Hello! & help me plan my first trip!

[swiftlikeninjas]

Hello Disney lovers! This is my first post, but I'm a long time lurker.. and a huge Disney fan in general!

First off- I'm a Disney nut that's never been to a Disney Park! What!? So sad.......
I've been dreaming of my first Disney adventure literally my entire life. I was raised on Disney! In fact, some of my best memories revolve around D relayed things. From movies to shows to characters...I love it all and have my whole life. Nothing makes me happier than Disney.. It truly brings out the happy-go-lucky child within me like nothing else can!
So! It brings me great pleasure to announce.....I'm finally planning my first trip to Disney World! YES!! Soon, I will finally get to experience something I've dreamed of my whole life!
Now, I need your help.. Because I'm on a budget! The only way my family can afford to go is if we try to scrimp and*save as much as humanly possible. I've done tons of research over the years, but now that the time has finally come, I'm completely lost & overwhelmed! I've realized that if I wanted to do all the things I've planned over the years, I'd have to be there for a month.. AT LEAST! And that's just if I go alone, & only do the things I want to do. I'm sure some can relate.. lol.
I suppose now is a good time to share my (basic) details:
I plan on traveling by car from Ohio with my husband, our two kids (ages 8 and 5) and my mother in law. Ideally, we'd like to be there for Thanksgiving vacation so the kids don't have to miss school. However, we're also open to mid November or early December plans to avoid large crowds. We plan to spend 2-3 days in Disney, at our preferred parks (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom & Hollywood Studios). As of now, we plan to stay at an offsite hotel or a KOA cabin, unless we can get a better deal at the Art of Animation resort. I haven't yet found a Disney dining plan to suit our needs because we will probably eat mosty quick-service meals during our stay with maybe one or two casual dining meals thrown in. We definitely don't need a park jumper option or a water park admittance either. We're kind of interested in the photo service (I forget the actual name?), but that is dependent on the cost. Also, we plan to be in Florida for at least two extra days outside of Disney, so any suggestions on affordable, kid-friendly activities and overnight accomdations are welcome!

Thanks in advance for any guidance I may get. I'm beyond excited to plan, and share this trip with my fellow Disney lovers!

 

[Aliceacc]

Hi and welcome!

We're both teachers, and we only go over the summer. So I can't really help much on a lot of the November-specific things. But I thought I would get you started.

If you're thinking of staying on site, your options as a group of 5 are a bit limited. The cheapest would be a Trundle room at Port Orleans Riverside (a moderate)... but that means that grandma sleeps with one of your kids.

If that doesn't work, then your next cheapest onsite option is either 2 (hopefully connecting) rooms at a Value Restort, or a family suite at All Star Music.

As to dining: I'm not sure I would hope too hard for free dining over Thanksgiving. That time of year is busy at WDW, so there's no incentive for them to offer it.

Could I throw a total game changer at you? Is there any way you would consider either late this summer or summer 2015? Here's my reasoning: For starters, you could probably stay longer and see more of the parks. During summer ("Value or Value II season) the resort prices drop. If you're willing to look at September (or possibly very late August) you might have a shot at that free dining promo. The parks are open from dawn until late in the evening. Yes, it's hot. But we manage to get back to the pool every afternoon for a few hours, so the heat isn't a big issue. And you wouldn't face the possiblity of driving through a snowstorm as you leave or arrive close to home.

And right now Disney is offering a great summer special-- we saved a a LOT of money on this trip (we're staying at a Deluxe; it's another of the options that works well for a family of 5. The Deluxes are discounted 35% if you stay 6 or more nights this summer-- it saved us $1000.) We've been saving for this trip for 2 years, and already had the money in the bank for the original trip, so it's literally money in our pockets.

We tend to stay 7 nights, and still find that we can't see and do everything.

Anyway, I did want to mention all that for your consideration. Waiting until next year would also mean that every occasion between now and then could include a Disney gift card-- think Christmas gifts from the Aunts and Uncles, one in the Easter Basket, birthday and Mothers and Fathers Day gifts. That's how we handle spending money-- we spend whatever we want because we've been stockpiling gift cards for a year or so.

OK, back to your real questions:

As to the Memory Maker package-- we always get a Photopass-- that's what it used to be called. My husband works with a photgrapher's studio when he's not teaching, so we have tons of pictures of the kids. It's so nice to have Disney pictures that actually include our whole family. And it means that there are some days when we venture out of our resort without his camera case (OK, in the interests of full disclosure: that doesn't really happen. But sometimes he takes the SMALL case, the one that weighs less than my 11 year old daughter.)

Take a look at the Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert Party, and consider trying to get tickets. (Mother's Day gift for the moms in your party possi bly???) It means you'll have lots of desserts to sample. Tink flies right over your head. And a cup of coffee-- and a SEAT for the fireworks. It was our Christmas gift for my brother and sister in law and their families, all of whom will be joining us in WDW this summer.

Anyway, hope that gets you started. Happy planning and, again, welcome!

 

[esquared221]

We penny pinch as well but I'd highly recommend splurging on PhotoPass. It's aworth every penny IMO. I'm the photographer in our family and that means I'm almost never in any of the pictures. PhotoPass ensures that you will get professional quality pictures of your trip and shots of the WHOLE family that would otherwise be very difficult to get (unless you enjoy lugging around a tripod or asking strangers every few minutes to take a shot of your fam with your camera). Some of our absolutely best pictures of our family are taken by PhotoPass photographers

Also, if you're looking to save money something that's def a good idea is to hit Walmart when you get into town and stock up on water bottles, juice boxes and your family's favorite snacks. These can be brought into the park and will ensure that everyone stays hydrated and happy without breaking the bank. Based on a brilliant suggestion I read on the planning boards earlier this week I'm planning on bringing a largish soft sided lunch tote and will fill it with cold drinks and snacks to bring with us when we go in **16 DAYS!!** (I'm not excited or anything ). That way we only have to spend money on meals and a special treat rather than standing in line and shelling out $$ every time someone gets thirsty.

Anyway, pour over the boards. There's so many great ideas out there from very experienced Disney travelers!

 

[Pylegirl]

Hello from Iowa! We are planning our 1st trip and have 4 children DD 9,8 and DS 7,6 lol or I guess they will be when we go in June 2015. Can't wait to hear more about your trip!!! We are also driving, since I teach as well summer seems like our longest trip to make the journey!