First timer with questions about EVERYTHING!

[mommy2boysaz]

Hello! My husband, DS 10, DS 8, and DD 3 are planning a trip for this year. That is about as far as I've gotten with planning!

My first quandry is when to go. My first choice was Thanksgiving week, as my DH only can take 5 days off work and since we are flying from Ohio, which won't be cheap for a family of 5, I thought we may as well stay as long as possible while we are already there. Since he gets 2 days off for the Thanksgiving holiday, that means we could leave the Sunday before Thanksgiving and not have to come home until the Tuesday after. HOWEVER, we own points with Fairfield (now Wyndham), which owns the Bonnet Creek Resort, very close to WDW, but of course there doesn't appear to be availability that week! So...we could bite the bullet and pay to stay someplace else that week (though I doubt we will find a 3 bdr unit like we could've had at Bonnet Creek that is affordable), or we could change the dates to maybe Labor Day week, which would cut our vacation one day shorter and I'd be pulling my kids out of school 2 weeks after it starts. I think I am leaning toward sticking with November and finding a new place to stay, but with a family of 5, where? I did find some info on all star vacation homes, where you can rent a house or condo for pretty reasonable rates, within 4 miles of WDW. Any experience with this type of accomodation? We've become spoiled with timeshare vacationing and really love having separate bedrooms for us and the kids so that we they are ready for some zzzz's early, we can put our feet up in front of the tube for a while!
I have read a lot about the "magic" of staying at a WDW resort, but I'm not sure what that really means, especially with 5 people squished into 1 room for a week!

OK, so that's just my first problem planning this trip, I'll save the others for another post. Should I just consult a travel agent? I've barely begun and am already feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of decisions that will need to be made!

Thanks for any tips!
Britte

 

[ndgqmiller]

I am a new disney freak, but I was obsessed w/ planning our last trip and I have helped two friends plan their trips. I loved staying onsite. The kids even made friends on the bus in the morning and would make plans to play w/ the kids at the pool that evening. The whole trip was fantastic w/ everything Disney. We are in the process of planning our next trip and since our dd2 will be 3 we will have to move to a bigger room. So we are going to be staying in one of the family suites at the all star hotel. I think it will probably be a little more money than some of the off site places, but we really like the idea of after driving for 9 hours we can just ride everywhere and we really liked the dining plan. We can just book everyting at once and pay for it all except gas and spending money. Also I don't know what part of OH you are coming from but my sister got her last ticket from Toledo to Orlando for 89.00 round trip that was in July.

 

[Desnik]

Try to enjoy this part of the trip! Planning is part of the fun, you should try to enjoy it and not look at it as stressful. I know it's hard because all these choices and info can be overwhelming. I think you should stick with going in Nov. It's a great time to go as far as weather, just know that it will be crowded the day before Thanksgiving through that weekend. Before and after that there will be little to no crowds. As far as where to stay, that really is such an individual decision. For us we just can't stay off site, we love being on property and that's a main reason we became DVC'ers. You won't be able to get onsite accomadations for the price of a 3bd rm off site condo. So, if you are on a strict budget, and you like being off site then go for it. There was a thread going recently on the resorts board talking about all the reasons to stay on site vs offsite. Take a look over there if you are interested. An option you could look into would be staying in the new All Stars Music resort family suites on property. Here's a link with some pics:
http://allearsnet.com/acc/g_asuites.htm
You don't need a travel agent, you can book it all yourself, especially with the help of the wonderful people on these boards. If it will make you feel better to use one, Dreams Unlimited has gotten rave reviews and are sponsers on these boards. There link is around here somewhere. You can also get a quote from them online just to get an idea of what things would cost. Let me know if you have any other questions, I'd love to help!
Good luck!!!

 

[mommy2boysaz]

Thank you sooo much for the advice! I've heard some about the family suites at the All Star, but I've heard that for the money, it might be a better deal to just pay for 2 adjoining rooms?

Just confirmed with my Timeshare company that I definitely can't get in there during Thanksgiving week, so I guess I can cross that off my decision list.
I think I will stick with the Thanksgiving week plan. Maybe we could leave the Sat. before and spend Sat. - Wed. at WDW, then maybe head to Daytona Beach or something for the remainder of our trip? Anyone know about nice beaches or other things to do in the area during the time that WDW will be busy?

Iwill try to enjoy this process more. It IS exciting! Oh, and I live within an hour of Toledo, so I will check out that airfare rate! Thanks!

One other question, since you've both been so kind, is this dining plan worth the extra cost? What does it include? All restaurants? What about character meals?

Thank you, thank you!!!
Britte

 

[FlyingBelle]

You're certainly in the right place for answers!

I think paying for the Dining Plan is only worth it if your family like to eat a lot and has the time for sit-down meals.

We did it last year (it was free) and it was great because we were a group of 6 adults - so not having to worry about splitting a check and having the time to sit and chat.

With just DH & I, it's just not worth it. We usually just do 1 sit-down per trip, and we almost never order apps AND dessert - it's just too much for the 2 of us.

When we go again with a group of adults, we'll try to plan it around the free dining times, but otherwise we use our Disney Visa rewards dollars and other Disney dollars/gift certificates I earn from the various rewards sites.

 

[Perditamarie]

I don't know much about time shares, but sometimes they let you trade to different resorts -- does your timeshare allow you to trade w/other resorts that may be available during Nov. We went Labor Day 2006 and it was great -- very low crowds, nice swimming weather. To avoid crowds on Labor Day, we avoided MK, swam during the day and also did DTD and evening at Epcot . If I had the choice, I would always stay on site, even w/a smaller room. The cabins at FW hold 6 (sometimes have specials), POR-alligator bayou can accomodate 5 (w/trundle bed), you can get 2 value rooms, rent DVC or go deluxe. Typically in the fall, over the past 2 years, WDW has offered free dining to resort guests w/myw packages (room and ticket purchase). That includes 1 TS meal, 1 CS meal and 1 snack per day. The prices are $38 for those over 9 and $11 under 9. If they do that this year and you paid out of pocket to stay at WDW over Labor Day, but got free dining,that could be a nice offset.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

I realize that Thanksgiving is the only time you can travel, but airfare will kill any budget you have set. I think that most be the most expensive time to fly, not only that, its the busiest time to fly. If you are able try and pick another date.

 

[Samantha/NC]

I know this is a crazy reason-but my family and my sister's family vacation together, we also take our mom and my in-laws-so we just COULD not phathom the thought of going back to hotel rooms each night!
We rented a house with 7 bedrooms, a game room and a private pool--we loved it. WE would go back during the day and nap or swim. The kids loved the game room. We had 4 bathrooms and it was cheaper than staying on site-Plenty of room for all of our food, we cooked some evenings. We are going back at Thanksgiving this year, and we have already started looking at rental houses and found some great deals!
Samantha

 

[INdisneyfamily]

If you rented points from a DVC member ($10 a point) you could stay at Old Key West for $960 if you checked in on Sunday and checked out on Thursday. You get more square footage for a 2 bdr at OKW so you would have plenty of room. The only negative to renting points would be if they offered free dining during that time period. I think you have to book a package deal to qualify for that.
Also, we usually do the beach for a few days after our Disney stay and prefer the Gulf side. Because of this we fly into Tampa instead of Orlando and it is usually a little bit cheaper.

 

[mommy2boysaz]

So many great responses!

Cindy's mom, I did check this past November on airfare as if we were going to WDW then, just to check prices, and I saw what you mean about sky high prices. I think we'll be able to get around that somewhat, though because we will fly the Sat or Sun before Thanksgiving and return on Tuesday after. Those days were much cheaper last Nov.

INDisneyfamily- How long is the drive from Tampa to Orlando? Which beach do you go to on the gulf side?

Samantha- I am still thinking about the vacation home option. Sure sounds like a great way to go and the prices I've seen so far are amazingly low! Glad to hear you did it and enjoyed it!

The DVC point rental is a possibility. Wonder if I could trade my points? Guess I have more research to do!

Thanks again, and keep the great advice coming!!!
Britte

 

[Love2TravelAnywhere]

I am also planning a vacation to Disney/Universal for a family of 5. We go in March 2007. I researched many options in lodging and decided to rent a home 10 minutes from Disney. We are driving from St. Louis so we will have our own transportation which made the decision a little easier. A couple of other factors that played a part in my decision was 1) It has a full kitchen, I firgured we could go to the local grocery and get things for breakfast, lunch, dinners and snacks and save a lot of money by eating at the house. 2) It has it's own washer and dryer, this allows us to pack lighter b/c I can do wash if needed, I know we are suppose to be on vacation and not cooking and cleaning, but for the money being saved it's well worth it. The money being saved will allow us to spend more on things the kids may want. We are renting a 4 bedroom/2 bath home with a private pool for $450 for the week! I think after tax, cleaning fees and the extra for the heated pool, we are paying $635 for 7 nights, do the math that's $90 a night and we don't have to worry about sharing a pool, we can be loud (I have 3 boys, they like to play).
I know you are looking to go over Thanksgiving and the rates may be a little higher, but here is the link to the home we are renting. I went on the web to vrbo, it's house #72211 - it is not filled with extra's, but really are you going to have time for the extras...You could also check out vrbo there are several homes listed out there.

Hope this helps.

 

[INdisneyfamily]

INDisneyfamily- How long is the drive from Tampa to Orlando? Which beach do you go to on the gulf side?


Britte

According to Mapquest it is 1 hr. 24 min. from the airport to Magic Kingdom. I think we have made it under that before though. We like Clearwater Beach the best. We have also stayed at North Reddington just a little north of there and it was nice also.

 

[DisneyBrat]

We stayed at Orbit one timeshare. This isn't the fanciest resort but it was clean and nice... We loved the fact that it was litterly a straight shot off the property to DisneyIabout a mile if I remember) We are a family of 5 and I never do the dining plan. Its much less to buy ala carte. If you're like us we don't do appetizers and deserts with most meals. The dining plan includes those. Besides Disboards, allears.net and mousesavers.com had ALOT of saving tips. Good luck in your planning.. Its alot of fun. I also bought the unofficial guide to disney book.. It shares tips on EVERYTHING you might want to know and more LOL


Lew

 

[mommy2boysaz]

I've been away from this site for a couple of days, so just read the last few responses. Thanks!!!!!

INDisneyfamily - I appreciated the info on the beaches and the airport. I will definitely check into that further!

Love2travel- So funny that you shared your "house" find! I stumbled onto some info about condos and townhomes at Windsor Hills which is supposed to be just 2 miles or so from WDW and has 3, 4, and more bedroom homes, too. It sure looks like a LOT better deal than anything on site at Disney, at least for our family. I haven't actually made a reservation for one, yet, so I'm going to check out the one you're using right now! Thank you for the tip!

disneybrat- I've checked out those sites and plan to research them a lot more. They're awesome. Along with this board, I can't get over how much help there is out there! I think my next step might be to get one of those books, too. I love to research things before I jump in to them, especially things that are going to cost me as much as this vacation is !

I'm getting soooo excited and I still have 10 months to wait! I'm worse than my kids!

Thanks again everyone! I'm positive I'll be back with more questions soon!
Britte