New Here and Looking for Advice for our First Trip!

Desticat

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jun 12, 2009
Messages
4
Hi everybody! I've been reading the posts for a little while now but decided to jump in.

We are planning our first trip for mid-February 2010. It will be my husband, our then 8 year old son and myself. And let the questions begin...

We live in Winnipeg and while I know it's probably cheaper to drive to Minneapolis or even Fargo for flights, I really, really don't like the idea of driving I-29 in February so..any tips on cheaper flights out of Winnipeg to Orlando in February? Who have you found to have the best prices - WestJet or Air Canada?

What do you think is a good amount of time to go for - 7 days, 10 days? Is February an okay time to go? I don't really want to go in March given that it will be spring break time but could be convinced otherwise :)!

Hotels, meal plans....all this stuff is new to us - any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
 
west jet has always had better pricing for my trips out of montreal.
try and fly on a tuesday,air fare is usually better.
personally i think 10 day is better,just because it means longer vacation:rotfl:
anything before mid feb should be great! have an awesome trip!
 
We have always found great prices on NWA...but watch WJ as well.
I say 10 to 12 days for a first trip..there is so much to see and do..and you want to relax a wee bit too :-)
I have never been in feb..so can't help you on the weather.

My vote is to stay on site and use the dining plan...it is nice to be on property-don't need a rental car..and the dining plan just makes things easier--plus if you like to eat at places that cost a bit more it will be to your advantage.
 
WestJet now has direct flights from Wpg to Orlando on Sunday/Tues/Thurs. None of the other airlines have direct flights.

Westjet Vacations had a great deal advertised in the Wpg Free Press this week but you have to book by tomorrow I think. It included free dining and kids fly free but only till December. I think $1019/adult and $249/child which included airfare, 7 day basic passes, quick service dining plan and 7 days at a Disney value hotel. Great deal. That would be pretty much everything except for souvenirs.

We love staying on site. Just so much fun.
 

Make sure you don't book around Valentine's Day/President's Day weekend - it's an American long weekend, plus the Daytona 500. We've gone to the 500 and stayed on-site at WDW, and noticed it was very busy that weekend. Before or after that should be great!
 
I agree:
1. Stay onsite.
2. Use dining plan.
3. Watch for upcoming specials....you may get free dining or the special that was offered last year (or similar).
4. Plan...plan...plan!
5. Enjoy your planning...it's half the fun!;)
 
Take whatever drugs you need to get you through the drive down to Minneapolis. Your best price for the three of you out of Winnipeg right now is almost $2300 with one connecting flight. You can get direct out of Minneapolis for under $1000 U.S.
 
2 great websites to check are

www.mousesavers.com
//allears.net - check out the menus and the pictures of all the WDW resorts

From Mousesavers -

The best times to go to Walt Disney World are:

Mid-November through mid-December (except the week of Thanksgiving). The weather is usually cool but pleasant, the Christmas decorations are up, special events are running, and the attendance is usually moderate. Expect crowds on Saturdays, especially at the Magic Kingdom. Disney's resorts typically fill up early for all of December, but this doesn't necessary translate into huge crowds during early December.

Second week of January through mid-February. It's cool (sometimes even a bit cold) at this time of year. This is one of the least busy times of year and hotel prices are lower. However, some rides will be closed for refurbishment at this time of year. The first week of January can be busy due to extended holiday vacations and the Walt Disney World Marathon. Avoid any holiday weekends.

First three weeks of May. The weather is warm in May, but usually not unbearably so. Crowds and hotel prices are moderate. Avoid Memorial Day weekend, which will be crowded.

Late August and entire month of September (even Labor Day weekend). It will be extremely hot, and this is peak hurricane season. Plan on taking afternoons off and visiting water parks. Crowds are low. Off-site hotels usually have their rock-bottom deals during this period, and Disney has offered "free dining" packages in this time frame each year since 2005.

During special events that interest you. Bear in mind that events held on major holidays usually attract significant crowds, however.

The worst times to visit Walt Disney World are:

December 26-31. This is the most crowded and most expensive time of year. Crowds get increasingly worse starting about December 20 and running through the New Year.

Mid-February through mid-April (or later, depending on the date of Easter), especially holiday weekends including President's Day and Easter. Expect huge crowds, high resort prices and expensive airfares, but usually very nice weather.

Midsummer (June through early August). Expect it to be very busy and extremely hot. To maximize your experience, plan on hitting the parks first thing in the morning. After lunch, take an afternoon break, then return to the park in the late afternoon/early evening. 11:00 am to 4:00 pm is the hottest part of the day and ironically the most crowded, too.

Other holidays. Among the other busy time periods are Thanksgiving week and any national holiday with a 3-day weekend (except Labor Day weekend).
During special events. Some don't create a lot of crowds, but some do.

Click here to see a detailed list of the most expensive and most crowded periods for 2008 and 2009.

Some less-known events that may affect crowds, park hours and/or traffic at Walt Disney World:

Cheerleeding/Twirl/Dance Competitions - Various dates each year, especially January-March. These usually don't have a lot of impact on the in-park crowds. The issue is that the Value resorts (All-Stars and Pop Century) play host to hordes of girls who can be extremely loud -- so you may want to avoid those resorts during competitions. Some events take place at Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular in Disney's Hollywood Studios, so that attraction might be closed. Some of the competitions and events include College Cheerleading & Dance Team National Championships (January 15-18, 2010), National Dance Team Championship (February 5-7, 2010), National High School Cheerleading Championship (February 12-16, 2010), Twirlmania (February 19-22, 2010), Contest of Champions Nationals (February 27 and March 5-7, 2010), National All Star Cheerleading Championship (March 12-16, 2010), All Star Cheerleading and Dance Worlds (April 24-26, 2010).

Mardi Gras Week. February or March (varies annually - 2010 date: February 16). Many New Orleans schools have all or part of this week off, so families leave town the weekend before the holiday and head to Disney World in droves.

Grad Nites - Usually the last two weekends of April. (2010 dates: April 23, 24, 30 and May 1) Private parties for graduating high school seniors are held from 10:00 pm through 4:00 am at Disney's Hollywood Studios. On Grad Nites, the park will probably close to the public at about 6:00 pm. From 8:00 pm on, avoid driving in the area around the park as busloads of kids will be arriving, which may affect traffic.
Gay Days. First week of June (2010 in-park dates: June 3-6). Visit GayDays.com and OneMightyWeekend.com for more info about the two organized events. At most, only one park per day will be more crowded than normal; often there is no discernable effect on crowds.

"Jersey Week" - Usually the first or second week of November. The New Jersey schools have a teachers' convention (2009 dates: November 5-6), which is often close to Veterans Day. Lots of people take advantage of this time off to pull their kids out of school for the whole week and add on the weekend before and/or after, taking this opportunity to go to Disney World in the "off season." New Jersey is the single biggest market for Walt Disney World -- you do the math!

ABC's Very Merry Christmas Day Parade footage is taped in advance in Magic Kingdom, usually shortly after Thanksgiving (2008 dates: December 5-6). The exact dates aren't usually released until sometime in the fall. Unless you want to watch the production process, you may want to avoid Magic Kingdom, because it creates crowd problems. Also, some shows or parades may be cancelled or rescheduled. The Christmas Day Parade is broadcast on ABC on December 25 each year.

Pop Warner Week - The Pop Warner Superbowl and National Cheer & Dance Championships are held at Disney World in early December (2009 dates: December 5-12). The Value resorts and some of the Moderate resorts will be FULL of kids (both football players and cheerleaders). Expect a lot of noise if you stay there. This event can cause crowds at the parks in the evenings (not during the day, since they are busy competing) and there have been some unfortunate incidents, including violent fights between teams.
 
Take whatever drugs you need to get you through the drive down to Minneapolis. Your best price for the three of you out of Winnipeg right now is almost $2300 with one connecting flight. You can get direct out of Minneapolis for under $1000 U.S.

That's incorrect. I got a better deal then that for 4 people from Winnipeg to Orlando direct for January 2010.

Just keep checking Westjet's website. They have some great seat sales right now for December so some good prices will be coming out soon for January/February. I got a decent price but probably should have held off for longer but got impatient and wanted to ensure we had the direct flights.
 
The weather can fluctuate in February - one day it can be 60° and the next 80°. We went in February several years ago and it could be quite cool in the mornings - we wore little 99 cent one-size fits all gloves, sweaters and long pants and we were fine, by late morning it would warm up some. We wore long pants the majority of the time but there were a couple days that it got up to 80°. Just take an assortment of clothes!
 
That's incorrect. I got a better deal then that for 4 people from Winnipeg to Orlando direct for January 2010.

Just keep checking Westjet's website. They have some great seat sales right now for December so some good prices will be coming out soon for January/February. I got a decent price but probably should have held off for longer but got impatient and wanted to ensure we had the direct flights.

How is it incorrect? I stated the best price right now. Not what the best price might be or has been but what is available right now. You should know that you will never get a better price out of Winnipeg then out of Minneapolis. West Jet's seat sales for Dec. have a return flight costing $529(inc. taxes) for the first weekend in Dec. (most people do vacation wkd to wkd). Those same dates give a direct flight out of Minneapolis for $235 (inc. taxes). If the same seat sale exists for Feb. and if the op wants to travel outside of the weekends, the price might drop as low as $360 out of Winnipeg and $195 out of Minneapolis. At a $500 total difference out of Winnipeg, I would probably fly from there but if flying on the weekend and it being a minimum of $900 difference, I would go out of Minneapolis.
 
wdw in feb can be great.
our family did feb 2 - 9 2007 and feb 4 - 12 2008
and we are doing feb 1 - 9 2010.
be sure to stay away from presidents weekend, normaly the second weekend in feb. it is crazy busy and the rates go up.
we have yet to see any rain at all.
the average temps are high of 72 and low of 50. the early mornings are a bit cool but generaly just perfect for all that walking.
take a sweat shirt for the extra magic hours.
be sure to get the meal plan and stay on site.
we have stay in two moderate resorts riverside and french quarter.
both are great. in you choose riverside get as close to main pool area as possible, it is a big resort with a lot of walking.
i have no advice for flying as we drive from fort erie on. but, westjet is probably the best bet. we have used it before and had good luck getting good prices on direct flights. the key word being direct. some airlines might be cheeper but there are stops along the way.
have a great trip and i hope the weather is good for both of us, we are a group if 17 people and rain is not a fun thought.
 
How is it incorrect? I stated the best price right now. Not what the best price might be or has been but what is available right now. You should know that you will never get a better price out of Winnipeg then out of Minneapolis. West Jet's seat sales for Dec. have a return flight costing $529(inc. taxes) for the first weekend in Dec. (most people do vacation wkd to wkd). Those same dates give a direct flight out of Minneapolis for $235 (inc. taxes). If the same seat sale exists for Feb. and if the op wants to travel outside of the weekends, the price might drop as low as $360 out of Winnipeg and $195 out of Minneapolis. At a $500 total difference out of Winnipeg, I would probably fly from there but if flying on the weekend and it being a minimum of $900 difference, I would go out of Minneapolis.



We rarely go weekend to weekend as it's cheaper to travel on a weekday.

Back to the OP - we got 4 flights on WJ direct from Winnipeg to Orlando for just over $2000 for January 2010. If we had waited a month or two we may have got them cheaper but I was worried about the direct flights getting sold out.

So for 3 people direct from Winnipeg you should be paying around $1200-$1500 for a direct flight if you book for a weekday flight.
 
We really like the end of January for disney trip. This year we are doing 10 days. The 7 is so rushed we just want to chill out a day or two at our resort this time. You should decide what park you will be spending the most time at and choose a resort that way. We always stay at the poly because we love MK and the monorail. Decide whats important and work from that. Let us know and we'll try and help. We all have an opinion and i know i love to share mine! :rotfl2:
 
We are going March Break again after going last March Break and it was fabulous!!! Everyone says "how can you go during march break it must be crazy" but Crazy is how it was when we went at christmas!! March Break is my favourite time (we've been May, Christmas, twice in Jan. and march break) as everyone's march break is different and the americans "usually" tie a break into a holiday in February and then again into the Easter week so March isn't all that busy. We didn't have long waits for anything and the weather was perfect.
When we went in May (18-25) it was 97 degrees and soooo humid my husband hated the heat. January was lovely but cool at nights and I have heard it can be cold.
My choice would be go in March and if you can afford it stay 10days at least. Make sure you can enjoy the hotel as well as the parks and downtown disney and if you go in March you can go to a waterpark also.
Whatever you do and whenever you go it will be magical.:lovestruc
 
We just returned from our first trip we used Westjet. Booked early in order to find the lowest price available going and coming back (mid week was cheaper) or wait for an advertised special. 10 days is definitely best for a first visit because there is so much to see and do. We spent 13 days and still did not have enough time to do everything we wanted, but we were the type that wanted to do it all yet still have some time to relax in between. I personally would never want to go during spring break because everything seems to be so expensive around that time. If you are flexible, research the best low season time to visit. We booked with the free dining plan and would only go if this were to be offered again because it was a tremendous value and the food was outstanding! We tried out a value resort (Pop Century) for our first and was not disappointed. It was clean, beds were comfy and since we had such a full agenda each day we were only in our rooms to sleep and clean up. Save the extra money for all the spending you will be doing shopping or for recreational activities. Next visit we will try out a moderate just for a change. We researched and planned everything out like crazy for about 6 months and relied on great site like the Dis, Mousesavers, Disney Mom's Panel, AllEars, etc.
 
Back to the OP - we got 4 flights on WJ direct from Winnipeg to Orlando for just over $2000 for January 2010. If we had waited a month or two we may have got them cheaper but I was worried about the direct flights getting sold out.

I don't want to get involved in a debate over which is better, however I will tell you my experience.

About a month ago, I purchased 4 return flight tickets out of Minneapolis for the end of January. I paid $620. CANADIAN!!! Last year we also drove to Minneapolis and flew from there and paid ~$1000 CD. To fly from Thunder Bay (where we live) would have cost upwards of 1500-2000! :scared1: We didn't find the roads to be too bad and even with a night in a hotel a couple of meals and a couple tanks of gas we still came out ahead!

Ultimately it is your choice how you spend your money and time. I just wanted to share my story with you! Good Luck on your decision! Happy Planning! :goodvibes
 
I don't want to get involved in a debate over which is better, however I will tell you my experience.

About a month ago, I purchased 4 return flight tickets out of Minneapolis for the end of January. I paid $620. CANADIAN!!! Last year we also drove to Minneapolis and flew from there and paid ~$1000 CD. To fly from Thunder Bay (where we live) would have cost upwards of 1500-2000! :scared1: We didn't find the roads to be too bad and even with a night in a hotel a couple of meals and a couple tanks of gas we still came out ahead!

Ultimately it is your choice how you spend your money and time. I just wanted to share my story with you! Good Luck on your decision! Happy Planning! :goodvibes

Fargo also has some good flights which we did consider. But with young kids and the unpredictability of winter weather in Manitoba in February I decided against this option. My understanding is that you had to start paying per bag when flying Allegiant out of Fargo and that cut into the savings.

I hate to use 2 days of vacation time stuck in the car. Perhaps with an adult only trip or with teenagers I would try the Minneapolis route but not with young kids.
 
Thank you all for the advice and tips! I will keep my eye out and keep checking the various sites listed.

I was reading about Allegiant - flying out of Grand Forks but I've also heard they charge per bag??? Anyway, it's another option but still would have to deal with closed highways during storms.

Thanks again! I'll keep reading and let you know how it went when we get back!
 














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