New to Disney--Some questions to ask

[Aliceacc]

Pegasus,

You can't combine discounts. So I think I would start off with the AAA discount. Then go to the Disney reservations website and order the planning DVD, and price out some resort options. Lots of people think those two things may put you in the running to be one of the lucky code recipients. If that doesn't happen, you'll still have the AAA discount.

If you're planning on the dining package, it would have to be booked through an AAA agent though.

 

[LeesyUD]

God, I'm so glad I found this message board. What a wealth of information! And I also have to pat myself on the back...I'm glad I started all my "research" so early. There's really just SO MUCH to consider. Pity the poor fools who think they can just go without any preparation!
Anyway, here's a couple more questions for the group. First of all, I've now decided on a moderate resort (CBR) and the DDP. Funny how I started this planning with the idea of saving money by staying in an outside hotel and going to the local grocery store. My trip is getting grander by the day. But ya' know, it IS Disney for pete's sake. Gotta splurge a little.

One tip that I try to give new Disney visitors, that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet, is if you are doing the Dining Plan try to make your dining reservations for any sit down meals as soon as you are able to if you think there are some special restaurants you want to try. While Columbus week is nowhere near the crowds that Christmas week are, The more popular restaurants can get booked up, like LeCellier at Epcot or Ohana at the Polynesian and some of the character breakfasts. And again like everyone else here I am no trying to cause worry or anything like that. But it is good for you to know that you can start making dining reservations for most restaurants 6 months out. There will be restaurants that you will be able to eat at without reservations, but like I said the more popular ones will get booked up early. But I think the DDP is awesome! And if you have questions about DDP or the reservations check out the restaurant board. (And if you already knew any of this I am sorry )
There alot of people that do not like planning their meals so far in advance, or planning where they will be each day. But there are so many people on here that I think would agree that you can get so much info and many tips on this board, that if you plan a general sort of "itinerary" for your trip it can make things so much easier in the long run. In fact the planning can be alot of fun! Me and my fiance love making a detailed itinerary for ourselves bc it is fun for us and we like waking up and not deciding what we are doing that day and already having our plans made out. And we just adjust our plans when we feel we need to while we are there. But everybody is different. Figure out what type your family is: planners, go with the flow, or somewhere in the middle and go for that. But I will say you are definitely doing the right thing by doing research before your first trip to Disney! I have known so many people that were going to Disney for the first time that did not want to hear any advice or do much research. And when they came back they said they wished they had known about 'this or that'. Sorry my post is so long but I love to help Disney World "newbies" If I can help with anything let me know!

 

[WillCAD]

Hi pegasus,

Welcome to a world of great information!!

Just a thought - if you are in the teaching profession the Swan/Dolphin deluxe hotels have discounted rates (about the same as a Disney moderate). They are not Disney owned, but are located in the Epcot resort area right next to the Boardwalk,Yacht and beach Club hotels and have most of the perks that Disney resorts do - transportation, extra magic hours, purchases you may have made in the parks delivered to your hotel.

Have fun planning and keep asking questions. And remember, you can not do it all in one trip. WDW is a most magical place and needs to be savored, not rushed through. Whenever you go have a fantastic trip.

Peg and Bob

I'll second that. Swan and Dolphin are beautiful hotels comparable to Disney Deluxes. I think the teacher rates these days are around $159 or $169 for a standard room with 2 queen size beds.

I think this is a much better time for crowd levels and resort pricing, too.

Another money saving tip... don't purchase the extra options on tickets... hoppers, water parks and more, or the non-expirey... stick to Magic Your Way (MYW) base tickets.

Check out the mousesavers site (sign up for the free newsletter) and if you are going in Oct., you'll stand a better chance of possibly finding a discount code or applying a AAA rate to your room. (Not many discounts available for the holiday season.)

I have to disagree with Rylee on this one - if this is your first trip, r your first trip in a long time, definitely buy the hopper option!

Lots of people go to the parks and never use the hopper option - they stay in one park all day - but if this is your first trip, you don't know whether you are one of those people yet.

The park hopper gives you a lot of flexibility, and helps you maximize your park time, too. You can split your days (do AK in the morning and MGM in the afternoon, neither park keeps me busy all day); or you can spend most of the day in one park then hop to another for the evening fireworks; or you can spend most of the day in one park then hop to another for dinner (very useful if you can only get a ressie at one of your fave restaurants on a day that you're spending in another park).

But the best use of the hopper is that if you arrive at a park in the morning and find it mobbed beyond all reason and sanity, you can hop to another park in search of lower crowds. And of course, you can use it to go back to a park to buy that one little souvenier that you always spot, but then never see in another park or store the rest of the trip.

God, I'm so glad I found this message board. What a wealth of information! And I also have to pat myself on the back...I'm glad I started all my "research" so early. There's really just SO MUCH to consider. Pity the poor fools who think they can just go without any preparation!
Anyway, here's a couple more questions for the group. First of all, I've now decided on a moderate resort (CBR) and the DDP. Funny how I started this planning with the idea of saving money by staying in an outside hotel and going to the local grocery store. My trip is getting grander by the day. But ya' know, it IS Disney for pete's sake. Gotta splurge a little.
My question is this: Everyone is talking about discounts and codes. If I book through Expedia I can get the same pkg for CBR, with 5 day hoppers, DDP, and airfare for just about the same price as the same pkg with POP. If I go with that plan, how do I get discounted codes and where and at what point do I use them? I also plan to pay with a Disney Visa for more perks. Any advise would be appreciated.

Starting your planning early is a must for a WDW trip.

Keep in mind that dining reservations can be made up to 180 days before your sheduled check-in day - that's 6 months! And the restaurants book up fast, too, so taking time to plan now will mean that you will be ready to make those Advance Dining Reservations (ADRs) when your 180-day mark comes up.

A perk that comes with staying at a WDW resort instead of an off-site place is called the 180+10 rule. What that means is that off-site Guests have to call back for their ADRs as they get 180 days from each day of their trip - Today is 180 days from the first day, tomorrow is 180 days from the second day, and so on. But on-site Guests can call at 180 days from their first day, and make ADRs for up to a 10 day stay without calling calling back each day.

So look over the menus and pick your favorite restaurants, and start woking on those ADRs now!
http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm

 

[LeesyUD]

I just wanted to add that I also think the park hopper is a must. I love being able to go to a park during the day and be able to go to dinner at another park or see fireworks at night!

 

[pegasus2017]

Pegasus,

You can't combine discounts. So I think I would start off with the AAA discount. Then go to the Disney reservations website and order the planning DVD, and price out some resort options. Lots of people think those two things may put you in the running to be one of the lucky code recipients. If that doesn't happen, you'll still have the AAA discount.

If you're planning on the dining package, it would have to be booked through an AAA agent though.

I did call AAA. I've had AAA for years, but strangely enough, the expedia pkg was cheaper!I'm stunned! But I can still do the Magic Your Way tickets with Dining even without using AAA,can't I?

 

[Rylee]

I have to disagree with Rylee on this one - if this is your first trip, r your first trip in a long time, definitely buy the hopper option!

Lots of people go to the parks and never use the hopper option - they stay in one park all day - but if this is your first trip, you don't know whether you are one of those people yet.

I'm still standing by my recommendation... no hoppers for those looking for a budget trip. The OP originally stated she was looking for on-site accommodations with cooking facilities. The hoppers are about $45 per person or $180 for a family of four. The $180 could be applied to meals.

Besides, the hopper option can be added after your arrival. If a family decides they want to hop, they can upgrade, but if they find they don't need hoppers... no money has been wasted.

Personally, my family enjoys hoppers, mainly for the freedom it allows for dining flexibility.

 

[Rylee]

I did call AAA. I've had AAA for years, but strangely enough, the expedia pkg was cheaper!I'm stunned! But I can still do the Magic Your Way tickets with Dining even without using AAA,can't I?

I don't know anything about booking a Disney trip through Expedia, but yes, you can book a MYW with Dining package, without booking through AAA. However, if a better discount becomes available, I don't know if you would be able to apply it. I've seen many posters say they book through Expedia, so maybe someone will be able to answer for that.

 

[WillCAD]

Besides, the hopper option can be added after your arrival. If a family decides they want to hop, they can upgrade, but if they find they don't need hoppers... no money has been wasted.

A lot of people advocate this strategy, but there's a flaw in it.

Let's say you have a 5-day trip - Monday thru Friday.

On Monday, you go to MK. MK is super crowded that day, but you don't have the hopper option, soi you tough it out. And because of the crowds, you can only do about 2/3 of your must-do attractions before heading off to your lunch and dinner ADRs. But you stay all day and watch Wishes, finding that you love it.

On Tuesday, you go to MGM. As many people do, you find that MGM doesn't have enough to keep you occupied all day, so you call it a day at about 5pm and head off to your resort.

On Wednesday, you go to AK. And again, AK doesn't have enough to keep you occupied all day, so you call it a day at 3pm, wasting a large part of your day.

Thursday finds you at Epcot. You stay all day, but still feel that you haven't seen it all, and at days end you find that you simply love Illuminations.

Friday, your last full day, finds you repeating MK to hit those attractions you skipped on Monday. But you are now kicking yourself for not staying all day at MGM on Tuesday, because after seeing Wishes on Monday and Illuminations on Thursday, you are now itching to see Fantasmic!

So at the end of the trip, you consider adding the hopper option so you can return to MGM and see Fantasmic! But since it's the end, you just leave it off and finish your day at MK again. On the other hand, any time after the first or second day, you'd dismiss the idea of adding the hopper option becuas it would seem like a waste to spend the whole amount just to hop for part of your trip.

But look at all the time you could have saved by having the hopper - you could have hopped to a less crowded park on Monday and done twice as many attractions; you could have split Tuesday between MGM and AK, avoiding wasting two half-days and freeing up a whole day to repeat your faves or split Epcot into two days; and you could have returned to MGM on any day to see Fantasmic!

Had you only had the hopper from the beginning, you could have had a far better trip, utilized your time much more effectively without feeling rushed, and gotten a lot more value for your vacation dollars.