How do you choose?!

[kjmollypup]

It sounds like you are actually making great progress - if the room doesn't matter to you all that much, that's big progress, because spending money for a deluxe when it isn't what you need would be a waste. That saves some money for other experiences that are important to you - character breakfasts, etc.

The only other reason I'd consider a deluxe in your case, then, would be transportation. Does it bother you to think about always waiting for a bus, or would you rather be able to walk to one of the parks (Contemporary is a great example of this)? Would you like to be able to take a boat or the monorail to some places? If you think you're okay with the bus, then you're in good shape and can cross the deluxes off the list entirely.

This is how I started my research. We are heading to WDW for our first family trip in August (and my first trip in 20 years) and I have been researching nonstop! Please ask questions, everyone here is very helpful!

 

[trimad22]

The girls are very hooked on the nemo room at AOA! We have been looking at a bunch. Busses don't bother me and I love walking -- not carrying the kids but I do love walking...lol.

So I am doing the online thing on the disney site where I had the room, flight ...etc.
If we are going for 7 nights -- do we want this option? Add tickets to upgrade to a Magic Your Way Package and receive Magical Extras!
And if so since day 1 and day 7 are coming and going do we need to count those in "pass" days?

Also park hopper? park hopper and water park? Also if so how many days.

I image you wouldn't need both for ALL days there would you?

 

[eliza61]

The girls are very hooked on the nemo room at AOA! We have been looking at a bunch. Busses don't bother me and I love walking -- not carrying the kids but I do love walking...lol.

So I am doing the online thing on the disney site where I had the room, flight ...etc.
If we are going for 7 nights -- do we want this option? Add tickets to upgrade to a Magic Your Way Package and receive Magical Extras!
And if so since day 1 and day 7 are coming and going do we need to count those in "pass" days?

Also park hopper? park hopper and water park? Also if so how many days.

I image you wouldn't need both for ALL days there would you?

So park hop or not is another very intensely personal decision.

My family does not go without hoppers. Here are our reasons.

We generally go last week in August/September. It's ridiculously, Africa hot so we ALWAYS, ALWAYS go back to the resort during the heat of the day. after chilling we head to the second park.

I have been to Disney many, many times when the so called "park of the day" has been packed or we simply weren't feeling it. park hoppers give us the opportunity to change our mind if we so choose. although that's a bit harder now that you locked in with the stupid fp+

we tend to like the restaurants in Epcot, so even if we are at another park, hoppers let us eat where we want without worrying about what park we started with.

search "park hoppers" and you get a lot of reasons for and against.

 

[Trekkie]

The girls are very hooked on the nemo room at AOA! We have been looking at a bunch. Busses don't bother me and I love walking -- not carrying the kids but I do love walking...lol.

So I am doing the online thing on the disney site where I had the room, flight ...etc.
If we are going for 7 nights -- do we want this option? Add tickets to upgrade to a Magic Your Way Package and receive Magical Extras!
And if so since day 1 and day 7 are coming and going do we need to count those in "pass" days?

Also park hopper? park hopper and water park? Also if so how many days.

I image you wouldn't need both for ALL days there would you?

Just my opinion, whether you need park tickets for the arrival and/or departure days, really depends on what time you intend to arrive/depart.

If, say, your plane doesn't land till 6:00, then you're going to gather your luggage, (Disney transportation? Rent a car?), go to the hotel, check in, get the luggage to the room, . . .

Are you really going to want to go to the park, after all that? Or would hitting the pool, eating dinner, and going to bed be a perfectly acceptable day?

Same thing for your departure day. What time are you leaving?

----------

As to adding tickets at the time of booking?

I think it's cheaper that way, if you combine them. But I confess, I don't know.

I do know that, if you add the tickets to make it a package, it changes some things.

For one thing, if you go with a package, then you have to pay for it, in full, 45 days before you arrive. Almost all of the money is refundable, if you cancel. (I think there's a $200 deposit that isn't refundable.) But you do have to come up with the money (or the room on the credit card), well before your trip.

If you just reserve the room, then you have to pay for the first night, when you make the reservation. But you don't have to pay for the rest, till you show up. You can cancel up till, I think, five days prior to arrival. but after that, you have to pay for the first night, if you cancel.

----------

As for the ticket options?

Park Hopper means you can go to multiple parks, the same day. (Well, you can do it without park hopper. But, if you do it without park hopper, then when you go to two parks the same day, it counts as two days used.)

There are some reasons why you might want to go to multiple parks the same day. For example, Animal Kingdom can be really hot. (I don't know why. But it seems hotter, to me, than the other parks.) And it closes quite a bit earlier than the other parks. (The safari ride, where you get on a truck and go out and see the animals? Closes two hours before sunset.)

So lots of people do Animal Kingdom in the morning, and then head for some other park, after sundown. Even if it's just to go to some other park and watch the fireworks. (No fireworks at Animal Kingdom.)

As to the water parks? I'd recommend looking at how much it costs to add the water park option, vs how much to just buy a water park ticket, if you decide to go.

(Or, another option: If you think you want to go to a water park? Maybe reduce your park tickets by one day, and buy a water park ticket that day. Drawback with that plan: If you decide to do the Water Park that day, then you really don;t have park tickets for that day. you're kinda committed to doing water park for the whole day, or killing time somewhere else, outside of the parks.)

Yes, as a matter of fact, it can be really tough to decide, months in advance, exactly which things you will and won't want to do.

(The good news is, yes, you can make changes, later.)

 

[OurLaughingPlace]

Granted the Contemporary is convenient but for me the theme is blah. You could almost split your budget & take 2 trips with a moderate. I would stay at POFQ in building 4. It's right by the food court & bus stop. Has a pool with a dragon slide. Boat to Downtown Disney check out TRex. For $45 you can take a wonderful carriage ride (all 4 of you) around the resort. And it's a fairly short bus ride to all the parks. Whatever you decide I hope you have a WONDERFUL vacation and I'm betting you return

POFQ is definitely our favourite as you can see by my signature
I might also suggest PORS for your young daughters. I haven't been to a Royal Room, but it might be nice. All of the amenities are wonderful at PORS, including the ones mentions by "imabeimabe" at DTD.
Have a great trip

 

[goofy4tink]

The first thing I would do would be go out and buy Birnbaum's Official Guide to WDW. Yes, it's the official book, and yes, it makes everything seem perfect. There are other guide books out there that will give you a less 'shining' view, but as a person that has little to no idea what's what, I would go with the official guide. It will give you an idea of the resorts...although AoA in the Nemo suites would be a great choice. I love it at AoA...I don't think it's too big at all.
The other thing I would do is to think twice about adding park hopping to your passes. For first time guests, it's almost a waste. You spend a fair amount of time moving from one park to another each day. I would suggest staying in one park each day...with a mid-day break to go back to the room if the girls get tired. It's nice to have a swim and relax for a few hours and then hit the park again that night.

Some people like the dining plan...it makes life easier to have it all taken care of. That's a personal choice. I do recommend having one sit down meal a day though. Your body needs the fuel, it's nice to get out of the heat and relax for a bit. I like to eat a big breakfast around 10ish. Then a snack mid-afternoon, with dinner around 6-7. Or eat something in the room for breakfast, grab counter service for lunch and table service for dinner...using your snack whenever you wish.

So, get Birnbaums guide book, check out the various resorts and see what ones appeal to you. Decide what things to do in the parks. It's a good idea to have some idea before you go. There is a Birnbaums Guide to WDW for Kids guide book that is really good. I got it for my dd every time we went, up until she was 15 or so....and she had been about 6 times by then!!! But she loved having her own book to read and look at and to make plans with. Your girls will be able to see things from a kid's point of view. And they will be able to add their must do attractions to the family list. I wouldn't let them have a ton of say in the resort choice...but in the day to day planning? Absolutely. Why not the resort? Well...we had stayed at POR twice by the time my dd was almost 10. She liked it there a lot. But she really wanted to stay at the Polynesian...just begged and begged. Disney came out with a great deal back then that allowed us to stay at the Polynesian for the same number of nights, but for just $200 more, than POR. So, I booked it. My dd's response as we walked around the resort upon arrival? 'Well, it's not all Disneyfied like POR. I wish we were there instead.' Thought I might have to kill her!!
Planning is a big part of the fun! So relax, enjoy the process. You're not buying WDW, just staying there for a bit. If the resort you choose isn't perfect, no biggie. It will still be a ton of fun....you're with your family! Come back and ask any other questions. There is a ton of great info to be had on the DIS boards. We love nothing more than talking Disney!!!

 

[dizzyinwdw]

You could also hit the local library for disney guide books-- even if not this year but last years edition is available you would get some idea. In researching our first trip I also surfed the web quite a bit for pictures and resort reviews. Have a great time!

 

[Sparkly]

I like the Unofficial Guide- it has everything you need to know about planning for WDW from top to bottom. Hotel ratings, information on the parks..it's a complete resource and even covers stuff outside Disney like Universal and ranking offsite hotels on how close they are to Disney!!

Well worth the money to buy a guidebook.

 

[kjmollypup]

Another vote for the Unofficial Guide here. It's so funny, I read sections that don't necessarily apply to my situation just because it's interesting. With that said, it can be a little snarky, so if that's not your cup of tea, I'd look to a different guide. Information wise, though, I feel like it's extremely thorough. Along those lines, the accompanying website (touringplans.com) has a ton of information as well, and even shows you views from many of the hotel rooms throughout the resort. Pretty cool.

 

[lizard1]

As for the ticket options?

Park Hopper means you can go to multiple parks, the same day. (Well, you can do it without park hopper. But, if you do it without park hopper, then when you go to two parks the same day, it counts as two days used.)

There are some reasons why you might want to go to multiple parks the same day. For example, Animal Kingdom can be really hot. (I don't know why. But it seems hotter, to me, than the other parks.) And it closes quite a bit earlier than the other parks. (The safari ride, where you get on a truck and go out and see the animals? Closes two hours before sunset.)

So lots of people do Animal Kingdom in the morning, and then head for some other park, after sundown. Even if it's just to go to some other park and watch the fireworks. (No fireworks at Animal Kingdom.)

As to the water parks? I'd recommend looking at how much it costs to add the water park option, vs how much to just buy a water park ticket, if you decide to go.

(Or, another option: If you think you want to go to a water park? Maybe reduce your park tickets by one day, and buy a water park ticket that day. Drawback with that plan: If you decide to do the Water Park that day, then you really don;t have park tickets for that day. you're kinda committed to doing water park for the whole day, or killing time somewhere else, outside of the parks.)

Yes, as a matter of fact, it can be really tough to decide, months in advance, exactly which things you will and won't want to do.

(The good news is, yes, you can make changes, later.)

The bolded is NOT true. You have to have a park hopper to switch parks on any given day, you cannot do it buy using two days of tickets.

However, you definitely do not need to decide right now which ticket option is the best for you. If you want to add a MYW ticket for the minimum number of days you know you will be there, just do that. You can always add days or the park hopper option later, up until you are in the park the last day your ticket is valid. That way, you don't waste money, but still have the options if necessary. The only issue that doing it this way could have is that you wouldn't be able to schedule your FP for the 6th or 7th day you might be in the park...you would only be able to schedule for the number of days your ticket is for.

 

[Sue M]

I think for a first visit the best length of visit is:
2 days MK
2 days Epcot
1 day DHS
1 day AK
WDW is huge, and even with this you won't do & see everything. I don't think you'll have time for a water park.

We like to get park hoppers, sometimes we like to do one park during the day and another at night. Also for dining purposes.

You can not use a non-hopper ticket to go to 2 different parks in one day. It doesn't count as 2 days, they just won't allow you entrance to the second park in one day. You can however leave the park you go to that day, if you want to take a break, then re-enter same park later that day.

How you book depends on what you want. Room only discount or package with dining. In sept. As mentioned Disney often puts out discounts.
To see what past discounts were, and release dates go to Mousesavers.com and look up their Historical Discount Chart.

I would wait to book until discounts are released, to see what the discount(s) are. Then you will know whether a room only or package is best for you. If you go room only, with a room discount, you can order tickets from Undercover Tourist to save some money.

Another site to look at is Allears.net. They have fact sheets and photos for all resorts. Also menus for every WDW restaurant, with prices. So you can do some Disney Math to get an idea for your budget.

I never book airfare thru Disney, I prefer to book myself, and watch for seat sales. I like Kayak.com to track flights & price.

Since this is your first trip, I'd recommend you use a WDW Specialized travel agency. You can do an Internet search. They are referred to as Disney Authorized Vacation Planners, and have a black Mickey ears logo on their web site. Unlike a regular TA, they do specialize in WDW travel, and can give you lots of planning help. They also know the moment Disney releases a discount, and will book it for you. This is important because discounts go fast. Disney only releases a certain # of rooms and not all resorts are included in discounts, so they book up fast.

The service costs you nothing. And it's so helpful, especially for first time visitors.

Of course doing your own research and getting a guide book is always beneficial whether you book yourself or use a TA. I like WDW- The Unofficial Guide. And their web site, Touring Plans.com. Their plans work. And for planning purposes, they also give you the best park (least crowded) to go to in their Crowd Calendar, day by day.

 

[minniegirl19]

If you can squeeze in more then 7 nights in the budget i would! If this is a trip of a lifetime I would stay as long as I could. I would do park hoppers but not water parks. You could always take your kids to water parks at home thats how I look at it! also a longer trip means it can be at a slower pace and you don't have to feel rushed! especially because it will be hot and you'll want breaks. I also highly recommend doing the halloween party (its the best thing ever!) and the bibbidi bobbidi boutique!

 

[jperrot1]

It's good that you are starting with a budget.

PARK TICKETS: A 7 day PH pass will cost around $400 each x 4 = $1600 for your tickets.

FLIGHT: You are flying but do you know what those flights will cost about?

ROOM: You can get a room at a moderate for your September (early side of Sept.) at around $150 per night with a 25% discount. There should be a discount for that time of year. So $150 x 7 nights = $1050. I suggest Caribbean Beach Resort because the rooms will be practically brand newly refurbished the time of your trip. And the price is moderate.

FOOD: ??? This cost is a matter of preference. You could spend a whole lot on some really nice character sit down meals, or you can do lots of quick fast food type meals.

To sum up:

4 seven day park hoppers = $1600
Moderate room at 25% discount = $1050
Flight = ?
Food = ?

Above prices are estimates including taxes.

 

[BlueFairy]

The bolded is NOT true. You have to have a park hopper to switch parks on any given day, you cannot do it buy using two days of tickets.

However, you definitely do not need to decide right now which ticket option is the best for you. If you want to add a MYW ticket for the minimum number of days you know you will be there, just do that. You can always add days or the park hopper option later, up until you are in the park the last day your ticket is valid. That way, you don't waste money, but still have the options if necessary. The only issue that doing it this way could have is that you wouldn't be able to schedule your FP for the 6th or 7th day you might be in the park...you would only be able to schedule for the number of days your ticket is for.

I think for a first visit the best length of visit is:
2 days MK
2 days Epcot
1 day DHS
1 day AK
WDW is huge, and even with this you won't do & see everything. I don't think you'll have time for a water park.

We like to get park hoppers, sometimes we like to do one park during the day and another at night. Also for dining purposes.

You can not use a non-hopper ticket to go to 2 different parks in one day. It doesn't count as 2 days, they just won't allow you entrance to the second park in one day. You can however leave the park you go to that day, if you want to take a break, then re-enter same park later that day.

How you book depends on what you want. Room only discount or package with dining. In sept. As mentioned Disney often puts out discounts.
To see what past discounts were, and release dates go to Mousesavers.com and look up their Historical Discount Chart.

I would wait to book until discounts are released, to see what the discount(s) are. Then you will know whether a room only or package is best for you. If you go room only, with a room discount, you can order tickets from Undercover Tourist to save some money.

Another site to look at is Allears.net. They have fact sheets and photos for all resorts. Also menus for every WDW restaurant, with prices. So you can do some Disney Math to get an idea for your budget.

I never book airfare thru Disney, I prefer to book myself, and watch for seat sales. I like Kayak.com to track flights & price.

Since this is your first trip, I'd recommend you use a WDW Specialized travel agency. You can do an Internet search. They are referred to as Disney Authorized Vacation Planners, and have a black Mickey ears logo on their web site. Unlike a regular TA, they do specialize in WDW travel, and can give you lots of planning help. They also know the moment Disney releases a discount, and will book it for you. This is important because discounts go fast. Disney only releases a certain # of rooms and not all resorts are included in discounts, so they book up fast.

The service costs you nothing. And it's so helpful, especially for first time visitors.

Of course doing your own research and getting a guide book is always beneficial whether you book yourself or use a TA. I like WDW- The Unofficial Guide. And their web site, Touring Plans.com. Their plans work. And for planning purposes, they also give you the best park (least crowded) to go to in their Crowd Calendar, day by day.

You are getting some great (and accurate) details like these. However, I wanted to chime in and say to be careful. At least twice on this thread I've read false info. As these guys point out, you CANNOT hop by burning 2 days off a ticket in the same day. It's just not possible.

Also, buying tickets as an inclusion in your package does not get them cheaper. WDW does not sell tickets with a discount. If you get a discount off a package, it almost always comes off the room. Sometimes they will offer kids play free or kids dine free, so it does happen on some package promotions. But paying rack rate for the room and adding tickets is not cheaper than buying the tickets separately.

To that end, generally the advice you get on DISboards is fantastic. But it gets a lot of traffic and definitely people make mistakes here. Watch for patterns and repeated info before you count on what you're reading. Watch post-counts to see who the real experts are. If something seems off, start a new thread and get it clarified. Seemingly innocuous bad info can cause major headaches when you're traveling.

Definitely do as Sue M suggests. Choose your dates and resort, but either book a room only with a forgiving cancellation package (so you can make changes), or don't book at all until you start seeing discounts offered for September. Then you'll have to make a choice. Often there are great room-only discounts and you can save a bit of money by purchasing your tickets separately through an OFFICIAL reseller like Undercover Tourist. But just as often a package will have a promotion that is more appealing, like with free dining. To get that you will be forced to include tickets. Best to wait on buying tickets from a 3rd party until you are happy with the price you've locked in on your reservation. You can't return tickets bought separately if you find out you need to add tickets to qualify for a package discount.

Caveat - You will have to at least order your tickets prior to 60 days and get them linked into your My Magic + account in order to get set up for your FastPass+ reservations. You can't reserve FP+ without a ticket for each person that covers the number of days you want to reserve.

As to length - in general it seems that people on their first trip almost always try to add too much. Be careful with that. WDW is gigantic, the possibilities are endless, and many experienced visitors find that they enjoy their experience more when they limit their options. For instance, my family purposefully buys shorter tickets to force us into enjoying down time at our resort. I have been 14 times and never found time to visit a water park. With the exception of dining package or a very popular party night that might sell out (MNSSHP), you can always add things as you get to them. The price difference in 6 or 7 day tickets may be minimal. But if you buy 7 now, you'll be thinking you need to use them to get the most value. That almost always makes me push too hard and we end up exhausted. You can buy that extra day at WDW on day 6 and still have the savings. Same for park hopping. It's a flat rate whether you buy it ahead or the day you use it. We never hop. For years I bought the option in advance only to get slowed down by tired kids and distractions, so it went to waste and I stopped buying it in advance. Your water park ticket will be the same price whether you buy it now or have it added at your hotel just before you need it. Put a rest day in the middle of your week and if weather and your feet say that a water park is a good choice, buy the ticket at your hotel.

Finally, dining. If you aren't getting this free in a promotion, you'll really want to watch out on purchasing too much with this too. Use allears.net to get an idea of what you would order if you were paying OOP (out-of-pocket) in a typical day with your normal eating habits. Table Service (TS) really eats up a lot of time. Do you like to move slowly and have lots of big appetites in your family? Will you want to take time out from the parks to eat TS at least once a day (TS DDP) or twice a day (Deluxe DDP)? Are you grab and go types (Quick Service DP)? Can you eat enough food (more than just the entree and sides) every time you sit down to a meal in order to get a good value from what you've spent on a dining package? Every family is different and there is a whole board on the DISboards devoted just to making those decisions.

Also, almost no one will suggest that getting air through Disney is a good idea.

Back to your original topic - the resort. Try to envision what is relaxing to you. At our house, if mom and dad are relaxed, the kids love the hotel no matter what we choose. We love New Orleans and the mountains (POFQ, POR, WL, FW). We love exotic (AKL). We live in a lot of heat, so tropical doesn't appeal to us (CBR, CSR). We're foodies, so access to lots of table service is a plus, making value resorts not appealing to us. DH needs a break from all those characters, and we really do need queen beds, too.

What an adventure. It's overwhelming, but the planning is 1/2 the fun. Enjoy!

 

[terri33inne]

The girls are very hooked on the nemo room at AOA! We have been looking at a bunch. Busses don't bother me and I love walking -- not carrying the kids but I do love walking...lol.

So I am doing the online thing on the disney site where I had the room, flight ...etc.
If we are going for 7 nights -- do we want this option? Add tickets to upgrade to a Magic Your Way Package and receive Magical Extras!
And if so since day 1 and day 7 are coming and going do we need to count those in "pass" days?

Also park hopper? park hopper and water park? Also if so how many days.

I image you wouldn't need both for ALL days there would you?

If it's in your budget, and this is a 'once in a lifetime' trip with kids that age I would totally do a suite at AofA. To me the AofA theme-ing can't be beat, especially if you have kids who love those movies. If you want something more convenient then I would stay at a monorail loop resort (Poly, CR, or GF), or an Epcot resort (BC, YC, or BW). For the kids I would do AofA.

As for buying a park ticket for arrival & departure day that depends on the time of your flights. For us, we usually are on a 6:30/7am flight leaving which means we woke up at about 3 or 4 to get to the airport. Our very first trip I made the mistake of going to EP that day, and we lasted about an hour, as I was in such a fog. For my daughter, all she wants to do is go to the pool anyway. You also have to allow about 90 mins-2 hours before you'll be at your resort after you land.

For your departure day, again this will depend on the time your flight leaves Orlando. If you use Disney transportation back to the airport they will pick you up from your resort 3 hours prior to your flight time. So, a 6pm flight you could get in a half day at a park, and still be back at your resort by 3pm to get the bus. But, a 12pm flight you'll leave your resort at 9am.

I would do park-hoppers. They are all or nothing, you add them for the length of your ticket or not at all, you can't just pick 3 days to park-hop on a 5 day ticket. Our typical Disney day is arrive at our selected park at rope-drop, hit our resi's or rides we want, then head back to our resort late morning/early afternoon for pool-time & rest, and then head back to a park in the evening. For my 7 year old that is usually MK. We have never done the water parks so I can't comment on that.

I don't know about booking your airline with your package, for us it's been cheaper to book our flights separately.

 

[leahlefler]

We are going with a 7 and 9 year old this year. I had a hard time choosing a resort. If money were absolutely no object, we would have gone with the Beach Club for the amazing pool and the proximity to EPCOT for dinners. We decided a moderate was more within our budget range, so we started to realistically look at those. For the kids, the pool was the most important part of the hotel. For us, a quiet location was the most important - as both DH and my boys get over stimulated, haha. We ended up selecting Coronado Springs - it is quiet and has an amazing pool. It is HUGE, but there are bus stops all around the resort. We won't be on the dining plan. We'll see how much we like it in February!

We decided to go with the park hoppers. I'm not sure how much hopping we'll do, but I liked the idea of having the option. A lot of things are "down" at Hollywood Studios right now, so that may only be a 1/2 day park for our family - it will be nice to hit some of the big rides, then jump over to the MK for an afternoon.

We decided to use the Magical Express, so no rental car for us. If we want groceries, we will use Garden Grocer, Amazon Pantry, or send my parents out to get something (they are also coming to Disney World and they WILL have a rental car, haha).

We're 51 days out now and are SO excited. Everything is booked and paid for, with the exception of our hotel the night before we fly out of Pittsburgh. We found flights for $250 round trip per person, so that was a decent deal - but we are leaving at o'dark thirty and out of an airport 3 hours from our house.

We did decide to add on an extra day of tickets to our package when I realized how early our flight arrived on Sunday. We land at 9:15 am - so I called our travel agent to determine how much it would cost to add on a day. It was only about $10 per person!! After a 4-day park hopper package, each additional day is very inexpensive. We were quite thrilled with that!

 

[trimad22]

Can I just say how amazing you all are -- I always check back wondering if someone answers and BOOM you guys have so much more info!! I love it and can't thank you enough

Slowly we will get there and I think I am starting to understand the terms a bit more.
We are simple people....lol....My kids would be happy at McDonalds playland so this is HUGE and daunting and I am sure even if I flopped at making the best arrangements they would have a ball. I just need to keep my own sanity intact and all will be well!

 

[trimad22]

So just a quick update!! Turns out the DS company I represent is allowing us to earn an all expenses paid family trip to Disney World!!

We start earning Aug 1st and will be leaving for the trip June 2016
They have us staying at the Yacht & beach club resort (will be researching that now!)

I truly believe everything happens for a reason and now we will get to go, save the money we save and they will plan a lot of it for us - Definitely a dream come true all the way around!

So thank you all so very much -- I am still super excited to go and when I get all the details will be back to plan our family's "off" time <3

 

[oceanmarina]

I would recommend Grand Floridian, if that was going to be my only trip for a while, ,make it an extra magical hotel.

Also, like other posters said, since you will probably be spending a lot of time at Magic Kingdom, being on the Monorail will be great.

 

[trimad22]

Since we are going as a group we won't get to pick which resort -- they have informed us it will be the Yacht and Beach Club Resort.