First trip to DW, need help

[MannyEdge]

My family is planning on going to DW next year. My wife, I and my son (5 years old at the time we are going) are going. I need help. I do not know where to start planning. The only thing I know for sure is we are going to be driving there, but I do not know where to stay, when to purchase tickets, what resort to go to? I can go on and on. Please help and give me some ideas. I need ideas to stay at, what resorts to go to and the best prices I can get.

Thanks,

Manny

 

[Pirate&Princess]

First, you can purchase whenever you are ready. Check with AAA for discounts and subscribe to the mousesavers newsletter and daily updates at www.mousesavers.com

If your son is still not in school and there is only the 3 of you, you are wide open. I would highly recommend an off season, (seasons listed on mousesavers or www.wdwinfo.com. Off season gives you better rates, better crowds and usually better weather. We always go in February, being careful to avoid President's week and Mardi Gras if possible.

With just the 3 of you, you will be able to stay in a value resort if you wanted to. If money is not an issue, there are some really cool Moderates and the Deluxe are beautiful. We are waiting for our kids to get a little older before we pay for the Deluxe. We really don't think they will appreciate the Deluxe yet. We have stayed at 2 Value and 2 Moderate and have been very happy with both. Once you decide which category, post back and I can give you tips on which resort inside that category. There are lots of things to consider regarding how big the resort is, which has an effect on your bus rides both to and from the park, not to mention the number of bus stops located in your resort, which pose a whole additional set of questions!!

Sorry, I was assuming you would stay on property! We are big "on-property" proponents with the extra benefits that are extended to WDW resort guests only. (ex: Extra Magic Hours and package delivery)

So first, pick your time. Then decide category or resort and go from there.

 

[LaraK]

I agree with the recommendation that you consider off-season travel. Figure out what is important to your family....the parks, the swimming pool, travel times and then spend some time looking at the resorts. All Ears has great photos. We started with a value resort and have been upgrading since.

Also, when planning, think about whether your family likes to go with comfortable or adventurous. I think the food is one of the fun things with Disney and every time we go, I try to add a new cuisine. (I LOVE Boma...my fav so far)

Finally, make sure you plan enough time to relax. The last two times I went I tried to combine the trip with other things (a trip to my dad's and a conference for work)...this time we are JUST doing disney and I'm able to schedule downtime into my itinerary (and yes, I think you need at least some sort of a formal plan for each day).

 

[DisneyFunfor3]

First, I'd suggest buying a book called a "Passporter" it's written by Jennifer and Dave Marx and it's my favorite planning book. Others will likely weigh in on their planning book, but this is my favorite since it has pockets where I can store everything and I think it is very well organized.

I agree with the previous poster -- deciding when you want to go is the first step! While "value" season is certainly the cheapest...my family wants to go to Florida for sunshine and warm weather...temps in the 60s just aren't warm enough for my family to swim and that's one of the BIG things on my son's list.

I personally like to go AFTER the spring break crush...but before the Summer rush -- mid-April (depending on when Easter falls) to just before Memorial Day is good...not too hot...not too cold...just right!

As far as money saving tips...don't fall into that trap of "off-property is cheaper than on-property." The value resorts are themed really well for kids (my son loves Pop Century for that reason...even over the Grand Floridian!) and are very affordable. Last year, we actually purchased an annual pass (yep, we don't live anywhere NEAR Orlando) and got a $52 per night rate for Pop Century in early May.

Some people love the dining plan. It does have some advantages, but they largely depend on how your family likes to eat. We have never done the dining plan and I don't think we will (unless maybe it's free again like it was this fall). It does give you the benefit of "pre-paying" for all your meals, which some people really like because of the budgeting aspect of it. We generally eat breakfast in our room (cereal, cereal bars, etc) because I'm just not a bacon and eggs kind of person (cold pizza, sure...but eggs?) and my son and hubby like cereal a lot. Lunch, we might do a sit down place (they are cheaper then) or we might eat at a counter-service place and then have a nice dinner somewhere (again...you'll get lots of opinions on restaurants on the DisBoards). We're not big snackers and we generally bring bottles of water to the parks with us (I just can't handle paying more than $.99 for a large bottle of water!).

As far as tickets go...definitely go to mousesavers and sign up for their newsletter. You'll get an e-mail with a special savings for tickets. I've done it 3 ways: 1) bought the package from Disney with room and tickets; 2) booked the room with Disney and bought tickets from a discount broker and 3) got an annual pass. It depends on how long you are going (and what the room discount is for annual passholders) as to what the best thing is for you. If you want the dining package, then you'll need to book everything through Disney. By the way, if you are a AAA member, you can generally get a bit of a room discount either from AAA or Disney. If you don't want the dining package, then either a ticket broker or an annual pass might be the way to go (use the annual pass calculator to see if it's worth it for you). The one downfall with the Annual Pass is that you get these really cool mailings from Disney with incredible hotel rates that make you want to book another trip (take us...we went in December of last year, May of this year and we're going again over Thanksgiving...just because of how "cheap" it is to go once your tickets are all paid for!).

If you have questions or need help, let me know. You can send me a PM (private message) through the Boards and I'll be happy to help.

Last thought....here's what you CAN'T miss with your son.

1. Riding up front with the driver on the Monorail
2. Taking a tour -- we loved the Family Magic Tour of Magic Kingdom and my son loved the Pirate Tour from the Grand Floridian (it gave me some down time too which was great!) My husband loved the Segway tour of Future World at EPCOT! At Thanksgiving we're doing Mickey's Magical Milestones tour.
3. Riding the bus back to your resort with a great bus driver -- some of them ask trivia questions and crack jokes that are wonderful after a full day in the parks!
4. The Lego store...'nuf said...all legos!
5. The "Stars and Cars Motor Parade" at MGM...my son's favorite (as he puts it...it's not all about some dumb princess)!
6. The street performers at Animal Kingdom (and really everywhere)...take a few minutes as you are running (from ride to ride to show) to enjoy these stops...they are great!

Have a TON of fun...it's the best place for being a kid with your kid!

Karen

 

[MannyEdge]

Thank you everyone that have posted here so far. I wanted to you how much I appreciate it. This year my family did not go on vacation because we were building a house. If you have built a house before than you know what I went through. I do not know if I ever want to go through that again. Next year, we all need a vacation so I want to plan great vacation to DW. I know my son ,who will be 5 years old, will love it.

This is what I know or what I have done so far:

1. We planning on driving to DW because we live in Middle TN and it will take around 13 hours.

2. We plan on going around late April or Early May. My wife and I talked about going around then to save on money and crowds. We figure we would have good weather and not have the hot, hot summer weather yet.

3. We would like to stay on the property to get the whole DW experience, but like to find the best ways to do it without going broke. I would like to save money without sacriface comfort.

4. I have signed up for the Mousesaver newsletter.

5. Our hotel consider would probably be moderate. (I am accountant. ) Please give me website consideration if possible)

6. What are the value resorts? Please explain. Newbie - sorry.

7. I order the DVD from disney world.

thanks for all the response so far,

Manny

 

[KimWDW]

The best advice I can give is to check this website:
http://www.*****************/tp2/UG2_index.php?PageID=14
For crowd level info and plan your week accordingly. The lower the number the better. Personally, I would never go on a week that was 8 or higher. Considering when you want to go, the first week of May looks very nice. Almost all 6's, that's great.

You can fiddle around on the Disney site to see what your package price would be at a value resort (Pop Century, All Stars, etc) vs a moderate resort (Port Orleans, Caribben Beach, etc). And you can see pictures of the resorts and what they have there. If you narrow it down to 2 or 3, post on the Resort section of this site and people will be glad to offer their opinions.

Have a great time!

 

[snowy76]

Welcome to the DIS!!

Basically there are three levels of resort: value, moderate, and deluxe. The prices are the lowest at the values, and go up from there. The amenities also go up as you go higher. For resort choices, I would check out allearsnet.com, lots of information on resorts, attractions, dining, etc... they have a resort photo gallery and rates.

The only other advice I'd give you right now is to read sites like the DIS and allears thoroughly. Mousesavers is another good site. There is lots of information. Just hanging around these boards is a good idea too... once you have a better idea of what you want, you can ask more specific questions! Good luck!

 

[ellyn2000]

I've stayed at all resort levels and have been very happy with the value resorts (stayed at all 3 All Stars) I did enjoy deluxe and will be at a moderate this trip, but if you want to get the very most from your Disney dollars you will consider the values. They are very kid friendly and a real value in the right season. Check out photos & fact sheets for the value resorts and determine if they will meet your needs. I hope you have a fabulous trip!

 

[ejmom]

I won't be of much help because we have never been to WDW either. Our first trip is this Dec. 13-19. But I wanted to second what Karen said about the Passporter book. I felt somewhat disorganized with my planning because I am not familiar with the parks, had many ADR (dining reservations) confirmation numbers, etc. This book provided a lot of clarity for me, I love it! The 2007 edition release date is 11/28/06.

Another thing I've been doing is glancing through these boards every night to get the lastest info. Allears.net is very informative too. Oh, and if your son is into Power Rangers, you can click on my name to see my previous posts. I received great info & pictures from other members on how to help my DS meet them at MGM!

Happy planning!

 

[SusanMomOf2]

Hello and welcome! There's no wrong way to do Disney! But there certainly are better ways than others. There's so many ways to go about planning a trip if you are considering your options. Since you have your time of year figured out, which is a great one by the way, you want to figure out where to stay, where you want to eat so you can get reservations and decide if you want a dining plan, and try to make sure you visit the boards and websites about the discount codes for rooms, and the other stuff I don't know. There are books along with the websites that offer advice.

I think a value or moderate resort will fir the bill for this trip of yours, and if you think you'd like a delux resort, maybe you can save that treat for your next trip if there will be one.

Have fun, and just dive in there... it's fun!

 

[Ariel8676]

Everyone gave great info already..this is also a great site http://allearsnet.com/index.html . If you were looking to stay at a moderate i would have to recommend Port Orleans French Quarter....its a smaller resort, but very nice and your son will love the pool with the Sea serpent water slide .
Look around this site and the others and figure out where you would like to eat and make your ADR's well in advance...i would suggest Le Cellier (Canada steakhouse...EPCOT) very good!!!
Good Luck and have fun planning!

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

Our last trip was August, it included free dining, that was great. We go alot, and I think we have done it all different ways. Drove, Flown, stayed onsite, stayed offsite, and I know one thing, I don't go crazy planning stuff. We just do whatever. I book the trip online at the disney site if we are staying onsite, and then make payments on it, it has to be paid in full 45 days prior to going. We stayed at POP century and I liked that one. we have stayed at Contemporary and Poly, but values work for us because we are gone all day and only sleep in the room. I have the book the unofficial guide to Walt Disney World. My favorite is Christmas time. Its beautiful, and that was the first time we took our kids, it was so magical. But I have been all different times. Our next trip is planned for christmas 2007. We are flying down and staying onsite, value resort. When we drive down, we pack the cooler and only pay for gas. we shop when we get there, because we have the car. One thing we always do, is buy our souveniers in the parks, they are more special. I could go on and on. I have been going since I was twelve, the year after it opened. I am 46 now and still haven't had enough.

 

[Pirate&Princess]

Hopefully you have gotten your questioned answered about the Value Resorts. One thing none of us have said is that the Walt Disney World Website itself also has some interesting information and pictures regarding the resorts.

Value Resorts are a great value and visually great for the kids:
All Star Movies
All Star Sports
All Star Music
Pop Century

If you can afford Moderate, we recommend it. The Value Resorts are furtherst from the Magic Kingdom: http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/propertymap.htm , the bus stops are always furtherst from the parks and the 3 All Stars, while they each have their own buses often share a common "All Stars" bus, which make them crowded at any time of year.

The Moderates: Carribean Beach, Coronado Springs, Port Orleans Riverside & Port Orleans French Quarter.

We picked French Quarter based on size which contributes to bus rides.

We eliminated Coronado based on how beautiful it was. I know that sounds funny, but with the little ones, they are definately more into some of the visually more "fun" looking resorts for kids. We eliminated Carribean Beach (where we have stayed before), and Riverside based on the size. Both of these resorts have 5 or more bus stops. If you pick a building near the 1st bus stop to ensure yourself a seat, you could spend 15 minutes going around the rest of the resort picking up more guests. If you pick a building near the last bus stop to avoid all the stops and the time, then you are not guaranteed a seat, or even that the bus will stop because it could be full and you will wait for another bus.

French Quarter is small, with one bus stop (values also have one bus stop). It is also extremely close to Epcot, which gives us the option of parking at Epcot and hopping on the monorail!!

You can find maps of each resort at: http://www.wdwinfo.com/maps/index.htm

One last thing on your time: The last two weekends in April and sometimes stretching a day or two into May is "Senior's Weekends" These are special nights for graduating seniors. The Magic Kingdom closes to allow the seniors access to the park exclusively from 7:00 p.m. on. We all love those high-schoolers, but with little ones, we choose to avoid them!!

 

[Pirate&Princess]

One more thing!! I saw a post about definately having a plan for everyday. The only thing we ever plan is which park and our Advanced Dinner Reservations (ADR) With kids, we don't go commando following a touring schedule. We have found that once we get to the park we have scheduled, it is so magical to take it all in. Plan too much, and you may miss some really special moments!

 

[ajcolorado]

One more thing!! I saw a post about definately having a plan for everyday. The only thing we ever plan is which park and our Advanced Dinner Reservations (ADR) With kids, we don't go commando following a touring schedule. We have found that once we get to the park we have scheduled, it is so magical to take it all in. Plan too much, and you may miss some really special moments!

Umm..I won't go to Disney World without a plan and I really recommend having at least a basic outline if you are new to the parks - otherwise, too much time is lost in indecision. Birnbaum's official Guide to WDW is fine if you are going at a slow season. Otherwise I recommend the Unofficial Guide, www.tourguidemike.com or www.buildabettermousetrip.com. Having a plan doesn't make you a commando.

Since you're an accountant - I think you save 1% in tax at the Pop Century value resort, over the All-Stars because the All-Stars are just across a county line that has a little higher sales tax rate.

 

[ajcolorado]

Also, don't let anyone tell you to skip Epcot because of your child's age. I would recommend going there before Magic Kingdom but I think Epcot is WONDERFUL for kids your child's age. Mission Space is probably the only thing too intense and that has a new "no spin" option. If tall enough; Soarin’ and Test Track should be fine. Honey I Shrunk the Audience 3-D and Maelstrom might be a little scary for some but many do just fine. Spaceship Earth, The Universe of Energy (Dinosaurs & 45 blessed minutes of air conditioning), and Journey into Your Imagination with Figment are all visually interesting for kids. One of the Innovention pavilions has a lot of things geared for little ones. The Living Seas is great for kids – marine life & “Turtle Talk with Crush” are fantastic. “The Land” has a character meal and there are Princess meals at the Norway Pavillion. There are Character Meet & Greets all through Epcot. There is some great entertainment too – the Jammitors are a “Stomp” like percussion group.

There are “Kidcot” stations throughout the World Showcase. Your child can make a cardboard mask (free) at which ever station the/she stops at first. Then they can add a decoration at each additional station. The boat ride at the Mexico pavilion is similar to “It’s A Small World”. He/she may or may not enjoy the American Adventure or the Circle Vision movies in China & Canada. If I was going to choose one, I’d go with the China movie. There is a little hedge maze in the UK pavilion that is too short for adults to find challenging but I saw a bunch of kids gleefully running through. I also saw kids intrigued by the model train at the Germany pavilion. My kids loved wandering through the Morocco pavilion. There are Koi fish in the pond in Japan. Norway has a Viking boat play area. There is some fantastic entertainment that kids enjoy: The “Serveur Amusant” (France) is a comedic balancing act. Japan has three great things for kids – “Matsuriza” is a traditional drum act; “Miyuki” is a very neat candy artist, and there is a Japanese Storyteller “Honobono Minwa” on Wed, Thurs, & Fri. Sergio (Italy) is a juggler. “OrisiRisi”, he drum circle and African Storytellers (Mon- Fri) in the Outpost get good reviews. Kids always love the Dragon Legend Acrobats (China) because they are children too. Some kids will enjoy “Off Kilter” (Canada) – bagpipe rock and “MoRockin” (Morocco) – Middle Eastern pop sounding band. IllumiNations is the evening fireworks show and it is excellent.

 

[disneyohana]

Not sure if anyone mentioned this, but I would definately drive to the parks everyday. We took the bus for years, then last time we went we rented a car and saved so much time not waiting for the bus or stopping at bus stops. Also, this was easier on my nephew, 5. It was easy to get to the parks and free to park if staying at a Disney resort.
As for hotels, we've stayed at Port Orleans Riverside, Bayou and Mansions, and Caribbean Beach. I love both but w/my dd we are choosing CB for the fun music, colors, kiddie pool, and playground. They have small beaches scattered around w/hammocks which I know she will like also. My nephew loved feeding the birds. Their was a turtle in the lake. Lots of fun. Whatever resort you pick you can't go wrong.
We went at the time you are thinking of going and lines were pretty good most places. Peter Pan got crowded around 10:00. 45 min. wait. Otherwise, most rides were 15 min. wait or less. Fastpass is great. I recommend looking at the maps before you go and start w/rides like Buzz Lightyear or Small World. Save scary rides for last. My nephew got scared on HM and wanted to go back to the hotel.