itinerary help - a 3 day gap to fill

[alicia1506]

hi all,

we thought out itinerary was pretty well sorted. our dcl 7 night cruise on the disney fantasy sailing from port canaveral, fl on nov 24.

our plan was to fly vaustralia bne - lax on nov 23, then fly delta lax - mco, stay overnight in the mco hyatt regency, and use disney transport to get from mco to the cruise ship on embarkation day.

after the cruise, we were going to fly straight up to chicago for a few days exploring, then on dec 4, take an early morning flight from mdw - lax, then disney transfer down to anaheim, check into our hotel and spend the next 8 days doing disneyland etc before flying home again.

our dcl portion is worked out and we're definitely doing that.

our disneyland/anaheim portion is worked out and we're definitely doing that.

we're going back and forth on this flying up to chicago bit.

so. these are the options we're looking at.

a - fly up to chicago and spend the better part of 3 full days exploring chicago, tourist style. will we get to see everything? no. will we get to see a new city in america we've been dying to see. yes. this involves 2 x airfares (getting from mco - chicago, then chicago - lax) but less expensive tickets for entry to shows/museums/tours etc.

b - fly up to new york and spend the better part of 3 full days exploring NYC after our ill-fated attempt to explore NYC last year where i got grossly ill. this would be fabulous as it will allow us to do/see the bits we didn't get to do last time (my one big regret from last year's trip). this involves 2 x airfares but less expensive tickets for tours etc.

c - go to wdw.we'll be in florida anyways, and i know we're planning on time at disneyland, but the parks are different, and there's a lot more to do at wdw. i know, i know 3 days is barely enough time to get comfortable, and it would mean that this trip (with the exception of the port adventures on the cruise) would be totally disneyfied (is that even a word?) and we would only be focused on a few key areas (magic kingdom, animal kingdom/safari and epcot) this involves one airfare to get to the next stage of the trip (mco - lax) and free transport via they magical express, but does involve more expensive tickets (3 day hoppers).

d - go to wwohp again. again, we'll already be in florida, so it's only one flight to get to lax, and the cost of a shuttle to get from port canaveral to universal studios. we can get discounted accomodation & tickets as we are members of the loyalty program (not huge discounts, but something) and it gives us a chance to see more of this place & spend more time in wwohp. i think my sister would kill me if i did this option & didn't bring her, but ... it's an option.

e - go straight to disneyland and use the extra days as relaxation, tour hollywood, spend a day in the spa etc. it's one flight from mco - lax and the extra few days will cost us around an extra $400 in accomodation -- not such a big expense to spend a few extra days lying around, or getting to do rides 2 or three times without having to worry about fastpasses etc.

so. my question to those of you out there reading this is... which option would you choose if this was your holiday and why? i love the idea of each of these locations, and while some (nyc and chicago) cost a little more due to the airfare getting in & out, as opposed to no extra airfare for wdw or wwohp flying direct to disney -- they do offer a break from the theme parkness of it all.

or. do you have other suggestions for locations?? we won't be hiring a car, so will be flying/shuttle bussing/taxiing between locations, so there are some logistical nightmares involved in that

 

[PrincessInOz]

Alicia - I hope you're feeling better and that the gallbladder issues are way behind you now.


What sorts of things do you like doing?
There's always staying around the beach at Florida or heading towards Miami as an alternative.

It also depends on whether you want a bit of a chillax time on this holiday or if you want to keep going commando.

Having said that - If I recall correctly, I don't think you went to WDW in your previous trip. If this is the case, I would recommend that you head to WDW and spend time in Epcot, Animal Kingdom and DHS over Magic Kingdom. (Yes, I'm a disney tragic).

 

[alicia1506]

PIO, you are 100% correct, we didn't do wdw last time, and there is a big part of us that thinks that since we're there anyway, why not take advantage and do a mini comparison?? also, since it has epcot and animal kingdom which disneyland doesn't have, and those areas aren't hugely disneyfied, it might be a good break.. we're planning to lie about in luxury on board the cruise (except for a few port adventures & our day at castaway cay, but that will also involve lying on a beach drinking something yummy and full of alcohol, lol ) and then try for a more commando style when visiting the parks or whatever our destination ends up being in between...

i just priced it out -- for reference and since carlo is an ideas + numbers kind of guy, it helps to show the financial side of things, although it's not really a huge factor when deciding on the trip

if we go straight to disneyland, it will cost us $684.97
if we go via wdw, it will cost us $1346.78
if we go via wwohp, it will cost us $1520.22
if we go via chicago, it will cost us $1686.85
if we go via nyc, it will cost us $1837.40

those figures are inclusive of all tickets, tours, flights, accomodation and transfers. not inclusive of food/spending money as that is a constant, and the figures for that won't really change from location to location.

aside from going straight to disneyland, wdw does come out at the cheapest option -- (pop century, 3 day hoppers, no dining plan) versus the other locations...

it would mean that this trip would be a total disney knockout though... 7 nights on the fantasy with dcl, 3 nights at wdw, then 8 nights at dlr.

hrmm. food for thought.

 

[battymum]

This is a totally "ïf it were me" answer.

I would spend the three days in WDW - do Epcot and maybe Animal Kingdom -I dont know how you can be that close and not go to Disney. Isnt there a Disney ship that sails from the west coast?

and if it were me I would do New York as well for 3 or 4 days and cut back Anaheim - but thats if it was my trip.

Just my opinion -

 

[PrincessInOz]

Alicia - how locked in is your Disneyland/Anaheim component? Without going to any other location like NYC, is it possible to spend more days in WDW and less at DLR?

And if it were me, I'm with battymum. I'd try to up WDW time to at least 5 days, try to get NYC or Miami in and less time in Anaheim.

 

[alicia1506]

our disneyland component is fully locked in & paid for, and it's to coincide with our anniversary, so unfortunately i can't change that.

my original trip plans did include a visit to wdw. and i know the wdw lovers on this board are going to think we're insane for spending so much time at dlr and not so much at wdw.. well, we are planning a wholly wdw only trip for 2014, so if we went this time it would literally just be a teaser.

there are disney cruises which sail from the west coast, but they go to different locations, and we are kinda set on seeing the mayan ruins on our western caribbean fantasy cruising.

logistics, logistics ...

we were originally thinking of putting our time for those 3.5 days into a city we want to see but not explore in depth, hence the thought of chicago (which will be cold!!! but will also have christkindlmarket) or re-visiting nyc, or doing wwohp again etc.

so much to think about!!!

 

[aussieGeorge68]

If it was me I would head to Vegas (assuming you don't have any kids in your party)

From your choices it would depend on your party. If you have no kids under 12 in your party, NY is not to be missed in my opinion. Otherwise there is plenty to do in WDW. If your are spending 8 days in Disneyland then Epcot and Animal Kingdom offers the most unique attractions that you won't find at Disneyland/CA.

 

[australiankaren]

hey

I would go to WDW.....pop etc....
or
naaaa........just WDW..

 

[BecBennett]

How about going to WDW without actually going into the parks? I know, it sounds crazy, but from my last trip one thing I regret is not exploring the resorts and everything else more.

You could see cirque du soleil, play mini golf, or real golf, shopping, try more restaurants, kayaking, horse riding, spend time at the boardwalk, etc.

 

[aussietravellers]

Golly gosh.... That's a hard one. For me it would come down to WDW or adding the three days to DL. From DL you can do tours of LAX, Universal or go down to San Diego. I think if it comes down to $'s, it's about $600 cheaper than all the other options to head straight to DL. So if you wanted to save the $'s then just head to DL, you will still have a ball.

Also, having never been to WDW, 3 days just doesn't seem long enough. You will just be getting into it and have to go.. how depressing that will be!

So I guess my vote will be adding to DL (even though WDW would be just as awewome).

 

[alicia1506]

i've been researching madly all day and will discuss it with my man tomorrow, but so far i'm leaning towards wdw.

i know it's nowhere near enough time to do wdw properly, and we fully intend on going back in 2013 or 2014 to do it up good and proper...

considering we were originally looking at doing chicago, doing wdw actually saves us some money

we did vegas on our last trip & were there for 5 nights and 6 full days, and that was heaps of time i mean, sure we could go back again, but i like the idea of trying something new, ie chicago or wdw.

we shall see what carlo says/does when he throws in his vote, then if it does end up being wdw.. that will open a whole new can of worms. so far i'm thinking either pop or coronado springs... the rooms at pop seem pretty generic and not at all fabulous, especially given the shots shown on the wdw website... but they are hugely cheaper than coronado, and it's not like we'd spend all that much time in the room anyways

hrmm.

lots of thinking and planning to do.

 

[PrincessInOz]

i've been researching madly all day and will discuss it with my man tomorrow, but so far i'm leaning towards wdw.

i know it's nowhere near enough time to do wdw properly, and we fully intend on going back in 2013 or 2014 to do it up good and proper...

considering we were originally looking at doing chicago, doing wdw actually saves us some money

we did vegas on our last trip & were there for 5 nights and 6 full days, and that was heaps of time i mean, sure we could go back again, but i like the idea of trying something new, ie chicago or wdw.

we shall see what carlo says/does when he throws in his vote, then if it does end up being wdw.. that will open a whole new can of worms. so far i'm thinking either pop or coronado springs... the rooms at pop seem pretty generic and not at all fabulous, especially given the shots shown on the wdw website... but they are hugely cheaper than coronado, and it's not like we'd spend all that much time in the room anyways

hrmm.

lots of thinking and planning to do.

Coronado Springs is nice...but it is a convention resort. So it kinda lacks some of the true Disney touches you'd expect from an on-site resort. It always seems booked with some convention or another and there are heaps of Suits around. I have pictures on my Oct 2010 TR if you're interested.

Did you check out either of the Port Orleans resorts?

 

[queenie82]

None of your options (beyond scrap everything else and straight to DLR) will do anything completely.

Because I LOVE LOVE LOVE Chicago...I'd say that.

Logic says skip some flight hassles and do wdw...but wdw in 3 days just sets panic in me as you will never see everything so like Chicago you'll want to go back anyway...
So what do you do...what do you do...would be my constant...
I know I could pack my highlights into 3 days for Chicago

 

[alicia1506]

yeah, see we could totally hit the highlights of chicago in 3 days, and it means that we've at least ticked that city off our 'list of places to visit' list.

wdw seems quite involved in terms of the research that would be needed to accurately and obsessively plan out a 3 day strategy, whereas in chicago it would be a case of doing a city tour/wandering/seeing the sights/being tourists kind of thing, rather than needing a touring plan like wdw.

i shall think on it some more overnight and get back to you once we've either a: come up with more questions or b: made a decision

ps. port orleans looks fabulous -- if we go, maybe we'll go there, as i really don't want to stay in a convention hotel if we can avoid it

 

[Mum from oz]

I would do WDW. AK/Epcot. "Disneyfied" holidays are awesome!

 

[cola]

If it were me, I'd increase time in DisneyWorld and reduce time in Disneyland, plus have they just brought out free dining plan for your dates? Though you've said you can't change the Disneyland dates, I would make a huge effort to change the Disneyland dates.

If you're doing DisneyWorld in 2014 properly, a visit beforehand will at least get you slightly prepared for the scale. Disneyland is tiny compared to DisneyWorld, everything that is a 5 min walk at DL is at least a 10min walk. Early Dec is a very quiet time in the parks, so you should be able to see quite a bit. There will always be something new added over 2 years.

 

[alicia1506]

we love dlr -- we know it's tiny and that's part of it's charm... less walking!!! lol.

we are leaning towards either going straight to disneyland and spending the extra time doing an extra day trip to san diego/san francisco -- haven't decided yet -- or doing wdw.

the prospect of doing wdw is scary. it's huge and there is so much more to plan for -- our TA quote for our wdw stay is exactly what i figured from my online research, so that is pretty fab, so definitely can lock that in.

i have no idea about free dining. there is so much about wdw i have no idea about. how do i find out about free dining? can you add it to an existing reservation, or can you only book it as part of a new package? is it worth booking now or waiting a while to see if dining can be added?

wow. see. i have no idea what i'm doing!!!

but a totally disney trip would be awesomesauce

 

[cola]

I'm sure there a lots of Free Dining experts out there - we never do it, only stayed on site a few times early on, and don't think it's worth it if you want to do anything other than Disney (I always do Universal IoA and now with WWOHP it's more than just a one day thing ) add a shopping day, a few more non-Disney days, even a Disney resort day rather than park day (very easy before Christmas to spend a day touring the Christmas decoration in the various Disney hotels without going requiring a park ticket), and I would much rather pay less than $500AU for 7 nights in a 2 bedroom unit that can sleep up to 8 (usually only 3 of us) than the inflated on-site rate when I don't want to do Disney parks every day.

Someone else mentioned the dining plan offer was about to start, but it will show up on the disneyworld.com web site as soon as it is available (sometime Mon morning US time)

I think getting a preview of DisneyWorld before your major DW trip in 2014 is a great idea

 

[cola]

Free dining that just came out is only late Aug-late Sept, so not a consideration for early Dec.