I am confused?

[Ilovemyprincesses]

The more I read the more I confuse myself. I think it is better to ask the pros.
I am hoping to take my kids in Dec 07. I am just starting to check things out and I have a few questions.

1. how far in advance do you book. I see there are specials now for this Dec but I don't think I would wait till Sept/Oct to book.
2. Is the dining package staying? I know I will have to pay for it but will that be an option?
3. If you have the dining package can you use it on character meals for table service credits? I think I remember hearing CRT was 2 credits? Are they all 2 credits?
4.My youngest will be 2 so she will be free but what do I do about food for her? Share?

I hope I got it all

 

[Love the Mouse]

All of this is a lot to take in. One thing I will tell you, utilize this board! All of it. It has quite a bit of info that will be very helpful.

I found one link that will take you to the Disney Dining Plan Locations for 2007

http://www.wdwinfo.com/MagicYourWaydining.htm#2007

All Ears Net
http://www.allearsnet.com/din/dining.htm

Currently the prices are $37.99 adults and $10.99 for children

We just got the Dining Plan when we went 2 weeks ago. So many people said it's a lot of food. Well, you certainly are not hungry for the trip let me tell you.

There are charts to tell you what places you can go for dinner. Some character dinners and shows are 2 meals. We went to Hoop Dee Doo Revue and it was 2 meals. DD2 loved the singing and dancing.

Now, you can buy her the dining plan, I did not for my DD. She is a very picky eater and most of the time she ate off of mine or DH. We did get her a pizza one day and that fed her for 3 days.

I felt that we really made sure we got our money's worth. We went to a lot of really nice restaurants and most of the time our bill was well over $100 for DH and myself just for dinner. So that well surpassed the $76 a day it was costing us. Plus you still get one counter service and a snack.

You can use that any way that you want also. You can eat every snack that you have in one day if you want. Basically you get 1 dinner, 1 counter service and 1 snack for each day of your trip and it acts as a debit type system. Each time you use it, it deducts it off of your total.

As far as booking your trip. I am not sure how that goes. We have a DVC and I just book when I want and where I want. I am sure they have specials and maybe someone else will be able to answer that one for you.

Either way, I am sure you will have fun. That's what Disney is all about.

I will tell you to do the reasearch before you go. I did a lot this trip and felt that it paid off. I checked each restaurant and their menus to see what I liked as well as DH. If it didn't look as though it would appeal to us, I didn't print it out. I hate getting to Disney and DH saying, "OK where do you want to eat?" and me saying, "well, I don't know what they have". The we end up looking at each place at the menus for what appeals. I did all of that ahead of time and said, "ok, this is where we are eating, you choose the day".

Here is another site that has a lot of great info. Mouse for less

http://www.themouseforless.com/info/sitemap.shtml

I hoped I helped and didn't confuse you more

Michaela

 

[wrldpossibility]

Hi,

You sound just like me this time last year! We are taking our first trip this Dec, and began planning a year ago, in Sept 05. My family thought that was a bit early, but I needed to start that long ago to get this all straight!

It's not too soon to book reservations, and I'd do so. No matter what time of Dec you're going, it fills up. (Unless you're using DVC points, then I think you have to wait until 11 months out.) The first thing to decide is exactly when you're going and for how long, then where to stay. There are SO many choices, it takes a while to figure that out. If you want the dining plan, you probably already know you have to be onsite. Allears.net is a helpful website to see all the hotel options, and it goes through the dining plan and what things are 2 credits. Character meals can be paid for on the dining plan, and are only 1 credit with the exception of CRT.

To get discounts and deals for Dec, I'd recommend using a disney TA. We're using Dreams Unlimited, and are very happy. It really helps when you're new to all this. They find all the discounts for you, and automatically apply them to your ressie. For instance, I booked last Sept, and just a while ago, when the Disney Visa discount came out, DU applied it and I got back over $500 (we had paid in full). So book now; you can still get the codes applied. You can do it on your own too, but you really have to stay on top of these boards to make sure you spot them.

I'd plan your hotel first, then which parks which days, then what ADRs to make. It gets mixed reviews, but I've found TourGuideMike to be helpful. The Unofficial Guide is good too.

One last thing: my youngest will be 2 also, and he is going to share meals with us. He can get his own food at all the buffets, but for meals you eat off the menu, he'll share. There's so much food, and he eats so little, I'm not worried. We're taking some extra spending $ earmarked for food though, so we can order him a child's meal here and there as necessary.

Have fun planning! You have time to relax and have fun with it!

 

[Ilovemyprincesses]

Thanks for all of the info. I found a good deal through AAA for this Dec so I was trying to compare based on that. I am figuring we will just stay at ASMo. I have been looking at the restaurant reviews and the park info and I am learning a lot from everyone. This is the best spot for Dis info.

 

[newtowdw1]

I agree with wrldpossiblity. Use Dreams Unlimited. They are SO helpful. You can change your reservations and they're STILL pleasant!! And they'll credit back your discounts.

Allearsnet.com has pictures of all the hotels. Pick out a couple you like, go to the top of this board, and ask DU to put a quote together for you. Then you can play around with the details.