Never been to WDW and have a few questions (anyone want to help trip plan)

[shainamom]

We are planning our 1st ever trip for Nov 9-19. We are driving from upstate NY so our park days would be the 10-18. I should also mention there are 7 of us (2 adults 5 children ages 13,12,11,5,1yr) and we want to spend the least amount on lodging as possible as we only plan on using it to sleep. Here are some of the questions I have (the list has been narrowed way down after reading the boards )

1st...I am looking at ASMu and getting a rate for just over $4000 but if I book offsite at a condo and pay for the tickets it comes to about $2500. $1500 seems a bit much for just EMHs. Is there a cheaper way to stay onsite with our family size? I did get a 40% off pin but it won't work for our dates. Was wondering if it might be cheaper to get 2 ajoining rooms but not sure if they have those.

2nd...If we did stay onsite I would like to try to get the free dining. Has it ever been offered to the public during Nov? Also with the free dining how much extra would you say you have to buy?

3rd...How busy are the parks during Nov? Would we have a chance to do all the rides and what not with out the EMHs? I was thinking about 1 day at each park then the rest at MK.

Thanks for all your help.

 

[haevans]

renting points from a dvc member to stay in a 2 bedroom villa at akv value accomodations maybe cheaper than the $4000 but you would not be able to get free dining you would have to pay for that because free dining is not offered to dvc members.

 

[ammeador2]

You may want to see if you can rent someone's DVC points. Last year we stayed on site at CBR and CSR but we spent a lot more on lodging than what we are this year. This year we are spending $740 for a room at Animal Kingdom Villas. This is the first time that we are renting DVC points, so I don't really know how it will pan out yet. But I am saving a ton of money by doing this. The person that I am renting from charges $10 a point. BYTW a value view 2 bedroom at AKV is 276 points.

Since we getting our room this way we have to pay for our dining plan out of pocket. I don't know if they will offer it in Nov. Who knows? Also, if you stay off site you can get your park tickets cheaper by buying them in advance and getting them somewhere other than Disney. We are getting ours from DW savers this time.

Last year we used a dining plan, I messed up my reservation so I didn't get the free dining! But we had plenty of dining credits. We only had to use our own money for extras like drinks, and then of course whatever we wanted after our dining plan was used up.

I don't know if this will help you at all, but I am all about finding the cheapest way possible. Other people may have a better idea. I don't have a big family so I have no idea how accomodations for a larger family works! Good luck to you and have a great trip!

 

[shainamom]

Thanks for your help. What are DVC points? How would I find out more about them?

 

[ammeador2]

Thanks for your help. What are DVC points? How would I find out more about them?

Disney Vacation Club points. There is a thread on Disboards. I actually found my renter on another website

 

[Metro West]

 

[DisneyDreamMaker]

Hi shainamom,

Our last visit to WDW was in february and we had a party of 7 also. I always stay on property so I cannot help with outside resorts but onsite I can. We decided to do two standard rooms instead of the ASM suite. I do not really like the suite and you pay almost the same price to get two rooms, which means a little more space 4 beds, two shower, sinks, toilets and so on. All of the value resorts have adjoining rooms, you do have to request them when you make your reservation but they are not guaranteed. Priority is usually given to parties with more children than adults so I do not think you will have a problem getting an adjoining room because you have5 5 children to two adults. Also if that is a concern you could consider staying at Pop Century they have the most conjoining rooms out of all the value resorts.

As far as the dining plan I do usually get it because I like to have peace of mind going on my trip and knowing I do not have any real out of pocket expenses. Keep in mind you do still have to pay 18% gratuity with the disney dining plan for parties with 6 or more guests for sit down restaurants. The DDP includes one sit down, one quick service meal and one snack per day per person on your reservation. There now is also the quick service DDP, which includes 2 quick service meals, 2 snacks and one refillable mug per person per day.

If you have any other questions or concerns you can email me at melis327@ aol . com I would love to help.

 

[DisneyDreamMaker]

Also forgot to mention that November is a nice time to travel. The crowd levels should not be bad, it is considered regular season, not as slow as value season but not nearly as busy as peak or holiday season. The weather is nice also, not much rain, warm but not too hot. It can get cool in the evening so bring pants and sweatshirts.

Also Disney releases discounts throughout the year so its possible they will have an offer for the time you travel and you can always modify your reservation if they release one after you book your trip.

Have a magical day!! *O*

 

[Lakewood]

Me and the gf went in the middle of nov last year. Good weather, low crowds, got a good deal from AAA. Stay at one of the 3 monorail hotels. We stayed at the poly, good place. The contemporary looked run down, and the grand floridian is just too gaudy for me. The time saved by having a straight shot to the monorails is huge.
Check AAA for deals.... Also you have to check out the pub in england at epcot... probally one of the best places to have a few beers at.

 

[ToddyLu]

We are planning our 1st ever trip for Nov 9-19. We are driving from upstate NY so our park days would be the 10-18. I should also mention there are 7 of us (2 adults 5 children ages 13,12,11,5,1yr) and we want to spend the least amount on lodging as possible as we only plan on using it to sleep. Here are some of the questions I have (the list has been narrowed way down after reading the boards )

1st...I am looking at ASMu and getting a rate for just over $4000 but if I book offsite at a condo and pay for the tickets it comes to about $2500. $1500 seems a bit much for just EMHs. Is there a cheaper way to stay onsite with our family size? I did get a 40% off pin but it won't work for our dates. Was wondering if it might be cheaper to get 2 ajoining rooms but not sure if they have those.

2nd...If we did stay onsite I would like to try to get the free dining. Has it ever been offered to the public during Nov? Also with the free dining how much extra would you say you have to buy?

3rd...How busy are the parks during Nov? Would we have a chance to do all the rides and what not with out the EMHs? I was thinking about 1 day at each park then the rest at MK.

Thanks for all your help.

With 5 children I would definitley stay on property--we really love Pop Century and even though we are 4 adults going we always get adjoining rooms--works great. The benefit would be bring children back and forth for naps and not having to bring the 3 older ones back. Hubby could stay with them or go back with the little ones.

You cannot imagine how big Disney World is until you go--it is huge. The transportation is convinent most times. There is a ton of walking and children tire easily. You will be so glad to just be able to leave the park, hop on a bus and get back to the room....I am always interested in others opinions as my brother and his wife have 5 (15, 10, 6, 21/2 and 8 months) Have a terrific trip.

 

[brrwright]

Great tips. Thanks! Although, I'm not the one who originally started this post, I am in a very similar situation. I've found great advice on here.

 

[pepe of ohio]

I'm definitely for staying on site, no rental car needed or using your own. As for the dining plan, we never get it, to us not a money saver. We've been to WDW 42 times and let me tell you, the meals are huge, from a food court breakfast to a hamburger and fries. We've seen too many families order a meal for each child and have them pick and leave most, huge waste of food and money. Wife and I usually split every meal, children could do this easily but if you have the dining plan, I believe everyone must be on it. When we're in WDW our eating habits change, we don't eat 3 meals a day, rarely do at home either, but we stock the room fridge with sandwich fixings and enjoy the afternoon pool picnic each day plus store bought drinks, that saves the 18% gratutity from the DDP. Plus the DDP takes alot of ressies and scheduling which we don't like either, eat when hungry and with a family your size, getting everyone to be hungry at the same time can be tough. Food in Disney can be pricey but with some common sense and thought, it's doable and can be done cheaply.

 

[DWFan4Life]

Welcome to DISboards. This is a great source of info and I'm sure you'll find answers to all of your questions, also be prepared to become addicted to DIS.

Have a nice day everyone.

 

[MarkinNM]

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