HI! New Here....

[GABBRAM]

Hi all! I'm Amy DH and I have 4 kiddoes - 16, 10, 7 & 2.
Except for DS16, none of us have ever been to DW.
We live in New Orleans, so our kids get off of school for Mardi Gras. We usually take them camping. Just 2 days ago, I came up with the bright idea to take them to DW instead. Since then, I have been on this darn computer going through package deals and I'm just getting more and more confused.
I questioned my Mom and then my sister. They always go to DW together, but gave me contridicting advice. Such as Sis says not to purchase the dining plan but Mom says I definitely should - and that's just the beginning of it. {I did ask them if they went on the same vacation. LOL!}
So, I questioned my Aunt who has been going to DW many times a year since before I was born. I figured that if anyone could help me, she could. Well, she gave me SO MUCH advice, I don't remember ANY of it. She did tell me to stay off grounds. But, I figure that if I get an on grounds package, I would know that my room, tickets and meals are covered. Whereas if I stay off grounds, I'd have to purchase all of them separately. Never having been there before, I don't know what all I'd need to do to get them separately. I am so confused!
So, If you ladies don't mind, I am going to nose through your boards and read all your posts and try to figure it all out. If anyone has any advice to share, PLEASE do!
Thanks!!!

{Did I mention thay we'd be leaving in 3 weeks? }

 

[Creekermom]

Wecome to the DIS, it is a great place with a lot of great knowledgeable people.


We went to WDW for the first time last Sept 07' We stayed at a Value Resort.
But I believe since you have family of 6 you would need to stay at a Moderate I am sure at the least.

We stayed and got the DDP and got the Magic Your Way passes, this way we could decide what park we wanted to go to,but I basically made my reservations and decided that was the park we would spend the day at.

I like not having to drive as there is WDW transportation available at all of the on site resorts.

The DDP (Disney Dining Plan) can save you a lot of money and you can chose where you want to eat and not really worry about how much the bill will be.

I am sure some other DIS experts will be able to help you a bit further, but if you are leaving in 3 wks (YIKES! ) I would be making some decisions fast.


Good Luck and enjoy all the Magic that WDW has to offer!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Hi all! I'm Amy DH and I have 4 kiddoes - 16, 10, 7 & 2.
Except for DS16, none of us have ever been to DW.
We live in New Orleans, so our kids get off of school for Mardi Gras. We usually take them camping. Just 2 days ago, I came up with the bright idea to take them to DW instead. Since then, I have been on this darn computer going through package deals and I'm just getting more and more confused.
I questioned my Mom and then my sister. They always go to DW together, but gave me contridicting advice. Such as Sis says not to purchase the dining plan but Mom says I definitely should - and that's just the beginning of it. {I did ask them if they went on the same vacation. LOL!}
So, I questioned my Aunt who has been going to DW many times a year since before I was born. I figured that if anyone could help me, she could. Well, she gave me SO MUCH advice, I don't remember ANY of it. She did tell me to stay off grounds. But, I figure that if I get an on grounds package, I would know that my room, tickets and meals are covered. Whereas if I stay off grounds, I'd have to purchase all of them separately. Never having been there before, I don't know what all I'd need to do to get them separately. I am so confused!
So, If you ladies don't mind, I am going to nose through your boards and read all your posts and try to figure it all out. If anyone has any advice to share, PLEASE do!
Thanks!!!

{Did I mention thay we'd be leaving in 3 weeks? }

Oh my! You need to make some reservations. Let's break this down and make it as easy for you as possible.

We also have 4 kids and we like All-Star movies the best. We get two adjoining rooms. We always stay on-site and would not go any other way. If there are no reservations there I would call Pop it is the value we like second best.

I would google the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World (touring plans web site) right now and pay the $7.95 and subscribe so you can view their crowd calender. It will tell you exactly which day to visit which park, then pick which restaurants you want to eat at in which park. (At MK we like Liberty Tree Tavern (character meal), the Crystal Place (Character meal), Cinderella's Royal Table (character meal), and Tony's; At Epcot we like Akershus Princess Meal (character), Garden Grill (Character); At MGM we like Hollywood and Vine (character), 50's Primetime Cafe, Sci-fi Drive-In).

We always get the Dining Plan. Love it, Love it, Love it! You need to make your ADRs (dining reservations) VERY soon, like now. lol. They fill up quickly. You may have to be flexible, like booking a sit-down lunch in stead of dinner. As for tickets, we always get park hoppers, but since this is your first time, you don't really need the park hoppers - and the base tickets are a lot cheaper. Also, you will need to call and book your trip over the phone, not the internet. You can't book 2 rooms on their internet site. Anyways, I like talking to a human and making sure everything is right. It's not widely known, but the toll free number is 877-939-3732.

Now, you will have some people on the board tell you, "oh, we just wing it." Well, I doubt those people have 4 kids like you and me. We would never feel comfortable just winging it. Picture going to restaurant, after restaurant, with your 4 hungry kids and never being able to get a sit-down meal? That would not be my idea of fun! lol

Please feel free to ask anymore specific questions you have. You will get tons of info on this board. Welcome!

 

[stitchlover]

I believe the All Star Resorts also have family suites. You might check if that is available for your family and if the price is better for two rooms or the family suite.

I also HIGHLY recommend the dining plan. I know other's don't like it but I enjoy knowing that my meals are covered and I don't panic over every little penny being spent!

Here is what I would do if I were you:

Call Disney NOW! Book your room.
Decide how many days tickets you need, get those.
Get the Disney Dining Plan.

Go onto the Disney Dining website and print off the 2008 Dining Plan information booklet. Go through it and decide which Table Service Meals look good to you. We let our Daughter pick the majority of them because she loves the character meals and we are going for her (well kind of). Then call Disney Dining and book your Advance Dinner Reservations (ADR's).

If you aren't sure about which restaurants to choose or what they serve...go to www.allearsnet.com. Pick Dining at the top. Down the left side you will see Dining: Resorts, Parks, etc. From there you can look up any restaurant (CS or TS or snack) and see the latest menus. That will help you decide if you will like the food being served.

To me these are the most important first steps.

Oh yeah, Stay On Site! I went every other summer as a kid and we never stayed on site. Parents just couldn't afford it. But DH and I took our daughter for the first time in '06 and stayed on site and we will NEVER stay off site again. Just a magical experience.

Don't let all of this overwhelm you. We are here and EVERYONE is more than willing to give you their opinion and help you figure out a plan that works for YOUR FAMILY!

HAVE FUN! And Welcome!

 

[byoung]

Glad to welcome you here on the DIS!!!

 

[mjy]

You've got some great advice already, so I'll just say WELCOME!