First trip to WDW please help

[lilpetie]

A friend and her 2 kids (12 & 13) and me and my son (12) are going the first 2 weeks of Dec. She had been there before I havent. She is taking a wad of money. I cant. She wants to stay at PO Riverside the entire time. 4 days Disney parks, then Sea World, Universal (both parks) and Gatorland...... I am on a budget and am wondering what is the best way to start. We are getting park hoppers and she also wants to do Character meals. PHEWWWW. I am exhausted already. We are hoping to share a room. I have searched and wondered if we should get separate rooms at Pop C. It would cost me a few more but I dont know what the perks are for getting a "moderate" versus "value" room. I dont think we are going to be in it that much anyway. If anyone can help with telling me the big difference I would be ever so grateful. I have searched all over this site and gotten some wonderful tips so thank you all........

 

[NotTooGoofy]

lilpetie - Welcome to the DIS!

The budget board is a good place to start to find ways of saving money. The are a few differences between moderate and value resorts. The value resort's rooms are smaller and they don't have all the amenities of a moderate resort (exercise room, quiet pools, hot tub, etc.). The value resorts tend to be more crowded and have many more younger children. But my family has stayed at ASMovies and enjoyed it.

There is plenty to do around WDW during the day without going to the parks - window shop at DTD or the Boardwalk, swim at your resort or have lunch at another resort. Perhaps you could skip a park (Gatorland?) and spend the day looking around WDW.

Anyway, welcome to the DIS and don't be shy about asking questions!

 

[jennymouse]

You guys will probably need to get two rooms anyway because unless one of the kids is very small for thier age, they won't fit on that little trundle bed. Go to www.mousesavers.com and read about getting rooms at discounted prices. I won't go into it here but WDW has codes that come out and you can save quite a bit on your rooms.

I agree with NotTooGoofy, I would skip going to all those other parks. I'd just buy you and your son 5 day park hopper passes and spend the extra days by the pool or Downtown Disney. You could go over to Fort Wilderness and go horseback riding for cheaper than you can go to Universal etc. Do try to go to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom while you're there though and go see the Christmas Processional at Epcot.

You've got some time before you go so you'll be able to save quite a bit. You'll find lots of ways to save and earn extra money for your trip here. Have you ever sold on Ebay?

Oh, Welcome to the DISboards!

 

[lilpetie]

thank you for replying and the nice WELCOME........ I am just so overwhelmed by this whole trip and since I will never be able to do this again I want it to be special. I have dreamed of going since I was very young and I am now 45 (soon to be 46!!) I want my son to see WDW while I can still enjoy the rides.

I have heard about meal vouchers what are these and how do they work?
Also I am planning on taking a cooler for the room to save on meals, and drinks
I know she is still set on seeing Sea World and Universal. Actually so am I but not too sure about Gatorland? But the ticket price didnt seem to be too bad.
We are driving from Illinois so I will have to share the gas (ouch)
All in all she is thinking about $3000 for her share (she has 2 kids) But she is also looking at doing her Christmas shopping there too. I am not.
I was also worried about that trundle bed. But my son even said he could sleep in a sleeping bag if he had to.
We are so used to being cramped it wont bother us
Again thanks and I will probably be asking for more help. LOL

 

[luisalejandro_ve]

hi i think that you can find all the information that you need about meal vouchers in this liink:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?threadid=435889

like you i am plaining to go to disney for first time in october, i join Hotwire Savings Club, there i bought Q&C meal vouchers for 11.50 and VLK for 31.50, most the peole in the forum say that you can share the meals. Also i am thinking like you, bring a cooler to have some snacks as breakfast and then eat "real" in the park with the vouchers. well i hope this help you and wish you a good travel!!!

 

[frstimer128]

I travelled last summer with my friend and her family and I am so grateful we got 2 rooms. It was nice to be together all day but we all needed our own space at night so the kids could wind down without their friends around. It was a real sanity saver since her kids are SO super whiny.
I bring a cooler too and I always have snacks in my bag. Last year I had a loaf of bread and PB and J and made sandwiches for lunch. You can find a lot of ways to cut costs.
I have been buying small Disney gifts on sale and clearance to set aside for my daugher. "Tinkerbell" is leaving her one each day we are at the world and that way we won't be tempted to purchase overpriced souveniers at the parks. I got a lot of stuff at TDS and online as well as Kohls and Amazon.com.
Good Luck!

 

[canwegosoon]

Lilpetie Welcome to the DIS boards.

Ok back to the questions. We stayed at POR on our last trip...it is a beautiful resort. You sound like you are a flexible person to me, which IMHO is key to enjoying your vacation. You could cram yourselves in to one room at POR (they do have occupancy of 5) but since you are driving I would bring an aero bed (twin) if you can borrow one from a friend. It could be inflated where the trundel would go , or in the area near the sinks too might have enough room. Or talk with your friend about getting 2 value rooms on a AAA discount if avail.
I would be really honest with your good friend "I really appreciate the offer to take us to WDW...but I want to be realstic with my budget," You might want to tell her that you would rather that she and her boys go on to Universal (and have a great time), and that way you wouldn't be worring about the money. But honestly your son is at a great age to enjoy Universal ( so is there any bonds you could cash or could he mow lawns etc, to earn a little money for the trip?)Worst comes to worst,you could always catch up with them later and do something like go to the pool, out to an moderate priced dinner, etc. As to the Character Meals, there is an inexpensive ice cream one, but I like the Chef Mickey at 10:30. It's like getting a brunch, and you can usually eliminate a lunch that day(you can check out Allearsnet.com for menus and room info). It does add so much to your trip.
Since your friend is driving, you might be able to do other less expensive offsite dinners, but that will eat into your time. You can eat breakfast in your room / pack lunches to keep the cost down too. You could always supplement your food with a little snack or app. at a restaurant with your friend. Get a Brita Water bottle (you can get them a walmart in the plumbing section). This is a big money saver. On our trip we usually adv. $40 a day per person for meals and treats. You could do less but I wouldn't go too low. You want to have fun. Good luck. You might want to post when you are going and how long you are staying for too.

 

[mad4themouse]

Hi lilpetie and welcome to the DISboards! You'll get a lot of helpful advise from some very friendly people here. I know what you mean about feeling overwhelmed by the idea of planning a Disney trip. Try to break it down into chunks and you should be able to breathe easier!

First of all, to help you predict fuel costs, try this link:
AAA Fuel Cost Calculator

Secondly, I would highly recommend getting two rooms at a value resort instead of trying to fit 5 in a moderate room. With 3 teens and two adults, one bathroom and 2 double beds you may be brewing a recipe for unhappiness. The post-Thanksgiving/Pre-Christmas period is a great time to go to WDW and there should be some room-only discounts available to you for that time. Consider using a travel agent who specializes in Disney (like Dreams Unlimited ) to make your ressies. They will look out for you for the codes and apply them to your ressies when/if they are available.

We just got back from WDW and we used the vouchers for the meals. I recommend them both for their value and convenience. My DS12 like the fact that I could just hand him a voucher for the food courts and send him on his way. He chose his meals and handed over the vouchers with no problem. It was much more convenient for him to know that he didn't have to think about how much money he needed to get what he wanted to eat. There was more than enough food in a single voucher for him and most times he at least broke even on the exchange.

One character meal is nice but they are not a great value for the money spent. Consider doing the Ice Cream Social at the Garden Grill in EPCOT. The cost is $6.75 per person and you'll get the character interaction without the high cost of a character meal. You can also get to meet and greet the characters for free throughout the parks.

Consider bringing breakfast foods for your resort room. It makes it easier to get out the door in the morning if you don't have to make a breakfast stop at a restaurant first. A small cooler with juice, cream cheese, margarine and milk will get you started. Fill ziplock bags with ice daily to keep everything cold but dry. Bring bagels, English muffins, PopTarts or dry cereal to round things out. Bring a small hot pot to heat water for coffee, tea or instant oatmeal or ask for a coffee maker at the resort.

In addition to buying meal vouchers, I also purchased Park Hoppers for my DB's family from Hotwire Savings Club. They used them with no problems at all. You can get a 4-day PHP at HWSC for less than Disney charges for a 4-day PH. You could then use the "plus" feature to take your DS to Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon (whichever is open at that time) while your friend takes her family to another attraction. A little bit of "away" time would be healthy for everyone.

Personally, I would skip Sea World at that time of year. They have fewer shows and I found our visit to be less than satisfying during non-peak seasons. But if you really want to go, you can get a 20% discount by showing your SouthWest Airlines Rapid Rewards card at the gate. You can sign up for free at:
Southwest Rapid Rewards

Universal Studios Rocks! We spent 3 nights at a Universal hotel on this last trip and we spent 4 days in the parks (on and off). The teens will love it! You can get 5 5-day admissions for the price of 4 if you have a MasterCard. Use this link:
Universal 5 for 4 Passes
It will end up costing you $405 (with tax) for 5 passes ($81 each) which is less than buying 2-day passes for $106 each!

Have fun planning your trip! Early December is a great time to visit WDW!

 

[ejj234]

Have you considered staying off-site? We just returned from 2 weeks at the Holiday Inn Family Suites and paid only $103 for our two bedroom suite each night. That was the entertainment price and I don't think they offer that anymore. But we slept 6 in our room (13, 12, 11, & 4) and since the older kids were often at the pool or games room, or simply enjoying their freedom we didn't find it crowed at all. We were extremely impressed with the hotel and are so glad we stayed there. All kids aged 12 and under eat EVERY meal FREE as long as there's a paying adult. (we didn't admit that the 13 year old was 13 - for the duration of the trip she was 12) That saved us over $1000 alone. Everyone gets a free hot breakfast. There's a lot offered at the breakfast buffet but after two weeks, it does get repetative - that's ok - it saved us huge bucks. We always ate breakfast at the hotel and then at one other meal out but made the kids eat the third meal of the day in the hotel room (just sandwich stuff, etc...) Each room has a mini-fridge and we bought a cheap 98 cent cooler as well. You can also get a coupon for a free pizza party from anyone who has stayed there before. The hotel has laundry, pizza hut, A & W, and the "Club Car" Restaurant (which you can get a gift certificate for at www. restaurant.com) It's only about 1 1/2 miles from the main gates and it took us about 10 minutes each morning to park at the parks. The only down-side would be that you have to pay $8 for parking each day. If you're interested you can check out the site at http://www.hifamilysuites.com/indextourb.html or access it through www. mousesavers.com as well.

 

[pjlla]

I know it is hard if you are going with someone else who has a different budget than you. But if she is open to staying off-site, as the previous poster mentioned, there are some terrific deals out there. And since you will already have a car with you, you won't have to worry about shuttles or car rental. My family has stayed at the Homewood Suites in Kissimmee on Parkway Blvd twice now.... both times in January for $59/night with free bkfst and free "manager's reception" (soda/beer/wine/chips/hotdogs, etc) in the afternoons. Our one bedroom suite slept up to 6 (two queen beds and one sofa sleeper) and had a kitchenette (full sized fridge, two burners, microwave, toaster, dishwasher, sink). Here is a link to my review.... it is long, but if you are interested in staying there I would recommend reading it. HTH.......P
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=502449

Edited to add.... I would avoid the Homewood Suites in Orlando... I have heard some negative reports about it, even though it is newer.

 

[lilpetie]

WOW you guys all are sooooo wonderful that I could cry. This site is THE BEST and I am so glad I just happened to find it. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.

As for the answers. She is pretty set on staying inside the park. She has been before and said it is worth the cost so I am trusting her. As for the other parks I also would love to go since I said I wont be able to do this again. Luckily tho she and I both are pretty flexible on planning this so we are trying to find the best way to do it all. She knows I have a budget so we are trying to do what is the best. As for the character meals I am not real sure what ones we will go to she mentioned the Garden Grill but her daughter wants to go to the Princess one. I may take the boys somewhere else (cant see them getting too much of a kick out of that) But who knows.
I would love to do it all. I have had cancer twice now and this is my Dream Vacation. Not only for me but my son. He knows this is his Christmas present and if just fine with that. As for the meals I figure that is where I will get sunk but both of us figure we can skip a meal or 2 since we usually eat only 2 a day anyway. We are snackers LOL. As for the bunking up. We figure we are used to that too. But you are right the quiet time would be nice too. I think I figured it out that it would only be $73.00 more for the entire time for my own room. Ahhhhhh, peace and quiet, LOL. So I guess I have all my questions for budget answered and glad to see about the gas site and discounts closer to time. WONDERFUL.
AGAIN THANKS......

 

[brivers222]

Originally posted by lilpetie
I have searched and wondered if we should get separate rooms at Pop C. It would cost me a few more but I dont know what the perks are for getting a "moderate" versus "value" room. I dont think we are going to be in it that much anyway. If anyone can help with telling me the big difference I would be ever so grateful.

On our last trip we stayed 1 night at POR and 6 nights at ASMv and then 3 nights at AKL.

The only "perks" i can even see as being remotely beneficial is that the Moderate (POR) had a coffee maker in the room and a double sink in the bathroom area.

There are really no perks for paying the extra money, infact the room wasn't that much bigger, if it was at all. Maybe its the prestige of dishing out the Xtra $$ for the Moderates but there is really no difference in accomidations.

 

[mattmommy]

Depending on how many days you're going to the parks, one of you should get an annual pass. You can get a great discount (up to 50%) off rooms. Free parking (ok, you would have had that if you stay on property). You can get up to 3 rooms with your discount. You'll need space since you're driving and staying together at the parks.

Try "a babies best friend" for a fridge to share. Disney charges $10 a day and we paid something like $79 for 11 days. They drop it off at the luggage stand with a luggage holder and you just pick it up there. You can buy milk and do cereal in the morning or (like us) just buy a case of water to freeze and bring to the parks. If we bring 5 bottles of water, it saves us over $10 a day for starters.

Good luck.

 

[baileybelle]

You don't have to skip meals. Most of the restaurants and counter service spots have portions so big they are easily shared by two. You could order a double cheeseburger meal and ask for an extra bun for about 80 cents. There are a whole bunch of other suggestions on these boards about food sharing. You could also check out this site http://allearsnet.com/ for all the menus at the disney parks. Have fun on your trip. :thewave:

 

[prncess674]

3 teenagers, 2 adults, 5 suitcases, 1 cooler sounds like one really packed room for two weeks. I would go absolutely nuts. Frankly being packed like sardines doesn't sound like vacation to me. Sure the moderate resorts have a little more ambiance but I will take an extra bathroom and the additional privacy of my own room any day. Just think how long it will take to get everyone ready in the morning (especially 2 teenage girls) with only 1 toilet and 1 shower and 5 people in a moderate room. I would definitly seek out 2 value rooms. I have lots of go easy friends but I can't think of one that I would want to share that tight of quarters with for two weeks.

 

[lc1965]

Welcome to the world of the Disney fanatic! Please try not to feel overwhelmed. Remember: this is supposed to be fun! I promise there won't be a test.

To address just one question: I stay at Port Orleans Riverside every time. We're simply in love w/ that resort. So beautiful, so relaxing, so convenient. I highly recommend not only POR, but the moderates over the values. For me, it's a question of convenience. The values are less money for a reason. The size of the room isn't really an issue because we're hardly ever there. But, the crowds, the lack of convenient busstops, etc. make it less attractive to me. That's an individual decision, though.

Have a wonderful time!!

 

[prncess674]

Originally posted by lc1965
Welcome to the world of the Disney fanatic! Please try not to feel overwhelmed. Remember: this is supposed to be fun! I promise there won't be a test.

To address just one question: I stay at Port Orleans Riverside every time. We're simply in love w/ that resort. So beautiful, so relaxing, so convenient. I highly recommend not only POR, but the moderates over the values. For me, it's a question of convenience. The values are less money for a reason. The size of the room isn't really an issue because we're hardly ever there. But, the crowds, the lack of convenient busstops, etc. make it less attractive to me. That's an individual decision, though.

Have a wonderful time!!

How many people are you travelling with in your party lc1965? The original poster is travelling with another family. I too could probably get by if the 5 people were all my immediate family but when it is friends (even close friends) I don't want to be crammed into a 300 square foot box for two weeks with people I am not related to. That close of quarters does not sound relaxing at all. The additional space and bathrooms will make the trip so much more peaceful for all parties. What if they start getting on each others nerves mid trip? there is no where to go to escape if they are all in one room. The biggest deciding factor for me would be the fact that the friend has two teenage girls! Have you ever shared a bathroom with two teenage girls that you aren't related to? That is a big adjustment, especially when the teenage girls are not your own. Each family having there own value room will make for a much more relaxing time.

Question to the OP? I assume you are stopping somewhere along the way? Since it would only be for one night I would think sharing a room on the road would be okay and would help cut a little off the budget.