First time need help

[jodybeech]

Hi

Currently starting to think about planning a trip in oct 2015. Weve never been before so not really sure where to start. There will be 2 adults and 2 children 7 and 5. If we were to go for 2 weeks what are the things we should choose to do? There are so many things to choose from. We have never driven abroad and if possible would like to avoid, is it easy enough to get around without hiring a car? How much would we likely need to save before booking? Where is good to stay?

Thank you for any help

 

[Aliceacc]

Hi and welcome!!

Your first decision is resort. Disney resorts are classified by price and ameneties: Value, Moderate, and Deluxe. Take a look at the fact sheets and slide shows at www.allears.net and decide on a resort. This will be your biggest decision, so take your time and find the right resort.

ALL the Disney resorts have swimming pools, access to Disney transportation, on site dining (of varying degree, but you won't go hungry.)

As to the car: If you're planning to stay on Disney property the whole time-- not go to Universal or Seaworld or any of the other local Orlando sites (which,in 3 trips, my kids have never seen-- there's plenty to do on Disney property)-- then you won't need a car. Disney will pick you up at the airport, get you to wherever you want to be on property, and get you back to the airport.

To book a vacation package, it's $200 down. The rest is due 45 days (I think, maybe it's 60??) before your trip.

Expect them to open up the 2015 prices sometime this summer. They'll go up a bit, but this year's pricing should be close enough to give you an idea of the cost.

 

[roadtripper]

Welcome to the Dis!
Since you're posting on the Budget Board, I'm going to assume that you're hoping to do this reasonably. I would recommend looking at the separate boards here on resorts and dining, and also www.mousesavers.com for specifics of how to save on every aspect of your trip: rooms, tickets, dining. October is a great time to go cost wise and crowd wise. 2 weeks gives you time to explore, take your time, and really enjoy your vacation. As of now, only onsite guests may pre-book Fast Pass attractions. That may change, but I'd recommend staying onsite for that reason and the transportation issues you mentioned. Happy planning!

 

[jodybeech]

Thank you I will have a look at the links you have given me. We would definitely want to go to universal as my boys are Marvel and Harry potter mad. Is it easy to get from disney to universal without a car? Also which of the water parks would you recommend?

 

[tzeitel]

To get a general idea how much you would need to save just go to the Disney site. You can get an estimate - play with resorts, ticket options (for 2 weeks definitely get park hoppers) and even the dining plan.

Where are you from? I know guests from other countries get different discounts - sometimes better than US residents.

In Oct. the Food and Wine Festival in Epcot a must do and over in Magic Kingdom there is Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party Be sure to plan on "days off" to just enjoy the pool, Downtown Disney or a dinner show. Also, if you book a package through Disney they give you a book with some coupons, one is for tokens for the arcade (which all resorts have) and one for free mini golf

If you want to go to Universal or Sea World you could take a shuttle (Mears has shuttles to both parks and many other places) or rent a car for the day (that is what we did when we went to Universal last year). But if you plan to stay on Disney property the whole time you do not need a car.

After you figure out the basics (which resort you want and how many days in the parks, waterparks etc) then you can start thinking about the more complicated stuff, like restaurants and FP+ But you have time for all that, right now I would check out the Disney site and get an estimate so I could start saving right away - good luck!


edit - you asked about which waterpark is better - in Oct they usually only have one of them open, the other would be closed for maintenance (and to cut costs ).

 

[jodybeech]

Thank you will check out disney site. Definitely want to visit universal and sea world but not sure about driving. What is mears where the shuttle is? Sorry in pretty clueless never booked an abroad holiday before myself. I'm coming from uk.

 

[jodybeech]

How many rest days would you advise on a 14 day break

 

[lizerbug]

The first 3 times I went to WDW (from California) I purchased a package from the web site. Always with a discount. I wouldn't even think of going without one.

When I was planning my 2013 trip I decided to try something a little different. I wanted to stay at a deluxe Disney resort without having to pay the Disney prices. I went to http://www.dvcrequest.com/ and rented a Disney Vacation Villa (to get the one you want you should book 9 months or more in advance). I purchased the park tickets and airfare separately. I also signed up on http://www3.quickrewards.net/e/ where I could do surveys online and earn money or Disney gift cards to pay for my meals and souvenirs (I made $300 in cash and $350 in gift cards).

Disney transportation was all I needed so I didn't have the expense of a car rental but you can rent a car doe just a day or two if you wanted to get off of Disney property for any reason.

I hope this helps. Disney World is an awesome place and I hope you have a great time!

 

[crisi]

Thank you I will have a look at the links you have given me. We would definitely want to go to universal as my boys are Marvel and Harry potter mad. Is it easy to get from disney to universal without a car? Also which of the water parks would you recommend?

My recommendation would be to spend most of your two weeks at Disney, then take a cab, check into a Universal hotel so that you get front of the line access, and spend two to four nights at Universal. Visit Sea World by taking a cab from Universal. Then take a cab to the airport to get home You won't need a car at Disney, it will save the hassle of renting and driving in a different country, and you'll get front of the line access at Universal - which is really an important feature there. Once you are at Universal, you won't need a car either.

We like Typhoon Lagoon over Blizzard Beach, but either water park is good. I like to snorkel at Typhoon Lagoon, I think its a hoot, and TL has the water roller coasters.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

For the ages of your kids, I would pick Blizzard Beach over Typhoon Lagoon. 5 is really too young for the best attractions at Typhoon Lagoon, in my opinion.

 

[tzeitel]

Thank you will check out disney site. Definitely want to visit universal and sea world but not sure about driving. What is mears where the shuttle is? Sorry in pretty clueless never booked an abroad holiday before myself. I'm coming from uk.

Mears is a shuttle service http://www.mearstransportation.com/global/orlando/
you can catch it at the ticket & transportation center at WDW. They also have taxis and their site has a fare calculator http://www.mearstransportation.com/taxi-services/taxi-fare-estimator/
which will let you know how much it will be to SW and US (and any other place in Orlando).

Disney usually has special promotions (free dining or a good room rate) for Oct. If you book your vacation and later Disney offers a discount you can call them and have the discount applied to your reservation (if it applies). Or you can change your reservation to qualify for a discount