away with how expensive they were compared to other cruise lines. Now, granted, the Disney cruise offers an experience like no other and are absolutely phenomonal and worth every penny. But just a head's up.

Also, I know travel from NH may be an issue but don't forget WDW usually offers free dining in the fall and that's a considerable savings, especially with a family of 5.

I would head over to mousesavers.com. They post great deals on everything Disney. It should get you headed in the right direction. Hope it helps!

 

[graceesmom]

I've never done a Disney cruise so I am no help. I just wanted to let you know that there is a separate forum for Disney Cruise Lines on these boards. If you go to top of your screen click on The Dis Discussion Forums - Disboards then towards the bottom there is a forum on Disney Cruise Lines.

You may find some helpful information on Disney Cruises there.

I must say that everyone I've spoken to who has taken a Disney Cruise says is it better than any other cruise line and worth the extra cost.

My chances of a family Disney Cruise are pretty slim. My husband was in the Navy before we were married, and he says he has spent as much time sleeping on a ship as he ever plans to. He is perfectly happy to fly to a tropical destination, stay in a great hotel and explore the area, but we don't get to go by cruise ship.

 

[mjkacmom]

I must say that everyone I've spoken to who has taken a Disney Cruise says is it better than any other cruise line and worth the extra cost.
.

I would never spend the extra $ on a disney cruise (after having taken one). It might be a step above the mass market lines, but not that much. And my tweens didn't like the kids club at all. Sure, if you have money to burn, why not? But there are some things about other cruiselines that I liked better than DCL.

 

[lwake]

Hello Fellow New Englander: My family of four from Maine has traveled to WDW 7 times and did DCL Dream last September. My first advice is to get a Birnbaums Walt Disney World book ASAP. They are $10 at AAA and cheaper on Amazon. If you are a AAA member, I would start there, too, to get an initial price. If this is your first Disney trip, then I would definitely do the parks instead of a cruise. There is so much more to do and see for the money. I would also highly recommend going during free dining plan time. Your kids are young enough that a week out of school won't hurt them. Definitely go during non peak time. I would suggest September through first part of November, but make sure in free dining time. I would also suggest securing airline tickets as soon as you can. You probably would get a better price out of Boston or ? Southwest. We always go out of Portland so if you are close to there, then you may want to check their prices, too. Try to book online yourself for a cheaper rate. Some travel agents can get a good price, too. ? if you want travel insurance (we get this) for airline and/or refundable tickets--especially if you book months ahead of time. I would suggest staying on site unless you feel that you need to do Universal/SeaWorld. We don't because we don't care for them. We've stayed at Moderate resorts and Deluxe resorts for $3000-$4000 for the four of us and that has included dining plan, base park tickets (we don't like to hop from park to park), AND airfare. It can be done, just do your homework. Have fun!

4 months until Yacht Club with DH for 25th wedding anniversary

 

[WDGPCFR]

It can never be too early for general planning but about a year out is when you have to start getting serious. A Disney cruise is way more expensive than a WDW trip. Unfortunately 5 people is too many for the Value resorts. We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside and one of the beds had a trundle bed that would work great for the younger kids. The official Disney website is pretty good, but I like WDWINFO.com to answer just about any question. You may want to look at getting a Disney Visa card which earns 1% in Disney points. Ours are saving us over $600 since our trip 5 years ago. Without it we wouldn't be going.

 

[tinamarie123]

Wow! You guys are awesome! Thank you for the info. So it sounds like flying there is the way to go because I am not sure we could afford the cruise even off season. I am going to start doing my homework and check the sites you guys suggested! Is there a ballpark amount I should be shooting for price wise?

Thank you all for being great!!

 

[SFreelove]

I would go with your gut idea and go with a Disney World trip If your looking for the TRUE disney feeling, you really just have to go to Disney World and enjoy it for its worth. I've never been on a Disney Cruise, but I assume it's just as Disney themed, but for me and my family.. there is something about being in Disney World that I can't get that magical feeling anywhere else.. Disney gives a great feeling no matter what but theres nothing like watching the fireworks over the castle and the parades. The ages of your children are wonderful for a trip also.. perfect age groups, they will each get such a different enjoyment during the trip, you all will have an awsome time.

I'm from boston and went down with a family of 4 and an infant last october. We also got the free dining promotion, (which everyone will tell you there is no guarntee you will see it again next year but if you go by the past 4+ years it has been offered from mid-august through the end of september and even extended sometimes through december.) So with that said a FALL 2013 is a great idea! You will snag a great deal with the free dining and i'm almost sure you will see it.. so keep your eyes pealed and book once you do! Pricing for 2013 vacations will come out this summer, in july or august. Once the pricing packages are out you can run some dates through and get an exact amount. I will tell you, we stayed at a value resort and had a party of 4 (infant was free) and paid $2200 and got free dining with that. Because we were at a value resort (which I love, I think the values are awsome for the younger kids because the hotels are really disney themed by the movies) but because we were at a value we upgraded our free dining promo to get the regular dining plan which has 1 sit down meal a day, one quick service meal a day, one snack and a refillable mug, and only paid the difference to upgrade.. we have over $1000 with the free dining promo!! So if your looking at fall dates, watch for that one! Also try to watch flights early because you snag a lower deal the further out you book those.. hope this helps!

 

[Pesky]

First off, definitely check out the Dis Budget board. They have some fantastic ideas. Also, another site to check out is **************.net. He has the crowd calendars and some good suggestions. I'd definitely look to go low crowd level if you can and you'll just need to figure out various plans for your trip like do you want to be able to swim, level of crowds you are willing to deal with, ride closures and so on. The amount will vary depending on where you choose to stay, dining plan, free offers and so forth. Definitely look into a Disney Rewards Card (there is a free one and a "premier" one for $49/yr) because even if you don't use it, you are eligible for special meet and greets and get % off at the stores. I will say I've priced both DCL and WDW and the cruise is expensive and remember the price is before tax, gratuities, souvenirs, extras like liquor and excursions. So you can probably do WDW for a bit cheaper. And if you are wanting good deals, it is never to early to start planning! (uh, see my own sig) I've learned so much about pin codes, the DVRC, picking up Disney gift cards at 5% off at Target and so on that I know it is going to help save us some money in the long run!

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I agree that it is never too early to start planning.

If this is a first trip, I don't think I'd do a cruise. Like others have noted, while there is Disney magic in going on a Disney cruise- the real magic is being at WDW or DLR. i.e. I'd make my first trip one that is primarily devoted to the parks. Case in point...one of my good friends went to WDW for her daughter's sweet 16. It was said daughter's third trip to WDW. My friend suggested they do a Disney cruise for her high school graduation gift and her daughter turned down the offer saying that she'd miss the parks...i.e. she'd be on this gorgeous ship with all kinds of Disney things around her, but would be missing the biggest things that make her love DIsney vacays. So.... they'll be returning to WDW for a standard park trip.

Next things I'd do is buy a good book. I like the ultimate guide since it covers everything from the parks and dining options to lodging both on and off site. It's a HUGE book, but it's very helpful and can clear up so many things. I had 12 WDW trips under my belt before I bought one (got it to plan my girls' first trip) and it was mind blowing and eye opening. i.e. how much I just didn't know.

That right there is also a big issue. It is typically cheaper to stay offsite, but there is a lot of value staying onsite that isn't something that is fully measurable in dollar figures. You might save hundreds to thousands staying offsite, but you also miss out on the 24/7 magic/service (intangible, but actually a huge deal), EMH, 180+10 dining booking, DME, free parking (or ease of Disney transportation right there), etc. I also believe that time is $. I spend less time in transit if I'm staying onsite + EMH affords me more hours in the parks. So, you could stay offsite - spend the same amount on MYW tickets as me who is staying onsite - but I get a lot more park time b/c I'm onsite. Still, onsite is not for everyone...and it's tough with a party of 5 w/3 adults- so you may find condos offsite that suit you better.

I would strongly recommend looking at Mousesavers and reading over the historical discount charts and the rack rate info. The discounts are no guarantees, but it can give you a good idea of what to expect. Also, while free dining is a better deal now that dining prices have increased...if you plan on staying deluxe and have a 35-40% room only discount- it's typically a greater savings than free dining...and no worries on room only since those can be converted into packages while still giving you the room discount.

The forums are a wonderful place to get info, but Allears website is a must for anyone planning anything Disney.

7 and 4 are also really nice ages to have a first visit...i.e. things are still pretty magical. There are lots of fun things to enhance the magic as well, like character meals, pirates league, BBB if either are girls (although I guess they do a prince pkg), etc. So at least you have time to research all of these things.

There are many ways to do a WDW trip the right way and there are a wide array of budgets out there for everyone's ideal average trip. Air will also play a huge role in travel costs. At least you have the luxury of time which gives you plenty of time to save.

Finally, if you decide to stick with the cruise option you could do a land and sea trip so you get some park time before and after the cruise. You might also check the cruise section of the forum to start getting ideas from the cruisers posting in there.

 

[McKinneyMouse]

Hi! So I am starting to plan our trip for next year. (Fall 2013) I am not even sure, maybe it is too early to start planning?

First let me say I am one of those crazy coupon people who can get a cart load of groceries for $2 and where as though I know a trip is expensive we are a single income family and I am trying to do it on as much of a budget as I can.

I am super savvy with buying household things and super cheap clothing but I started to explore a disney cruise and my head is spinning!!

It is Myself, my husband, his 20 yr old, our (will be) 7 yr old and (will be) 4 yr old. I am leaning towards a cruise as for all of us to fly to florida from NH I figure a cruise may be better. So I am asking the experts!! Where do I even begin? How do I find the best deals?

Thank you so much for any help!!

Never too early to plan a trip. I've been planning my up coming trip since mid 2010. For me the planning is a lot of the fun. Plus you will know what works for you and have more options planning farther out. I've done all types of resorts at Disney over the years on and off property with and without kids of all ages. I would say it's totally worth it to pay to stay onsite. Some others prefer the savings of offsite, but with small kids it's much better to be where you can split up if you need to and take one or more of them back to the room for a stimulus break. Excited for you. Warningisney is an addictive.

 

[TJDisneymama]

Wow! You guys are awesome! Thank you for the info. So it sounds like flying there is the way to go because I am not sure we could afford the cruise even off season. I am going to start doing my homework and check the sites you guys suggested! Is there a ballpark amount I should be shooting for price wise?

Thank you all for being great!!

as an example of what we got for our money, i will tell you our first trip last year ended up costing about $7,000. That included 2 adults, 2 children:

airfare from Boston
8 nights at ASMU family suite (during "regular" season)
6 day passes (no Hopper)
Upgrade from free QS dining plan to regular DDP (cost us about $250)
2 day pass to Universal
spending money (about $800 - included snacks and food for our Universal days, shuttle to Universal, small souvies, baggage fees)

With 5 of you, you might want a suite. If not, you'll obviously save a lot of money with a standard room. Also, we went during regular pricing season, so if you go during a "value" season, it will be a lot less.

 

[WDGPCFR]

Another idea is to look into buying someones Disney Vacation Club points. This is a little more advanced planning and takes a little bit of trust but you will likely be able to get a bigger room for less money. Sorry to throw another twist into your planning but more than four people increases the difficulty of planning. A majority of rooms are set up for 4 people but there are options.