Last minute trip help!!

[Suziqzer]

My DH and I are probably going to be scheduling a last minute trip to Disney World mid January and haven't been for more than 12 yrs. Any helpful hints on hotels, food, and tickets would be greatly appreciated!!

We have been thinking about it for a short time and are combining the trip with a trip to see his dad (just there in the winter) and don't really know anything about Disney as we've only been with our families before when we were young.

I'm a frugal shopper and look for the best deals I can find- that are legal and safe of course. We would like to try and stay on the property if we can find a room that we can afford.

So any quick and easy tips and info on cost savings would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks in advance.
Suzie

 

[Disneylush]

will you need a car? do you have aaa?

 

[Disneylush]

Here is how we do it cheap from MN...

We fly Sun Country (157.71 this Jan)
We do not rent a car, we use ME (Magical Express is a service that Disney provides. They bus you from the airport to your hotel and they take care of you luggage)
We stay at POP and I always have a code for some sort of discount.
We get in on a fridge swap so we have a fridge in our room
I bring breakfast bars for breakfast, we have big lunch early and small dinner late
Because I have kids under 3 they eat for free at buffets but at a restaurant I have to buy meals.

I suggest buying a guide book... my fav is Passporter 2008.

 

[GoinToDisney]

I say contact deb@themagicforless.com and she will find you the best deal possible. She is up on the codes and is really good. You don't pay her anything. If you stay onsite, you can do the dining plan, which costs the same for us as eating counter service with just a couple of nice meals, but with dining, you get nice meals every day. We have water shipped to our hotel from staples, and if you are a rewards club member @ staples, the shipping is free. We get 2 cases for the week and it is plenty. We also stay onsite (Pop in Feb), and use ME and Disney busses to the parks. Disney transportation is great. If you want to book yourself, go check out the disboards rates and codes page. I am pretty sure there is a code available for Jan. We find tourguidemike.com to be invaluable. There is a membership fee, but if you are the type to buy one of the Disney planning books, then skip the book and join that site. Make sure to bring snacks and sweatshirts with you so you won't be tempted to buy them in the parks.

We have stayed off site at days inn suites (now changed hands) for about $40 per night. However, with the Disney codes, it costs about the same to stay on site because you don't have to rent a car or pay for parking. Plus the Disney hotels are sooo much nicer.

 

[trivial]

I agree that you should use a Disney-centric travel agency; as GoinToDisney says, they cost you nothing, and can help you save money and plan. Mid-January is an excellent time of the year to go, price- and crowds-wise, so you're off to a good start.

I'd recommend getting the Basic Disney Dining Plan, as it will almost certainly save you at least a bit of money. Note that the Dining Plan is only available when staying on-site at a Disney resort. I'd resist the urge to stay off-site, as it's much less convenient and won't save you nearly enough money to make it worthwhile, especially considering the Disney Dining Plan.

One additional tip is that if you're willing to spend a bit more money, you can stay in a Deluxe Villa studio for less than the price of a Moderate resort by renting DVC points (about $120/night for a standard view studio at a Deluxe Villa resort). If you're not familiar with Walt Disney World, that might be confusing, but you can read about renting DVC points in the DVC forum here in the DIS Boards. Studios are nicer than standard rooms at Moderate resorts, with a kitchenette that will help you to save money by preparing breakfast in your room each morning. But for the absolute cheapest on-site room, book at a Value resort -- and book your room, tickets, etc. separately, as packages are almost always more expensive.

If you're an AAA member, you can save 20% off a value or moderate resort for that time of the year. Also, you can find a ton of great info on saving money at WDW at mousesavers.com (and be sure to subscribe to their newsletter; inside is a link for very inexpensive tickets).

 

[Suziqzer]

Thanks all for your help... with lots of research and time on the phone with AAA and Disney I think I did pretty good. Saved around $250 for the time I spent. DH didn't have the patience for me to try and find people through emails and websites that could help. I actually think the deal I got through Disney beat what I was going to get through AAA!!! I had just a room booked and threatened to cancel it and book through AAA since they had one at the same resort on hold for me at a better price- cancelling would've cost me $100... then saved me $100 off the Disney price. After some time on the phone she found some codes and got me the same deal plus tickets were park hopper plus fun (AAA were just park hoppers) for $11 more than I would have paid AAA orignally. DH is happy and we're going to Disney!!