Last minute planning for Disney June trip!

[sookie]

AHHHH!!
I am thinking about surprising my boys (husband, son) with a surprise Disney trip in June. I'm switching jobs and would love to be able to get our "Vacation" for the year done between the switch. My little boy is turning five and I think this would be a great "birthday" present for him.
I need any and all advice about first time disney planning at the last minute (I feel like April is last minute). Should I be looking for a dining plan? What about park hoppers? We'd like to fly (four of us) to the parks and then we'd like to stay on site.
Gimme any and all advice!!
Thanks! Sookie

 

[3mickeymom]

over at the Disney Vacation Site to get an idea of what kind of vacation you are looking for. Check out the different hotels and dining options and decide what fits your family and price range best. You CAN plan a vacation for June. My family never plans too far in advance since we never know when my husband can get off work. We are always last minute. Airfare is a rising expense, so you might want to look into that soon. I can't offer any dining advice or even resort advice since we usually stay offsite and have never done a dining plan. Join Mousesavers.com to get lots of info and the scoop on discounts.

 

[hollybearsmom]

we used the dining plan for the first time last year and loved that everything was pre-included and pre-payed except tips so we didn't have to keep on budget every single minute of the trip. i suggest getting a dining plan -
staying on site lets you use Disney transportation and if you are flying in, you don't need a rental car,just the busses and monorail and boats -
there are lots of different threads on here about these things that can help you out -
hope you make your call to Disney soon!

 

[redsoxfaninme]

The first thing you should do is buy the book the unofficial guide to Walt Disney
World. We are also going in June. The last time we visited the mouse was in 2004. We are all very excited! We just started planning a month ago so you still have time! Have you called WDW?? You can ask them if there are any special deals. Have a great trip!!!

 

[mrssmith06]

This is the best place to be for planning your trip, there is so much info on these boards!

I decided against the dining plan unless I could get it for free. And I did recieve a PIN for that but it was after we had gotten a better deal through our travel agent. Some swear by the dining plan so you may love it. I just felt it was less to worry about if we could eat where ever we wanted to and not worry about how many of what ever kind of meals were left on our card. I am a first timer though, so we'll see how paying OOP works for us, we may end up hating it
I think the park hoppers should maybe be decided based on how many days you are staying. We are only doing 3 park days so we got the hoppers so we can do 2 parks on 1 day and also have the flexibility of going to a different park if the one we are at is over crowded or something. Park hoppers are great for some and others don't see it being worth the money, you'll find lots of opinions around here, just start searching and reading lol
As soon as you get your dates set and everything, decide where you want to eat and make reservations ASAP for any places that recommend reservations, especially character meals.
There are many travel agencies that work for Disney. It's free to you and they can be very helpful!

Good luck!!!!

 

[sookie]

You guys are great! Thank you for the advice.
It just seems like most people plan these things out sooo far in advanced. I had a friend tell me go at Halloween (temp is good apparently and not very crowded) but I don't know that that will work out for us (next semester will be a killer for my PhD student husband!!).
I feel really encouraged now!

 

[Leajess99]

In ref to the Dining Plan, with it being this close you may not be able to get reservations at some of the character meals or other places.

For us, unless the dining plan is free we will not use it again. Imay try QSDP but I hated having to plan our days around our meals.

 

[pigletto]

We enjoy the dining plan. It's not an absolute necessity, but like a pp mentioned, it makes it more relaxing.
I bet you'll get some decent reservations. Especially being your first trip I imagine you will be excited to try everything. There is still lots to be had. If you want the really popular character meals you may have to eat at some odd times, but otherwise it will be fine.

Check out the WDW site and see what you can come up with for your dates under the current offer. Also keep in mind that if a new discount comes out that covers your dates you could switch discounts where there is availibility.

If you have AAA you may get a decent discount there if you find nothing on the WDW site.

Good Luck!!
Our last trip was planned two months out and we got a great room rate, ate at some fabulous places and had a balst!

 

[las3888]

Mousesavers is a good place to find out what deals are available right now, as well as pro's and con's to dining. We are going in June too...looking forward to it!

 

[v.t.]

Have you called Disney to see if you have the free dining pin? If you did, it might be worth it to stay on property.