Need a little help from my friends...

[Hound 109]

By the way Rosie, I find this board more friendly than the WDW boards.
Some of the dining boards have turned into.

And I've noticed here the actual question being asked gets answered much more readily whereas over there it can turn into a I'M DEFENDING MY FAVORITE RESORT FROM THE INFIDELS!!!! fest.

Hi guys...i'm a newcomer to the DL board & an "infidel" who liked to on the WDW board.

I agree with "Cannot Wait 4 Disney" & HydroGuy that to "do" WDW you need 7 - 10 days minimum. (and add another 1/2 - 1 day each way traveling). She/he mentioned the free dining....which is also a "low" attendence period for WDW. If you want to "do" WDW then "do" it for 7-10 days during free dining.....if bang for buck & smaller crowds are desired. (Also we stayed at a "moderate" resort & liked it a great deal)

hound (aka as one of the "infidels"....you can see me at the end of Mr. Toad's ride.)

 

[AZMickeyfans]

Hi guys...i'm a newcomer to the DL board & an "infidel" who liked to on the WDW board.

I agree with "Cannot Wait 4 Disney" that to "do" WDW you need 7 - 10 days minimum. (with 1/2 - 1 day each way traveling). She/he mentioned the free dining....which is also a "low" attendence period for WDW. If you want to "do" WDW then "do" it for 6-10 days during free dining.....if bang for buck & smaller crowds are desired. (Also we stayed at a "moderate" resort & liked it a great deal)

hound (aka as one of the "infidels"....you can see me at the end of Mr. Toad's ride.)

Rosie we debate about this all the time too. We want to go to WDW but we can go to DL for a year every 6-8 weeks or so for the price of 10 days at WDW (including airfare, hotels, tickets meals everything!)

I have no answer for you so does that make me a bad friend???

 

[rosiep]

I have no answer for you so does that make me a bad friend???

NO NEVER

 

[AZMickeyfans]

NO NEVER

AWWWW THANKS ROSIE!!! I love ya woman!

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Wow!! That's nasty! Not one person responded to my request on the WDW. Thank you for all your input. Tell me about the food court at the value resorts...are they open late? Is there decent coffee to be had.

The food courts at the values were nice, especially Pop which has a couple of things the other values don't. We saw people enjoying the mom's night out specials. It was a lot of food. We never got one because we were trying all the flatbread sandwiches and the shrimp noodle bowl. If you're looking for gourmet coffee, you're going to find it lacking. If you're looking for a fresh cup of ordinary coffee, you'll find it decent but nothing to write home about. They are open late but some of the stations shut down earlier. We got one of those noodle bowls (which come in a Chinese take out carton, fairly late about 10 pm once. That station was closing so she packed up a ton of shrimp in it. She said they would just have to throw it away anyway. I will say that breakfast is packed, but the food we got at breakfast was hot and delicious. Lunch and Dinner are much less packed. It was a decent value too. Prices are high but portions are big. Light eaters could definitely share most things if they're on a budget except for the hamburgers and the Pizza. The Pizza is food service Pizza. But we found the easiest thing to do was to buy a banana for breakfast or use a snack credit on a big muffin on the way out and bypass the busy breakfast hot food counters.. That would hold us just until about 11 and we could hit the lunch counters in the parks before they got really busy. You can wast 45 minutes at the counter just as quickly as you can on a ride if you hit em wrong.

 

[Hound 109]

.... Is there decent coffee to be had.

It's my understanding that all the coffee found at value & mod food courts are McDonalds quality coffee (the stuff they had before they went "premium" on us). I remember one colorful poster referred to it as "Nescrapfe". But...all the parks had your $3-4 buck starbuck type stands for the non-plebians & those from the Northwestern States.

Being a slug & infidel.....i don't know what the deluxe hotels served....but i do know you had to have your pinkie out while sipping or you were asked to leave.

 

[PattiPB]

Checking back in for two things:

1. to all of you who are DL DIS newbies! We are (virtually! ) always friendly and helpful. Also, we all love to talk, so we'll answer thread even if we have nothing to say except "Hello! "

2. So....Rosie...what are you gonna do!?!?!?!?!? IMO everybody should do both coasts at some point. To me, the true difference is that DL is a long weekender, and WDW is a destination. Love them both, and very thankful we can go to both frequently.

BTW---Andrea---I've gotten values at $49 for many of my WDW trips. Last December being the most recent ($58 w/ tax AAA rate)! Significantly higher quality of hotel (even as a value resort!) than what I get on Harbor. Love the food courts at the values, too. Plenty of a la carte and meal choices, and they are all fresh.

 

[nurse.darcy]

First note: Going to WDW this summer for the first time and dropping a LOAD of cash. . .oh well, should be fun.

2nd note: I have a DLR annual pass so I can go any time I please. The drive is normally 2 hours from my home but since the 91/60/215 construction, this has become a 3 hour+ drive. So now I choose to stay overnight when I want to go.

Okay, with all that being said, If you are going to choose DLR then go to priceline and try to book a 3 star or better hotel. I got the Hilton for $55 a night about a month ago. There was even a convention in town. The Hilton has a free shuttle to DLR and you can actually walk from there if you choose. Just remember, there is no free DME from the So. Cal Airports so you have to pay your own transportation costs from there.

P.S. I LOVE hearing that the food is cheaper at WDW. I was wondering about that.

 

[rosiep]

Hi Patti....

It's still anyone's guess where we'll go.....maybe I'll be horribly decadent and try to save for both!!!!!

 

[rosiep]

My finger is permanently crooked. (see tag )

 

[tinkermell]

The food is cheaper at WDW? Even though we were on the dining plan, I kind of kept a running total of how things would cost and they seemed about the same. Especially counter service. I guess I should compare menus, but I think WDW is about the same, just a way better selection! I should compare apples to apples just to satisfy my curiosity. I'm off....

 

[tinkermell]

OK...just compared prices. Took awhile. Had to cook dinner. Geesh!!!

DL- Redd Rocketts Pizza- $5.69 more choices
WDW- Pizzafari and Toy Story- 5.89 cheese and pepperoni

DL- Cheeseburger 1/3 lb.- $7.29 w/ fries Tomorrow Land Terrace and Taste Pilots
WDW- Cheeseburger 1/4 lb.- $5.89 w/ fries Pecos Bills and ABC Commissionary

DL- Chicken Sandwich- $7.69 w/fries Tomorrow Land
WDW- Chicken Sandwich-$6.99 w/ chips Pizzafari

DL- Chicken Salads- $8.49 Redd Rockets
WDW- Chicken Salads- $6.99 Pecos Bills and Flame Tree

DL- Pulled Pork sanwhich- 8.99 w/fries and slaw French Market
WDW- Pulled Pork- 7.29 w/ baked beans and corn Flame Tree

Looked everywhere for pasta to compare. Couldn't find any counter service at WDW to compare!!!! Anyways here ya are!

 

[nurse.darcy]

Wow, that was a great comparison. . .love the simplistic way you layed it all out.

 

[rosiep]

Yes, thanks for that great comparison....just don't tell DL she's ahead

 

[nurse.darcy]

The biggest cost to me is bottled water. At DLR bottled water is $3.50, WDW parks shows on Allearsnet to be $1.25 to $2.00. Is that correct or wrong. Please let me know as this is our BIGGEST expense at DLR. . .

 

[tinkermell]

Yep...Just looked it up too.
DL-Bottled Water from $2.69-$2.90
WDW- from $1.25-$2.00
Water must be more of a precious commodity in California. Go figure?!?! Either that, or we drink alot more bottled water, and they know we are a captive audience!

 

[nurse.darcy]

Yep...Just looked it up too.
DL-Bottled Water from $2.69-$2.90
WDW- from $1.25-$2.00
Water must be more of a precious commodity in California. Go figure?!?! Either that, or we drink alot more bottled water, and they know we are a captive audience!

In the parks at DLR it is $3.50. I was just there on Thursday and can verify this. That alone saves me huge amounts of money since I don't like carrying ANYTHING into the parks. . .but that's me. . .

 

[MATTERHORN]

Checking back in for two things:


BTW---Andrea---I've gotten values at $49 for many of my WDW trips. Last December being the most recent ($58 w/ tax AAA rate)! Significantly higher quality of hotel (even as a value resort!) than what I get on Harbor. Love the food courts at the values, too. Plenty of a la carte and meal choices, and they are all fresh.

Patti, I have seen those before. Unfortunately, they are never when I wanna go (An absolute must for me is a warmer month when I can enjoy pools and water parks) and before anyone says they are heated and you can go in the winter, I can't!! I am used to Vegas weather and it's WAY TOO cold for me to swim in December regardless.

The only time I find those great prices for my months (May, etc) is if you have an annual pass (which would delete my savings) or Florida Resident!!


Andrea

 

[MATTERHORN]

The biggest cost to me is bottled water. At DLR bottled water is $3.50, WDW parks shows on Allearsnet to be $1.25 to $2.00. Is that correct or wrong. Please let me know as this is our BIGGEST expense at DLR. . .

We take our own or buy a case of the same Dasani they sell for only $4.99 for 24. Then we dont' worry about water cost at all!!

I would do this for either place, I wouldn't pay that when I can have 24 for the cost of 2!!

Andrea

 

[MATTERHORN]

In the parks at DLR it is $3.50. I was just there on Thursday and can verify this. That alone saves me huge amounts of money since I don't like carrying ANYTHING into the parks. . .but that's me. . .

See, I have strollers still that I have to take regardless so they do all the carrying for me. Not sure what I'll do once we don't have that anymore, probably rent a locker and put a cooler in it and we'll still come out WAY ahead!!


Andrea