HELP! My Large Family wants to do DISNEY

[eliza61]

No fall break for my college son. BUT, he's a soph at a community college and has a 4.0. We may be able to swing turning in work online. I'm confused as to what exactly the free dining means. How does that work?

Free dining is a promotion where if you stay on site and purchase a package they will give each member of your household "credits" for food on site.

So for example you each will get 1 snack credit and 1 Table service credits.
Now a ts credit will get you each an entree, a dessert and I believe a soft drink (some one double check me).

Word of warning, "Free dining" is not really free, you pay rack rates for the rooms. So you must do the math and see if its really going to save you money. For example my upcoming trip in september we are staying at the Broadwalk Inn. rake rae is $455/night. LOL. no way in heck would I pay that. so for my family the 30% room discount is the better deal.


Also remember that you still must tip.

 

[disneymomoftwins]

I know you didn't ask me, but we are staying at a 5 bedroom pool home in Indian Creek for around that price. We stayed here in 2011 and it was amazing. We will be there again July 14-21. The owner is really nice and we didn't have to pay the security deposit; she just held our credit card info until we checked out.

OP, something like this may work for you too. It's a great savings over staying online, and cooking even simple meals will save a lot of money. It was nice having a washer/dryer too, as we like to change clothes midday after being in the sticky heat.

http://www.vrbo.com/229838

Thank you for the information, I have emailed them an inquiry for a price quote!

 

[mommymeg]

No fall break for my college son. BUT, he's a soph at a community college and has a 4.0. We may be able to swing turning in work online. I'm confused as to what exactly the free dining means. How does that work?

I would like to add that free dining increases in value the larger your party is. $55/day-adults, $17/day-kids. That can add up very quickly in a larger family, especially one that has many hungry bellies. We chose to stay at Cabins at FW during free dining last year. We had 4 adults, 6 teens considered adults, and one child. The food was plentiful and I found it to be a tremendous savings. If you are not wanting to have the stress of meal planning, want to stay on property and not break the bank, this may be an option for you. Research is always key to a good Disney trip. Have fun either way!

 

[quandrea]

I am NEW to these boards, actually, I remember using them back in 2000 when my teens were so young and I saved a small fortune using the budget board (can't believe it's still here!) . We have not been to WDW since. I have 8 kids and a hubby who want to finally try and go. I'm not pregnant or nursing so it's the YEAR for us, but we would only do it debt free. SO we need HELP budgeting and planning. I'm scouring the boards and they are immensely helpful cost / benefits of driving straight through or staying in two hotel rooms with ten people?? We will have four drivers, want to either rent a 15 passenger, or drive our two older cars. Not sure what to do. Driving from houston. Any tips or links to other threads would be so helpful. I would LOVE to go for an extended time, like 10-14 days but it would probably be impossible. My family has not had any type of a vacation in years. With college age kids, we would probably go Dec 14th and stay through Christmas. Am I just CRAZY??? The older kids want to pitch in to help pay for it. Everyone knows how to cook so we would cook in the condo and bring snacks. I'm nervous, but think I just need to GO FOR IT.

Dvcbyrequest is a website that rents dvc points. You can save a lot with them. If you like them on Facebook you will receive last minute deal updates. Right now they are offering Saratoga for ten a point. Regular price is fourteen. You could snag a two bedroom there for a great price.

 

[quandrea]

One thing that I don't think anyone has mentioned, or really a couple:

1) Check out Disney Homeschool days. You might be able to get discounted tickets through Homeschool days.

2) Since you do Homeschool considering looking at the YES: Individual Enrollment.

3) For the college student - I think they have Disney YES College programs.

4) If you want to still have things to do on your down days, consider purchasing the Water Park Fun N More -- on your off days you could use those extra visits to do things like going to the Water Parks, Disney Quest, etc.

5) Just because someone on here says all the availability is gone for renting DVC for a Villa that would fit you all, still consider contacting someone who you can rent points through. It may surprise you. You may have to resort hop, which gives you a taste of what the different resorts are like. You may also have to consider going into say two two bedroom (or even a two bedroom and a One bedroom unit) rather than a villa.

6) GAC cards are available, and you can find information on those all over the place for your child with medical/special needs.

7) Also, I would avoid Labor Day Weekend. That week tends to be a bit more crowded, but in general, September has the lowest rates for DVC points needed for most of the resorts (a few have that as a more expensive season/time, but not all).

This poster is right about dvc availability. You don't have to get a grand villa. You could do a one br and studio or two br and studio. Saratoga often had availability and it is one of my favourites. You will save a bundle with cooking and snacks. If you do rent a car, check back often for rates. They often go down. I have been able to get a van for two hundred dollars for ten nights just with frequent checking.

I am a homeschooler to. Isn't it just the best?

 

[crisi]

There is no free dining on a DVC rental, just be aware of that. Also, be aware of the restrictions on a DVC rental or anything else you might do - a lot of the ways to save money involve entering into non-refundable deals - DVC rentals are usually non-refundable and you usually can't reschedule them either. So you need to be sure of your plans.

 

[HM]

Christmas is the most expensive time.
I'd suggest going next summer.
I also think getting a house offsite might be your best bet for comfort and money. With 10 people you'll need more than two rooms at most inexpensive resorts onsite.

 

[NC Disney Fan]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned the free dining. If you want to stay on Disney property, traveling during free dining would be a huge savings to a family your size. The rumor is that they will extend free dining through December. Someone posted that this will probably be announced about mid July. Keep your eye open if staying on property.

Beyond that--looks like you've gotten a ton of good advice.

 

[hsmamato2]

I think for OP the 2 cheapest choices are in order...rent a house offsite, but within 2 miles of property (check that it's close) and pay for food out of pocket-etc.groceries,bring food to parks-
or stay onsite at a time when the promos are running,like in Sept. for free dining, 5 people per room at a moderate hotel would be a HUGE savings for food. You'd need to buy cold cereal/milk for breakfast maybe, but then you'd pay for the room,and get one snack,one counter service,and one table service meal daily per person for that same price. the onsite option is nice b/c of the age range in the family, people can come and go easily to the parks/hotel by bus throughout the day- that,to me is priceless.
I think ,even if there were no price differences between Sept. or Jan. and December, you'll be much better off going at a low crowd time, it is NOT as much fun with crowds.

 

[SandrA9810]

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About your son. A) never miss first week of classes. If his butt is not in his seat on the first day, it could mean he loses his seat in the class. The same goes for online classes, he must log into the classroom on the first day. Unless he's taking professors he has already had and can speak to them about missing the first day of class, I'd never suggest doing it.
B) check his school schedule. It should be on the school's main website. Just google search "school name academic calendar." My school doesn't start till Jan 13. So going on vacation till the 11th wouldn't be an issue. College generally have shorter semesters than grade school. So you can still go during non peak times.
C) I still manage to get the cheaper airfare before travel season sets in. Sometimes it means flying out the day after finals.
D) I missed one week of classes because of a family emergency. I would not suggest missing classes for a vacation.


As for any holiday, I'd avoid it. Even if it's a three day weekend. That means that there are more local families visiting for the weekend. The rest of the week would be quiet, but those three days can get pretty busy.

 

[Marionnette]

No fall break for my college son. BUT, he's a soph at a community college and has a 4.0. We may be able to swing turning in work online. I'm confused as to what exactly the free dining means. How does that work?

There are 3 Dining Plans, two of which are included in "free dining".

• QSDP - Quick Service Dining Plan - includes a refillable mug plus 1 snack and 2 QS meals per person per night of your stay.
• DDP - Disney Dining Plan - includes a refillable mug plus 1 snack, 1 QS meal and one TS (table service) meal per person per night of your stay.
• DxDP - Deluxe Disney Dining Plan - includes a refillable mug plus 1 snack and 3 flexible credits (which can be used for either QS or TS meals) per person per night of your stay.

You can read about the details of each plan here:
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/m...alog/WaltDisneyWorld/en_us/PDF/2013Dining.pdf

In the current version of "free dining", you must pay the rack rate for your room and also must purchase at least 2-day base tickets for everyone in your room. If you are staying in a Value Resort, you will receive the QSDP for free. If you are staying in a moderate or a deluxe resort, you will receive the DDP for free. You can upgrade to the more expensive dining plans by paying the difference between what your dining plan would have cost and what the upgraded plan costs.

In order to be able to book any Disney promotion, your stay must begin within the dates that the discount is being offered. In other words, you cannot start your vacation on 9/1 and get free dining this year. Your first day cannot be prior to 9/2. On the other hand, if you were to check in on the last day of the promotion (9/25), you would get free dining for your entire stay even though you are there after the promotion expires. The promotion also has a minimum stay of 3 nights.

A couple of things to note:

• A 2-year-old does not count towards the occupancy limit for your room. So, it will be possible for you to book 5 people in a regular room with an occupancy limit of 4 as long as one of those people is under 3.
• The minimum age for checking into a room is 18. If your 18-year-old does not make the trip with you, it will be necessary for you to book your rooms with your husband in one and yourself in the other.
• You can ask for connecting rooms (rooms with interior doors that opens between the two rooms). They are not guaranteed and since you have at least one "over 18" for each room, Disney does not have to provide you with one.

It's quite possible that free dining could be a good fit for your family. I believe that in most cases, it is less expensive to stay in a Value Resort and pay to upgrade to the DDP than it is to book a Moderate Resort to get the DDP for free. You might want to check into both to see which might save you money. I know that when I priced out both for a late-Sept. 9-night stay for a family of 2 adults and 2 teens, the Moderate Resort (std. view) was a couple of hundred $$ more than the Value Resort (std. location) and paying for the DDP upgrade. The 9 nights at the Value Resort with 7-day base tickets and paying to upgrade to the DDP cost $2740 for 2 adults and 2 teens. It was $2999 for the same family to stay 9-nights at a moderate with the same tickets.

You can play around with dates, resorts and the dining plans on the Disney website.
http://bookwdw.reservations.disney....mo&promotionCode=fy13q4dine&market=fy13q4dine

 

[davedmaine]

I'm SO OVERWHELMED by all the HELP!!! I'm not sure how you copy the quotes so I can answer specific questions raised in this thread. We definitely won't rent a 15 passenger. We may have a 12 passenger by then, or take two cars. I would LOVE the magic of staying on site, but my husband will be dragging his feet to come on this trip so I really need a place where he can NOT go to Disney every day, rest and relax. Our kids are 18, 16, 14, 10, 8, 5, and 2. My oldest is 20 and getting married in a WEEK. She and her new hubby most likely would not come, but maybe if we had a large home she could come for a shorter time. I should be planning a wedding, but this is my therapy, planning a vacation.
We actually have some flexibility in dates, if my oldest son could miss some classes at college. Our family homeschools and I was toying with the thought of going around Labor day. Is it really a big savings to go off peak times? We could also go right after Christmas or after the new year. I don't know the peak times exactly yet.
I like the idea of cooking, we have lots of chefs in the family and the family EATS like CRAZY. I can see the eating out bill KILLING our budget. BUT I also am intrigued with whoever said something about a dining plan and paying that ahead of time so dad doesn't fret about how much it's costing. How do I do that? I'm SUCH a newbie. THANKS!!!!

The dining plan is a losing proposition. If you want to pay in advance, put the money instead on a Disney gift card before the trip.

 

[davedmaine]

kjetjl is right, free dining saves a BUNDLE and we have done it, but right now it's only available from 9/2/13-9/25/13. It means staying onsite, paying rack rate, and buying tickets from DIsney BUT you usually only have to buy a minimal number of days on the ticket (not sure if it'd be cheaper to do 2 days tickets through the room and 7 through UT). I have noticed that when passes are bundled into a Disney room rate, the passes appear to be cheaper than buying from UT. Free dining is NOT available if you are staying in family suites at All Stars or Art of Animation, usually. Also, if you stay at a value resort "free dining" means two counter service meals and one snack per day, per person, plus a resort mug per person. Staying at a moderate and above gets you one counter service, one table service, and one snack per person, per day, plus a resort mug. Resort mugs are valuable as you can get "free" unlimited coffee, tea, iced tea, hot chocolate, and soda at your resort hotel food court (NOT in the parks). Kids under two can eat off your plate for free. Technically kids 9 and under have to order from the kids menu, regardless of dining plan. (I say technically because apparently there is some wiggle room here on cs meals, depending on location/cm.) Remember that you can pay for a Disney package over time (6 months? I think?) but within a certain window (45 days? 30?), you have to pay in full when you make the reservation. If you don't have the available cash to do that, it would let out going in september for free dining. However, you can roll the dice and make the reservation for early January, and hope they offer free dining! I am not sure what Disney's cancellation policies are. If you go in September, would your college student miss school for your entire vacation, or just a couple of days (i.e. come down for a long weekend?) If he's doing a long weekend, I'd suggest he take off either Thurs/Fri or Mon/Tues, rather than Fri/Mon, so he only misses one day of each kind of class (assuming his college classes follow the MWF or TTh schedule).

These are just random thoughts I have had; if I cannot plan my own Disney vacation, I like to live vicariously by planning vacation for others!! I think you need to do a pros/cons sheet for several different travel dates and see how they measure up.

Free dining does Not save a bundle. Go for a room discount instead.

 

[momjeeps]

Depends on your family size. For our family of six free dining is always a better deal than room only. If not for free dining we stay offsite much cheaper.

 

[Deb & Bill]

If for some reason your oldest son was unable to join the family, leaving the oldest child under the age of 18, you and your spouse would have to split up if you got more than one room. You would have to have at least one 18 yr old in a room.

And I still stick with the concept that you can't get a grand villa for December this late. The last minute points from David have deadlines for when the points can be used. Usually before the end of the month. So the message than came out a day ago, the points expire at the end of July.

Renting DVC points will still be more expensive than getting multiple less expensive rooms. Like a family suite and a standard room.

 

[Marionnette]

The dining plan is a losing proposition. If you want to pay in advance, put the money instead on a Disney gift card before the trip.

Free dining does Not save a bundle. Go for a room discount instead.

Free dining can actually be a better deal for larger families with teenagers. The OP has a family of 9, 6 of whom are age 10+. And one is a toddler who does not count toward the room capacity nor does that child need a ticket. Room discounts at the value resorts (15%-20% off of the rack rate) don't come anywhere near as close to the amount of money the OP could save on food if she were to book a free dining stay.

If for some reason your oldest son was unable to join the family, leaving the oldest child under the age of 18, you and your spouse would have to split up if you got more than one room. You would have to have at least one 18 yr old in a room.

And I still stick with the concept that you can't get a grand villa for December this late. The last minute points from David have deadlines for when the points can be used. Usually before the end of the month. So the message than came out a day ago, the points expire at the end of July.

Renting DVC points will still be more expensive than getting multiple less expensive rooms. Like a family suite and a standard room.

I totally agree. The chances of being able to book a grand villa for Christmas of this year are pretty much nil. The OP really needs to start her search for that kind of room about a year in advance.

 

[disneymomoftwins]

I know you didn't ask me, but we are staying at a 5 bedroom pool home in Indian Creek for around that price. We stayed here in 2011 and it was amazing. We will be there again July 14-21. The owner is really nice and we didn't have to pay the security deposit; she just held our credit card info until we checked out.

OP, something like this may work for you too. It's a great savings over staying online, and cooking even simple meals will save a lot of money. It was nice having a washer/dryer too, as we like to change clothes midday after being in the sticky heat.

http://www.vrbo.com/229838

I received the quote and it is the best price we have gotten so far. Thanks for the information!!!!

 

[crisi]

With offsite, one car and a large family of diverse ages, do your research on where you can each spend some time. For instance, the littler ones might want a mid day break. You can't use the onsite pools, but you can head over to the lobby of one of the theme park adjacent hotels and have some down time. Or ride the monorail or the MK train for a few loops. While the older kids continue to tour. You might want to add stroller rental to your budget - the Disney double strollers will easily fit a six or seven year old and the smallest ones can ride (preferably in a stroller brought from home) while the middle ones take turns and the oldest walk. This might be a good way to tour something like World Showcase. They will be long days, and you'll have multiple schedules to adapt to.

Have good meet up plans - locations and times. You'll find Disney very hard to move through with ten people, so you'll want touring plans that have you experience some things as a family, and other things in smaller groups.

(I'd also avoid Christmas like the plague. You aren't going to believe how many people fit in that park - and it will close at some point due to capacity issues. Your little ones won't see much but crowds of taller people).

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

I have only read the first page of responses but I would have to say that ppl suggesting you to stay on property are not paying attention to what you posted. It obviously needs to be a budget trip if your kids are having to help you pay for it.

And 2 suites at AoA would cost you about $700 a day so saving $30 on parking is a ridiculous concept.

You can look at VRBO, Homeaway or Villa Direct and rent a 5 bedroom house with a game room and private pool for about $200 a night.

You can make a food run and buy breakfast, dinner and snacks and drinks for the house then you can splurge and have a CS lunch. For 10 ppl it will cost you about $140 for a CS lunch if everybody has dessert and a drink.

I would never even consider staying onsite with a family as big as yours.

You could even buy a few insulated backpacks and take in sandwiches for lunch if you needed to save that money as well for lunch.

You obviously will have a stroller or two with that many kids so you could bring in one or two bottles of water for everybody under the stroller. That will save you a ton of money every day not having to buy extra drinks.

I also agree with a Pp that I would rent the big 15 passenger van instead of getting 2 cars. With only 10 ppl in a 15 passenger van you should have plenty of room to stack up some suitcases.

Pack light. If you are staying in a vacation rental home with a washer and dryer you can pack just 5 days worth of clothes for a 10 day trip and do some laundry half way through the trip.

 

[torinsmom]

I received the quote and it is the best price we have gotten so far. Thanks for the information!!!!

You're welcome. I wanted to stay there last year, but the calendar feels up really fast. I booked almost a year in advance this time. Last year we had a horrible experience in a townhome, including no electricity when we got there, then no AC, then a broken fridge. I am so glad to know I will be comfortable this year.