Going end of exams Jan 28 any advice on on site?

[Sillyminny40]

We have been 5 times to WDW and this is our final decision. If all 3 kids can do well at school we will miss 3 days of school to do 7 days of WDW only. Would love to stay on site.
Any advice from cdns? Thanks all.

 

[mtmbyck]

We did this exact stay in 2006 - Jan 28th arrival. We stayed at POFQ and we did the dining plan. Plus, because it was considered a slow season, Disney was offering the plus and hopper options for free on a basic pass. I think you should stay on property (no car needed or shuttle from the airport). Go for a moderate - I haven't tried CSR but it sure gets great reviews on these boards. Our favourite's are POFQ and CBR but CBR is huge so you can get an undesired location. You can't go wrong at POFQ - it is smaller and quaint and the pool is great (although that year it was so cold we never went in!). You can rent boats and bikes at POR - walking distance - and you can take a boat to DTD shopping or dining in the evenings.

Evenings are chilly so pack gloves and hats!

 

[Sillyminny40]

Thanks MTM. The dining plan seems complicated to me, maybe it isn't? We have 3 boys ages 12 to 16 and they EAT a lot!
Can on site guests still get extra perks for the parks? Thanks.

 

[mtmbyck]

When we did the dining plan, it was simple - all inclusive....so you did not need to pay anything at your meals. And it was more food than most people can or should eat! By the end of the week we were trying desperately to use up our snack vouchers picking up ice cream bars, bottled water and mickey rice crispie squares. We even combined 2 sit down meals for a dinner show - the Spirit of Aloha at POLY. It was an amazing trip with amazing meals - charater dining, resort dining, it was great - don't worry about having enough food - it is TONS! Overal, it is a great deal - or it was........

So I haven't done it since it changed but evidently now you do have to pay gratuities and also for some non-alcohol drinks. I still think it would be a great deal - dining at WDW is not cheap and this plan makes it much more affordable. I recommend it!

 

[mtmbyck]

forgot to answer your question about on-site vs off-site perks.......

I'll be honest, in the past 7 years, we have only stayed on property once and this is when we did it all - dining etc. We usually rent a house near the parks. But this year we are going to stay on property again - I miss it. Our decision is always based on finances and convenience.

Perks on-site....extra magic hours at the parks, shuttle to and from the resort/airport and they handle your luggage, shipping park purchases back to your room, bus transportation to the parks (you don't need to blow $12 each day to park), great Disney themeing and just being a part of "the world".

Off-site ....you will need a car and will have to pay for parking daily (unless hotel has a shuttle which will no doubt have limited service). You can still go to the resorts to dine, have ice cream, walk around and take in the sites, but you can't use the amenities (mind you - we rented a boat at POLY for an afternoon and we weren't staying there). YOu can escape the Disney crowds at your own provate home or less busy resort - hopefully.

Hope this helps.

 

[tricia]

If there are 5 of you travelling you will have to get, 2 rooms at a value or moderate, or one of the rooms at a Deluxe that will hold 5, or one of the family suites at ASMus, or a Fort Wilderness Cabin. There are less choices for 5 and they are more expensive, but they are still available.

In regards to the meal plan, I feel it is worth it if you plan on eating 1 Table Service meal per day. If you are just eat on the fly, or counter service people it would prob. not be worth it.

 

[mtmbyck]

Not necessarily true - depending on the age of your kids. You can sleep 5 at POR in the old Bayou section - they have the trundle bed under the 2nd bed for the 5th guest. My brother is going next month with his 3 DD's. The youngest is 8 and she is sleeping on the trundle. It's a great resort.

 

[tricia]

mtm, good point, but the kids are 12 - 16 and all boys. The trundle bed might be a bit small for the average size 12 year old.

 

[Sillyminny40]

They are big boys! 5'5, 6 ft, 6 ft so mother would be on the trundle bed!

 

[NancyK]

If you are going to have a car, I would stay off site. Check out the Orlando Hotel board on this site. Many people love the options at Windsor Hills. You could rent a three bedroom townhouse for quite a reasonable price.
In the past we have booked Cypress Pointe/Cypress Pointe Grand Villas through hotelkingdom.com. You could get a three bedroom condo. It's located about a mile or so from the DTD resort area. Very easy to get to the parks etc. And with three boys, you could stock your fridge with food/snacks for before and after your park touring. The price doesn't include housekeeping service, but there is a washer/dryer, full kitchen, three TVs, three bathrooms etc. We went with our two boys who are in their early twenties and they loved it.
I honestly think you would be too cramped in one room at Port Orleans. You could always rent two rooms at one of the value resorts - if you have CAA you may be able to get a discounted room on site.
Happy planning!

 

[Debbie]

Just a quick comment on the dining plan. I know you said your boys eat a lot, but when we took the girls (12 and 15 at the time) and did the dining plan, we did not get favourable reviews from them. Oh, they loved the food (and it included appetizers and tips at the time), and it was a great deal, but the girls hated that it took so much time away from the parks. "It was let's get out of here and get rolling 'cause there's so much to dooooo."

 

[mtmbyck]

NancyK has a good point. I was on Redweek.com and there were all kinds of timeshare rentals at Bonnet Creek which is basicaly on property but not a WDW Resort and it looked lovely and they have 2 bedroom units which would be ideal for you. BUT, a little less magic. It is right near DTD. I was pricing out a 2 bedroom for a week at $1200! But I think you'll need a car then $$ and will have to pay for parking.

Also a good point on the DDP. My DD's were 6 and 8 at the time and they appreciated having sit down meals strategically booked around our fun in the parks. Honestly, the only meal we had in a parks was Cinderella's Castle. Our other sit down meals were at resorts and DTD. You end up using the counter service meals at the parks......if you have hungry boys, I think it will be great. We had steak and lobster one evening at Capt'n Jacks (DTD) and I swear our bill would have been over $100 for DH and I !!!

 

[Sillyminny40]

Our strategy a thte parks is to go as early as possible (yeah we need hoodies and mitts in Jan) and then have a big sit down lunch and keep going.
Th dining plan appears complicated though!

 

[tricia]

Dining plan is not complicated. You get 1 TS, 1 CS, and 1 snack per night that you stay onsite. If you have a 7 night holiday that means 7 of each for each member of your party. All of your party are Disney adults, so the credits are all the same. You would have 35 TS Credits, 35 CS credits and 35 snack credits all together.

Generally, what I do, is grab a muffin or danish (1 snack credit) each for breakfast at the resort. And pay for any extras and Milk and such.

For lunch (early, like at eleven thirty) we stop at a counter service place and all get our CS allotment (a combo meal such as burger, fries and drink, or pizza, salad and drink)

Then I always have ADR's for dinner, where we use our TS credit, which I think now includes Entree and dessert and non alchoholic beverage. If you want an appetiser or a more elaborate drink than fountain pop or coffee they will just bring you one bill to apply your credits towards, and then a separate one that you pay cash/VISA/Mastercard/etc. for.

Now, If you want to have a big lunch as indicated in PP, just reverse my Dinner and lunch and do it that way. The only thing is the TS is not as interesting in the parks, so I usually leave the theme parks for dinner at a place like Boma, or Chef Mickeys, or Wilderness Lodge, or 'Ohana etc.

 

[mtmbyck]

Just to clarify .....when you check in, these credits are automatically put on your Key To The World (Room Key) card. So you can use as many or as few in a day as you wish. But the fact remains that you have all of this "paid for" food to use up.

So you know you have 35 Table Service (TS) meals (Keep in mind that these can run you about $35 per plate so there's your savings already)- but the boys want to do counter service (CS) and you want a sit down - no worries....just use them however you wish - give the boys the counter service meals and you can use all of the TS meals (at least this is how it worked in 2006 - it was not guests specific - except if you had child meals). The resort can tell you anytimne how many are left.

The snacks are great little perks - muffins, bottles of water, ice cream, pocorn....and you can use them as often as you wish - 4 in one day, 2 another....

Print out the DDP brochure and have a look. It really is a great way to experience Disney! You'll find your self dining at places you might never have tried - Coral Reef, Wolrd Showcase.....ENJOY!

 

[Sillyminny40]

Great and simple explanations! Thanks so much. DH thinks it is great too and it will make life easier.
Now we need to decide on rooms. Probably 2 value rooms.

 

[tricia]

Two values is probably your cheapest alternative. It also comes with the benefit of 2 bathrooms and a door between the rooms to close if some are night owls or early risers and others are not.

 

[Sillyminny40]

Yeah, my dh and I love early morning coffee at 6 am!