Need help on planning a trip

[eianson]

Hello,

I am thinking about a week long trip to WDW for late-August 2007. I’ve yet to have any serious discussions with my wife (please note the lack of DW as a descriptor), but wanted to get a general feel for people’s thoughts on some of the following topics:

1) How soon do I need to make a reservation at a resort? I’d like to wait another month or so.

2) I think I read that if you are making a hotel-only reservation, you need to make a deposit, but it is fully refundable up until 5 days before the trip, if you cancel. True?

3) Once a hotel reservation is made, I believe dining (or any other aspects) can be added. True?

4) Is there some advantage of having a vacation package over a room-only reservation (I was thinking about buying tickets separately through Undercover Tourist)? I can’t seem to find one.

5) In an ideal situation, I would book a bunk bed room in the WL (DS7 and DD4), for a few reasons: 1 – better sleeping arrangements; 2 - being able to sit on the balcony when the kids go to bed or nap; 3- access to the Kid’s Club. However, money is a factor and I’m not sure I can justify the cost. With this in mind, I would be considering POFQ (or another comparable mod). I’d like to get some thoughts on this for my areas of concern....specifically sleeping and naps (my wife is a napper too).

6) As I mentioned earlier, my wife is not necessarily keen on the idea of this for a vacation (she isn’t a Disney hater by the way...the two of us went just after my son was born and she had a good time). The major stumbling blocks would be August is too hot for Florida (I don’t see us taking the kids out of school though) and the kids are too young for Disney (again DS7, DD4...who is a total princess girl). Any strategies to get her on board?

Any assistance on these would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Eric

 

[BuzzandAriel'smom]

Okay I'll try...

1: You can wait a little while. I will book room only right now and then re-book if the free dining plan is offered like last year.

2: You need to put $200 down. I think you have a certain amount of time but not sure what it was when you can get it refunded.

3: You can add things later.

4: No real advantage that I've seen other than other places don't offer free dining. (AAA doesn't honor the WDW discounts.)

5: We don't really like sharing rooms with our kids so we got 2 adjoining rooms at Pop Century. I told the CM that our kids can't sleep in the room with other people and they gave it to us guaranteed. The cost for doing that is $164 a night (2 rooms at $82). And Pop is alot of fun!

6: OUr kids were 2 and 4 and everyone told us that our kids were too young and that they wouldn't appreciate it. But it was wonderful. My dd (4) was so into the characters and most of all the princesses. The best part is that she believes that they are all "real". Even tink flying from the sky at the beginning of Wishes was completely believable to her. We are going again this year to experience the magic again. It won't be long before she doesn't believe and I want to soak up every second of her wide eyed innocence that I can.

Good luck with your decision, I hope I helped a little

 

[tnmom25]

I called to make a reservation for Fort Wilderness "room-only" and they told me the deposit was one night's stay, then the rest would be due upon arrival and I had up to 5 days to cancel. I know that if you purchase a vacation package you have to pay $200 deposit and the balance is due 45 days before your arrival. I don't know if there is a difference between making resort reservations and making FW reservations. But I do know this, you will find your answer here... these people are great!!!

 

[alicenwonder99]

Free dining was offered last year on April 1st. You really have to move fast to get the standard rooms (the cheaper rooms) at each resort. It seems people had luck last year with booking their packages early, then applying the free dining when it came out (not sure if they had to actually cancel their first ressies then rebook the free dining package). Anyway, I know you said you wanted room only, but there is a good chance that free dining will be available for late August, so you want to plan for it.

There's alot to consider when choosing a package vs. room only. For the time you are going, there weren't any room only codes last year, only free dining (which is a package). You have to pay rack rate for the room, but you get free dining. With a large family, it works out great. We are a family of 6, so the free dining package was a savings for us.

I agree about the sleeping arrangements. Our last trip, we had all 6 of us in one room at the Contemp. Even though it's a large room, it would have been more comfortable if we had some place to go to get away from all of those kids...lol. You know what I mean!! We did have a patio, but the biggest problem was sleeping. We all had to pretty much go to sleep and wake up at the same time. A FW cabin is awesome with the separate bedroom. Another place that was great was the Nick Hotel with the 2 separate bedrooms (kids suite). But if you're just looking for a place to go when your wife and kids are napping, you can just walk around the resort, visit the gift shop, take a ride on the monorail (if you choose a monorail resort), etc.

And yes, August is very HOT! You need to get to the parks at opening (preferrably at the early EMH), stay for an early lunch, then leave by noon-1pm to go back to your resort for swimming and naps. Then head back to a different park in the evenings when it's cooler.

HTH

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

If you decide to go during Free Dining, make your ADR's as soon as possible! I went August 16-23 last year and called almost 100 days out to get dining reservations, to find that some of my choices were already booked solid due to the Free Dining promotion. We were able to substitute lunch for dinner to get some of the places we wanted, but I was still shocked. It helps to be flexible and have backup plans just in case, too.

As far as the heat goes, we've been at WDW a couple of times in late August. Yes, it's hot, but not unbearable for my family. (In fact, with a winter storm going on outside right now with poor visibility and subzero wind chills, I wouldn't mind a little Florida-in-August weather myself!)

 

[Barb D]

6)...The major stumbling blocks would be August is too hot for Florida (I don’t see us taking the kids out of school though) and the kids are too young for Disney (again DS7, DD4...who is a total princess girl).

I can empathize with both of you. You, because I love WDW way more than DH. Your DW because I wouldn't want to go in August either. We're going at Spring Break for that very reason. If I didn't have a kid in high school, though, I'd be very tempted to find a weekend during the school year when the kids have a "teacher work day" off from school, and then add on another day or two. That way you can get a 4 or 5 day vacation with only missing a bit of school.

BTW, your kids are the PERFECT age for WDW. We went relatively frequently when my older kids were that age. (We homeschooled then and could go at any time of year. It's a LOT harder when they're older and in public school.)

 

[eianson]

Thanks all for the inputs, please keep 'em coming.

Let me add a few more details. We live in northern VA, just outside DC...disgustingly hot in the summer. I'm not sure I can say we enjoy the heat, but we are somewhat used to it. Also, another reason for going in the summer is so we would have time to drive (we can stop in Charleston, SC at my wife's brother's house).

Thanks,
Eric