Need advice

[Plan Man]

Start with Hotel then tickets

Walk me through how to figure out the best deals

we ar family of six -going in October

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Well hello and welcome!
Let's see what I can do for you. The first suggestion I have for you is to visit MOUSESAVERS/ROOM CODES and check out the different codes for certain resorts. With a family of 6 I would try connecting rooms at the Allstars as that is one of the best deals. Just read over the page I linked you to carefully and see what appeals to you. I'm not sure how quickly the codes sell out, so get on it as soon as you have a chance.
For tickets visit www.ticketmania.com or www.floridaorlandotickets.com for some very good deals. Are you a Disney Club member or AAA member or FL resident? If so, you can get some great deals on tickets that way too. Visit MOUSESAVERS/TICKETS and check out the different options for purchasing tickets.
That's the best way I can think to get you started since this trip is just a couple of months away. Just keep visiting these boards....BUDGET BOARD, RESTAURANTS BOARD, REWARDS BOARD, AND RESORTS BOARD to see other things that may help out for your trip.
You didn't mention it, but meals are a BIG thing when at Disney. It can either make you or break you. Please visit DISNEY MENUS and look at all the different options for eating. Everything is listed from counter service to sit down restaurants from the parks, to the resorts, to Downtown Disney. This will definitely help you figure how much money to bring.
Well, that's a start for you. If you have anymore questions just ask here or PM me. You'll find the link for that in the bottom of my reply.

GOOD LUCK AND KEEP US POSTED!!

~~~DENISE

 

[Lisa P.]

I'd agree that meals are definitely going to be a big part of your budget with a large family. You don't mention the ages of your children. If they are very young (need daily naps or else!) or very independent older teens and you plan to split up sometimes, staying onsite would be nice and the All Stars may be most economical.

However, if you have alot of picky eaters or big eaters, staying at a suite hotel, timeshare-type villa or rental condo offsite may make a big difference in your food budget. So selecting onsite vs. offsite may have to be part of your earliest planning. We've done both and prefer offsite to save a LOT of money with a large group (3 young teens, plus guests).

To stay offsite, a car is essential. Don't rely on offsite hotel shuttles - they're too infrequent, take too much valuable time to stop at other hotels and may require you to leave the parks before the fireworks are finished.

All this said, a nice sleeps-6 offsite villa at a nice place may be found for close to $100/nt - including a kitchen for big breakfasts, planned snacks, frozen soft drinks & late evening desserts. By throwing together convenience foods from the grocer or eating at offsite chain, buffet & family restaurants for some meals, you'll save much more. Offsite restaurant prices are likely to be very similar to whatever you find at similar places back home. By comparison, the onsite food courts will seem overpriced for their convenience (unless you live in a very expensive city at home anyway). Some offsite suite hotels also offer free, hot breakfasts (good for hungry teens) and "kids eat free with paying adults" deals.

If you get a 2BR villa, it will probably have 2 full bathrooms: Important for most large families. If offsite, be sure to get a place within 5 miles or so of Disney property, putting you about 10-15 minutes from door to gate, of the nearest Disney theme park. Feel free to write me with any questions about offsite timeshare villas (we own some elsewhere and have visited several in the area).

Look for more info on offsite budgeting and planning at the forum called "Orlando Hotels and Attractions."

If you want to stay onsite and/or you won't have a car, two rooms at the All Stars or a sleeps-6 Fort Wilderness Cabin will be the cheapest deals... with discount. Having stayed in them both, we would not return to either since neither offers the kind of Disney themes we like (for the price), no pool slide, no hot tubs, limited space for our group. All Stars has tiny rooms and no kitchen. FtW Cabin has complex transportation that takes too long and is less reliable than most. And lastly, they no longer offer Early Entry for onsite guests. But these things are very individual and you may love them - many do.

Another onsite option, if your trip does not include many Fri or Sat nights, is to rent DVC points from a DVC owner and stay at one of their resorts in an onsite 2BR villa. These are wonderful. But after checking the number of points you'd need to rent (at $9-$11 per point) for your planned stay, it may or may not be economical. The Points Calculator is found in the DVC section of the home page for DIS.

Hope this helps. Keep reading. You're on the right path to budgeting well for your trip. Start with accommodations, add transport (air/land) & gas/parking, then theme park passes (decide which parks you want to see and how many days at each... all Disney or others too?), then estimate food & souvenirs. With 6 people, it's all guaranteed to add up quickly. Orlando is a really fun place to build memories for your family though! Hope this helps!

 

[tink2dw]

You will Definately need a Water Plan,too!! WDW water has a sulfer smell and taste. Bottled Water at WDW[bottled in Fl. still is bad tasting] is $2.50 for 8oz. That can put a crimp in the Food budget!!

There are three options,
1. Bring cases of bottled water from home or ship them to WDW resort.

2. Buy Britta Sports Bottles that filter water ,at home[hopefully onsale] to bring to WDW.

3. Plan to buy Aquafina bottled water [which is not bottled in Fl] in FL. at the Super Walmart for $5.00 for 2 6pks of 16.oz bottles.

 

[Minnesota]

Consider using Dreams Unlimited Travel, they check to try and get you a getter deal right up to the day you leave. I personally did not get a cheaper rate which would be hard since I am combining various discounts to get a dirt cheap price but I recieved an e-mail from them that they said about 100 familys got a cheaper deal at one point. The parent site to this one also has good info on discount codes and stuff. http://www.wdwinfo.com
Minnesota

 

[Disneydenise]

FYI I found on this board in the spring that you can get the Brita water bottle filters and they fit the sport water bottles. Any sport top water bottle that has a screw off top. The only trouble I had was getting the ice cubes to fit in the little opening. It was easier to have the smaller bottle to carry around in the park though.

 

[Plan Man]

Thanks for the help -- Here is what I have done so far.

Reserved Fort Wilderness for one week in October.

Next is the food and ticket plan.

Food will be all PS's for dinner at nicer restaurants. The kids food is about the same everywhere but the adult food has to be good.\

Any favorites?

 

[tink2dw]

OUR favorite meals were the MGM's Hollywood and Vine Character Breakfast. The Shows a Hoot! It is Minnie's Cafe And it was the best character breakfast we had! The food was superior to any we had in the WDWorld.

We also choose Hollywood And Vine for the Fantazmic Dinner Special. You get Reseaved Fantazmic seats, 30 min. before the show from a special entrance! And Dinner at a restaurant with the yummiest food! and there is a kids buffet and a great dessert bar with cake with Mickey ears,and an ice cream bar,with candy toppings!

 

[Lisa P.]

Opinions are different for everyone. When we're in Orlando, we like to visit restaurants that are a bit different from what we find nearer home. So some of our favorites may not be yours. Most do a great job with their specialties & offer good accompaniments. Remember that portions tend to be pretty big (we sometimes share, and add an extra salad).

Here's where we really enjoyed the food (and the atmosphere was good)...

Le Cellier (Epcot's Canada)
Restaurant Akershus (Epcot's Norway)
Liberty Tree Tavern (Magic Kingdom)
Spoodles (BoardWalk Resort)
Palio (Swan Resort)
Artist Pointe (Wilderness Lodge)

Here's where we really appreciated the atmosphere (and the food was okay too)...

San Angel Inn (Epcot's Mexico)
Cinderella's Royal Table (Magic Kingdom)
Sci-Fi Dine-In (Disney MGM-Studios)
1900 Park Fare (Grand Floridian)

If you're visiting the Epcot resort area, Beaches and Cream (Beach club Resort) has very good burgers, yummy ice cream desserts and huge portions for sharing.

See the menus and whether you think they would appeal to your tastes and budget. Hope that helps. Enjoy!