I am new here and need help planning trip in early Sept

[hipmaman]

Hi,

I am new here and would like to get as much help as possible. I have never been to WDW myself. My dh did once, but that was eons ago. So, we need so much help. I am a bit of a planner and love deals so I thought to get you help planning this trip.

My children will be 15 months and just turn 3 by the time of the trip in early Sept (thinking of 30 Aug for 7 days). Is this a good time to get cheaper fare, less wait in lines, cooler weather, etc.?

Should I look into buying a package with car, hotel and flight? Or should I buy them separately? I just quickly did some looking with Travelocity.ca and Expedia.ca and not sure if there are better packages out there. Don't get me wrong, I'll pay for quality but I don't want to pay for things that we might not need (like the Ultimate Hopper pass)

So, a bit of background to get your help...

Specifically, I would need 4 seats for air. I would want a seat for my youngest, although I know he can lap-fly. It's the safety issue with me, so I don't mind paying for a seat.

For hotel, I would like something relatively close to all the major attractions (WDW, Sea World, I don't think Universal Studio is doing anything for my kids at this age) so that we can easily go back to the hotel in the afternoon for naps. I like something family oriented. I saw the Holiday Inn Family Suites and like the concept of the suite. But is it more expensive? What about taking advantage of the Cdn-at-par deals and stay at something like the Movie, Music or Sport hotels (can't remember the exact names)? Are the room decent for an infant, a toddler and 2 adults (without tripping over one another, lol)?

Do you think a car is necessary to rent at the airport? Or do you suggest taking the shuttle from airport to the hotel and to the parks? And for the times we go anywhere else that shuttle don't take us to then we rent. Or would having the car is more convenient although, we might not use it for the first few days when we would still be busy doing WDW?

And what is the best Hopper ticket for my family to get? Obviously, I don't think the Ultimate one is necessary as the young children won't get to use it all. Would a 3-4 day regular pass do? Is there still the buy one and get the second one at 1/2 price? or has it expired already?

I browsed this forum a bit earlier on and saw some posts about the Disney Club and the PassPorter. How do I register for membership with the Club? Where in Southern Ontario (the Toronto area) can I buy this book?

Thank you so much. I know I have too many questions and I appreciate any pointers you have.

 

[PoohBWV]

First off, let me say welcome! Since you are going after Aug 25, rates at Disney resorts will be down. There is a Canadian special on currently which will run untill October. You should be able to secure a room using this "at par" special for about $77 Canadian per night at the All Star resorts. As for passes, definitely have your travel agent check the World of Vacations passes as these are $419 per adult and $334 per child Canadian for the 5 day hopper plus and $490 Adult and $394 child Canadian for the 7 day hopper plus ticket. For your airfare, consider flying from Buffalo - perhaps on Southwest - as often the prices are much less from the U.S.

I am sure you'll receive much more info here and if you have more questions, just ask.

 

[cottontail]

Hello:

I think I would stay onsite at either a value, or moderate because of the age of your children, with the canadian at par offer.

Saying that I did notice that the holiday inn family suites was not too far from the wdw parks, I have never stayed there but have heard it is nice, the space might be nice as well. I guess you have to figure out the pros and cons of each and check the prices.

The weather, we went the last week of sept once, and it was hot hot and humid, but not many lines for things. Take rain gear, we had lots of rain while there then, but I am sure it is different every year.

Passes, I would buy a hopper pass that does not include water parks, as the children are a bit young for the water parks, they will have just as much fun as their hotel pool. Those passes will be good for a lifetime if you find you do not use all the days, we always seem to use less than we think on our trips and bring home extra days. Someone gets ill, or we just want a resort day, etc.
I would not buy the the pass that is called Ultimate park hopper pass, is is tied in with a wdw resort stay, they are not good for a lifetime, and if you decide to take a day or two off from the parks you lose out as you have paid for those days.


Here is an information site that has a ton of info if you have not seen it yet. It is Deb Wills wdw site,

http://wdwig.com/contents.htm

As for disneyclub, here is the address,

www.disneyclub.com

Bye,

Deb.

 

[cottontail]

Hello again:

Passporter

www.passporter.com

We just came back in april and I found that the american express card credit card, gave me l5% off at downtown disney, now the l5% might have been a special that was on if you stayed in a wdw hotel, but you had to spend 50.00 or more.

But they might still give you l0% if your not staying onsite, so check it out.

If you end up using a code from this sight for a room or stay at offsite, you might not need the disneyclub, unless you still want it for l0% off at the disney stores. The disney club card cost me about 50.00 canadian, I do not think it is worth it anymore, especially with the discount codes that they put on these sites.

American express also has room rate discounts every once in a while, so check out its benefits as well, we ordered the free one and will probably only use it when we go to wdw.

I love my passporter book, I ordered it from their site.

Deb.

 

[DisneyLisa]

Hi & welcome.

As others have posted, you can probably get a great rate at the All Stars...we stayed there in 2000 & really enjoyed it. Yes the rooms are smaller but as far as I'm concerned they are plenty big enough...we were 2 adults & 2 young teens when we went. Staying on site is definitely worth it if you can do it.

Check out this site for the greatest savings info Mousesavers and good luck planning. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like...these boards are the best place to get answers .

 

[SandraC]

WELCOME TAM! We just got back from a fab WDW trip in April! Our kids are 2 and 8. We went last April too when ds was 15 months and ds was 7. Your kids will LOVE IT! Even at 15 months old, ds had a blast, kids are so portable! Bring a video camera, my ds is watching our WDW home video right now!

My tips:

*Stay on-site, especially that time of year ~ excellent deals on www.mousesavers.com

*Character meal!!!!!!!!!!

*Lots of REST! We made it a point to rest every afternoon, even if no one slept, it was great to swim and enjoy the WDW resort!


Oh Yeah! When ds was 15 months old we didn't get him a seat on the plane, instead, we pre-booked the bulkhead and requested a bassinette that attaches to the wall. He was very comfy and safe, didn't cost anything. This year, I booked him a seat and he ended up on my lap on the way to Florida anyway. On the way back he was thrilled to sit in his own seat and play with the headphones.

On the way back I kept hearing DING DING DING DING ~ it took me five minutes to realize ds was buzzing for the flight attendant YIKES! LOL! She was very understanding!

 

[eleanor]

I think you will find that the package deals are really more expensive than doing it separately. They include things that you dont really want or cant use. We have always found it cheaper tp do it ourselves.

 

[Jo-Anne]

Hi and Welcome! This site and mousesavers have been amazing at helping put it all together yourself versus a package. I figure I save at least $700 per trip by doing it myself! My family is going Sept 8-15. My son turns 3 on Sept 16, so we are saving ourselves the cost of buffet dinners and park passes by going before he turns 3...not sure if you can do this as you say your child will have just turned 3 for your trip! We are veterans of going in Sept....5 times in this month. It is usually very hot and humid. We always go to parks at opening and back to hotel for lunch, swimming and naps and then back to parks for evening and dinners. We have stayed at All Stars and all the moderates and are going to rent DVC (timeshare) points this year at the deluxe Boardwalk villas ($81 USD/night including taxes). We always rent a car...look for discount codes at mousesavers! Good luck...keep asking questions of this forum and others and you'll get lots of help! Jo

 

[maryliz]

Hi, and welcome ! We have gone in Sept 3 times and it has always been very hot and humid. We were there just this past year from end of Aug until Sept 9th and we never used a sweatshirt once. The lines were reasonable in length, and we found that by going to the parks for opening, we were able to accomplish a lot within the first 3 or 4 hours. My kids at that time were 4 1/2 and 1 1/2, and we did find that heading back to the hotel for an afternoon nap or swim was in the best interest of everyone (lol). The parks were not open very late at that time, so we did try and have our "break" and then head back to the parks for the last couple of hours if we wanted to. You didn't say if you were planning on renting a car or not, but if you are, I would recommend driving to the parks even if staying on-site. We found that with strollers, backpacks filled with snacks, diapers, rain gear etc. it was easier to manouevre everything rather than fighting for seats on a crowded bus. Don't get me wrong, the transportation system is wonderful if you don't have a car, but we have found our nerves are a little less frazzled if we drive. And you don't pay for parking when you are staying on-site. I take everything with us but our kitchen sink and there is plenty of room at the All Stars (Movies and Music are our fav's) for the 4 of us, a crib in the room, strollers, cooler, food, etc. Keep us posted on what decisions you make as we all live vicariously through others' trips on these boards.

Mary Liz

 

[Scratch42]

Hi

Just going thru the usual websites and just noticed that Air Transat if offering a buy one get one half price and this includes FLA! I would phone TA right away as I'm sure this will go fast.

Also, this year stayed on site for first time ever and found it was great!. DD who is 10 was more bearable when we could go back to the Resort and go for a swim or just to relax. Transportation is great. It was nice not having to drive.

Have Fun and enjoy!

Janet

 

[TimNDansMom]

Welcome! We have stayed at All Star Music using some great code rates found here or mousesavers.com and find it perfectly fine for us. By booking a room-only ressie, only one night's deposit is required and there is 5-day cancellation policy.

The boys (teenagers) take turns sleeping on a twin size air bed that I bring because they won't sleep together anymore and I simply move the table and chairs over to in front of the window and there's lots of room along the wall opposite the beds, beside the chest of drawers/TV stand. I bring an electric cooler (we drive) which I keep under the sink counter and store the luggage under the beds.

The boys are old enough now to use the bus transportation by themselves so staying on site has been a big help for my sanity. I don't know if they will be coming with us the next time and Dh and I will still stay there. If it wasn't so costly for Canadians, I do like the other resorts we've stayed at there too (see my signature), but we have decided that ASMu works just as well for us.

I usually buy the 4 or 5 day Park Hoppers and have days left over for the next trip since I don't go "gung-ho" at the parks anymore. For the PH tickets, we go over to Walmart Travel at the Super Walmart at Mile Marker 14 on Hwy 192 in Kissimmee and save about 5%, I think.

I love to resort-hop at WDW (especially afternoon Tea at the Grand Floridian) and staying on-site makes it easy for me since Dh is usually off golfing and I don't have to worry about driving to get around.

 

[hipmaman]

I knew I had come to the right place I will carefully go over your messages.

I went to an agent today, just to check the packages out. First, I found out how much the Hopper Passes were. Ouchie! So, since my dd turns 3 in Aug 12, I think I have to decide to go before Aug 12 and brave the crowd or to bite the bullet and pay for her pass and go 2-3 weeks later. Neither choice seems perfect, sigh...

Anyway, the cheapest shown for this period of time for 4 plane tickets, All Star Sports Hotel, car (as in a package), 2 adult 5-day Hopper Passes, 2 adult pass to Sea World is $4200 Cad. Does this seem like a lot, or is this what I should expect to pay for vacation in WDW?

Any opinions is helpful. In the meantime, I will check things out to see how much making my own package would save me money.

Thanks in advance.

 

[DisneyLisa]

How long are you staying in WDW? Just want to see what type of prices we can come up with for you here on this board.

 

[DisneyLisa]

Just found the answer in your first post...can't see for looking . 7 days. I'll crunch some numbers & see what I come up with (as I'm sure others will do as well).

 

[DisneyLisa]

Now, it is late at night (I should be in bed) but here are some rough calculations (in CAD):

7 nights at AS $604.00 (CAD at par w/tax)
2 5-day adult hopper plus passes ~$760.00
2 adult passes Sea World $160

Total: $1524

Plane tickets for 4 seats (just a rough search on Expedia...I'm sure you can do better) $1854

Total: $3378 plus a car rental

Now with the ages of your kids, I'd say 5 days in WDW with water parks would be more than enough so I'd skip Sea World for this visit...you'll need a bit of "off" time...but that's just my opinion.

So my guess is that you can get the best price doing it on your own. We used a package when we stayed at the All Star Music two years ago & now I know we paid way too much. Of course this is just my opinion...others may differ.

Hope this helps you a bit...now I'm off to bed. Chat with everyone tomorrow .

 

[cottontail]

Hi:

I agree with Lisa about the off time, otherwise you never feel like you had time to relax.

Also I think if you do it outside of a package you can get it cheaper, as Lisa has shown.

You need to read a book about the attractions/rides and pick a few that you really want to do from each park and anything else is a bonus, it is impossible to see it all and do it all in one trip. The Passporter, Unofficial guide to wdw, Birmbaums wdw, the library is a good place to check for books on wdw.

Deb.

 

[SandraC]

We have booked TA packages and self planned. Self planning by far is more economical plus less hastle.

We saved a couple thousand dollars with Mousesavers and the CDN ticket deal that runs Nov to April/May.

In April 2001 my TA planned our 8 night/9 day WDW trip.

In April 2002 I planned our 10 night/11 day trip with extra luxuries for less money that 2001 trip.

I enjoy the HOMEWORK so self planning is my choice.

OH BOY! Your 3 year old is going to LOVE IT! S

 

[hipmaman]

I would like to thank everyone who had helped me with my questions. But after some deliberation, dh and I decided that it was too rushed to go at the beginning of Sept and after that we don't have any vacation time off work to go. Especially when we have to shell out a large chunk of cash this quick (even with the Cad-at-par deal, it was still a lot in short notice)

So, we are planning for the Spring or the Fall 2003.

I got my PassPorter from Mother Pickle Distribution in Wakerton. I am planning my trip and hope you don't mind me dropping in once in a while to ask questions.

Again, thank you. You are all wonderful.

 

[Belle2002]

I'm not really sure on the pricing. In my head really fast it seems a bit high, but for peak season, it might not be bad. A little advice on car rental. We went 2 years ago and we used a car for part of our stay. We found it was much more expensive to rent at the airport, so we happened to have an Alamo car rental right next door to our hotel (we spent a couple of days off sight) to save some money. However, with the money we spent on a shuttle from the airport (they are quite pricey) I don't know if we saved anything!

If you can stay on-site, that is the best because you don't have to worry about transportation!! Some off site hotels offer shuttles, some don't. The first couple of days we were off site. We were lucky that we had a free shuttle to WDW (some restorts charge for this) however, we were very restricted to pick up and drop off times and locations.

Check your local disney store for pass prices as well because sometimes travel agents charge more. The disney store prices are set by the park at a reasonable exchange rate.

One last note, WDW is a lot to see in 7 days, especially when it's super hot and if you have small kids. When I went, we were 3 adults, we had a week to see 4 parks and it was a lot!! We are also marathon park goers (get there at opening and stay til close!!) and we only saw about half of what we wanted to see!!