New to the boards and needing help

[Haileys_mom]

Hello Everyone,

I am brand new to this whole thing (obviously) so please bear with me. I live in Edmonton and my fiance and I have just (as in 2 days ago,lol) decided we want to take my 6 year old daughter to Disney in January.
The only time I am able to get off work is from Jan.1-8/07 and so we are needing to travel during that time. I have never been to Disney and so I have no idea what I am doing, trying to plan this trip.
To make a long story short, I would really appreciate any tips and/or recommendations you can make. We are considering using "buildabettermousetrip" to help with the planning, but I don't know if that is our best option.
If anyone has any advice or recommendations to share I would really appreciate the help.
Thank you very much in advance for your help (and patience)

 

[drag n' fly]

Hello Everyone,

I am brand new to this whole thing (obviously) so please bear with me. I live in Edmonton and my fiance and I have just (as in 2 days ago,lol) decided we want to take my 6 year old daughter to Disney in January.
The only time I am able to get off work is from Jan.1-8/07 and so we are needing to travel during that time. I have never been to Disney and so I have no idea what I am doing, trying to plan this trip.
To make a long story short, I would really appreciate any tips and/or recommendations you can make. We are considering using "buildabettermousetrip" to help with the planning, but I don't know if that is our best option.
If anyone has any advice or recommendations to share I would really appreciate the help.
Thank you very much in advance for your help (and patience)

First check if you can get a room anywhere on site. You may have trouble due to the WDW Marathon that is on at the same time. Then if not, try renting DVC points. If not you can always stay offsite. I know the nickelodeon is cool if you have kids. If that does not matter there are tons of offsite places to stay. We are going down for the first time in February so I cannot give you my experience but I am planning a trip. Madonna31 is a Disney Vacation Planner Specialist who can do backflips apparently at getting you what you want onsite . I booked through Dreams Unlimited and have been extremely happy with them also. With such short notice I suggest you contact those two first. Try and avoid AMA if you can...been there done that wont go there again!

 

[drag n' fly]

BTW


Haileys_mom


Not too many westerners on here. Glad to have you join us!

 

[PanamaMike]

You said you want to go to Disney.
Are you talking Disneyland or Walt Disney World?

 

[bbangel]

I would suggest you start with Disneyland. It is much easier to manage for a first trip and the travel will be a lot easier.
Disneyland's website has listed the Good Neighbor Hotels in a range of categories to fit most budgets. When you find out what is available check out the hotels on trip advisor. It will help you decide between them.
If you do Disneyland 4 day tickets are perfect to get everything done in both parks, including all the shows and still have time to take lots of breaks without feeling like you are going to be missing something.

 

[Haileys_mom]

Sorry...I should have specified that...see what I mean...No clue!!

We are going with DisneyWorld. I made a post this morning looking to rent a reservation through someone's DVC points, but as you mentioned, Drag n' fly, it seems to be pretty busy there during the time we are planning and all of the resorts are full.

I received the following quote from a travel agent:
Corronnado Springs, Jan 1-8/07,
$6729.85
Roundtrip airfare from Edmonton to Orlando on Northwest Airlines (call for flight times )
Roundtrip Disney's Magical Express Airport Transfers
6 nights accommodation at the corresponding hotel
** Magic Your Way Ticket with Park Hopper & Water Park Fun & More

This is more than double what the cost would be for us to go one week later.

Can I ask you why you said not to go with AMA?

 

[ferris198]

Welcome, this is a very helpful bunch.
I have planned my last 2 trips with less time then you so it shouldn't be too bad.
The only drawback is your dates as it is marathon time.
I was there last year during marathon, booked mid December, and got a room in All Star Sports, not my first just, but a bed.
I would see if you can't adjust your departure by a day or two and that might help, because Christmas week is busy and that includes New Years, but if you can go a few days later it helps.
Try Sears Travel or any agent that uses Nolitours, as they seem to block off rooms and the price is decent. That is what I did last year.
The year before I went in late January and getting a room was no problem.
I found during marathon week, as people come from all over the world to participate they do make a vacation out of it, but it seems to thin out on the Monday and Tuesday after the run.
Good luck !

 

[Northstar]

Hailey's Mom, I don't have a ton of Disney trips under my belt, but if you're looking to cut costs a bit, I don't think you'll need the extra options on your Magic Your Way theme park admission tickets... well, maybe Park Hopper, but believe me, you won't get around to the water parks once your DD sees the Magic Kingdom.

The price tag you were quoted seems a bit high, but if it's within your budget and you don't want to spend the next two months becoming an expert on all things Disney, it might be worth it just to have the whole thing taken care of. Did your agent say anything about dining plan and/or the need to make advance reservations if you're planning on doing sit-down meals on Disney property? If not, that's a bad sign about the agent's level of knowledge about what's going on these days at Disney... maybe check out some of the recommendations for agents from the posts here.

And you're not clueless... hey, you found your way to these boards before even booking your first trip! I was way behind your level of clued-in-and-connected for our first trip (with 6-year-old daughter) and still had a great time. Didn't know about all the great stuff we were missing out on, so didn't miss it! Truly, there's so much magical stuff around Disneyworld that you can hardly miss stumbling into some of it.

 

[pxlbarrel]

One way of cutting costs is not to stay at a Disney resort and while that may sound horrifying to some everybody will survive. I've stayed offsite for the past few trips.

It might mean that you'll need to rent a car but even that might be cheaper than staying onsite during a very busy time.

If this is your first trip to Disney, you may find that the only thing you'll be using your room for is to crash after a full day at the park. The theming of the resort is nice but if it's the cost of going or not going, choose a nice offsite place. And yeah, you probably won't use those waterpark tickets so you don't need those. That'll cut it down a bit.

You can always go back (and back and back) and stay onsite another time when it's more affordable.

Air Canada and West Jet are having seat sales right now...see if their prices compare with Northwest.

 

[Haileys_mom]

Good Morning Everyone,

Thank you all for your responses and advice. I did contact Christine as PP mentioned and she confirmed that DisneyWorld is sold out for the week we are able to travel.
As a last attempt to get a Disney fix I am going to look into Disneyland for January. If that doesn't work, Christine suggested we look into going to Disneyworld towards the end of April. That way we would have more time to plan and be able to make sure we do everything we would like to.
Sooo...if anyone wants to recommend Disneyland info that would be great
Otherwise, it looks like we'll get to Disneyworld in April...Either way, we're still going to Disney WoooHooo!
Thanks again for all the help, I'm sure you'll be seeing more of me on the boards as I try plan. Have a great day everyone

 

[pxlbarrel]

I was in Disneyland in August. It was great fun and always is. I don't think you're really settling on Disneyland since I think you'll have as much fun there as you would have in Orlando.

Are you still interested in staying on Disney property in Anaheim? It's different from Orlando in that there are hotels and motels very close to the park. Your biggest challenge is getting from the airport to a hotel in Anaheim...after that, you can take shuttle buses or even walk to the park.

You can continue chatting in here or even head over to the Disneyland forum where lots of locals and DL regulars can give you some tips. One thing....if you go on January 1-7, you'll be in DL in time to see Small World Holiday (It's a Small World decked out in Christmas decorations) and probaby the Haunted Mansion in the Nightmare Before Christmas theme. And you'll still get all the Christmas decorations. I think that all changes after you've left.

Between Orlando and Anaheim...I like 'em both. I do find that Orlando is a bit more rushed because you're trying to do so many parks in the little time you have. I find DL way more relaxing.

 

[bbangel]

I agree, check out the Disneyland section of this board. You should also check mouseplanet as most of the members there seem to be from the West Coast. A lot of regular people (the type that drop into Disneyland for ice cream) are incredible at answering questions.
Some hotels to try. Howard Johnson's, Candy Cane Inn, Red Roof Inn and the Annabella.
Oh and definately fly WestJet.

 

[drag n' fly]

Disneyland is much smaller. Been there a few times never to WDW so I cannot compare. We found you can comfortably do both parks at a leisurely pace with a 5 day ph pass. If staying a week, a nice day trip is down the coast to Newport Beach (the water is always cold!) and then Legoland if that is your thing and Sea World. If you want to be fully immersed stay at the Disneyland Hotel. The hotel is old but nice theming and an incredible pool. Weather may be cool. If the parents want to really soak it up the Grand Californian is beautiful! Paradise Pier is a more economical Disney alternative. Definitely do a character meal with your child. We usually stay offsite. This is where most people get a reality check. Some of these hotels are considered good neighbour hotels and are deemed acceptable enough by Disney standards. Candy Cane Inn is one. Beautiful grounds with a continental breakfast but it still is a strip motel with a very small pool. I am not a fan of CCI so no flames please. Howard Johnsons is nice. Try and get a room floor 5 or six overlooking the park and you can watch the park and fireworks from your room. Request a room away from the freeway. Again a good neighbour, recently refurbished and great value for your money. Nice pools also. A lot of dumps have popped up along this strip. Go to the DL boards and inquire and read posts. In Disneyland you get exactly what you pay for. If you want to save money on food you will need to leave the park to eat. It is incredibly expensive to eat at the park. The exact same thing to eat is cheaper at WDW than DL. The best place we found to eat was Mimi's. Huge portions, great prices and good food and a big menu. Good East Indian restaurant at the Ramada. Cheap pizza across from CCI. There is a 7-11 on the corner from CCI you can fill up with daily drinks and snacks. Try and find out good places to eat ahead of time. Their are really nice places to eat within the park. If you are trying to save money, always eat lunch in the park and supper offsite because lunch is always cheaper. Blue Bayou sits on the water of the POC ride which is nice but pricey! It really depends on how much you want to spend. If you really want to do it up nice definitely stay on site if you can! We got most of our info from mousesavers.com. You can subscribe to her newsletter and get deals eg: mousesavers members get a discount at Hojo's. Get a good guide book. We have always used Fodors Disney with kids and loved it! The DL boards are the best place to start!

 

[almacdonald]

I've been to both DL and WDW. If you have only 1 week for vacation go to DL! It has most of the major attractions that WDW has (minus Waterparks, Cirque du Soleil and a few others but you won't have time to do all that in 1 week anyway!) Airfare will be WAY cheaper to go to California than Florida and you have a few choices of airports. LAX may be a bit cheaper but is further away from DL. Or you could fly into Orange County (SNA) and it's only about 20 minutes to the parks! In Florida it is more common to stay at a Disney hotel to be close to the action, but even the Disney hotels can be a 30 minute bus ride away from the parks. In California there are 3 Disney hotels but dozens of nearby hotels/motels that area all within walking distance (5 minutes.) They're nothing fancy but there's a bed to sleep on and that's all i really need when I'm going to DISNEY!!! If you do decide to go to DL, get a 5 day park hopper pass (You can probably even take advantage of a everyone pays kids price deal.) Also, look into taking a Coach USA tour bus to SeaWorld (or rent a car but there's really no need if you stay at a hotel within walking distance of the parks.) I promise you and your daughter will not be disappointed in Disneyland. It is smaller in area than WDW yet full of magic. You can fit alot more into a day at DL than at WDW becuase everything is much clsoer together. Oh and they're running the Electrical Parade in California for that week, that is reason in and of itself to go to Disneyland!!!

As far as booking, it's really simple to do yourself. Airfare can be booked through the airline itself or through a website like expedia or travelocity (had great experience with both!) You can even book airport shuttles and other activities like Seaworld tours on these sites. Park tickets can be ordered online for a discounted price as well. I've found that most travel agents don't know much more than the average first timer about Disney vacations and I've never seen a travel agent come up with a better price than what i could do myself online.

Good luck getting everything organized, you'll have a great time!

 

[drag n' fly]

I've been to both DL and WDW. If you have only 1 week for vacation go to DL! It has most of the major attractions that WDW has (minus Waterparks, Cirque du Soleil and a few others but you won't have time to do all that in 1 week anyway!) Airfare will be WAY cheaper to go to California than Florida and you have a few choices of airports. LAX may be a bit cheaper but is further away from DL. Or you could fly into Orange County (SNA) and it's only about 20 minutes to the parks! In Florida it is more common to stay at a Disney hotel to be close to the action, but even the Disney hotels can be a 30 minute bus ride away from the parks. In California there are 3 Disney hotels but dozens of nearby hotels/motels that area all within walking distance (5 minutes.) They're nothing fancy but there's a bed to sleep on and that's all i really need when I'm going to DISNEY!!! If you do decide to go to DL, get a 5 day park hopper pass (You can probably even take advantage of a everyone pays kids price deal.) Also, look into taking a Coach USA tour bus to SeaWorld (or rent a car but there's really no need if you stay at a hotel within walking distance of the parks.) I promise you and your daughter will not be disappointed in Disneyland. It is smaller in area than WDW yet full of magic. You can fit alot more into a day at DL than at WDW becuase everything is much clsoer together. Oh and they're running the Electrical Parade in California for that week, that is reason in and of itself to go to Disneyland!!!

As far as booking, it's really simple to do yourself. Airfare can be booked through the airline itself or through a website like expedia or travelocity (had great experience with both!) You can even book airport shuttles and other activities like Seaworld tours on these sites. Park tickets can be ordered online for a discounted price as well. I've found that most travel agents don't know much more than the average first timer about Disney vacations and I've never seen a travel agent come up with a better price than what i could do myself online.

Good luck getting everything organized, you'll have a great time!

Excellent Advice!

 

[pxlbarrel]

Ooooh, and if you have a chance, you might find a way to San Diego to see the zoo and the wonderful panda bears. Your little girl might have a kick out of seeing those beauties!!!