help choosing days of arrival and departure ? first trip with a Child!

[popriv]

originally a 3 night day trip with my DW & 4yr. GD has become a 5 night trip to include her mom, my DD.
We regretfully never made it to Disney until my kid were adults in 2004. DW and I have been 6 times since by ourselves. We have never experienced it through the eyes of a child.. so I'm really looking forward to making this trip special for little Sienna. We've been there, done that so this will be all about Sienna… requires a different planning strategy,, Family laughs at all the planning, I enjoy it. I plan like crazy but when we get there, I can go with the flow and any changes that occur are fine.. no worries.

Great that Mom can make it as she would have hate to miss the 1st experience with Sienna and it will take the total burden off us.. She was happy for Sienna to go but Is ecstatic that she will get to be there.

So, the question I'm working on now is day of arrival and departure. We have always gone Sunday to friday… considering other options now.. We are planning on the week before Halloween 2015, Oct, 25th.
But could go from Saturday the 24th to Saturday the 31st ? or anything in between. 5, 6 or 7 nights?

I know weekends would be the busiest at the parks?
I just read saturday flights could be cheaper?
Am I correct I could package room for 7 days, buy tickets for 5 days ( two rest days ) and still be eligible for free dining if it happens my week? I know the extra ticket days aren't that much $?
When will that announce Free dining for fall 2015?? I'm waiting for that before I book the week? make sense?

Usually the last day is a noon flight out, just ready to get home.
This trip with Sienna I'm considering getting a late flight home and squeezing in one more day at MK for her.

Thanks for any help.


Steve

 

[MandiC]

I think as long as you book a room/ticket package you get the free dining, we had 7 nights, 6 park days and got stay-play-dine.
I have not noticed any huge difference for flights, I know people say that but for me, when I checked Fridays were the cheapest flights, some people say Wednesdays are, Tuesdays are, ect. I would book based on which days you would like to do the parks. If you are going while they are doing Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party maybe you could look at what those dates are and decide when you want to go based on if you are interested in going to that or not? I believe free dining is usually announced in May? Early May if I remember right from last year.
I would do a late flight out, remember you have to board the Magical Express back to the airport 3 HOURS before your flight time, we booked a 3pm flight thinking we'd have the morning to relax and browse downtown Disney...well most of the stores in Downtown Disney don't even open until 10am and then I had to feed everyone before we went to the airport....it just ended up being rushed and kind of stressful. In hindsight I plan on booking the latest possible flight out in the future and hope the kids are so exhausted from all the fun they fall asleep for the flight home.