Hi folks - I've heard great things about this forum and decided to take the plunge and join!
I have been to
Disneyland once, 20 years ago, and want my daughters to be able to experience the excitement of Disney! We're near Vancouver, BC, Canada and want to plan a vacation in the next year or two (our daughters are 8, 6 and 2). I automatically assumed that since we're so far north, the ideal destination is Disneyland - however, I'm wondering now if DW has the potential to be as inexpensive, or possibly even less expensive than Disneyland? Hubby and I also wanted to get a rough idea of what we should look at for length of trip, time of year to go, and what we'd be looking at spending. Hopefully some of you amazing folks can point me in the right direction to find my answers!
Looking forward to getting to know everyone!
- Desiree
Hi Desiree, and welcome!
I have to admit, I've never been to Disneyland. Being on the east coast, with Florida only 2ish hours away by plane, it just hasn't happened. Plus Orlando has 4 Disney theme parks.
As to time of year, that will depend on your comfort level with pulling the girls out of school. Obviously, the parks are less crowded when school is in session. We're both teachers, and have pretty strong views on that anyway, so let's just say we go over the summer and leave it at that.
Disney's pricing isn't typical- they have different "seasons." We go once "value season" has started to save money. Take a look at mousesavers (I'll get you the link in a second) to see.
http://www.mousesavers.com/roomrates2012.html
As far as resorts go, I STRONGLY suggest staying on site. (That means one of the 15 or so resorts run by Disney.) The perks are great. They include Disney's Magical Express (transportation to and from the airport) and EMH (Extra Magic Hours-- times when particular parks are open only to guests of Disney resorts. As I said, there are about 15 resorts, so you don't exactly have the parks to yourself. But it's ONLY about 15 resorts, so we've made great use of those EMH!!)
As to resort choice: let's assume that you can't get it together until your youngest turns 3. Three is a magic age at Disney; it's when your daughter becomes a ticketholder and counts toward the maximum number of people in the room. As such, you can't stay in a "typical" room; you'll need one that can accomodate 5. As a veteran in the "five in a room" wars, let me share some options. You can take a look at the prices at
www.mousesavers.com , and at the slide shows at
www.allears.net for a better idea.
Disney has 3 classifications of resorts: Value, Moderate, and Deluxe.
- Your Value choices are a Family Suite at either All Star Music or the brand new, opening next year Art of Animation resort. (I'm pretty sure reservations are already being accepted.) All Star Music has gotten great reviews, and is by far the cheaper of the two options.
- Your only moderate choice is a trundle room at Port Orleans Riverside. Friends stayed there a few years ago and loved it. The trundle bed is too small for my 13 year old son, but would be fine for any of your daughters. This is actually a cheaper option than All Star Music, since you're getting a regular room and not a suite.
- Most of the Deluxe options have a daybed that sleeps the 5th person. Your cheapest option here is a room in the Garden Wing of the Contemporary. (I stayed there in 1976, so I'm not exactly an expert on the actual room.) The real plus to the Contemporary is that you can WALK to the Magic Kingdom. (Picture walking that tired 3 year old back after a long day, as opposed to fighting the crowds for the monorail)
We've stayed twice at the Polynesian and adore it! The lush landscaping is a great counterpoint to the frenetic craziness of the parks. But it's pretty expensive.
This time, we're trying the Beach Club and I can't wait! Unlike the other 2 I've mentioned, BC is close to Epcot, (as opposed to being on the Magic Kingdom monorail.) But the pool is a full 3 acres-- a mini water park in our back yard! My kids are thrilled at the thought.)
And take a look at the other Deluxes if they're in your budget. I think all but the Wildeness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge can accomodate 5 in a standard room. Also, take a look at the cabins at Fort Wilderness-- Disney's campground. (SO not my thing, and more expensive than the family suites or Port Orleans. But roomy and right for some.)
Once you get time of year and resort figured out, you can look into the meal plan. I suggest you do-- with 3 kids under 10 it may be a bargain for you.
But I'm guessing your eyes are already glazed over, so I'll stop for now and get you that link.
OOPS, forgot something HUGE: discounts.
For starters, if you're members of CAA (or Americans who are part of
AAA) you can get a discount of 10-15% off the price of your rooms. If you choose to book a package (for example, if you want the meal plan) you'll need to book through CAA to get that discount. Or you can book it "room only" and put together tickets on your own, and save the money.
A strong suggestion: use a Disney Certified
Travel agent. They know the discounts and can help you find them! Why pay full price if a travel agent will, at no cost to you, find you some discounts? I did some homewok on this and can PM you some recommendations if you want.
