First Disney Trip

[SCRAPBOOKQUEEN]

Hello Diser's

Well, I just got back from my first Disney Cruise in September and the Cruise Forum was so very helpful. Now, I'm going to plan a trip to Disney World. I am a single mom with 1 child and I need some helpful hints as where to say that is not going to bust my budget. I;m planning on May 31 - June 5. I hear that week might not be too busy. Any tips, planning sheets that can be sent, where to stay, even if it's not on site such as a hotel maybe across from the park??? I am open to any tips that one can share. In return, I'd be happy to provide any Cruise tips you might want. Thank you so much.

Scrapbookqueen

 

[duffy]

This May? I hope you can get an onsite room, because that's my biggest tip-STAY ONSITE!!

"a hotel across from the park". Which park? If you mean the Magic Kingdom, the only hotels "across from" it are the Grand Floridian, the Polynesian and the Contemporary, all of which can be reached by the monorail. You can get to the Wilderness Lodge or Fort Wilderness by boat from the MK.

If you want to be near Epcot, you should look into the Yacht or Beach Club hotels, or the Boardwalk Inn, or the Swan or Dolphin. You can walk to Epcot-or take a boat-from any of these. You could also walk to the Hollywood Studios park from them, but I think the boat is usually the way to go, it is further.

I don't think any hotel is within walking distance of The Animal Kingdom, not even the AK Lodge.

All of these hotels are expensive, deluxe hotels. You can stay at cheaper Disney ones, and take buses to the parks. You'll pay less, of course, but still get the benefits of being onsite, like being able to get the meal plan, or get into the parks earlier or stay later on certain days, etc.

I'm sure you'll get plenty more tips!

 

[WDWCNY]

Here are my best tips for you. I your talking about May this year. I hope you can get a resort on grounds. There are many was you can stay without breaking your wallet. Try a value resort, Do a dining plan and use the Magical Express to and from the airport if you fly.

 

[marimario]

I agree about stay on site but I don't know if is too late.

I went to disney last Sept for FD, it was only me and ds5. Since it was FD I did not had to worry about putting aside money for food, used disney transportation to get to the parks and my restaurants ressies on the hotels. I just took enoght money for some presents and what ever we wanted to buy a credit cards just in case of emergency (you never know).

If you have any specific question PM me or posted in here. Everybody in this board are great source of inf.

 

[noahdove]

I am suggesting that you stay on site at a value, do the dining plan, magical express if you fly( I prefer that way), don't try to pack too much in each day, you will want to go back to the Happiest Place on Earth once you visit, if you can visit later than in May, that may be of more benefit to you and your child. I love going in August, and the rates drop for the room after the 10th I think, and if you can go later, after the 24, you can get free dining. Feel free to pm me for any other questions. Enjoy your planning, but don't over plan and don't over stress...

 

[SCRAPBOOKQUEEN]

Thank you all, no, I'm planning for next May. The dates would be May 30 - June 5, 2010. Hopefully I can make some reservations somewhere. Any other tips/comments???

Thanks,

Scrapbookqueen
Kellie

 

[BiancaBernard&Penny]

You should be fine, then, making a reservation.

Start by looking at Disney's site as well as http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/Resorts/resortmain1.htm to get an idea of your hotel/per night budget and check out the resorts forum. Lots of choices in theme for different tastes.

Disney World is a huge, spread-out area of parks, resorts, shopping areas, etc. Not at all like staying at a hotel across the street from Six Flags and walking over for the day! What you see in this photo is pretty much all WDW http://www.solarius.com/dvp/wdw/property.htm "close-ups" here- http://www.plan-a-magical-vacation.com/aerial-disney.html Resort guest transport will get you wherever you need to go.

 

[GRUMPY D]

I would start by finding out when the holidays are Disney gets nuts around mothers day and memorial day and then look it the resorts Disney has a resort for every budget and then watch for promotions Disney always has some kind of a special running if your not goinging till may 2010 the specials for that time should be out in Dec. or Jan.

 

[tassma]

You should read the Unofficial Guide to Disneyworld - they also have a version for people with kids, which is a great place to start. Also, check out their website touringplans.com. It has a crowd calendar that will help you estimate the crowds (I don't think they have May of 2010 yet, but it will have 2009).

I think you have to stay onsite. Beach Club has a GREAT pool and is close to Epcot and Boardwalk.

Enjoy your planning and your trip.

 

[Indychick]

You will not be there very long so I suggest a guidebook. You need to plan your days carefully to get in as many things as you can. Now if you plan on going back often or don't like to rush, don't listen to me. I always go for at least 12 nights and I still never get in everything I wanted to do. It is such a big place and there is so much to see! Make sure you get fast-passes for things you want to do in the early morning, especially on the "newer" attractions or on your "must-sees". Ask any of the CMs in the park or at the resorts, they are a wealth of information! Also, make reservations for any "sit down" restaurant you would like to go to. If you can't do it before you go, then try to go to the booths in the parks that allow you to make reservations at the sit down restaurants. You may not get the seats you want if you don't. Gosh, I could go on forever but I won't! Good luck and have a blast!

 

[mommymeg]

I am also going to vote for you trying to stay onsite...
Value resorts have oversized icons and a whimsical feel that your little one will love. I'd also recommend that you try to do the Dining Plan. Maybe even quick service dining plan if you're not interested in doing sit down restaurants ever day. That way you won't have to worry about extra money for food. I'd definitally do as much research as you can on what things you definitally want to see... The Dis boards are going to be a great help to you! You have plenty of time to really make an informed decision about everything. May/June is a great time to go, although crowds will be getting thicker once Memorial Day hits. All the better reason to know what you're doing.

Good luck and have fun planning!

 

[Lori1960]

I would stay on site like the other posters said.You might want to think about other dates because what the other posters didnt say is the first week in June is Gay Pride week.

 

[geishagirl81]

Hello Diser's

Well, I just got back from my first Disney Cruise in September and the Cruise Forum was so very helpful. Now, I'm going to plan a trip to Disney World. I am a single mom with 1 child and I need some helpful hints as where to say that is not going to bust my budget. I;m planning on May 31 - June 5. I hear that week might not be too busy. Any tips, planning sheets that can be sent, where to stay, even if it's not on site such as a hotel maybe across from the park??? I am open to any tips that one can share. In return, I'd be happy to provide any Cruise tips you might want. Thank you so much.

Scrapbookqueen

I hope it's not too busy, we'll be there then


This will be my first trip too. We are on a budget. A lot of things you can do (we are on DDP) is too have gardengrocer deliver h2o and breakfast foods to your hotel to save $. Buy little souveniers on sale at the Disney STore to suprise your child with. Buy the glow sticks at the dollar store vs. the parade vendors. Check out the budget board, I found a lot of tips there.

 

[PrincessBetsy]

Hello Diser's

Well, I just got back from my first Disney Cruise in September and the Cruise Forum was so very helpful. Now, I'm going to plan a trip to Disney World. I am a single mom with 1 child and I need some helpful hints as where to say that is not going to bust my budget. I;m planning on May 31 - June 5. I hear that week might not be too busy. Any tips, planning sheets that can be sent, where to stay, even if it's not on site such as a hotel maybe across from the park??? I am open to any tips that one can share. In return, I'd be happy to provide any Cruise tips you might want. Thank you so much.

Scrapbookqueen

Hiya! It's so exciting to be planning your first trip to WDW!! I would definitely suggest staying on disney property. The value resorts are the cheapest, but if you can I would pay a little extra and stay at moderate. If you want to save quite a bit of money, don't do the dining plan. The dining plan really only saves you money if you plan to eat a lot of food. I would still suggest doing one or two table service restaurants, but you will save a ton if you basically stick to counter service meals. Also, you and your child could share meals at counter service and table service restaurants, since the portions are pretty large sometimes. If you want to save even more, never buy bottled water - ask for cups of ice water, it will save you around $2.50. In addition, you could bring breakfast foods from home to save even more money and time. If you want I can give you a list of my favorite attractions and dining places and tips for visting the world. One big thing to remember is that you will not be able to experience everything disney has to offer. If you try to to to every show, attraction, and parade you will wear yourself out and not have a good time. Hope this helps and have fun planning!!