Need Some Major Disney World Advice :)

[Bexx121]

Hello, everyone. My name is Becky and I'm wanting to get started planning our family's first Disney World vacation but I have no idea where to start. A friend mentioned this site to me and said that there were a bunch of wonderful people here who could help me, so here I am.

First off, I have no clue what month to visit Disney World. My hubby is leaving it all up to me when we go but since my daughter will be three years old, I have the flexibility to go any time of year. I know that Disney World is crowded every day of the year, but I'm wondering when is the least crowded? Plus, we don't want to go when it's super hot. So, when is the best time?

Second, I have no idea where to stay. I have some people telling me that I can save a ton of money by renting a house or getting a hotel outside of the park but I'd really like to get the whole "experience" plus the perks of staying in the park. I would like something that is more than just a basic room so that I can take my toddler back to the room to rest if she needs to and she will have room to play and we'd like a microwave and refridgerator in the room.

Third, I've heard about "all inclusive" deals with park tickets and dining. I know that I'm not the first person to come here and say that I'm on a budget but I am absolutely looking for the best price. I don't want to go "cheap" per se, but I do want to take my time and look for the best deal possible. We were going to wait until my daughter was a little older so that she'll be able to remember more but we've decided that the magic will be there for her at this age and we'll take her back again in a few years.

So anyway, any help at all would be welcomed because I have no clue where to start. Thank you in advance to anyone who has read this far and has some advice or recommendations for me. Have a great day.

 

[DisGirl1971]

Hello, everyone. My name is Becky and I'm wanting to get started planning our family's first Disney World vacation but I have no idea where to start. A friend mentioned this site to me and said that there were a bunch of wonderful people here who could help me, so here I am.

First off, I have no clue what month to visit Disney World. My hubby is leaving it all up to me when we go but since my daughter will be three years old, I have the flexibility to go any time of year. I know that Disney World is crowded every day of the year, but I'm wondering when is the least crowded? Plus, we don't want to go when it's super hot. So, when is the best time?

Second, I have no idea where to stay. I have some people telling me that I can save a ton of money by renting a house or getting a hotel outside of the park but I'd really like to get the whole "experience" plus the perks of staying in the park. I would like something that is more than just a basic room so that I can take my toddler back to the room to rest if she needs to and she will have room to play and we'd like a microwave and refridgerator in the room.

Third, I've heard about "all inclusive" deals with park tickets and dining. I know that I'm not the first person to come here and say that I'm on a budget but I am absolutely looking for the best price. I don't want to go "cheap" per se, but I do want to take my time and look for the best deal possible. We were going to wait until my daughter was a little older so that she'll be able to remember more but we've decided that the magic will be there for her at this age and we'll take her back again in a few years.

So anyway, any help at all would be welcomed because I have no clue where to start. Thank you in advance to anyone who has read this far and has some advice or recommendations for me. Have a great day.

We have 5 children and we have been traveling to Disney World since they were babies, with your daughter being 3, it will be a great age. We like to stay on WDW property. We usually drive and never use our car the entire time we are there. We have flown before and we still didn't need a rental car. We like the Disney transportation system and if you are flying you can use the free Magical Express service from the airport to your Disney resort.

The slowest times to visit Walt Disney World and the weeks with the lowest resort rates are at the end of January into the first week of February, first 2 weeks of May, last week of August through the end of September, last 2 weeks of October, first 2 weeks of November and mid December between December 10 and 19. Also, For the last few years Disney has had a Free Dining promo during most of those dates. We now plan all of our yearly trips around the Free Dining Promos. With a free dining discount your family can save a huge amount of money at a value or a moderate resort. A room discount is better at a Deluxe resort - if the discount is at least 40%, if the room discount is less, then a free dining discount is better. Here's a link to everything about Free Dining discounts and promos:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2771101

All of those dates are good crowd times to go, but they will be opening a huge new Fantasyland expansion in the fall, so you may want to wait until October or November to go, which will have good rates, discounts and crowd levels.

With kids, I highly recommend the All-Star Movies Resort. It is by far my kids favorite resort. But it is just 1 room, if you want a suite you are going to have to pay a good bit more money or you could just get 2 connecting rooms at a value resort. The cheapest option for a suite is at the All-Star Music Resort, which has family suites. There are also the cabins at Ft. Wilderness, but I think they are a bit overpriced for what they are. Pop Century is also a good value resort and they will be opening a new value resort called the Art of Animation and it will also have Family Suites and will be themed with Nemo, Lion King and Cars. The website www.allearsnet.com has great pictures and reviews of all the Disney resorts.

We really like the Disney Dining Plan, the regular plan with 1 Table Service/Character Meal, 1 Counter Service/Fast Food Meal and 1 Snack per person per day. I find the Quick Service Plan a wash and the one time we did the Deluxe Plan my kids and husband hated it - big waste of time and money and certainly would recommend it for someone new to Disney. It's hard enough to navigate everything in WDW the first time you go without spending 6 or more hours per day getting to an from restaurants and eating. Also, you can only get the Disney Dining Plan if you are staying at a Disney on-site resort with a package that includes your resort, tickets and dining.

You really don't need the hopper ticket option added to your base tickets because you are new to touring Disney, you really won't miss it. I would recommend 5 to 6 park days for a first visit - 2 days MK, 2 days Epcot, 1 day Ak and 1 day DHS. If you are wanting to visit one of the Water Parks, it's cheaper to just pay out of pocket for one of Water Parks.

I do recommend The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and their companion website, www.touringplans.com. I use their crowd/best days calendar to plan all our park days and then once I know which park we will be in on which days I can make my Advance Dining Reservations around those parks or in resorts close to those parks. Again, I highly recommend the Basic Disney Dining Plan if your party is going to eat at least one sit down/table service/character meal per day. You can make Advance Dining Reservations 180 before your check-in date. Make sure you have Advance Dining Reservations as a lot of the popular table service restaurants and character meals do not take walk-ups and book up quickly.

 

[Mrs. Sojourner]

Welcome! I know you will find lots of helpful advice.

I think 3 will be a fun age to talk your daughter. I've really enjoyed taking my kids at that age.

I agree with the previous poster; lots of good advice.

Here is a great thread on Free Dining promotions (which helps cut the cost significantly):
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2771101&highlight=free+disney+dining

I would think it you are wanting to go when the weather is cooler you should probably shoot for late November, December, or January. You can check the Free Dining thread to see which dates during that time would work for your family and may coincide with the free dining offer.

Value rooms don't come with a fridge, but you can rent one for $10 a day. Moderate rooms come with a fridge. Someone else might have insight into options with a microwave. Neither value nor moderates have a microwave in the regular rooms (but maybe in a suite?).

Have a great time planning!

 

[Metro West]

 

[the_green_machine]

Hello, everyone. My name is Becky and I'm wanting to get started planning our family's first Disney World vacation but I have no idea where to start. A friend mentioned this site to me and said that there were a bunch of wonderful people here who could help me, so here I am.

First off, I have no clue what month to visit Disney World. My hubby is leaving it all up to me when we go but since my daughter will be three years old, I have the flexibility to go any time of year. I know that Disney World is crowded every day of the year, but I'm wondering when is the least crowded? Plus, we don't want to go when it's super hot. So, when is the best time?


Second, I have no idea where to stay. I have some people telling me that I can save a ton of money by renting a house or getting a hotel outside of the park but I'd really like to get the whole "experience" plus the perks of staying in the park. I would like something that is more than just a basic room so that I can take my toddler back to the room to rest if she needs to and she will have room to play and we'd like a microwave and refridgerator in the room.

Third, I've heard about "all inclusive" deals with park tickets and dining. I know that I'm not the first person to come here and say that I'm on a budget but I am absolutely looking for the best price. I don't want to go "cheap" per se, but I do want to take my time and look for the best deal possible. We were going to wait until my daughter was a little older so that she'll be able to remember more but we've decided that the magic will be there for her at this age and we'll take her back again in a few years.

So anyway, any help at all would be welcomed because I have no clue where to start. Thank you in advance to anyone who has read this far and has some advice or recommendations for me. Have a great day.

I totally understand where your coming from as I started my Disney research about a year ago. My wife and I just returned from our first WDW vacation on Friday (Jan. 27th). In my opinion I would think the best 2 blocks of dates to go regarding the weather and crowds would be the last 2 weeks of January and November. For our 7 days in Disney (Jan. 20th to 27th) the weather was so nice, I am NOT a fan of the heat but I found it to be so comfortable that week it was a pleasant suprise. From my understanding the last 2 weeks in November are slightly warmer but I believe the crowds are a little smaller due to people either, waiting for Christmas to go or not going as Christmas is right around the corner...again my opinion.


In regards to accomodations this I can only speak to the resort we stayed in which was Pop Century. During our stay it was very affordable (as it was value season), clean and well layed out. We had a standard room (2 twin beds I think, the 2nd bed is perfect for laying out clothes and keeping your luggage on) with vanity, bathroom, small seating area and entertainment/clothes storage unit. The rooms are fairly basic but I guess you get what you pay for. Perhaps you should look into some of the Moderate resorts as these may be more to your liking (based on budget of course). I can't speak for the amount of room etc. you would need for a child but I know for the amount of time my wife and I spent in the room it was everything we needed.

In regards to the perks of staying on site, I can't say enough good about it. Sure the argument could be made that there are cheaper/nicer places to stay in the general area but that also comes at a cost (i.e. vehicle rentals and finding your way around not only Orlando but the general Disney property not to mention some of those parking lots are HUGE...but I would imagine a little bigger after a long day in the park).

From our experience from the minute we arrived in ORL we were well taken care of by Disney. We were transported by "Disney's Magical Express" to our resort (the whole experience taking no more than 30 or 40 minutes....although I've heard of longer waits). There were always buses leaving for the respective resorts every 10-20 minutes, as well as buses back whenever you needed them (for the most part) as well.

There are also the smaller perks that come with staying "in" Disney. for instance, when your shopping in the parks they will deliver all your purchases back to you resort, granted they are delivered the following day but I'd rather wait a day than walk around the parks weighed down with bags.


Regarding ticket/dining packages there are different levels of tickets that you can purchase depending on what you want. For us, with it being our first time at Walt Disney World, we opted for the base "Magic your way" tickets meaning that we could only enter one park per day (as many times as you wanted, but for example you couldnt do Epcot and Hollywood studios on the same day). For us there was so much to see (and we probably didn't see half of it) that level of access was great for us. Although it is never promised nor would I budget for it Disney has been offering free dining incentives over the last little while, from my experience Jan. and Nov. dates have been lucky to be part of this but a stronger US economy could see the end of that promotion IMO (in my opinion). I can't say enough about the dining plans Disney offered, grated we were fortunate enough to have 5 of our 7 days fall under the FD promotion but I would purchase that Disney Dining Plan everytime we go back. We were on the regular DP which meant 1 snack, 1 counter/quick service and 1 table service meal a day plus a resort re-fillable mug. We ate like kings and were stuffed at every meal.....We will not be going back withough purchasing it.

Let me tell you, you made the most significant step in your WDW planning by using this site. Without the help of the people here I wouldn't know 10% of the info I went to WDW armed with. This site will make the difference between a good vacation and a great one and I know I speak for the majority of people here when I say that we are only happy to pass on the knowledge we have. So dig your heels in and get ready, it will be a steep learning curve but it will be worth it.

Other sites I love to use are the following: www.easywdw.com (great site), www.allears.net , and www.mousesavers.com

 

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

To add to what previous posters have said, while the slowest times of year tend to be late fall and early winter, of those two I would recommend the Fall because although it's slightly pricier than January and February, many of the rides and attractions are closed down in the winter for maintenance. I wouldn't want to chance missing a fireworks show or a parade!

Regarding resorts, most of the previous posters have recommended value resorts to you (PoP and AllStar) , but you mentioned wanting a fridge and microwave which these rooms don't have. For that, you'd have to upgrade to a moderate or a deluxe. The moderates and the deluxes tend to be more conveniently located, anyhow.

For true connivence, stay at one of the monorail resorts, but these can be prohibitively pricey.

 

[tinkerbell60]

Hello, everyone. My name is Becky and I'm wanting to get started planning our family's first Disney World vacation but I have no idea where to start. A friend mentioned this site to me and said that there were a bunch of wonderful people here who could help me, so here I am.

First off, I have no clue what month to visit Disney World. My hubby is leaving it all up to me when we go but since my daughter will be three years old, I have the flexibility to go any time of year. I know that Disney World is crowded every day of the year, but I'm wondering when is the least crowded? Plus, we don't want to go when it's super hot. So, when is the best time?

Second, I have no idea where to stay. I have some people telling me that I can save a ton of money by renting a house or getting a hotel outside of the park but I'd really like to get the whole "experience" plus the perks of staying in the park. I would like something that is more than just a basic room so that I can take my toddler back to the room to rest if she needs to and she will have room to play and we'd like a microwave and refridgerator in the room.

Third, I've heard about "all inclusive" deals with park tickets and dining. I know that I'm not the first person to come here and say that I'm on a budget but I am absolutely looking for the best price. I don't want to go "cheap" per se, but I do want to take my time and look for the best deal possible. We were going to wait until my daughter was a little older so that she'll be able to remember more but we've decided that the magic will be there for her at this age and we'll take her back again in a few years.

So anyway, any help at all would be welcomed because I have no clue where to start. Thank you in advance to anyone who has read this far and has some advice or recommendations for me. Have a great day.

Hi and welcome to the Disboards - I am from Pittsburgh too - North Hills area.....one site I would also recommend to you is allears.net. They have great pictures of the resorts, the menus from the restaurants, and I think they have a summary of the weather by month too.

There are all inclusive packages - dining can be an expensive option and it depends on your eating style. If you want a sit down meal every day, it is a good choice but if you are light eaters, it can be a lot of food and will tie you to a schedule.

You mentioned wanting a fridge and microwave. The only resorts with a microwave are the Villas and they are more expensive, although you could get a Studio for a reasonable cost, that would be a queen bed plus a sleeper sofa. Another option would be a family suite - the new Art of Animation resort is opening this May - you might want to look at those on Allears.net. Otherwise, a regular resort room will give you a fridge but no microwave. However, there are food courts or counter service options at most resorts that are convenient.

If you have more questions feel free to ask or send me a Private message, I am happy to help!

 

[jesswindsor]

Welcome!! You have came to the right place to get great advice for your trip. The most important thing that you need to do is plan for what is best for your family. I prefer to stay on property, I like to be totally engulfed in Disney durring my stay, I like the Dinning Plan and the Park hopper option. It is nice to be able to hop on a bus and go back to the resort for a dip in the pool or a quick nap and then going to a different park in the evening. Staying on propety can be expensive, however there is a resort for every budget. As well as a different dinning plans. Have Fun and Happy Planning!!

 

[the_green_machine]

To add to what previous posters have said, while the slowest times of year tend to be late fall and early winter, of those two I would recommend the Fall because although it's slightly pricier than January and February, many of the rides and attractions are closed down in the winter for maintenance. I wouldn't want to chance missing a fireworks show or a parade!

Regarding resorts, most of the previous posters have recommended value resorts to you (PoP and AllStar) , but you mentioned wanting a fridge and microwave which these rooms don't have. For that, you'd have to upgrade to a moderate or a deluxe. The moderates and the deluxes tend to be more conveniently located, anyhow.

For true connivence, stay at one of the monorail resorts, but these can be prohibitively pricey.

Good point made in that first paragraph regarding refurbishments...This January, although we had an amazing time we missed out on Big Thunder and Fantasmic and others due to the time of year....On top of that this fall the new Fantasyland expansion should be completed. From what little you can see it should be great!

 

[DisGirl1971]

To add to what previous posters have said, while the slowest times of year tend to be late fall and early winter, of those two I would recommend the Fall because although it's slightly pricier than January and February, many of the rides and attractions are closed down in the winter for maintenance. I wouldn't want to chance missing a fireworks show or a parade!

Regarding resorts, most of the previous posters have recommended value resorts to you (PoP and AllStar) , but you mentioned wanting a fridge and microwave which these rooms don't have. For that, you'd have to upgrade to a moderate or a deluxe. The moderates and the deluxes tend to be more conveniently located, anyhow.

For true connivence, stay at one of the monorail resorts, but these can be prohibitively pricey.

You can rent a frig at the value resort for $10.00 per night, so it's still much cheaper to stay at a value resort. Also, the food courts at all the resorts have microwaves.

 

[DisGirl1971]

From my understanding the last 2 weeks in November are slightly warmer but I believe the crowds are a little smaller due to people either, waiting for Christmas to go or not going as Christmas is right around the corner...again my opinion.


We had a standard room (2 twin beds I think, the 2nd bed is perfect for laying out clothes and keeping your luggage on) with vanity, bathroom, small seating area and entertainment/clothes storage unit. I can't speak for the amount of room etc. you would need for a child but I know for the amount of time my wife and I spent in the room it was everything we needed.

Although it is never promised nor would I budget for it Disney has been offering free dining incentives over the last little while, from my experience Jan. and Nov. dates have been lucky to be part of this but a stronger US economy could see the end of that promotion IMO (in my opinion). I can't say enough about the dining plans Disney offered, grated we were fortunate enough to have 5 of our 7 days fall under the FD promotion but I would purchase that Disney Dining Plan everytime we go back.

Other sites I love to use are the following: www.easywdw.com (great site), www.allears.net , and www.mousesavers.com

Actually the last 2 weeks November can be very busy, Thanksgiving usually lands the third week of November and that is one of the most busy and expensive weeks of the entire year to visit Disney. The first 2 weeks have lower crowds and rates.

The value rooms all have 2 Full size beds and easily sleep 2 adults and 2 children. Twin beds only sleep one person per bed.

Disney World has offered Fall Free Dining discounts for the last 8 years. The reason they started this offer was to fill resort rooms and the parks during the height of hurricane season. In 2008 they started offering Free Dining discounts in other slow weeks of the year to fill the parks and resorts. They could cut back on Free Dining discounts during some of those weeks, but no matter what the economy is, August/September will always be the height of hurricane season and I can't seem them getting rid of that discount anytime soon. Also, when a Free Dining discount is offered, you have it for your entire stay or none of your stay - you can't have it for a portion of your stay, like 5 of your 7 days. If your check in dates fall within any of the Free Dining dates, even the last day of the promotion, then you receive the discount for your entire vacation up to 14 nights. If your check in date does not fall within the Free Dining dates you can not apply the Free Dining to any portion of your vacation package.

 

[pepe of ohio]

Disney can be confusing but doesn't have to be....What we have gleamed from our 46 trips to WDW.....first know your budget....what you're willing to pay out for what you want.....then I'd look into the resorts to what fits....you have the 3 catagories of resorts: value, moderate and deluxe...most expensive being villas....then the resort seasons...different times of the year have different prices, peak being around the holidays....

Get the free planning DVD offered from Disney, check out the resorts and remember for any convenience such as closeness to a park comes at a price, or 2 modes of transportation for a resort...

Dining: we do not care for the dining plans offered, we find we save a lot more money paying out of pocket since we're not into the big TS meals offered, hate vacationing by a food schedule and seeing Disney meals are on the huge size, share most everything....

Tickets are tickets...but a little savings can be had by buying off site from reputable sellers.....hoppers are really not needed to enjoy your time in WDW and the longer your trip, the less you payfor extra days...also those packages come with items you might not get time to use or want...

We never book a package for that reason, we rather take the room only discount (which is a better deal if staying deluxe but you have to do the math to see what's better)

And lastly, is time of year.....we're big on the resorts (last 10+ stays have been to WL) and we enjoy using the amenities the resort offers, especially the pool so early winter and winter months are not to our liking, though the crowds tend to be lower, the weather is just too iffy or downright cold for using the pool....best time for most of our trips have been late August, September, and early October......we rather sweat than shiver in Florida...

Get some good books on WDW, visit Allears.net for some great info, check out mousesavers.com for discounts...there might be some good info from people on these boards and some not so great...read what you're interested in and compare the info to the books out there and judge for yourself on what you want out of a WDW vacation, just remember, Disney is huge, tons to see and do and you'll never do it all....bite off only what you can chew comfortably and enjoy your stay.....it's a vacation not an invasion...good luck!

 

[DisGirl1971]

OP, to take advantage of some discounts like Free Dining, you have to book with Disney and have a Magic Your Way package that includes room, tickets and dining. If you buy tickets separately from an outside ticket broker you can not take advantage of discounts that apply to packages. Also, a room discount, if it's at least 40% off, is only better at a deluxe resort, if you are staying at a value or a moderate resort then a free dining discount is worth much more. With you having a 3 year old, I"m sure you will be interested in the character meals, so the dining plan can save you money - free dining can save you a substantial amount of money. The restaurants and the character meals are really part of the magic for us. We have probably been to Disney 20 times and our kids would not want to give you their favorite restaurants and character meals. With your dates being flexible at this point, I would try to plan around those discounts.

 

[Swissdog2010]

One thing that is really important to consider, especially with a three year old is pacing. Don't think that you can see and do everything. Go into the theme park section of the boards and look at the online brochures that show all the attractions for each park and figure out what your 'must do' list is. Those are the things you'll want to concentrate on. Also remember the left turn rule. Most people have a tendency to go to their right when they enter the parks. If you go left you hit lesser crowds early in the day. One advantage to staying on site is that you can hit the park at opening, go until around 2-3 in the afternoon, go back to your resort to relax and let the little one nap and then head back out for the evening attractions. This will help keep you all from becoming over tired. You didn't mention your time frame, ie, 7 days, 10 days etc, but what we like to do is schedule two days in parks, then one day at a water park to relax and recharge then back to the parks again. I'm not suggesting you plan everything to the last minute, that will drive you crazy but if you work out a plan for major events and activities and allow some flexibility in between, it will go much better for you.

 

[suzieQ36]

When we went a few years ago, it was our first family trip and I really didn't know where to start. A friend of mine suggested I get a guide book. The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World was very helpful for me when I began. I also signed up on Mousesavers.com for deals that are emailed on a monthly basis. Allears.net is a wonderful resource as well.
Our first trip was the 2nd week in February. The weather was wonderful and crowds were low. We are going again the 2nd week in November and I've heard it is also less crowded and good weather.
Just take a look at what you can afford and then play around with different scenarios on the Disney website. Like others have mentioned, they usually have Free Dining or room discounts during the slower times.
Good luck and enjoy planning!!!