Need Disney pros advice!!!!!

[Ethansmom22]

Hello, I am totally new to this, ive been to disney before but never really planned anything and didnt think there was too much to it, obviously i've missed WAY tooo much. I have a 1 yr old (he's 6months now but will be 1 at time of trip) and my husband parents and I are taking a special trip this july to the magical place!! I just discovered this sight what a blessing!!! and am wondering what the most cost effective way to have a nice place to stay, we need 2 bedrooms and I was looking at the wyndham(sp?) or places right on the resort. also what asbt buying tickets outside the gates for the park, my brother in law and his family just did it and it worked well for him. LOVE LOVE LOVE this sight and can't wait to her everyones advice!!! Desperately seeking Mickey... lol Kelly from NY

 

[art010606]

are you bringing your own car? bc if your staying off property your going to want one or at least a rental. as far as where to stay. i suggest either the one we use which is mike ditka's runaway beach club or finding a vacation rental. my wife just looked up and you can get a townhouse right now for a week in july for like 800. its an actual place, not a glorified hotel room, and to save money from eating out you can go to a grocery store and get stuff to cook.

the giftcards wont be running if your going in july bc they end 06/03/10 so it will be something else by the time ur there

 

[Ethansmom22]

wow 800 for a townhouse, where did she find that?? I saw the wyndham for 1156 for a 2 bed room villa but thatss not on disney..lol sorryI am holding my 6 mo old and typing w one hand..lol I am trying to rent point to stay at a dr like the animal kingdom, is this a good idea? Not sure if we should stay on or off disney. You dont have to answer this message I certainly dont want to be a pain. Thanks you to you and your wife!! Happy New Year from NY

 

[Metro West]

 

[Savvy55]

Well if you aren't sure on whether or not to stay on or off the property, here are a few things to consider.

1. Like art said, if you stay off property you will have to get a rental car. Each of the resorts have buses to take you everywhere you need to go so you won't have to worry about that. It is fairly convenient to get from the parks to your resort in case you do want to take that afternoon nap, especially since you have an infant. Some friends of mine stayed at a townhouse about 20 minutes away from the property, so it was a bit inconvenient to leave in the middle of the day and come back.

2. You will be able to make your own food and such in the townhouse to save you some money. Have you looked into the Dining Plan? Since you are staying about a week, this is a good deal to take advantage of.

My advice to you is to stay on the Disney property. It will be much easier to retreat back to your room if need be. There are some great value resorts like Pop Century and the three All Star resorts that are pretty affordable and give you everything you need.

 

[Mrs D]

Depending on what your budget is and what your exact needs are there are many ways to stay cost effective while at Disney.
Here are a couple of thoughts based on the info you've given so far:

1. The option of renting points for a Disney Vacation Club resort (DVC) is a great way to get more room for your buck. I rented points for my trip in Feb. and it was a great experience. You have to do lots of homework (read all the FAQ's, verify that you are renting from a DVC owner by checking Orange County Comptrollers website for owner name, get everything in writing with a contract, I would paypal all payments at least you *might* have some recourse should it turn sour, never pay in full) but for all that work you can get a great deal. For my kids first trip to WDW we stayed in a 1bdrm at Villas of Wilderness Lodge. My Feb trip was in a 1bdrm at Boardwalk Villas. They were both great and I wouldn't hesitate to stay at ANY DVC resort.

2. You could request 2 connecting (door between 2 rooms) rooms at any resort. We just did this at Pop Century (value resort) a few weeks ago and it worked great! Kids could take their naps/ go to bed while adults stayed in the other bedroom watching TV or packing the park bag for the next day. I was really impressed by Pop and didn't feel I was making too big of a sacrifice versus having stayed DVC 2 trips in a row; the price more than made up for the lack of certain amenities!

3. A previous poster mentioned the dining plan - that might help make staying on site work for you. You should do the math and see if you think it is good for your scenario.

4. Depending on how you book your room (if you stay onsite it is package versus a room only reservation) you can buy tickets through an authorized ticket broker. If my room is not part of a package I buy my tickets through Undercovertourist.com (there is an additional discount if you subscribe to the mousesavers.com newsletter). They have the best prices I have found every time! Depending on the number of days and options you are looking for you could have from $5-$50 per person. Not a huge amount but it could be dinner or some gifts.

Please feel free to come back here to ask more questions or you are welcome to send me a private message and I'll be happy to answer.

HTH!

 

[julirina]

Kelly -- you will LOVE it here on DISboards. Everyone here is amazing! Never apologize for asking questions; we're all hanging out here because we love nothing better than to talk about all things Disney and our families are tired of listening to us.

I would strongly recommend staying onsite to take advantage of the transportation and all the "Disney magic" , and I second the AP's recommendation to request connecting rooms. We went with a group of 12 in Sept '08 and stayed at ASMu. My sister's family and mine had connecting rooms in Country Fair and it worked out great. I'm hoping to do it again this fall when we take my in-laws -- there are five of us but only two of them, so the kids can take turns having "sleepovers" in Grammie and Granddad's room so we're a little more spread out.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[dunbarfamily]

Welcome Kelly!

Nothing much to add, just that we stayed offsite to save money for our first family trip, and we're still regreting it. We really like the magic of staying on site. You could always try renting DVC points from a DVC member, go to the DVC section of disboards for more info. I've never rented, but lots of people do and they love it!

Welcome again!

 

[imprimouse]

I'll chime in and reiterate the idea of staying in a Disney resort. We've stayed at all of the value resorts and favor pop century (the newest) although they're all great.
in addition to all the things previous posters have mentioned, by staying on site you also get to enjoy the parks "extra magic hours." each day, one park (they rotate) opens an hour early to disney resort guests only, which would allow you to hit the gate before the big crowds and enjoy some extra activities before the July heat gets to be too much. When our daughter was small we did this, escaped to our room during the midday heat & crowds, and went back in the late afternoon. she got her nap, we all got a few hours of air-conditioned peace and it made the day so much better. another option-if your in Magic Kingdom or Epcot, is to hop aboard the monorail and let the little one nap while you ride around. be sure to pack- or rent- a covered stroller; this is a must with a small child in tow. Enjoy!