help!!!where do i start ?!

[lizbro]

hiya, i posted before asking a few questions about poss going to wdw but my hubby had said he wouldn`t fly BUT after abit of bribery hes agreed to fly so.......where do i start,we really don`t want to have to hire a car so i`m assuming that its going to be onsite and we`ve really got to go june 08 which i know is miles off and i couldn`t vevn get a quote yet but there are 5 of us which will be by then 2 adults and a 6,8 and 10 yr old ! can any one suggest where to stay and whther to do 2 rooms in a value hotel or do 1 in riverside(?)port oleans i think? any recommended TA to go with/ look at ?
disneyland paris i can deal with but this is all very new to me!!!!
thxs liz

 

[AndRu]

Please don't discount a car without thinking about it ... driving in the USA is much easier than you think. The roads are bigger and the traffic moves slower than the UK. Yes, you can get around WDW using their transport and you can get to other places but you need to remember that WDW on it's own is the size of Manchester. A car will make sense if you want to visit things other than Disney property.

 

[Frances999]

For the Disney Resort, Dreams Unlimited are worth a try. They will continually check for applicable discounts and apply them to your booking as and when they become available. If you are an AA member, you can also request for the AAA discount to be applied to your reservation. They offer an itinerary-planning service and can make your ADRs too.

Personally, I too would re-consider not hiring a car. It is so much easier, even when staying on-site.

 

[carolfoy]

We've never hired a car and never missed not having one, first stay was off site at Maingate and we used the Lynx public transport busses, they went nearly 24 hours a day and cost us $2 return for me and mum and Callum was free, it was very easy and convenient. Second stay off site was at the clarion maingate (I think thomson holidays sell this one) and they had shuttle busses that went in every day at 8am, 10am and 11am and returned at 5pm, 7pm, 11pm, so if you were in a park that finished late but the bus wasn't going from outside that particular park you just used disney transport to go to the one where the bus went from.
Last year was first time on site and we didn't use busses at all, we had 2 days out in malls and 1 in seaworld and totalle £120 in taxis, but there were 6 of us.
This year there'll be three of us and we're on site again so apart from a couple of days at malls we won't go off site at all.

 

[Lizzy Lemon]

Read the accommodation boards on the Dis to start with and buy the Unofficial Guide which lists the pros and cons of the various places to stay. Work out a budget and decide from there which is the best group to look at. We do not want a car either but have chosen the YC because of its location and wanting a de luxe. I asked around a lot of TA's about the holiday and went to the one who seemed the most interested in helping me even though the holiday was at that time a couple of years away. By the time it comes around to booking you may feel brave enough to cope with Virgins on line booking service. When we first started looking at going I would not have wanted to attempt this, but after reading how many others do it and playing around with dates and hotels myself on their web page I would do it in future. Research is the key. Good luck.

 

[Goofyish]

You can certainly get 5 in a POR room - although the smallest would be on a 'trundle bed' that pulls out from under one of the normal beds.
I believe that you can get family suites at the All Star resorts now that will sleep 5 - I guess these would be cheaper than getting two rooms.

For on-site bookings I would definately go for DreamsUnlimited

We also never have a car and have never had a problem getting around WDW using the Disney transport or getting off-site using a mixture of Towncars and taxis.

If you do decide to get a car then you may want to look at a villa. With 5 of you it may be a good option.

 

[Disney owl]

If your husband isn't keen on flying I'd suggest a direct flight, a little more expensive but worth it IMHO.
Try Travel City Dirrect for Good prices.

We've 3 kids though ours are now teenagers I'd recommend staying in a villa. It means you don't have to share a bedroom for 2 weeks! And gives you much more space. So if you do reconsider getting a car it may be worth you thinking about it.

 

[lizbro]

thanks for all the input,we`re still not sure about a car..it was bad enough coping with DH going from calais to dlp ,he`s not the most patient driver,we`d end up bailing him out of jail !!we`ve also changed from june to jan 08 whats he jan weather like?i thought june might be too hot for dd and dh as they are pure redheads and don`t cope even in the british summer!thanks again ,you`ll be sick of me by the time i`ve booked !
liz

 

[UKVermonter]

I hope when you do go you have a good time, the driving is very easy in Florida, if you husband can drive here in England then driving in the states is a breeze. We have only stayed at Pop Century but on our next trip we may try CBR which is not much more and is quite nice from what I've seen from DIS. We have always used Travelcare to book everything but next time I plan on trying other ways like Dreams Unlimited. To stay onsite to me is worth it just to get into the parks earlier and stay later too. We went to Busch Gardens for a day so we drove but there are shuttles that go from Orlando to BG's but we also wanted to do some shopping at the malls and eat at places other than Disney at times and go to Walmart and Kmart they have some good deals. When we go back for our 3rd trip we will go at a less crowded time like the first time we went back in Nov. 2005.

 

[Goofyish]

we`ve also changed from june to jan 08 whats he jan weather like?i thought june might be too hot for dd and dh as they are pure redheads and don`t cope even in the british summer!thanks again ,you`ll be sick of me by the time i`ve booked !
liz

January weather is quite a lot cooler then June. Mornings and evenings can be quite chilly! During the day if the sun is out it can get into the high 70s/low 80s. You may get the odd showery day, but none of the heavy thunderstorms you get in the summer months.
You will need to pack for all weathers - plenty of layers that can be added/removed. In the evenings you may need coats, while during the middle of the day you could get away with shorts and tshirts.

Check out the this years June weather history here:

June 2006

and compare it to this January weather here:

January 2006

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Have never stayed on-site in a hotel but have stayed in a DVC resort where the rooms are essentially 'mini-villas' and possibly able to accomodate more people.

Private 'off-site' villas are roomy and I would recommend one in your circumstances, however as Tim says you would definitely need a car.

The thing to remember is we all have our own personal preferences, we would never consider going to Orlando without having a car as for us having our own transport is a must.
The beauty is that there are different ways of doing things.

 

[lizbro]

well folks after all your good advice i think we will be doing it diy and getting a villa and car!ok so far i`ve found a 3 b/room villa for £289 p/week and got flights quoted for £1365 for all of us ,this is all based on jan 07 prices and i don`t quite know how much they change year to year ! all we need now is a good car hire ,......? what do you think?villa is through morefloridavillas and flights through virgin? let me know as you`ll all have a better idea than me
thxs liz

 

[JohnnySharp2]

I think that price is very reasonable, you have the advantage of going at one of the quieter times of the year - in school holidays flights/villa prices etc are much more expensive.
We normally pay anything between £400 and £550 per week for a villa so you have done well with the price.

 

[lizbro]

thanks for the advice so far.but does anyone know where to go for car hire?whats the typical price for 2 weeks inc fully comp price -there are 2 adults and 3 kids !? thxs liz

 

[JohnnySharp2]

We always book a fly-drive and get a car through Dollar.

However, looking on their website a Minivan (people carrier) type is quoted at £380 fully inclusive for your stay, you could shop around and get it cheaper perhaps?

www.dollar.co.uk

 

[alisonbestford]

.... you could shop around and get it cheaper perhaps?

www.dollar.co.uk

Maybe try putting in a search on a comparison site like 'Kelkoo', for example

We saved quite a lot of money doing this when we hired a car in Italy

 

[lizbro]

thxs so much! you`ve all been loads of help.when i first got the disney paris bug i joined the dis dlp forum and had loads of help from them and this trip planning board is becoming as invaluble as the dlp one is to me!!
you`re all little stars,thxs again,
liz

 

[Cyrano]

well folks after all your good advice i think we will be doing it diy and getting a villa and car!ok so far i`ve found a 3 b/room villa for £289 p/week and got flights quoted for £1365 for all of us ,this is all based on jan 07 prices and i don`t quite know how much they change year to year ! all we need now is a good car hire ,......? what do you think?villa is through morefloridavillas and flights through virgin? let me know as you`ll all have a better idea than me
thxs liz

That sounds a great deal