Help. Overwhelmed. 1st Disney Trip June 2020

[VandVsmama]

The problem is they to go in June, so their 180 days for dining reservations will need to be made in December. If they doesn't book a reservation prior to that they can only book dining 180 one at a time instead of 180 days plus the length of trip. So if they wants any hard to get dining reservations they may be out of luck without an onsite stay already booked. There is no advantage as far as making it easier to get a discount by booking prior to discounts being released. However, if you know you want to go with or without the discount you should book right away. It also depends on the deal, this past deal actually ended up being more expensive than the original package booked for some people because of an increase in rack rates since they booked.

I agree.

 

[sponica]

I was told there is no advantage in booking before the discounts come out by an experienced disboard member. I know last year the summer discounts came out in January.

There's no technical advantage but if you're not flexible on dates or you know you will only be happy in a certain resort, then it's book as early as you know you're going. I budget at rack rate, if i can apply a discount, great and if I can't I'm no "worse" off.

 

[Derb]

Hi, we plan on making our first trip to Orlando for Disney World in June. I know it is not this simple, but there is SOOOO much info here i don't know where to start. I am not poor, but I am far from rich so i need to find some bargains but am willing to pay a few extra bucks if makes sense, will never pay top price though. 2 adults, 1 child that is 10. Thinking about booking at resort hotels since they are closer and dont have to pay for parking and maybe easier to go back and forth to room without getting in own vehicle? Is it better (cheaper) to book far in advance or wait until closer to next summer for deals to pop up? Don't see no specials going on right now for next summer. Cheaper to buy park tickets separate than resort or packages? Not too picky about which resort. something that is decent but not too expensive. If a link to help, thanks in advance!

I wouldn't go in June, it's hot as hell. October-May I can recommend. Also, I recommend POP Century Resort. It's a value resort, not too expensive, on the Skyliner route. Buy park tickets with the room, they are cheaper the more days you buy. Book now, and you can always change them if something better comes along. Do it online, very easy.

 

[stephk1981]

If you have exact dates you need them possibly books resort you are willing to pay rack rate/ no discounts. I won't pay rack rate....but our schedule is normally flexible. When I begin planning a trip, I have a general idea of time frame we want to go but not specific. I wait for discounts to be released, and see what resorts we can get and what day. We went this past July ( summer is not a favorite time to visit because like sponica said....SO hot.)We we're meeting SIL, she's a teacher so no other choice but summer. We still waited for discounts to be released before booking.....I just can't book without a discount...I just can't! . Have a great trip!

 

[Mome Rath]

Hi, we plan on making our first trip to Orlando for Disney World in June.

As a veteran WDW traveler, I actually have started liking the summer months better than the rest of the year... depending on exactly when you are going the crowds seem to be better now during the summer than in previous years. It's hot, just plan for that, and afternoon showers.

I know it is not this simple, but there is SOOOO much info here i don't know where to start. I am not poor, but I am far from rich so i need to find some bargains but am willing to pay a few extra bucks if makes sense, will never pay top price though. 2 adults, 1 child that is 10.

As others have said, you do need a general budget. Also, it will depend on what your family focuses on; how important is the hotel, meaning how long will you be in the room vs. the parks, how important is the pool, how about food choices? A moderate can be a good compromise, but if you want a more Disney "in your face" kinda vibe, Pop Century can be a lot of fun, esp. now with the Skyliners.

Thinking about booking at resort hotels since they are closer and dont have to pay for parking and maybe easier to go back and forth to room without getting in own vehicle?

Yes, it's a lot easier to go back and forth on property without having your own vehicle; depending on the hotel you'll have buses, Skyliners, boats, or monorails. You will pay Disney prices for the hotel, but for us at least, it's worth it as we fly in, and have no interest in driving while there. If you are driving, you do have a parking fee at the hotel now.

Is it better (cheaper) to book far in advance or wait until closer to next summer for deals to pop up?

Discounts are never guaranteed and if there's a hotel you want with a room type you want, you should go ahead and book and then when a discount comes out, try to get one for the hotel you pick. You also need a hotel reservation for early FP booking. As others have said, if you don't want to monitor for the deals yourself (easy to do if you follow discount boards here, and then easy to apply online), then pick a Disney travel agent that will watch for those deals for you... it is better if you have interest in doing it yourself, I'm now faster on the draw than the TA I used to use, but for a new Disney goer that may be too overwhelming.

Cheaper to buy park tickets separate than resort or packages?

We never get a package, we feel they are too restrictive and we don't like the payment date policies. We try to find deals on tickets (such as through Undercover Tourist), and we try to find the best room only discounts and want the freedom to modify both on their own. We also never do the dining plan offers, so no need to do a package.

Get a My Disney Experience account and familiarize yourself with it. After initial decisions, read up on Fast Pass usage and rules.

Come back here with more questions about anything! Hope you have a great first trip!

 

[ryman471]

Thanks All! I got a much better perspective now from your help! I know it is only the beginning, but i got a good idea of my game-plan now. I have to get set dates early so will plan early to mid June. was going to do 4 days but the price of the 5th right now is only 30 bucks more total for the 3 of us! Going to go with a resort on site and make it a value resort. ticket part for 5 days for the 3 of us is 1,500. total for 5 days at some places like All-star music or All-star movies is 2,700 total so that is less than 250 a night, which is what my goal was to keep tickets and hotel under 3K. the one under 'moderate' that isn't much more is coronado springs for couple hundred more so will see if maybe worth it. Still got to figure out fast pass and dinner plans and if i want any of that stuff or not but your help has helped a lot so far! Hoping to get some time to look it over more this weekend. I like to plan Thanks!

 

[SG131]

Thanks All! I got a much better perspective now from your help! I know it is only the beginning, but i got a good idea of my game-plan now. I have to get set dates early so will plan early to mid June. was going to do 4 days but the price of the 5th right now is only 30 bucks more total for the 3 of us! Going to go with a resort on site and make it a value resort. ticket part for 5 days for the 3 of us is 1,500. total for 5 days at some places like All-star music or All-star movies is 2,700 total so that is less than 250 a night, which is what my goal was to keep tickets and hotel under 3K. the one under 'moderate' that isn't much more is coronado springs for couple hundred more so will see if maybe worth it. Still got to figure out fast pass and dinner plans and if i want any of that stuff or not but your help has helped a lot so far! Hoping to get some time to look it over more this weekend. I like to plan Thanks!

FYI between the two resorts 100% book all star movies over music. The rooms at movies have just been renovated and have queen size beds. Renovations at music just started so you MAY be able to get a renovated room in June or you may be stuck with two full size beds and gross old carpet.

 

[ryman471]

Also, I am thinking of doing 5 days. Full day at each park and 5th day we choose which one we want for a 2nd time then our 6th day vacation will be relaxing all day on a beach. curious, because i know it is blazing hot in June but that is our only choice because of my parenting time. Is there many water rides or cooling stations at the parks to keep cool? I dont mean the water parks. dont really want to spend the extra money on those. i am from northeast Indiana and we already got plenty of nice water-parks in the area and dont want to use our time or money on that. thanks

 

[Mome Rath]

Every park, except AK, keeps things very well air conditioned inside (to me it's freezing lol), especially in the summer months. Space out the things you are doing to plan cooling off breaks during the day. If doing Quick Serve locations for food find one with seating indoors. I find the water rides, such as Splash Mountain, hit or miss when it comes to actually getting you wet. There is free ice water available at QS locations, sometimes in a big container usually by the door, or just go up to the service counter (not the cashiers) and ask. Stay hydrated, pace yourself, and duck into shops to cool off. If it gets too much to handle, a mid-day break at a hotel isn't a bad idea.

The hottest park is AK, it retains humidity and doesn't let a lot of wind reach you.

 

[stephk1981]

Also, I am thinking of doing 5 days. Full day at each park and 5th day we choose which one we want for a 2nd time then our 6th day vacation will be relaxing all day on a beach. curious, because i know it is blazing hot in June but that is our only choice because of my parenting time. Is there many water rides or cooling stations at the parks to keep cool? I dont mean the water parks. dont really want to spend the extra money on those. i am from northeast Indiana and we already got plenty of nice water-parks in the area and dont want to use our time or money on that. thanks

It's worth it to pack misting fans with you. If you wait and need them in the parks .......they are pricey. As pp said indoor attractions are air conditioned. It's more about the humidity, that you may not be used to. We have been going a few times a year for the past decade ( we only live a few hours away.) Also lived in Orlando area for a year. Our summer months strategy is.....look at the parks maps of rides/ attractions. For every 2 outdoor rides, do one indoor one. Always make sure you have your misting fan, and water onhand. We prefer to bring in our own bottled water ( if you are flying you can get it delivered by Amazon or garden grocer. They do give free water in parks, but it tastes disgusting. No matter what filtered bottle we put Florida water through....still nasty to me.We also take midday breaks to go back to the reaorts to swim during the hottest part of the day, but if you are having a short trip...may not be feasible.
I personally would book the All star resort if that is in a comfortable price range, then see if discounts for Coronado or another moderate come out. You can always change resorts then. Happy planning!

 

[VandVsmama]

Also, I am thinking of doing 5 days. Full day at each park and 5th day we choose which one we want for a 2nd time then our 6th day vacation will be relaxing all day on a beach. curious, because i know it is blazing hot in June but that is our only choice because of my parenting time. Is there many water rides or cooling stations at the parks to keep cool? I dont mean the water parks. dont really want to spend the extra money on those. i am from northeast Indiana and we already got plenty of nice water-parks in the area and dont want to use our time or money on that. thanks

There are not many water rides at the parks to keep cool. MK has Splash Mtn and AK has Kali River Rapids, but on either of those you could end up getting hardly wet at all. When we went in the 1st half of June last year, here's what we did to handle the heat:

1. I went to Cost Plus Imports before our trip and bought everybody a hand held fan. The "old school" ones where it fans out and you have to flap your hand back and forth while holding it in order to produce a breeze. They were a couple of dollars each.
2. Bought a cooling towel - like those Frogg Toggs towels. About 1 per person (there were 4 of us, but I think I brought 3).
3. Bought a battery powered hand held fan with a spray bottle attachment. Should have bought 2. Ended up spend $20 for one in the parks. The one in the parks worked better. We still have it. Best $20 I spent the entire trip.
4. A water bottle that will really keep things cold.
5. extra socks & underwear so when you go back to your room for a break, you can at least change into non-sweaty socks & underwear
6. Body Glide - use on your feet before putting socks on. If you're wearing sandals like Tevas or something similar, put Body Glide on your feet, too. Helps prevent blisters on the hot sweaty Orlando weather since you'll easily walk 10 miles a day.
7. Plan on stuff just taking longer than you might think it will. What I really mean is plan on needing MORE breaks and MORE down time than you normally would at home because the heat & humidity can suck the energy from you.
8. Drink lots of fluids all day long.
9. Wear a hat with a wide brim. WDW in June is not about it being a fashion show. It's sort of like having a survival plan. Everybody else will be basically be wearing work out clothes just like you...stuff designed to wick the sweat away.
10. combine 1 of those Frogg Toggs towels around your neck and a fan and it's like an instant swamp cooler/air conditioner.
11. Try to stay as much out of the heat between about 11-12 and 5 pm when the sun is hottest.

 

[VandVsmama]

Other June WDW weather survival tips:

• if you'll be at the parks all day instead of taking an afternoon break at your resort, schedule an ADR mid-day. This will guarantee that you get air conditioned space indoors for 60-90 minutes AND you can sit down the entire time.
• indoor lengthy attractions like Hall of Presidents, Carousel of Progress, or the 3 Caballeros ride in Epcot are your friends in the hottest parts of the day.
• Most miserable time of day: sitting on the hot asphalt in MK on the parade route waiting for the 3 pm parade to begin.
• Expect that AK will be like being on the surface of the sun regardless of what time of day you are there. Festival of the Lion King show at AK was a life saver...indoors, A/C, and a long show. I absolutely would do a TS ADR for lunch at AK next time rather than eat outside at anything QS there in the summer.

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

Thanks All! I got a much better perspective now from your help! I know it is only the beginning, but i got a good idea of my game-plan now. I have to get set dates early so will plan early to mid June. was going to do 4 days but the price of the 5th right now is only 30 bucks more total for the 3 of us! Going to go with a resort on site and make it a value resort. ticket part for 5 days for the 3 of us is 1,500. total for 5 days at some places like All-star music or All-star movies is 2,700 total so that is less than 250 a night, which is what my goal was to keep tickets and hotel under 3K. the one under 'moderate' that isn't much more is coronado springs for couple hundred more so will see if maybe worth it. Still got to figure out fast pass and dinner plans and if i want any of that stuff or not but your help has helped a lot so far! Hoping to get some time to look it over more this weekend. I like to plan Thanks!

Coronado is my favorite Moderate resort and it's definitely worth it if you have the budget/desire for it.

 

[ryman471]

Thanks for all the help! I am a reader and a planner so doing myself with you all's help got my stuff narrowed down. will be in Orlando in June Monday-Sat evening, 6 days. From Indiana so MINIMUM 1 day will be spent at a beach. With our budget here is options so back and forth between 3 days hopper and then have 2-3 days at a beach or 5 days no hopper with 1 day at a beach. i have a 10 year old daughter so wont be doing too much of the personal excessive princess stuff and not the small kiddie ride stuff. figured IF I go 3 days we will get hopper and spend one full at MK, and split other 2 days between the other 3, least amount spent at AK I think. Thoughts please?

Question on hotel: Got it down to 2. All-star movie or Pop Century. Movie saves me couple hundred bucks. main advantage i see is POP has is the skyliner but we are going to rent a car so not sure how much i would miss with that or not. Any other obvious pros or cons or opinions from others? So you guys think there is a chance these could sell out by January if I wait too long for a deal? Definitely going week of June 15th. Thanks All!

 

[SL6827]

Hi, we plan on making our first trip to Orlando for Disney World in June. I know it is not this simple, but there is SOOOO much info here i don't know where to start. I am not poor, but I am far from rich so i need to find some bargains but am willing to pay a few extra bucks if makes sense, will never pay top price though. 2 adults, 1 child that is 10. Thinking about booking at resort hotels since they are closer and dont have to pay for parking and maybe easier to go back and forth to room without getting in own vehicle? Is it better (cheaper) to book far in advance or wait until closer to next summer for deals to pop up? Don't see no specials going on right now for next summer. Cheaper to buy park tickets separate than resort or packages? Not too picky about which resort. something that is decent but not too expensive. If a link to help, thanks in advance!

I will suggest a moderate hotel. Maybe Port Orleans-Riverside or Coronado Springs Resort.

 

[ryman471]

I will suggest a moderate hotel. Maybe Port Orleans-Riverside or Coronado Springs Resort.

Kinda got the budget down so got it narrowed down to movies or pop. thanks though!

 

[Mome Rath]

With our budget here is options so back and forth between 3 days hopper and then have 2-3 days at a beach or 5 days no hopper with 1 day at a beach. i have a 10 year old daughter so wont be doing too much of the personal excessive princess stuff and not the small kiddie ride stuff. figured IF I go 3 days we will get hopper and spend one full at MK, and split other 2 days between the other 3, least amount spent at AK I think. Thoughts please?

Ok, I think I'd put it this way; since this is your first trip, you'll have to decide if you are on vacation and going to "run by Disney" or are you on a Disney vacation. To really do Disney the first time, I'd do the 5 days. And, I think you may be looking at the Disney experience as a normal theme park... what I mean by that is you may be surprised (I hope you are surprised) that the "kiddie ride stuff" is part of the magic for everyone. Rides like It's a Small World, Peter Pan, The Carousel, even Dumbo, are part of the experience of Disney World for all ages, I'd say especially for 10 year olds.

It takes a lot of time to really see and experience WDW for the first time. If you are splitting 3 days for your very first trip, you'll be ran ragged, IMO. With 5 days you can see each park and slow your roll in a way that won't drain all your energy. However, if you are taking a vacation and just want to "check out" Disney, then you can do the 3 days, just don't expect to get a lot seen or done within the other 3 parks that you would be hopping between.

There's nothing wrong with either way, but you will have to align your expectations with whatever choice you make.

Question on hotel: Got it down to 2. All-star movie or Pop Century. Movie saves me couple hundred bucks. main advantage i see is POP has is the skyliner but we are going to rent a car so not sure how much i would miss with that or not. Any other obvious pros or cons or opinions from others? So you guys think there is a chance these could sell out by January if I wait too long for a deal? Definitely going week of June 15th. Thanks All!

Pop is a lot bigger; bigger food court, bigger campus, etc... Both Pop and Movies have been renovated, so that's good. Pop always has a lot of energy going on because there are more guests. I prefer Pop (I loved the Skyliner, but even before that I had stopped staying at All-Stars because I had a bad experience with a large group and Disney's Magical Express, but that's neither here nor there), because of the food court offerings, the closeness to AoA (you can go to their food court too), the Lake, and now the Skyliner. I like the vibe at Pop more, but obviously that's Subjective.

I'd look at pictures, look at food court offerings, and weigh the cost savings. Pop would always be my go to, but it's based on preference, not a make or break difference... though the Skyliner now comes close.

 

[sponica]

@ryman471 I think before you decide how many days to go, you need to decide if/when you'll be back. If this is going to be a once every 5 to 10 year trip or one and done, do more days at the parks. If you think you can swing every 2-3 years, you might be able to make 4 days work for a first visit. My first visit we had 2.5 park days. Spent 1.5 at MK and a full day at what was then MGM studios. Were those 2.5 days "enough" for us? I'm not sure and I didn't know at that time when I would be back.

I do agree with @Mome Rath about the kiddie rides being the most important parts of Magic Kingdom. My trips are not complete unless I do the "classic" rides. In fact I'm still kicking myself that we couldn't make Pirates of the Caribbean fit in the schedule on our last visit. I learned my lesson, PIRATES IS MANDATORY or it's not a real trip for me.

 

[ryman471]

Thanks @sponica and @Mome Rath, great points! It won't be often will be back to WDW, likely no less than 5-10 years. Now I am leaning towards 5 days at park (& one day on a beach) and Pop Resort. don't think will need park hopper though. 1 day each park, then 2 days my gut is telling me MK over the others likely right? I have to run by the boss first of course, lol. Thanks all!

 

[sponica]

@ryman471 Pop has a sweet spot for me as it was the first disney hotel I stayed in. I think you should be fine with 5 days, and you can always add on the parkhopper at a later point in time, if you so choose. I've always had the option but I feel like it used to be included or was a nominal charge...