More for Less: A Theme Park Planning Strategy

[ArmchairDetective]

Are we talking about the same parks? How are you not going to wait in a single line at WDW during Spring Break?

I gave you my touring strategy for MK a few pages back. I've secured FP+ for 7DMT so I can rope drop Peter Pan and go from there.

I've never looked at a SB wait of greater than 25 minutes and voluntarily gotten in line. Why would I do that? The longest wait I've ever had was about 7 years ago in line for Peter Pan and that was around 50 minutes.

My longest wait in October was for Expedition Everest at 25 minutes and last Spring Break it was Little Mermaid for 15 minutes.

If you are waiting in line for huge amounts of time, you are doing it wrong.

 

[DisneyKidds]

Will, I'm not trying to say that FP+ hasn't effected some guests in a negative way. While our experience with FP+ doesn't necessarily match up with yours, that's irrelevant. You made changes in your vacation habits, and maybe FP+ was the sole factor. I'd say that's unfortunate, but it isn't. You are moving on to things you will enjoy more.

We know, however, that other factors were likely involved in other people's decision to change, because their kids prefer Uni, because they like the way Uni runs their parks, because they like how Uni has invested capital in rides....and because of FP+. That's all I'm saying. Not sure why some are just too happy to lay it all at the feet of FP+......

 

[Laketravis]

* You assert $35/nt for a 3-star condo, and are equating that to a Disney Moderate. I checked condos online, and could not replicate your rate. You even said yourself you would not stay at Rosen if you didn't have to. So what exactly are you suggesting? Is $35 / night realistic for "vacation grade" accommodations? Or is this a roadside motel type trip? I found a Motel 6 for $35 and an Econolodge for $31, both of which would charge tax and be more than your $243. So if your price is not accessible to the public then is it really a "strategy" one can read and go... "hmm maybe I'll do that - how would I book it?"

And last, you assert getting a car rental for $80/week. Now I checked Budget and Thrifty, both of which tend to have great rates, and I found a Kia Rio at Thrifty for $200. I don't see how you're breaking into the sub-$100/week rate for cars. If you can do this, and provide a repeatable way for people to do this, folks would love you for it. I see your screenshot of your hotwire page, but when I run it, I get similar to other sites, $200. So more useful than going on and on about how you're saving money by staying offsite, would be perhaps sharing how you actually get such good hotwire prices. Getting a car for $80/week would drastically alter many peoples' trips in a positive way!

I don't know what to tell you, Fuzzy. I've already posted a screen shot of not one, but two rental car reservations at very low rates. I obtained both using pretty standard and well known techniques.

In regards to the condo/resorts, here's a copy of the receipt for a 3-star condo for 2 weeks in June at $484. I hope you don't mind that I've redacted the name of the resort as well as my name because I'm starting to get a little uncomfortable with all of the personal information I've been providing in response to numerous skepticism.

And in case you think that's a fluke, I've included an additional reservation for a 4-star resort right outside the WDW Gates during spring break for $102 a night.

So just in case you change your mind and decide that you might like to try some of this sometime, I'd recommend checking this website occasionally for some really nice condo deals (sometimes as low as $30 a night/$199 for the week if you sign up for their alerts) since you're not having very good luck thru other means: http://vacationcentralflorida.com/

For more tips and tricks on rental cars and hotels, the Transportation Board and the Orlando Hotels board have a lot of good information.

My issue is with whether LT's plan is really "more for less". It may be more for him, but he has said he's sharing this so others can profit from his knowledge. I'm questioning whether this is really a plan that would suit very many people..

Judge for yourself, even if only based on these several examples of deals that even Fuzzy couldn't find.

 

[Laketravis]

I gave you my touring strategy for MK a few pages back. I've secured FP+ for 7DMT so I can rope drop Peter Pan and go from there.

I've never looked at a SB wait of greater than 25 minutes and voluntarily gotten in line. Why would I do that? The longest wait I've ever had was about 7 years ago in line for Peter Pan and that was around 50 minutes.

My longest wait in October was for Expedition Everest at 25 minutes and last Spring Break it was Little Mermaid for 15 minutes.

If you are waiting in line for huge amounts of time, you are doing it wrong.

Oh, okay. I took your comment "I'm not going to wait in a single line" literally.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Mission accomplished, as this whole thread was likely just a way to poke at FP+ and Disney, if you ask me (not that anyone did). However, there were other larger factors involved in the Lake tribes move to other Orlando activities.

For sure, LT is reputable for his posting style.

I think if you just look at this as a Central Florida pre-trip planning report and then taking that for what it is, it would be a useful tool for someone who wants to try to get more than just a Disney experience.

Yes be can be snarky ( don't deny it Travis ;-) ). But if we can look past that and use this report as we would do others--picking what might work for us and ignoring the rest.he has a number of things to his advantage that affect the cost of the trip such as already having a Disney annual pass and plans (I think) to buy a Universal annual pass.

Such a purchase is not always practical for other guests (as an example), so cutting in and out for half days between different theme parks on opposite sides of Orlando may not be to their financial advantage.

I think Travjs will find I-4 rush hour to be unkind a bit which will make his commutes longer. But it isn't DC or Atlanta, so there is that. But if he is heading to Disney during evening rush or towards Universal during morning rush hour, his commute times may be off.

And something to en said that folks don't like to deal with traffic on vacation. By some don't mind and finding a hotel in between the two is a valid tip for a Central Florida trip.

( just a couple to examples from memory.)

I disregarded the bread for a but because I didn't want to hop on the snark wagon. So I found a way to chat that would be of value (hopefully) to guests considering doing what Travis is doing.

But I wholeheartedly agree that FP+ is a huge factor in his family's experience. Without it, he would certainly be touring much differently.

 

[MrInfinity]

I don't know what to tell you, Fuzzy. I've already posted a screen shot of not one, but two rental car reservations at very low rates.

There is no need to provide the images, I'd just like to know how you're getting it. To show me what a great deal you got does not help the thousands of people who are following this who would like to get a car for $84/wk.

In regards to the condo/resorts, here's a copy of the receipt for a 3-star condo for 2 weeks in June at $484. I hope you don't mind that I've redacted the name of the resort as well as my name because I'm starting to get a little uncomfortable with all of the personal information I've been providing in response to numerous skepticism.

Ok so...... stop showing us screenshots, and just talk. I don't want to know when you're staying. Moving on from that. You've now showed us a price of $484. That's double the $243 you said for the Rosen.

And in case you think that's a fluke, I've included an additional reservation for a 4-star resort right outside the WDW Gates during spring break for $102 a night.

I didn't say it was a fluke! I just asked what your total spend would be. It's your thread man. More for Less. Ok is it More for Less or not. If it's more for less, show us not only how you do more but how you end up spending less. You obviously don't want to answer, cuz you've shown costs that clearly indicate it's More for More. And it involves hours in the car every day driving from the east side of Orlando to 3 restaurants and 2 theme parks. So really while I accept that it is More for you, it is not more for most people... and it's not "for less" for anyone. It's a darn expensive strategy.

I'm moving on man. I've tried to convince you that for a "More for less" strategy to be viable, you have to show the for Less part. If you'd like to show how you spend less than your traditional week at CSR, then feel free. You're just spending more money than most ppl would spend at Disney world, and spending hours in the car every day.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

My sister and her husband are notorious for finding rental car deals. They are not brand loyal, surf the web frequently (but not long--kind of like stalking MDE for a FP or ADR and taking a minute to check).

When they find a deal they like, they book. But they do continue shopping and switch out reservations often trying to get a cheaper deal.

My husband is not necessarily brand loyal, but he prefers the well knowns. We tend to add additional insurance (loss of use is not covered by your personal policy) and we need a large vehicle (family of 6!).

At 3 people, Travis can get very small cars which increases the options to get a deal.

It is a craft and doable. It would drive my husband and me crazy. My sister's husband is a cheapskate (not intended as a slam against anyone who is frugal--this man is really cheap!), and so he has no issues with hunting for and locating less expensive options. It pays off a lot do times. And other times, it involves a side trip to Deliverance territory. ;-)

 

[Laketravis]

There is no need to provide the images, I'd just like to know how you're getting it. To show me what a great deal you got does not help the thousands of people who are following this who would like to get a car for $84/wk..

The DIS Resort and Transportation boards have some really good information. I used many of the tips I've found there.

You've now showed us a price of $484. That's double the $243 you said for the Rosen...

Huh? The $484 is a 3-Star condo for two weeks in June. The $243 for the Rosen is PER NIGHT during Spring Break, exactly what I said in previous posts and why it skews this initial run-through in terms of cost. The $102 a night is for a 4-star resort also over Spring Break. They are three different reservations.




.

 

[Laketravis]

If you'd like to show how you spend less than your traditional week at CSR, then feel free..

Did you see the screen shots?



.

 

[MrInfinity]

The $243 for the Rosen is PER NIGHT

"More for Less" trip in June that will involve driving to Orlando and a week's stay at a 3-Star condo for $242.

Definitely confusing. Maybe a simple spreadsheet would help you express this better. Show what you'd pay in a week at CSR, and what you'd pay on this proposed week. Should be easy to compare.

 

[Laketravis]

Definitely confusing. Maybe a simple spreadsheet would help you express this better. Show what you'd pay in a week at CSR, and what you'd pay on this proposed week. Should be easy to compare.

Oh! I see where you're confused. Some didn't like that I was using a two week stay in June, so I broke it out and started treating and planning it like a one week stay. The $242 for the condo in June is per week. The receipt you see is for two weeks ($242 x 2 = $484).

In regards to your request for a comparison, both the condo and CSR have 3-star ratings online via independent sources. You can see the same CSR rates I'm looking at online at Disney's website, there is currently a Spring Promotion during those two weeks that works out to:

6/6/ - 6/13 CSR Standard Room: $1,462 / Condo: $242
6/13 - 6/20 CSR Standard Room: $1,413 / Condo: $242

Over the course of two weeks, the difference ($2,391) pays the complete cost of the WDW Annual Passes for three and a large portion of the USO Annual Passes.

If we were to compare a CSR 1 bedroom king suite to the 1 bedroom king condo:

6/6 - 6/13: CSR King Suite: $5854.31 / Condo: $242
6/13 - 6/20: CSR King Suite: $6225.99 / Condo: $242

The difference there could pay for several more trips and several more years of AP's. That may not be a fair comparison though, I don't believe the CSR Suite has a full kitchen and laundry room like the condo does.

I think either example qualifies as "More for Less". The only park benefits we give up are the 60 day FP window for a 30 day FP window and EMH which we can work around using FP.

 

[Cormoran]

Yeah, LT I think you should provide a complete spreadsheet detailing everything, otherwise you're just fabricating these details. Oh and by the way, could you please include your credit card numbers on the spreadsheet?

 

[MrInfinity]

Oh! I see where you're confused. Some didn't like that I was using a two week stay in June, so I broke it out and started treating and planning it like a one week stay. The $242 for the condo in June is per week. The receipt you see is for two weeks ($242 x 2 = $484).

In regards to your request for a comparison, both the condo and CSR have 3-star ratings online via independent sources. You can see the same CSR rates I'm looking at online at Disney's website, there is currently a Spring Promotion during those two weeks that works out to:

6/6/ - 6/13 CSR Standard Room: $1,462 / Condo: $242
6/13 - 6/20 CSR Standard Room: $1,413 / Condo: $242

Over the course of two weeks, the difference ($2,391) pays the complete cost of the WDW Annual Passes for three and a large portion of the USO Annual Passes.

If we were to compare a CSR 1 bedroom king suite to the 1 bedroom king condo:

6/6 - 6/13: CSR King Suite: $5854.31 / Condo: $242
6/13 - 6/20: CSR King Suite: $6225.99 / Condo: $242

The difference there could pay for several more trips and several more years of AP's. That may not be a fair comparison though, I don't believe the CSR Suite has a full kitchen and laundry room like the condo does.

I think either example qualifies as "More for Less". The only park benefits we give up are the 60 day FP window for a 30 day FP window and EMH which we can work around using FP.

Ok, continue... Add in your car rental, Universal tickets, Gas, Tolls, Cape Canaveral experience...

And don't forget to add the Spring Special to those Disney prices. Nice that you'd compare rack with Water View at WDW to bargain-hunter offsite, but that's not realistic. CSR is $150/nt right now in June (Std View). That is $1050. Less 7%, about $976. Or check the AP discount which may be better.

Also note I'm not finding the $243/week rate you quoted. You suggested this site:
http://vacationcentralflorida.com/info/299weeksexplained.html
But even that site, the best price they have is $299, which is not on the week you want, and is $439 after tax and a mandatory $89 room cleaning fee.

Been playing w their search. A) You have to do a Saturday to Saturday. B) it finds 20'ish properties for June 6-13, but they're all around $1000 and up.

Trying Hotwire too, for ultra bare minimum cost. If I limit it to 3 stars, it comes up with $320. That's for some place in Kissimmee, so we don't know what it is or where it will be. If I run it car and hotel combined, I get around $460. So again about $100 more than you're finding.

I can get the rate you're seeing ($240+$50 fee at hotel) if I let it go down to 2 stars.

This is moot tho, point is of course you can stay in a motel in Kissimmee for half to a third of the price of a Disney Resort. But what you've spent elsewhere ends up driving up your total spend to well over that of a week at CSR.

 

[WillAustin]

If we were to compare a CSR 1 bedroom king suite to the 1 bedroom king condo:

6/6 - 6/13: CSR King Suite: $5854.31 / Condo: $242
6/13 - 6/20: CSR King Suite: $6225.99 / Condo: $242

The difference there could pay for several more trips and several more years of AP's. That may not be a fair comparison though, I don't believe the CSR Suite has a full kitchen and laundry room like the condo does.

This is how it would apply to our personal trips as well, except the numbers would be bigger. Family of 5 in a deluxe 1BR villa vs. a 2 BR condo for a week is a huge difference that would cover the $3K+ in annual passes. As many people are fond of saying, it's your trip that matters. Just because we could have stayed offsite for less money before means nothing to the comparisons. We never would have considered it before now.

 

[SmithSmith]

Oh! I see where you're confused. Some didn't like that I was using a two week stay in June, so I broke it out and started treating and planning it like a one week stay. The $242 for the condo in June is per week. The receipt you see is for two weeks ($242 x 2 = $484).

In regards to your request for a comparison, both the condo and CSR have 3-star ratings online via independent sources. You can see the same CSR rates I'm looking at online at Disney's website, there is currently a Spring Promotion during those two weeks that works out to:

6/6/ - 6/13 CSR Standard Room: $1,462 / Condo: $242
6/13 - 6/20 CSR Standard Room: $1,413 / Condo: $242

Over the course of two weeks, the difference ($2,391) pays the complete cost of the WDW Annual Passes for three and a large portion of the USO Annual Passes.

If we were to compare a CSR 1 bedroom king suite to the 1 bedroom king condo:

6/6 - 6/13: CSR King Suite: $5854.31 / Condo: $242
6/13 - 6/20: CSR King Suite: $6225.99 / Condo: $242

The difference there could pay for several more trips and several more years of AP's. That may not be a fair comparison though, I don't believe the CSR Suite has a full kitchen and laundry room like the condo does.

I think either example qualifies as "More for Less". The only park benefits we give up are the 60 day FP window for a 30 day FP window and EMH which we can work around using FP.

Are you saying you applied the Spring room offer to the stay during the first week of June? If you did, then $1462 is incorrect, that price is for water view. A standard room at CSR with the Spring room discount would be around $1100.

 

[ArmchairDetective]

The $243 for the Rosen is PER NIGHT during Spring Break, exactly what I said in previous posts and why it skews this initial run-through in terms of cost.

Then you overpaid. I paid $215/night at POFQ for my week long stay. I've stayed at the Rosen for a convention for work. It's meh at best.

Would it make sense to stay at Disney, do your Disney portion, and then move on?

 

[dayvewc]

I think either example qualifies as "More for Less". The only park benefits we give up are the 60 day FP window for a 30 day FP window and EMH which we can work around using FP.

Don't forget that in addition to giving up the 60 day FP window, you are also giving up length of stay window. Unless they changed since my AP expired, you are only allowed to schedule 7 days at a time. When I went last summer, I had to wait until after my first park day to schedule FP's for my last park day.

 

[Laketravis]

Are you saying you applied the Spring room offer to the stay during the first week of June? If you did, then $1462 is incorrect, that price is for water view. A standard room at CSR with the Spring room discount would be around $1100.

Yeah, I didn't catch that but look at the first screen shot below - Spring Room offer is applied but they don't currently show any "Standard" room availability so the Water View is the first one that comes up. With the Spring Break discount (2 nd screen shot) it's $1,462 with tax - the same amount as my example.

The second week only applies for a partial Spring Break discount since it ends on the 15th. I did have the Spring Room offer applied (3rd screen shot) and the total with tax is $1,413 (4th screen shot) - the same amount as my example.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Then you overpaid. I paid $215/night at POFQ for my week long stay. I've stayed at the Rosen for a convention for work. It's meh at best.

Would it make sense to stay at Disney, do your Disney portion, and then move on?

Good point. Another more for less--since OP doesn't seem to like Rosen...

We love Hampton Inn properties. Easy to find one for less than $150/peak season and it includes breakfast. While Travis and his family don't partake heavily--whatever light breakfast they do eat would easily be possible at a Hampton Inn. And then Travis saves money on whatever it is he would have purchased.

(Prices may be possible closer to $115 inclusive.)

The trade off is a simpler pool and tiny gym. But if it is mostly a place to sleep--$100 a day savings adds up quickly.

 

[Laketravis]

And don't forget to add the Spring Special to those Disney prices. Nice that you'd compare rack with Water View at WDW to bargain-hunter offsite, but that's not realistic.

See above. The Spring Special was applied and all that is available the first week is the Water View. Absolutely realistic.

(Appreciate the edit, apparently you'd agree the original was condescending).

.