New to Disney Resorts - Help!

[ctrezek]

Predicament.......
We have been promising our kids forever that we'd take them on a trip to Disney. Well, now we finally can, and I want to do it the best we can because it may be a long time before we can do it again.
They are older now 17, 19, and 21 by the time we go next...June perhaps..in 2005.

I was thinking Wild Kingdom Lodge or the Polynesian, my husband wants to go 7 days or so. We are in our mid 40's and dont have the energy to run around on all the rides. We're thinking relaxation while they run and do as they wish.

Unfortunately, we figured a Disney Vacation would cost us about $5000.
But I'm finding the resorts I picked, with food and airfare will surely put us over the brim. (I think I would even consider $6,000 or maybe a couple days shorter). And I'm sure they'll want to try the water sports like parasailing or something.

Questions:
Do all resorts come packaged with hopper tickets?
Can my husband and I get only few day tickets or something like that, while the kids get the whole time?
What alternatives might we have in this aspect?

Are there quiet relaxing beautiful balcony view resorts in the moderate range for us to consider?
Like maybe the KeyWest resort?
Theres so much to review, I'm overwhelmed with all the resorts.

We've been told Universal Studios is a must...how would we go there from the resort?

Should we go through a travel agency for the best deal?

To help save on food costs...I was thinking concierge and a 1 meal plan?

Sorry for all the questions....I'm sure I have more!
Thanks for your help.

 

[ead79]

Welcome, Cath!

Let me see what I can help you with as far as your questions go. Planning a Disney vacation can be overwhelming at first, but in no time you'll be a veteran.

You may certainly purchase vacation packages that include Ultimate Park Hoppers (park hopper passes that are good for the length of your stay), but it is often cheaper to simply purchase regular Park Hoppers (these are good for a set number of days, from 4-7, and any unused days never expire) and book a room only reservation instead of a package. Also, you might consider having one adult in your group purchase an Annual Pass if discount codes for annual passholders become available for your trip dates (a good discount on a resort room can often more than offset the cost of the one Annual Pass). They don't usually release Annual Passholder discounts until shortly before a trip approaches, so you would probably want to book a room at rack rates (aka regular rates) just to be sure you can stay where you want to. If a code rate does become available, you can always apply it to your reservation later. A great place to watch for the latest codes is www.mousesavers.com. As far as Ultimate Park Hoppers go, every person in your group must have them for the entire length of the trip, which is another thing that often makes regular Park Hoppers a better option. For instance, you could get your kids 7 day park hoppers and you and your husband could get 4 or 5 day park hoppers if you would like.

Disney's moderate resorts do not have balconies per se. The rooms open to outside hallways, so there are railings, but they are not private since they are the resort's hallways. Disney's deluxe resorts (like the Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Polynesian that you mentioned) do have balconies (well, only some of the rooms at the Polynesian have balconies, but you can always request one) that are private. Disney's Old Key West resort is actually a home away from home category resort, so it would be more expensive than a deluxe most likely.

You can get to Universal Studios via taxi (they have them waiting at all the resorts), so that shouldn't be too difficult at all.

Concierge and/or meal plans are not always a good strategy to save on food costs, depending on what your family is looking for in the way of meals. Concierge service includes light food (like bagels, muffins, etc. at breakfast, cookies and brownies during the day, and hot appetizers at night, then desserts in the evening), but it is not really a meal replacement. Especially with teenagers in the group. I don't know much about the meal plans, so someone else will have to help out with that.

You can certainly go through a travel agency, but I recommend using one that specializes in Disney. I have used Dreams Unlimited (the travel agency that sponsors this board) several times and have always been pleased with them.

My best advise is to start early and do your research (which you're already doing!). You can look at pictures of all the resorts on Disney's website and www.allearsnet.com also has great pictures of the resorts to help you decide which one you like best.

Also, don't completely discount park time for you and your husband. Disney is very different from other amusement parks, and it has many shows and slow moving non-thrill attractions that appeal to all ages. Epcot in particular is a wonderful park for adults. Strolling around World Showcase touring the various countries is a wonderful way to spend a day. Also, all of the night time fireworks shows are spectacular, so I think you would enjoy those too.

Feel free to ask any questions you think of!

 

[ww52]

"Overwhelming" is an understatement, but you have certainly come to the right place. The DIS is full of very friendly, enthusiastic people eager to help anyone.

I second the idea of using Dreams Unlimited. I don't think you can get any more knowledgable people. The service is free also. Beware that there are some Disney expert sites that charge for their services - I'm not saying they are not worth it, especially if you just want to save the time of learning about all this. But given the ages of your "kids", I would think you'd have a group of very internet-savvy people to help in the research.

Speaking of the ages of your children - consider the resorts around Epcot (YC, BC, BW, Swand/Dolphin). There is a lot to do that would appeal to older kids at the Boardwalk; and you're within walking distance to both Epcot and MGM.

Consider the Swan/Dolphin. They are not owned by Disney, and some say they lack all the "magic" (others like mme disagree) but again with your kids being older that may not be an issue. See if you qualify for any discounts; they offer deep discounts for teachers, nurses, and government employees,; they are Starwood hotels - in case you happen to a member of their frequent customer club.

Finally - planning is simply a lot of fun. Try not to be overwhelmed and enjoy!

 

[Mercy]

Hi and Welcome!!

Since you will have 5 in your party, you may want to consider either getting 2 rooms, or renting DVC points from a DVC member and staying at one of the 2 bedroom villas.

You've already gotten some great advice so I will just add that the best advice I can give is to STAY ON THESE BOARDS!! You will shortly become a WDW expert in your own right. You have some time before your trip, so read the boards, ask tons of questions, and have a BALL doing it! Planning is half the fun!

 

[LisaZoe]

Since I haven't been to WDW yet myself, I really understand how daunting the planning can be and the expense of it all doesn't help. One thing I found useful, in addition to reading a lot of threads on DISboards, was to get a couple of books on WDW. They all also give basic information about non-Disney attractions in the area. The "Official" WDW guide book is nice but the "Unofficial" ones have much more information that can help narrow down the resort choices as well as show the pros and cons of package deals vs. separately booked components (I went with the latter option as it seemed to offer much more flexibility for changing things if needed).

Since you mentioned wanting to save money on meals, it might be worth researching the "Home away from home" resorts as all have kitchens (studios have kitchenettes). The cost is more than other rooms but the savings on meals could more than compensate for that. Also, they may be less than concierge level with a "1 meal plan" package. In addition, having a separate bedroom for you and DH might be nice if you wanted to sleep in while the kids get up, eat and ready for a day at a park. The Ft Wilderness cabins sound like they might be a good fit for you although I don't think they have balconies or views other than of the woods and other areas around.

As for using a TA, I think that's a matter of personal choice. I didn't because I don't mind spending time doing the research and dealing directly with the various companies, such as airline, WDTC, airport transportation, WDW dining for PSs, etc. as well as watching for room discount codes and calling WDTC again to apply it to my existing room-only reservation (I've saved about 40% off a WL room this way). However, I can definitely see the appeal of having someone else do most of this for you, especially if it doesn't cost anything extra!

 

[mommytutu]

I know how the planning stage starts out a bit overwhelming, but it really does become fun and then you find yourself planning and replanning.

I have noticed that it is less expensive for us to purchase everything seperately. I've made room only reservations and I bought park hopper tickets. The packages come with Ultimate Park Hopper tickets, which is a good deal *IF* you plan on using it all.

Concidering your budget and number of people, I would look into the cabins at Fort Wilderness (you could get a few groceries and prepare some of your own meals since these have full kitchens and I've seen EXCELLANT deals for cabins). Also, look at getting two connecting rooms at a moderate resort. Stay on your toes because a discount code may come out next spring. For tickets, you and your husband can get 4-day park hoppers ($215...price may change) or 5-day park hopper ($244...price may change). Your kids would probably like the 5-day Park Hopper Plus ($275...prices may change). You will need transportation from the airport to Disney (and then back to the airport) and if you plan on leaving the resort, you may be better off renting a car. A SUV will run you about $320 for the week (before any discount and the price I pulled from Avis). I have no idea where you would be flying in from, but I think it is entirely possible for you to treat your family to a week long Disney vacation for $5-6,000.

Crissy

 

[Kimberle]

Welcome to the DIS!

I do think you can plan a nice vacation for 5 on a budget of $5-6k. Beware, since 2 of your kids will be over 18, you will be charged for 2 extra adults in your room. In a deluxe, that's $25 per night per kid. So, I would seriously think about getting 2 rooms.

Try and break down your budget into plane, towncar, (if flying), resort, tickets, and food/misc.

If you allow $2k for your room, that's $285 per night. Well within the range of 1 deluxe room or 2 moderate rooms. Don't forget, the prices you are looking at now are "rack" rate. Most likely there will be a discount available in early 2005. *I* would book a room(s) in the high end of your budget. Then if/when the rate comes down, you've got more "play" money. You can also book a room with an AAA discount (beware, they sell out quickly). If you book a room now, you can always apply a discount code if/when it becomes available.

Since your kids are young adults, *I* would stay either in the Epcot/Boardwalk area or near DTD. These are the places with more night activities.

I would also think about renting DVC points and staying in a villa. You'll have more space and a kitchen and washer/dryer. You can easily keep cereal, bagels, and sandwich fixings for mid-day meals/snacks. Visit the DVC board for more details.

To get from MCO to WDW, most people take a towncar service. The are more personal, and the driver will make a short grocery store stop so you can load up on snacks, etc.

Happy planning! Read these brds. You will get tons of information! You're going to have a wonderful family vacation before your *grown* children are scattered to the wind.

 

[Kimberle]

One more thing, look into the Swan/Dolphin. They offer special discounts for nurses, firefighters, police, teachers, etc. If you, your spouse, or 1 of your kids is in one of these professions, you would qualify.

Also, the FW cabins sleep 6 and are very reasonably priced. But they are very isolated. Some people like the isolation, but I would think young adults would want a bit more "atmosphere".

 

[PrinceGoofy]

Welcome!

I agree with everone else about watching the boards. Also keep looking at the deals Disney offers.

We are going at the end of this week on the Disney Visa "7 for 4" deal. Staying at the Poly, we're paying a little over $2300.

A friend booked the Poly on the "7 for 5" deal for a little over $2600. This is for four people, room and tickets.


With a $5K budget, I think you shuld be ok.

Planning is part of the fun. Good luck!

 

[TN Traveler]

Hi Cath---
Here are my 2 cents concerning your questions:

1st, I agree w/everyone on this site, this is the place to be to get information and stay on top of the game of planning your Disney vacation. Come to this site and visit often. The folks that come here are seasoned, experienced Disney people. They love talking about Disney and helping others w/their vaccations.

2nd--YES I definitely think you should contact a travel agent. Travel agents get notices weekly (sometimes daily) on specials and can keep you informed on best rates and discounts. BUT make sure you talk to an agent that is a Disney Specialist. I am a TA and a Disney Specialist. In order to have this title you must take a very extensive test on Disney Resorts, Cruise Line and parks. A good agent will lead you down the right path. As far as I know, most do not charge for their services; I don't.

3rd--I am in my mid-40s and LOVED the Parks and rides when we went in late May 2004. Personally, I think you are better off to go ahead and get the package together w/the Hopper passes so you can come and go as you please. The ages of your children give you the freedom and flexibilty that most of us don't get to experience. You can spend several hours in the morning at the Parks, come back to your hotel, enjoy the pool, and go back to the parks at night w/o worrying about what your kids want to do. I also agree w/one other person on here that suggested getting a home away from home resort such as Wilderness Cabins. This way, all of you can have bkft in your room b-4 you hit the parks and then have lunch and lite dinner items available for those you want to come back to your room to eat. This is a great way to save $$. I was very surprised at the cost of food and drinks in the Parks. Also w/a cabin or unit w/a fridge, you can freeze your bottled water during the night and pack it in to the parks the next day--elimintating the cost of water---at $2.50 a bottle!!

4th--About Sea World/Universal Studios. If you wanted to do this also while you were in Orlando, I'd consider staying 4 or 5 nights onsite at Disney and then moving over to US and staying 3 nights on site at the Hard Rock or one of US's properties. This way you can get a 3 park Pass for the cost of a 2 park and also have the advantages of staying onsite to get FOL passes etc.

5th--Last but not Least, a great way to save some $$ is to drive. I don't know where in IL you live but if you have the time and are in So IL you could split the trip into 2 days and save some MAJOR $$ on airfare. OR drive all the way through--w/all adults you will be able to swap drivers and get there faster. This would give you the opportunity to see the USA and spend some time together as a family. Of course if you don't have the time, that suggestion is out the window but it'd save you $1000 + in airfare.

Whatever you decide to do, HAVE FUN Planning and HAVE FUN on your trip!

 

[cinderellawannabe]

I can imagine how excited you (and your family!) must be planning your first Disney vacation! I've been to WDW 8 times in the last 16 years - and I learn something new everytime I check out the DISboards, so you are in good hands!

Our family has stayed at Value, Moderate and Deluxe resorts, most recently at the Poly. We're a party of six, so we always need 2 rooms. This year was my son's high school graduation celebration, so we wanted something special and stayed deluxe and it was totally worth it - and not as pricey as we initially thought. We booked the Poly more than a year ago for $299/night per room x 8 nights = $4800. However, I "haunted" mousesavers.com and found a discount code that saved us $1200, so our rooms wound up costing $3600. We found that being at a "monorail" resort was great and convenient when our party chose to split up and have some of us head back to the resort to relax and meet up later. Plus, at the Poly, GF or CR you are able to watch the MK fireworks from the beach so even if you can't stick it out until park closing, you don't fell like you're missing out.

We booked one sit-down meal per day, and just played it by ear the rest of the time. We had a fridge in our room, so we could keep drinks and snacks on hand; plus, we got the refillable mugs which were definitely a worthwhile investment. We really did not eat as much as we thought we would, and I was glad that we were not obligated by a meal plan that would "force" us to stuff ourselves in order to get our money's worth. We allowed our older son (18) to use his room charging privileges when he was on his own in the parks, and we generally charged food and gifts when we were all together. About halfway through the week my husband commented that he "was afraid" to check what the amount was up to on the room charge, but by the end of the week when we got our final bill, we found that we had charged about $1500 - that included most of our food/meals, gifts to take home, our admission to Typhoon Lagoon, and other incidentals. we actually carried only about $200.

As for admission, we had 5 day park hoppers which we purchased at our local Disney store throughout the year. We bought one every other month and it helped stretch out our vacation costs. The 5 day hopper was enough to last us for a seven day stay, because we found that there were other things we wanted to do at WDW (we planned to go to Universal, but never got around to it!). One day we went to Typhoon Lagoon, another day we rented those little water mice boats at our resort during the day and went to DD at night for dinner and shopping. There really is plenty to do without even going to the parks.

Hope some of this helps, and good luck with your planning.

Hope

 

[ctrezek]

Thank you all
...for helping me with all your information and experiences.
I know it will help me. I've printed out these pages already to share with my family. Keep up the good work!

Cath

 

[wld]

We too are in our mid 40's and our DD's are now 18 and 21 and have been a few times. Since there are only 4 of us we usually stay at the moderates and enjoy them. I'm cheap....We stayed last time at Pop Century and liked it, although it isn't a hotel I would hang out all day at. But...as someone else said DH and I are in the parks as much as the kids, in fact we are usually with them, it's part of the fun of going as a family since at home we are now usually in 4 different directions. There are just so many different things to do, I'm not sure I could spend a whole day at Disney just hanging around the hotel no matter how nice it is.

I too enjoy planning my own trip. It is usually about $4500 and we fly, have a town car take us and pick us up, stay about 8-10 days, use ultimate park hoppers (or sometimes annual passes) and eat 2 meals a day, usually fast food or at one of the resorts since this tends to be cheaper. We usually go someplace expensive once while we are there (like Ohanas) We normally stay at a moderate because we like spending money on something other than the hotel room. You will find a ton of information on this board. Keep coming back.

 

[ctrezek]

I cant believe how similiar we are. I see you're from Michigan, just next door to Illinois, so I imagine our airfare may be about the same. I'm curious as to what time of year you go? (for figuring the costs) I usually am a practical spender. My husband is the one that usually gets me to break from that. (We wouldnt have some of the things, nor experiences we have had if it wasnt for him doing that.). The meal plan that you were talking about sounds like something we'd do. We usually dont eat breakfast too much.

My brother and sister in law are thinking of going also, and they are contemplating the Carribean, a moderate. But we like the idea of being separate if we feel we need it.

It sounds like we should wait til spring to book airfare...and book our rooms as soon as we decide what we want if we want something special with a balcony/view....and buy our park tickets on one of the special web sites.
I'm thinking of taking a taxi or something like that from the airport to the park, yes, no?

 

[Grumpy92]

Welcome,

First you might consider not doing a pkg. I have worked for Disney for many years at the resorts and with only a few exceptions feel that buying the items separately will enable you to get a better deal.
I would go on disneyworld.com and order the free vacation planning video/DVD. Then hit the bookstore for the Unofficial Guide or the Passporter, they are a great resource.
The AKL is a wonderful resort. It is fun to watch the animals from your room balcony. In the evening they have a variety of activities, storytelling by the fire or meet an african cm who will do a mini travelguide of his homeland. The bus transportation is very good, especially since they dont share it with any other resort. But it is out by itself.

As for the Poly. THe convenience of being on the monorail alone is often worth the price to stay there. Not to mention that right next door is TTC (the Trans hub for WDW).

The moderates are nice, my faves are POR & POFQ. But they do not have balconies. OKW is a Vacation Club resort where the rooms are more like suites with kitchens, w/d, lr etc.

mousesavers.com is an excellent resource for discounts.

Universal: Mears offers a shuttle to surrounding parks so you might want to check with them.

Tiks: Sounds like a 4 or 5 day PH would work for your kids. It will give them access to all four theme parks and they can park hop all they want. With the 5day pass they will get the water parks as well. Any days not used are good for a future visit.

The next ticket down is a 1 day 1 park pass. So I would suggest the 4 day PH and any days you dont use are good in the future.

Take it slow, be flexible and keep those questions coming.

 

[wld]

Ctrezek,
I was thinking we sounded alike as I read your first post. We have visited in early December, May, January and June. We fly out of Detroit Metro, a direct flight. It is usually around $200. We usually fly NWA although sometimes Spirit can be cheaper. I do a couple of things with airfare. I search expedia or travelocity or yahoo, then whatever airlines have the cheapest fare, I go to their own website like nwa.com. Usually the fares are even cheaper there. I start looking about 3-4 months out and when I see something close to $200 I jump on it. It's amazing how much the fares will jump around. Start looking around now to kind of get a feel for airfare. I usually have my tickets at least 2 months in advance.

For the 4 of us a towncar is the cheapest option. We only go to and from WDW and don't go anywhere else. Mears is another option but it stops at several hotels and sometimes picks you up on the return 3 hours early. We love the towncar and it is usually around 80 or 90 dollars round trip. The transportation board has alot of hints. Different companies fall in and out of favor. We have used youride, tiffanys and Florida towncar. I know you can use the towncars to get to universal too. I'm not sure about a bus, but I know you can use a bus very cheaply for seaworld (not sure if your mentioned that.) We have no interest in driving a rental car around, we're on vacation.
We stayed at Caribbean Beach when my sister, her family and my mom and dad went. Sister and I had connecting rooms, Mom and Dad were down one. It was alot of fun!!!
Keep asking questions, you'll get a ton of info!

 

[wld]

I forgot to mention that we usually take things like granola bars with us on the plane for a quick breakfast at the hotel. Then the empty bag serves for a souvenir bag. Then we eat around 11 or so and then get a little snack like Mickey ears before dinner anywhere from 5-7. A really cheap meal is pizza at your resort (at least at the moderate or value ones) especially if you have the refillable mugs. If not a 2 liter bottle in the gift shop is cheaper than buying everyone separate.
Resort meals are almost always cheaper than at the parks and lots of times the food is better too. We skip those expensive resturants for the most part as a cost cutting measure. We all love Ohanas' though so we try to eat there once. Some of the fast food places really aren't that bad like Liberty tree at MK, Rosies at MGM, Tuskers at AK, and the Mexican fast food at EPCOT. The Resturant board has all kinds of opinions on food although it usually leans towards the more expensive places when I am looking.