First time going to Disney World...HELP!!!

[msparisbounddisney]

Hi,

I am new to this board. I logged on a couple of years ago but we did not get a chance to go to Disney World.

I am in the planning stages of booking a vacation for myself, and 3 kids; ages 16, 14, and 7. I don't know where to start! I want to get the most out of our trip but don't have a ton of money to spend on Disney. I want to go in June. I am thinking of flying to Disney.

Any help will be appreciated and I will be reading this boards for tips also.

Thanks!

 

[gatorfreud]

Welcome! Will there be 4 people traveling total? If so, I would stay in a value resort (Pop Centruy is my favorite)... the themes are so fun, and you really get the Disney magic! They aren't very expensive and I always felt like you get all the fun and service of the pricier places.

I think as for saving money on food, there are tons of things you can do, including grabbing a quick breakfast in the room. And you could splurge on a character meal, but if you want to spend your money elsewhere, I think that's fine! We went to Disney a ton when I was a kid and I don't think we ever did a character meal, and we always had a blast!

I don't know how many days you are staying, but just be sure not to overdo your time per day in the parks (esp. in the heat of summer)! The kids really love hanging out at the pool, so plan some time for that when it gets hot in the afternoon!

And don't feel like you have to do every park! Just maybe do 2 and be happy with it. And you can save a lot of money by just getting regular tickets (not park hoppers)... just pick 1 park per day to visit, totally do-able. Now the ticket price drops drastically after like the 4th day, and it is practically free to go another day or 2.

I'm sure there's lots of great planning tips, coupon watch, etc... on other parts of the board.

Oh and remember to have fun! It's supposed to be a vacation. See what you can, leave the rest for another time! If no one wants to wait in a giant line for some ride, and they would be happier splashing in the pool, then get your bathing suits on! Enjoy!

Kim

 

[grinningghost]

I totally agree with the previous poster - you can REALLY do Disney on a budget. AND, you can have the best time ever doing it that way, especially with kids. Who wants to spend tons of money for luxuries that kids don't even care about anyway?

Do the value resorts - I like All Star Movies myself, but they're all great. Spend loads of time at the pool - when my kids were small, they were happiest at the pool anyway - at the parks they would get tired and whiny, but the pools? They were happy every second.

Eat at the food courts. Great, kid-friendly selections, easy, fast. No hassle. Don't bother with park hoppers, get one-park a day tickets - no sense dragging kids from park to park - let them get their fill of a park and then go back to the hotel for, what else? The POOL!

Stay away from table service, unless you want to splurge for one character meal for the kids. That keeps you away from gratuities - saves you money.

I do hope you get to go on your trip. Look for great rates on Southwest online and JetBlue too. Southwest usually has some phenomenally cheap rates if they fly out of a city close to you.

Good luck - and report back!!!!

 

[Jengi4]

Hi,

I am new to this board. I logged on a couple of years ago but we did not get a chance to go to Disney World.

I am in the planning stages of booking a vacation for myself, and 3 kids; ages 16, 14, and 7. I don't know where to start! I want to get the most out of our trip but don't have a ton of money to spend on Disney. I want to go in June. I am thinking of flying to Disney.

Any help will be appreciated and I will be reading this boards for tips also.

Thanks!

Hi
I'm not an expert by any means, but totally agree with the previous two posters. Also, if you go to the official Disney website you can look up quotes for your hotel and park tickets, there you can change options to find what resort and tickets options fit into your budget...that's what we did. I think I must have done 5 or 6 different combinations before finding one that was right for us. Here's the link: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/index
Have a great time and good luck!