First timers to disney do we book villa or flights first

[glitterbug]

Hi all
This will be my familys first time to the world, we are looking at going at the end of november/into the 1st week of december 2013, exact dates to be decided but we know we want to be there to celebrate our grandaughters 3rd birthday and our wedding anniversary which falls on the 2nd & 4th dec.
Questions if we travel before she reaches 3 will she pay for disney park tickets etc for her and do we book a villa or flights first, I am going to try the diy route as just been quoted over £8,500 and thats without park tickets mind you that is for 6 adults and the little one who will be 2 when we travel.
Any tips/advice on areas to look for villas cost of plane tickets etc and other advice would be great especially as my two sons have autisum and are quite nervous never flown or been in large crowds before.
Thanks in advance
Lisa x

 

[meggiebeth]

Buy flight tickets first- that's what we do. Shop around to get a good rate. £500 would be a good rate to aim for but realistically budget £600.

Have a look at Home Away.com for some great villa rentals at a fabulous price. You can get a five bedroom villa for £600 a week.

Alamo car hire has some good rates. If you get a Brit Guide to Orlando you can get 10% off and free additional drivers.

So the total is realistically going to be around £5000 for accommodation and flights- car hire not included.

Have you thought about a Disney hotel? They are fantastic and we vastly prefer them to villas. You can also get a free dining plan by staying onsite plus numerous benefits. Have you thought about character meals? I am thinking that the dining plan would be a great way for you to get some table service meals for free. If your sons have autism this would be a far less chaotic way to get your food.

Under three year olds don't have to pay for a ticket. Also, because your sons have special needs I would be sure to take a doctors note with you to guest services at the parks where you will get a Guest Assistance Card which is designed to accommodate guests with additional needs. For example if a guest has autism alternative queuing arrangements are made. It just makes the trip more pleasant for you.

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[glitterbug]

I would love to stay onsite, just not sure how practical it would be, As I dont fancy sharing a bedroom with hubby and 2 sons, plus we have 2 older daughters and the little one so would need 3 sperate rooms surely this would work out more expensive than a villa ??
Thank you for the tip on doctors note.

 

[Wills Mom]

I would book flights first and then look at villas. We are staying in Glenbrook in May, it will be our second time there and we like it. Its 2 minutes drive to the 24 hour Super Walmart and close to WDW (about 15 mins to WDW). We have stayed in other resorts such as Trafalgar Village (too far IMO) and Highlands Reserve (really really nice and about the same distance as Glenbrook to WDW) The area we generally want to stay in is Clermont, I'm not a fan of Kissimmee personally. The villas in the Clermont area seem to be of a higher standard. I love the Windsor Hills resort, it can be pricey though depending how you book. Best of luck booking, if you need help these boards are great

 

[dixonsontour]

Just check the dates for thanksgiving and avoid if you can - 4th Thursday in November.

Thanksgiving week is very crowded and resorts/accomodation will be busy and dearer.

Just after is a great time to go - we flew in on thanksgiving one year. Airport was super quiet - no line for immigration.

If your granddaughter is under 3 on the first day you enter disney parks my understanding is she stays under 3 all trip. Also for character meals under 3s eat free.

 

[dixonsontour]

Some disney resorts have apartments with 2 bedrooms and bed settees in the lounge - have a look at old key west or saratoga springs.

There has been a deal where you can book these as a UK visitor and get free dining.

So yes dearer than a villa but when you factor in food/no need for a car can be a good deal.

 

[meggiebeth]

We got a deal on Saratoga Springs- 35% off and free dining plan. It costs a little more than a villa but totally worth it. We got £2000 worth of food and saved approx £1500 on the accommodation itself.

If going for a villa I would look at ones close to WDW. Have you thought about Bonnet Creek? Not sure if they do villas or apartments but they're meant to be cheaper than Disney resorts.

We just like onsite for the dining plan so we don't have to worry about budgeting for food- if you'd be better off with more space then a villa is probably a better choice

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[alibeau]

We start looking for villas with approximate dates in mind. We then contact the villa owner to double check what availability they have. The villa owners we have dealt with will then hold your dates for a couple of days whilst we sort out the flights. We then confirm exact dates with the owner

HTH.

Ali

 

[T16GEM]

I would book flights first and then look at villas. We are staying in Glenbrook in May, it will be our second time there and we like it. Its 2 minutes drive to the 24 hour Super Walmart and close to WDW (about 15 mins to WDW). We have stayed in other resorts such as Trafalgar Village (too far IMO) and Highlands Reserve (really really nice and about the same distance as Glenbrook to WDW) The area we generally want to stay in is Clermont, I'm not a fan of Kissimmee personally. The villas in the Clermont area seem to be of a higher standard. I love the Windsor Hills resort, it can be pricey though depending how you book. Best of luck booking, if you need help these boards are great

We stayed at Trafalgar Village this year and we really liked it. It was a couple of miles further on than where we usually stay but I don't think it's too far out IMO A lot of people like villas in Davenport - but I can't stand it down there lol

We start looking for villas with approximate dates in mind. We then contact the villa owner to double check what availability they have. The villa owners we have dealt with will then hold your dates for a couple of days whilst we sort out the flights. We then confirm exact dates with the owner

HTH.

Ali

Exactly what we have been doing this week, our villa owner is holding a few days either side of the dates we fancy for us until we can book the flights.

 

[MrRomance]

Hi all
This will be my familys first time to the world, we are looking at going at the end of november/into the 1st week of december 2013, exact dates to be decided but we know we want to be there to celebrate our grandaughters 3rd birthday and our wedding anniversary which falls on the 2nd & 4th dec.
Questions if we travel before she reaches 3 will she pay for disney park tickets etc for her and do we book a villa or flights first, I am going to try the diy route as just been quoted over £8,500 and thats without park tickets mind you that is for 6 adults and the little one who will be 2 when we travel.
Any tips/advice on areas to look for villas cost of plane tickets etc and other advice would be great especially as my two sons have autisum and are quite nervous never flown or been in large crowds before.
Thanks in advance
Lisa x

Hi Lisa,

I can't give any real advice on villas because I have never taken this route off site. I have stayed at the Villas on-site at Disney (Saratoga Springs) and this may be a route you look at because you can get some really good deals. Another option for you could be to rent DVC points (you can do that here on the DIS) which may work out reasonable for your family.

My concern with staying over your granddaughter's birthday would not be the tickets for the park, it would be flights. Under 2 they don't have to have their own seat, over 3 they must have their own seat and I have heard of a few cases where airlines have asked people to pay for an extra ticket for the return journey. That would be something to look into.

I have 2 autistic children and it can be quite daunting. My advice would be to contact your airline ahead of your flight and explain. It really depends on what issues a particularly ASD person has. My one daughter struggles with being around people and in crowds, my other daughter has no problem with that but is terrified by loud noises and must be prepared for EVERYTHING well in advance.

We flew with Virgin Airlines and their special assistance team arranged for us to have seats in the front row and different airlines offer different assistance. Air France for example were rubbish and wouldn't even entertain our requests.
While at WDW, go to guest services in the parks and ask for A guest assistance card. Explain the difficulties your sons have and they will stamp the card to make life as easy as they can for you.

Hope that helps