New to this....

[whitala]

I'm not really sure what I'm doing here, it's all greek to me- this 'posting' and stuff... hope it works. I am going to Disneyworld this summer....
we are trying to decide if we want to go the last few days of June, and through the second week of July, OR if we should wait and go the first two weeks of August. Which time slots between the two would be less crowds?? (the lesser of the two evils, because no doubt it is going to be extrememly crowded at any time during the '50 yr.' celebration).

Also, what are some 'tricks' to saving $ in whatever way possible....
on previous trips to WDW, we would carry in sandwiches with us to eat so as to not have to spend much on food while at the parks.... can you still do that? or do they check your bags/fanny packs and such- at the gate when you come into the park, to make sure there is no food being carried in??

I noticed that almost all the posts I read - talked about staying at numerous different Disney hotels/resorts........ aren't there any people out there that stay OFF property in hotels closeby?? I am feelign very 'uncool' righ now aobut how we are going to have to go WHEN we go....

Suggestions??
Lana

 

[mjmcca]

There are tons of hotels off site and many people stay there. A lot of people on this board tend to prefer onsite lodging for a variety of reasons. Onsite can save money by cutting down and even eliminating the need for a rental car.

If you want to save money on food the new dining plan is a pretty good deal if you are staying onsite. It is $35 per day for adults and $10 for kids and you get one counter service and one sitdown meal including tax and tip per day with an additional snack.

Since 9/11 all bags are searched by hand but they do not take out food as far as I know.

 

[the kabuki]

As of this past Jan , small soft sided coolers were allowed in the parks. They won't allow any type of large rolling hard coolers. We were able to bring in drinks and small snacks/sandwiches.

As to when to attend, both times mentioned have historically highest attendance levels according to this link: http://allearsnet.com/pl/attend.htm

Could you go a little earlier in June, like the first 2 weeks or even better would be to wait until after Labor day, which has somewhat lower crowds.

If you really must choose between the two...ugh this is hard...but I'd say in August ONLY because you'd be avoiding July 4th holiday which I've heard is just incredibly crowded. Although neither is a very good choice if you want to avoid huge crowds. Plus the heat in August is beastly. Although I'm from Mich. so anything over 90 is bad to me.

As for moneysaving tips: read these boards (you may want to do this a often as 10 times a day ), check out www.allearsnet.com for any discounts. AAA members also get good discounts. Just research, and research some more.

Welcome to the DIS

 

[Tiffa]

Hi Whitala, we are going in the first two weeks of Aug. and we are staying off-site (renting a house) since we are driving down we dont worry about the rental car stuff but then you do have to pay to park everyday, Renting the house is new for use to I can't help with info on that yet! But it has all the comforts of home and we are staying for 11 days and it should be great for us with a pool, hottub, washer dryer & 4 bedrooms I cant wait to go - good luck!

 

[becka]

Welcome to the DIS!!!

I can't help you with the off-site stuff but there is another board here on the DIS that is devoted to hotels and restaurants off-site so you can get some great tips/reviews over there. I personally LOVE staying on-site because I like to feel immersed in the magic 24-7 and leave the real world behind but I realize that I am also paying more for that.

Since 9-11 they do check your bags but I have never seen food confiscated. We always take a few snacks in with us and nothing has ever been said. I wouldn't try to take in a huge picnic lunch but a few sandwiches and some fruit would probably be more than OK.

I have never been in the summer so I can't help with your choice of dates. I would imagine that the August weeks might be less crowded just because some schools are starting earlier every year and some start in mid-August around here so that might keep some families away at that time of the year.

Some great places to learn to save money are the Budget board here on the DIS and mousesavers.com. Lots of great tips there....

Have fun planning your trip!

 

[madge]

I'm not really sure what I'm doing here, it's all greek to me- this 'posting' and stuff... hope it works. I am going to Disneyworld this summer....
we are trying to decide if we want to go the last few days of June, and through the second week of July, OR if we should wait and go the first two weeks of August. Which time slots between the two would be less crowds?? (the lesser of the two evils, because no doubt it is going to be extrememly crowded at any time during the '50 yr.' celebration).

Also, what are some 'tricks' to saving $ in whatever way possible....
on previous trips to WDW, we would carry in sandwiches with us to eat so as to not have to spend much on food while at the parks.... can you still do that? or do they check your bags/fanny packs and such- at the gate when you come into the park, to make sure there is no food being carried in??

I noticed that almost all the posts I read - talked about staying at numerous different Disney hotels/resorts........ aren't there any people out there that stay OFF property in hotels closeby?? I am feelign very 'uncool' righ now aobut how we are going to have to go WHEN we go....

Suggestions??
Lana

I think I'd choose August over July....for a couple of reasons. You've got the July 4 holiday, every school in the country is out...that's prime vacation time, everywhere! In early August, there will be families in the south getting ready to go back to school (my kids are both back in school August 5).

As far as where you stay--some of our best trips have been offsite! We love staying in a condo, gives us so much more room to spread out. You'll get varying opinions about onsite/offsite. Maybe you could split your trip between the two? I'd check the Orlando Area section on this site for tips about staying offsite. One of the first places I look for discounts is www.mousesavers.com

Bags are checked, but I've never had food taken out

Happy planning!