Help Us Choose How To Book Our June Vacation

[MouseEarsJenny]

We got a free QS dining PIN for June and decided to squeeze in a vacation to take advantage of it. We're having a very hard time deciding how exactly to book the vacation, however. It comes down to resort choices, dining, and cost, so we thought we'd post our choices on the budget board and get some opinions.

We are driving down in a straight shot from Pennsylvania, so our arrival and departure days are completely useless - we will arrive after 10PM and leave by 4AM. We love Chef Mickey's and LeCellier, and both are tradition, so they are incorporated into each plan, even though they are table service restaurants. We plan on using snack credits for breakfast or eating a granola bar on the way out the door because we're all about rope drop. Since we will be there for five full days, that means we need at least 5 lunches and 5 dinners - 10 total meals. We love Coronado Springs, but it's all booked, so we're trying to decide between settling for Carribean Beach or going back to a Value - Pop Century. I haven't included costs like gas, souvenirs, and tips that we will need to pay regardless of which option we choose. Here's the breakdown of the four potential plans:

Option A:

6/25 Drive to Orlando, stay at Hampton Inn International Drive ($106)
6/26-6/30 Stay at Carribean Beach Resort with Free QS Dining ($1825)
Have 8 QS Credits Each – Two Meals Short
Pay for Chef Mickey’s and LeCellier OOP (Approximately $265)
6/30 Stay at Hampton Inn ($106)
7/1 Drive Home

Total Cost: $2302

Pros of Option A: We get to stay at a moderate, and somewhere we've never been. The pool has a waterslide, which our kids adore. We'll get 8 Snack Credits and a Refillable Mug for each of us.

Cons of Option A: We only get two sit-down meals, and we have to stay off property and check in and out repeatedly. It is the second most expensive option.

Option B:

6/25 Drive to Orlando, stay at Hampton Inn International Drive ($106)
6/26-6/30 Stay at Carribean Beach Resort with Upgraded Regular Dining ($2065)
Have 4 TS and 4 QS Credits - Two Meals Short
Pay for 2 Quick Service OOP (Approximately $85)
6/30 Stay at Hampton Inn ($106)
7/1 Drive Home

Total Cost: $2362

Pros of Option B: We get to stay at a moderate, and somewhere we've never been. The pool has a waterslide, which our kids adore. We'll get to eat 4 TS meals.

Cons of Option B: We only get four snacks, which limits our ability to use them for breakfasts. We have to stay off property and check in and out repeatedly. It is the most expensive option.

Option C:

6/25 Drive to Orlando, Stay at Pop Century with Free QS Dining ($1816)
Have 12 QS Credits Each – Extra Credits Available
Pay for Chef Mickey’s and LeCellier OOP (Approximately $265)
7/1 Drive Home

Total Cost: $2081

Pros of Option C: We've stayed at Pop before and liked it, and on such a short trip, we won't be at the resort much. We will have tons of credits - plenty of snacks and even some quick service breakfasts. We won't need to stay off property at all. It is the least expensive option.

Cons of Option C: Pop is nice, but it's not a moderate. The rooms are small, and somewhat noisy. The pool is just not as nice. We may actually end up with more meals and snacks than we can eat.

Option D:

6/25 Drive to Orlando, Stay at Pop Century with Upgraded Regular Dining ($2176)
Have 6 TS and 6 QS Credits Each – Extra Credits Available
7/1 Drive Home

Total Cost $2176

Pros of Option D: We've stayed at Pop before and liked it, and on such a short trip, we won't be at the resort much. We will have less snacks than Option C, but enough TS credits that we could try some signature places, plus more QS than we need. We won't need to stay off property at all.

Cons of Option D: Pop is nice, but it's not a moderate. The rooms are small, and somewhat noisy. The pool is just not as nice. We may actually end up with more meals and snacks than we can eat. It's the third most expensive option.

See why we're confused??? Help, please!!!

 

[Belle5]

I like option C. You lose soooo much time moving in and out of hotels checking in and out...I am not a fan of CBR--stayed there twice--it's my least favorite mod. by far! Pop is an awesome value hotel! The food court is so much nicer than CBR's. Since option "C" is the least expensive option, you can easily add the water park option to your passes so that you can have an improved swimming situation (slides, etc.).

 

[MouseEarsJenny]

Good point, Belle5. We were going to Typhoon Lagoon one day anyway (buying the one day passes was cheaper than adding the option, since we won't have time to go more than once). That would help compensate for the lack of water slides.

 

[budbeerlady]

I went with D because you would have all the credits you need and then some for about $100 more. If you dont use them all for breakfast and such you can spread the magic to others.

You have done pop before and it worked for you. We stayed at CB before, it was alright but when it all said and done 9yr old Dd still picks Pop. CBR was just too big for us to really enjoy.

 

[DVCBELLE]

I voted for C but thought D would be a nice option as well...

In your cost calculation - did you add in tips for Option D?

I honestly would do the value so you don't have to switch resorts!

 

[laurafergie]

I voted for C also. Short trip and you only seem interested in the 2 TS meals. No checking in and out and in and out and in and out.

 

[deerhart]

will you even be able to get into Le Cellier at this point?

I also don't get the checking out of Disney to check into another hotel the day before you leave. Also is the $106 include all your taxes and such for the hotel?

 

[MouseEarsJenny]

will you even be able to get into Le Cellier at this point?

I also don't get the checking out of Disney to check into another hotel the day before you leave. Also is the $106 include all your taxes and such for the hotel?

$106 does include taxes. The reasoning behind checking out the day before we leave is that when we do leave, we'll be going at 4AM. It saves us money to not spend that last night at Disney, since we will be coming to the hotel after Wishes and leaving by 4 - basically, why spend moderate prices to spend less than six hours in a hotel room? But if we go with Pop, it's about the same price as the Hampton anyway.

As for Le Cellier, we already got a lunch ADR there as soon as we knew our dates for sure.

 

[MouseEarsJenny]

I voted for C but thought D would be a nice option as well...

In your cost calculation - did you add in tips for Option D?

I honestly would do the value so you don't have to switch resorts!

I think we're starting to agree about the value as opposed to switching, but we want to run it by our kids and get their opinion, too. We have final say, of course, but we do want to consider what they want.

Thanks for the good point about tips - we didn't think about the additional tips we would incur by adding extra table service meals. Hmmmm....

 

[MarilIncredible]

I chose C b/c I would personally think it was wasted money to stay at a mod for a short trip and not really take advantage of the amenities.

Actually, I probably wouldn't do this particular trip at all but roll the $2K into my next vacation & make it a better one.

 

[MouseEarsJenny]

I chose C b/c I would personally think it was wasted money to stay at a mod for a short trip and not really take advantage of the amenities.

Actually, I probably wouldn't do this particular trip at all but roll the $2K into my next vacation & make it a better one.

Funny story. We actually rolled the 2K OUT of our next trip to take this one. We're leaving for Washington DC, Colonial Williamsburg, and the Outer Banks two days after we get home. We dropped a couple of nights at the Great Wolf Lodge, a stop in Baltimore, and Busch Gardens from that trip in exchange for five days at Disney. We thought it was a pretty good exchange.

 

[jmpellet]

I chose option c since it will be a relatively short trip you'll want to spend as much time in the parks and not dining. Same reason for the value resort vs. the moderate.

 

[PA Princess]

Frankly, I think the cost difference between your options is so small (all fall within $300 of each other), that I personally would allow it to play a smaller role in my decision making than normal (where budget often trumps other issues).

Resorts:
CBR has a brand new pool that is really fabulous. I think if you stay at CBR on such a short trip, you can easily skip the water park day. Visit the theme pool, walk the beach area with hammocks and play equipment, and stop at a quite pool or two - makes a lovely day and no extra cost. Did you include the extra WP tickets in your calculations? Leaving off for CBR will bring the options closer.

I really like CBR as a resort and the tropical theme appeals to me. We have very much enjoyed the resort on our two visits to CBR. Our family's choice is always for a mod over a value, but that is our experience and preference.

Dinning Plans:
We like the regular dining plan and for a slim diffference in price (A vs. B =$60 difference and C vs. D =$100 difference), we would opt for regular dining.

Other hotel:
Yes, it can be a pain to check in and out of various hotels - we have done it a few times as well as for cruises. In your scenario I would pack two bags for the solo nights that are good for the whole family and just leave in the vehicle until you needed.

This may require you to purchase a few duplicate items (examples: contact solution, deodorant, etc.) but no money lost since you will eventually use all of the product (also you could pack the travel sizes for minimal investment of funds and use all hotel products as much as possible).

Other thought, is that I personally would put the kids in the car and drive a few hours away from FL before stopping for the night. We have done the drive between PA and FL numerous times and it is a brurte all in one shot (especially on the way home - excitement seems to propel us to FL on the way to WDW . Plus, we prefer to drive at night when kids are asleep and trafic is less.