New to Disney from England!!

[meldud]

Hi there,

My family and I are travelling to Disney from England in August 2010 for 14 nights. We have absolutely no idea where to start.

My son will be 10 and my daughter 9. We like our creature comforts. My husband and I like the look of the GF but are concerned about travel times to the other resorts. We also like the lok of the BC and would like some advice on how to decide.

We do not know if whether we should stay in a villa or a hotel or even what the difference is.

We are all very excited and are really looking forward to coming to Disney. Therefore we want to make this a trip of a lifetime.

We would like advice on what to do as well as what not to do.

Please help us decide!!

 

[StitchMad]

Hi, welcome to the DIS.
The UK Trip Planning Forum is filled with experts on this for UK travellers, so you could get an answer there from people who might have once been in the same situation.

Have fun planning

 

[boundfordisney]

welcome to the boards! Check out the yacht club , its beautiful and the pool area , stormalong bay is awesome. You are close to 2 parks epcot and hollywood studios, plus the boardwalk! You can t go wrong by staying here!Any other questions I would be happy to answer to the best of my knowledge! happy planning!

 

[aggielawyer]

Welcome to the boards!

I would decide which park I wanted to be closest to. I love Beach Club 'cause it's a short walk over to my favorite part of the World--World Showcase.

 

[Wants2Live@WDW]

Hi!

Wow! First trip to WDW! What a milestone! I hope that it will be a great time!

There are boards that describe things on here in great detail, but to answer your specific questions, the Grand Floridian and Beach Club resorts and villas are both GREAT resorts!

I would recommend, time permitting, ordering a travel planning book, such as "Passporter" or "The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World" if you still have questions after visiting this site.

So, the GF is closer to MK and on the monorail. It has a beach, which is nice. The pool has great waterslides, and there is also the opportunity to use ferries to gain access the the Magic Kingom. A con for some is its Victorian feel. It is a WDW property, so you can take advantage of the disney dining plan (which is a great value for meals) and complete access to the free transportation to the other parks.http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/Resorts/grandfl.htm

The Beach Club villas and resorts are close to Epcot. These have a nautical, New England theme. These also have Disney's free transportation, but there is not transport provided to Epcot's main gate (but it is usually considered "walking distance" or it is a short cab ride). There is boat transport to the World Showcase in Epcot (not the main gate, but an entrance all the same. This entrance is toward the rear of the park). There is also water transport to Hollywood Studios. http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/Resorts/bc-villas.htmhttp://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/Resorts/beach.htm

The differences between the BC resorts and villas are the size and the nature of the rooms. If you are needing more than a standard hotel room (2 beds in a single room), a villa might be the answer. These villas are part of the Disney Vacation Club (disney's timeshare program), but can be rented like any other hotel on Disney property and come in 3 varieties: studio (like a hotel room with a kitchenette), 1 bedroom, and 2 bedroom villas. These have washing machines and dryers (in the 1 and 2 bedroom villas). The 1 and 2 bedrooms options have full kitchens (refrigerator and stove, etc). These villas will feel more like a condo or flat than a hotel room.

These resorts are top-tier and fabulous! You will feel as though you are royalty during your stay.

Good luck with the vacation!!!

 

[wishspirit]

Hello Fellow Brit!

The poster above got it just right when they said head for a guidebook first. This will give you a nice base point for all the ins and out of Disneyworld. I recommend 'The Unofficial Guide', but apparently the Brit's Guide is also great!

The most important part is working out your price point, and working from there. Disney holidays don't come on the cheap side, so set a budget including flights, accommodation, park tickets, food and fun 'extras'. All the Disney hotels are 'good' in the sense they are clean and functional, but the higher up the price scale you get, the better theming, service and extras you get. I personally wouldn't recommend 'offsite' (a non-Disney owned hotel, except Swan or Dolphin) as it didn't work for our family, and half the fun of Disney holidays for us is the on-site experience, but that is a totally personal thing.

Disboards is a great place to find out anything you may need to know, so don't be afraid to ask or even ask for a bit of reassurance along the way. I know I do all the time!

Have an amazing trip, and feel free to post if you need any more help or advice!

 

[Metro West]

 

[Disn3y]

Welcome to the DISbords! Enjoy your first trip to the world!

 

[stacopp]

Welcome! I hope you enjoy your trip!!