newbie here..lots of questions!

[Misty89]

HI
i have tons of question, but i will only ask a few today.and i plan to post quite often since i found this great forum!
my first question is not WDW related-- how would i get those cool counters like outhers have that say how long until the next disney trip?
we are planning afamily trip to WDW for dec 2004,( dec 27 through jan 2)how busy are the parks going to be? We were to MK in june last year ( never got to any other parks, hence the going back so soon) and i thought it very busy and way WAY too hot for us Wisconsinites LOL so we wanted to put a vacation together over the christmas break from school.....
I also want to stay on the property....when we were there in june, i found renting a car and drving into the parks a complete PIMA and i hope for much less stress by staying the the park and taking advatange of the disney transportation.
my last question for now is...... We will need to stay on a budget ( hence the planning 14 mths out LMAO) and i dont want to but the silver package from disney becasue we have NO intrest in the waters parks, so we dont need the ultimate park hopper and they are unable to subsitute a lesser ticket( 4 park)
so we are going to choose one of the value resorts, and get tickets seperatly etc.
but i am wondering about the food aspect....we for sure want to do all character dining everyday, so would it still be wiser to buy a package from them since we can get 2 meals per person included? thanks i hope this all made sence......i confuse myself over this too

glad to have found this forum !!!!!!!!



Tina

 

[riggins]

Hi Misty- Welcome to the DIS!!

The Christmas holidays are the busiest time of the year at WDW. According to the Unofficial Guide, it looks like there are about 70,000 visitors per day b/t Christmas and New Years compared to about 58,000 in the summer. The weather however, is much cooler. Personally, I wouldn't want to fight the crowds.

Staying on-site makes it a totally different, and MUCH better vacation. And, if you go during the holidays, the parks do hit peak occupancy and they only let on-site guests into the parks.

I'm not sure if you've found it yet, but http://www.mousesavers.com is a great web-page to figure out how to save some money. From the main page, select Walt Disney World on the left side and you will be on your way. Typically, you will find that you are better off booking a room and tickets separately. However, if there is a really great package offer, sometimes those are better. Mousesavers includes info on all the current package offerings and is a great place to investigate your options.

HTH!
-Leslie

 

[Misty89]

thank you!!!!!!
i got some very great tips on that site!

 

[DisneyBill]

Misty,
Have you ordered a vacation planning kit from Disney? These videos/DVDs will give you a peek at most of the on-site resorts, and provide enough information to eliminate some of the pitfalls. Staying on site can not be beat! On the topic of park passes, I'd forego buying the Unlimited Park Hopper Pass, & purchase as many day Park Hopper Pass that you can afford and save the unused days for future trips. (because they are cheaper by the day the more days you buy) You didn't mention any children's ages that may be with you, but if you buy when they are <9, you can do so at child's price and still use the unused days at a discount when they are no longer considered children. Also, check this site for Hopper tickets:

http://reservations.paramountinternationaltravel.com/DisneyOrderTickets.asp also, I've used www.ticketmania.com many times and intend to in the future.

 

[Pembo]

Go HERE for your Countdown! Read through the directions. It's really not that difficult at all and it sure is fun.