Just beginning to plan

[Jack's Mom]

My Husband & I have decided to plan a vac to WDW in 12/05 with our son age 3. I need all the help I can get. We have stayed at the FQPO in 98', But my mother in law planned that trip,
We are staying on site for sure- our hope to stay at a moderate-

When is the best time to book?

Which moderate is typically the best. I didn't have any complaints about PO in 98, but haven't been to the others.

Are the Vaule Resorts bad? I've seen some reviews that they are dirty & really far from the parks?

As you can see I'm starting with a clean slate- help me out!

 

[debbiedoo]

I would go ahead and book now by calling 1-407-wdisney. They are going to quote you regular rate. Keep you eyes and ears out for promotions and discount codes. mousesavers.com is a good place to watch for this. Call them back and they will modify the ressie for you. You can also take care of your room bill this way and have it taken care of before you ever arrive. kindof like monthly/weekly installments. If you have overpaid with a ressie after a discount code has come out you will have a credit on your room or they will give you that money at checkin.

I have stayed both at value/moderate/deluxe. value - all star movies(dalamation building) and Caribbean beach resort. I really have enjoyed both of these. Caribbean is very laid back and the room is large, one of the largest of the moderates. When the codes come put you can get a moderate for about the same pfice of a value, usually 99/129 per night. It all depends on what you are looking for and how much you want to spend. The bus routes are not to bad, about the same as OKW/SSR in my opinion and they are home away from home. For the 3 year old, he will love the buses!! Myh daughter calls them mickey buses!!!!

any more questions just ask or pm me!!

 

[dcmbshafe]

Dittos on checking out mousesavers for all aspects of your trip. Check out what they say about the discounts using a Disney Visa card - if you have the capability, this might be something to consider.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

Hi Jack's Mom and welcome to the DIS!

If you know where you want to stay and the dates that you'll be there, go ahead an book your room-only stay right now. You will only need to make a one-night's deposit on the room. Booking a package would require that you come up with $200/person as a deposit.

I've been booking my rooms thru Dreams Unlimited and I've been very happy with them. Once your room is booked, they will continue to look for discounts for you. That way, you don't need to keep calling Disney's CRO to change the ressie yourself. Another advantage is that they will take care of getting any extras for you like MVMCP tickets or PSs. That will save you time and the cost of long distance calling.

I've stayed at CBR and CSR and I prefer CSR. However, it is very spread out and with a 3 yo, you may prefer a smaller resort. POFQ would probably suit your needs better if you want to go with a moderate resort - nice theming, less spread out. Plus, you have the added bonus of being able to hop over to POR's pool to try it out too. They are the only resorts which allow you to pool hop between them.

I'm not sure who told you that the value resorts were dirty but that hasn't been the experience of any of my friends who have stayed in values. They all found the theming to be charming and the mousekeeping was as good as you get in any resort of similar cost. The distance from the parks is relative. They are actually closer to AK than most moderates. And the only resorts close the MK are deluxes.

I have heard that transportation can be an issue at the AllStars because they all share buses. This can lead to very crowded buses at peak times (like when Wishes is over at the MK). If this seems like it will be a problem for you, consider staying at the Pop Century instead. They have their own buses and they are closer to EPCOT & MGM than the AllStar resorts.

Good luck deciding where to stay. You really can't go wrong with any Disney resort.

 

[westjones]

The All Stars Movie Resort (value) is really cute for kids. We were just there a couple weeks ago and my kids loved the LARGE Movie Icons.

The moderates are nice, but the theming at the All Stars Movies really appeals to kids. If you don't plan to spend a lot of time at the resort, you could save money by going with the value resorts and your 3 year old will get such a kick out of it.

NOW, from what I understand, the All Stars Movies is the one of the All Starts that fills up first (there is also the All Stars Music and All Stars Sports). I think that the Movies one is the one that kids enjoy the most, so if I were you and you know for sure you are going, call and reserve the All Stars Movies now (use AAA discount if you have the card--there could be other discounts come out later and you can call and have your reservation changed to the new rates if that happens---but AAA is the only discount available now).

Here is a link to the slideshow of All Stars Movies:

http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/asmvss.htm

There is a list of other slideshows of resorts here:

http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/gallery.htm

DJ