HELP needed Trip dates 11/10/11 -11/14/11

[jschlagetter]

OK Any help appreciated. This is our very first trip to Walt Disney World and there is so much information out there it is very overwhelming. We have our dates set as 11/10/11 - 11/14/11. We need help deciding which hotel and how many days to actually get tix to WDW. We will do the park hopper but not the waterparks. Wasn't sure if I should get tix for the day we check in (get into FL early but check in time is in afternoon) and the day we check out (our flight is at 9pm.) Any suggestions as to staying in a Disney hotel vs non Disney on Disney property. Our kids will be almost 5 and almost 3. Thanks for any suggestions/tips on price saving, hotels, tix!!!!

Jacqui

 

[tina.tina]

We stayed on site at Pop and loved it. It's very convenient to ride the buses to/from the parks. Regardless of whether your room is ready or not, you could check in early and leave your luggage at the resort if your room is not ready. Then catch a bus to a park. You can be having fun before your room is ready.

Hoppers cost a lot of money. I probably would probably work out a plan and then decide whether to get hoppers or not. Check out www.easywdw.com for the crowd calendar with suggestions for the best park to visit which days. You can even decide to add hoppers after you get there.

With kids the ages of yours, I would think you would want to maximize your time at Magic Kingdom. You should decide before you go whether you want to go to all 4 parks and try to work out a schedule to meet your goals.

I would definitely suggest getting passes for arrival & departure days.

 

[lovesdumbo]

I have a trip planned for 11/10 to 11/15 with a friend. We are booked right now with a AAA room only discount. I haven't given up hope of getting something better (we both have APs) but we are OK with paying that if we have to.

With APs we get hopping and I do love to hop but I have to agree with your children's ages you might want to reconsider getting hopping tickets. You can always add it to your tickets after you get there if you really want it. It is cheaper to add those 2 days to your tickets than to add hopping. You could just start with 3 day tickets and upgrade as you need/want when you get there. Your under 3 year old won't need a ticket.

I also agree with previous poster on Pop. I've been there 6 times and really enjoy it.

 

[plutolovr]

If you're arriving early go ahead and get tickets for your first day. You can check into your resort anytime after 6am and get your tickets for the parks, you just won't get your room assignment yet, unless you're really lucky. You can leave your luggage with the resort and enjoy your day.