need some tips for extended stay

[jennwdw]

Hello, Thought I'd post and see if I could get some great tips from those who frequently do extended stays. We've been members since 97 but still never stayed more than a week at WDW. (we usually will split between wdw and hhi or vero)

Anyway we are going in late sept and will be a the bwv for 2 weeks. We are only planning to get a 7 day ph (unless we confirm another trip w/in the next year not sure we will though because I want to go dec 05)

It will be me, dh, my boys 4 and 2 and grandparents. What I'd like to know are your tips for saving money. (I really don't want to cook dinner in very much) what things do you like to do? what restaurants are good off property (guessing they are less expensive than disney????) what fun things do you like to do besides the parks and pool? We don't usually leave wdw when we are down so what off property things are worth checking out

We've been to the parks more times than I care to admit to non-disney folks so I have alot of info already just thought I'd get some feedback and see what others suggest for extended stays....

Thanks,
Jenn

 

[spiceycat]

how about visiting the other WDW resorts? this is always fun and can be enjoyable.

going over to FW and enjoying what the campground has to offer.

remember that 7 PH include the water parks - so you could do a day at each.

be sure to take your kids to the All stars and Pop century resort - I think you will be surprise and how much kids seems to enjoy these places.

dinning out - US192 Kissimmee - the adjoining property to WDW - has lots of places to eat - you name the place and you can generally find them here. also lots to due - but generally for older kids.

However I think they would enjoy SW - don't know about US/IOA - I think this needs them to be a bit older.

 

[jcanary]

We were at BCV for 10 days and some ways to save money on meals without cooking would be to order Pizza delivered, get take out from Olive garden(one night i made pasta and picked up breadsticks from here), have cold cuts handy for a quick sandwich. Lots of inexpensive restaurants just outside of Disney and DTD.
For a day trip, why not drive to cocoa beach or the ocean and pick up deli sandwiches or whatever on the way and spend a day at the real beach. There is also the swim with dolphins and sea world. My big thing has always been just to relax at the pool. We have a pool at home but when I am at home there are a thousand other things to do but there I can justify sitting. Also you can go to Belz factory outlets, or there is a water slide place down on international drive. Take a ride over to Tampa for Bushe Gardens. I believe Tampa may be 2 hours away.
You will love the time and I am sure there will be plenty to do. Have you thought about the Fun In the Sun(FITS) passes? They have unlimited for 30 days access to parks, water parks, disney quest, Kennedy space center. Not sure how much 7d PHP cost but I believe the adult FITS is 311. We got those and they were super, oh they are also good for pleasure island and you get breakfast vouchers with them. You have to call Paramount international travel for them, they are not on their website.

 

[Mickey527]

If I were you I would think more about those LOS passes. An AP cost a tiny bit more (we are talking a few dollars) than a 7 day LOS and you can use it for an entire year. I find for my extended stays I can hop into the park for a few hours and not feel like I have wasted a full day hopper. Plus, having that AP gives me the added benefit of going to the parks another time during that year. Maybe you can plan your next trip for next year a week before the AP expires. You can do off property stuff during the day and then jost go into the parks for the fireworks or a spin on your favorite ride, or just for an ice cream if you want. I love my AP.
There is a CICi's off property right off 585. You go out the DTD Hotel Blvd exit, take a right and then take your next left(at Olive Garden) Just down the street a little on your right is a group of stores and restaraunts. CiCi's is an all you can eat Pizza and salad bar for $3.99. The soda, also all you can drink, brings the meal up to $5 per person. Not a connisseir (sp) restaraunt, but good and filling. Try the cheese bread, yummy.
Check out the Budget board for more ideas. I get most of my helpful hints from them on saving money. Peggie

 

[jx3smom]

The two offsite restaurant that we enjoy are Bahama Breeze and Romano's Macaroni Grill. We usually have plenty left over and take it back for another meal. On our last trip (19 nights) we did a lot of other things. We played mini golf, rented water mice, rented bikes and rode the whole way around BC/YC/Swan/Dolphin and BW.

 

[JessetheCowgirl]

I agree completely with looking into an AP instead of the 7 day tickets. It is so nice to spend an evening at Epcot just eating dessert (beaver tail and the Japan snowcone thing--yum!) and watching illuminations without worrying about "wasting" a day on your PH ticket.

But certainly there is much to be done outside the parks. Day at the beach, Kennedy Space Center if your kids are interested, swamp boat rides to see the alligators (YUCK! But my kids loved it).

The most bizarre place we went to outside of the parks was Ripley's believe it or not. My oldest son LOVED it!!!!! I thought most of it was disgusting and that it was overpriced. But my DS still talks about the man with the world's biggest feet (they had one of his shoes there) and other such bizarre things.

I love the outlet malls in the area as well as shopping at the Orlando mall.

Good luck with whatever you decide

 

[spiceycat]

okay I thought the person say 7 ph (park-hopper) - there is a 7day park hopper. that I think is a pretty good buy - especially if you know you are only going to the parks for a couple of days (use the rest next year).

now if you mean the unlimited park hopper that you can only get at a WDW resort - then yes the annual pass is a much better deal...

 

[SoCalKDG]

Get the 7 day park hopper plus, which comes with 4 plusses. This way you can go to parks any 7 days, water parks any 4 days, all for the low cost of $297(hotwire has them for sale...check budget board for the web address...search "hotwire").

This way if you only go to the parks 5 days and 3 water parks, you still have usage of these tickets next time you go.

Are you using your points on the weekends? If so, you could downsize on the weekend, then rent the extra points to give you extra spending money.

 

[MDonley]

If you were considering Universal Studios, they have a great "Dr. Seuss" section that'd be just in their age bracket. If you're looking for an educational aspect, consider going over to Cape Kennedy ... every kid wants to be an astronaut, right? Have you taken a drive through Celebration yet? Grandparents might enjoy that.

 

[Mark099]

Each of our 5 trips have averaged more than 12 days. The longest stay has been 17 days. We're not cheap, but at the same time we hate wasting money. The things we do to save money...

1) eat dinners off-site... this is easy with a car as you can drive anywhere... without a car requires more effort like taking a bus to DTD and walking to Cross Roads where there is Unos, McD's, TGI Fridays, Chevy's, etc... a little further away is the Olive Garden, Macaroni Grill, Chillis, etc...
2) buying snack food, water, soft drinks, etc... at a local grocer helps more than you think

As for entertainment...

1) resort hop... on one of our quiet days we just took the bus to MK, a boat to the WL and had lunch at Whispering Canyons... with small kids an afternoon at the Wilderness Campgrounds would be fun
2) go to character meals (resort based) on days you don't want to enter a theme park, but still want a disney experience
3) shopping... the malls in Orlando are always good to kill a day or two
4) driving... we had a nice time checking out International Drive on our last trip -- boy, there is lots of stuff to see and do