Newbie trip (of any kind) planner, any advice would be wonderful

[MelGirl]

So I posted basically same thing in the welcome board, but I started to realize that maybe that wasn't the best/most effective place to ask for advice, so I thought I would post it here as well/instead. Apologies mods if double posting like that is frowned upon here, do whatever you have to do


So my best friend Bry and I (both in our early-ish twenties) are planning a Disney World trip for sometime during Fall 2018 most likely. She's never been before, and I've been twice but never stayed on site and would love to have the full Disney experience. What makes this even more interesting and special is that this will be the first time that ether of us has ever traveled without a parent/guardian of some kind, or planned/booked a trip completely by ourselves. I know it might seem lame that we're already in our twenties and still haven't traveled sans parents, but hey, there's a first time for everything right?

Basically, whatever first time Disney trip planning advice and tips you can give us would be greatly helpful

The proposed trip date is still a long ways off so we don't have anything set in stone yet, but our current plans/ideas are as follows:

-We are planning for 10 days ish, which from my past experience should be about the perfect trip length to do everything but still be relaxing.

-5 or 6 of the days would be park days, one day would be spent at Universal because we are both big Harry Potter fans (she's a Ravenclaw and I'm a Hufflepuff and proud of it just by the way XD), and the rest of the days would be off/rest days spent in the pool, wandering the resort, shopping at Disney Springs, spa day/treatments (something we'd really love to do) at the GF or what not.

-Still Unsure on parkhoppers, but my family had them on one of the two trips I've been on, and as I recall I enjoyed the flexibility, so we'll see.

-We like the idea of using a dining plan. We don't necessarily care if it does or doesn't save money (will crunch the numbers anyway), we just like the all-inclusiveness and having everything pre-paid. As somebody who has done the whole paying out of pocket thing, I like the idea of not having to worry about budgeting for that at all- It just seems easier.

-We haven't decided upon resort, but we know its more likely that we'll stay in a budget resort. I've been doing a lot of research and from what I've found Art Of Animation (woohoo little Mermaid themed standard rooms XD) and the Pop Century are the best of the budgets. My dream stay however, If I had it my way, would be the Polynesian Not sure if that will happen, but a girl can dream right? Yes I've heard of people doing split stays to get the best of both worlds, but personally I would rather just call one room home for the whole trip instead of having to move around.

At the moment we are intending to save up about $5000 each to cover everything. Does this seem realistic to you guys with experience? What do you think is a reasonable budget for two adults coming from Canada, for a ten day stay? Tips, tricks, things to be aware of for first time trip planning and first time travelling alone? Anything we should consider adding, changing, or removing from our current plans?

Thank you all in advance for any help or advice you can give us!

 

[bababear_50]

Hi Melgirl
Welcome to the the Canadian DIS forum,
If there was a time that I could choose to visit Disney World it would be the Fall time.(I am currently a school staff so Fall/Halloween is not happening for me ).

The weather there is still great,the Fall/Halloween decorations are wonderful. Try trick-Or Treating in Magic Kingdom. Try Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party.(Tip: enter Park at 4pm using special events ticket).

I have not tried the spa at The Grand Floridian but the Senses Spa at Saratoga Springs resort and Spa is wonderful.
Have a look here
http://www.easywdw.com/easy/blog/se...-at-disneys-saratoga-springs-resort-a-review/

Do you airmile? Just a suggestion as you can use airmiles to get Disney World and Universal Studios Park tickets.

Do you like starbucks?
You can use your starbucks app or card in the 4 parks and there are two starbucks in Disney Springs.
My family knows this is a great gift card to buy me.

I would suggest 2 days at Universal but maybe that's because I'm a big Harry Potter fan.

Take time to enjoy the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot.


Keep an eye on flights.

Have a great time planning your special trip!
Hugs Mel

 

[bababear_50]

An idea
Build a day plan

Day #1
Day#2
Day #3
Day #4
Day# 5
etc

Include on each day:
Must do food/snacks
Must do rides --choose 3
Must do attractions (check on attraction times).

Plan a break pool/Spa day day every 3-4 days

Pack extra shoes--wear only well worn in shoes--nothing new.
Pack moleskin/band-aids sunscreen/hats.

Take a picture of the back of your park tickets and keep it on your phone.
Pack a brief list of emergency numbers
Doctor/Parents/ any medications or health issues.

Maybe visit the Poly for a evening meal or late night snacks/drinks.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/polynesian-resort/dining/


Hugs Mel

 

[Sue M]

For a 10 day stay, with one day being at Universal, I'd do a 9 day hopper. You can still have some relaxing days,hang out at resort for pool time, shop in Disney Springs then go to a park at night.
We typically have 10-14 day trips. We have a relaxing touring plan going to the parks at rope drop and returning for mid day break. And sometimes have resort, sleep in days and go to a park at night. You'd want to make the most of your time there. And there's so much to see, I don't think only going to parks 5/10 days will be enough.

Since this is your first trip you're planning by yourself, I'd get a Disney Specialized travel agent to help you book and plan. You can tell on the website if you see Mickey Ears and says Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. They will also ensure you get a room discount if there are any released for your travel dates.

Research & planning are your best friend. Aside from this excellent site, I like allears.net, mousesavers.com, and touringplans.com which is a paid site but only $12 for a year subscription. Well worth it for the ton of info they provide, and their touring plans work. They also have a crowd calendar so you can see which is the best park to go to on any given day. I use this for every trip to map out our plans.

I stopped using the DDP, and instead I get a Gift card when I arrive and put the amount of what The cost of DDP would be and just use that for dining. It's sort of like being on the DDP. Just put aside in a saving or envelop monthly for it like you would for DDP. I always have $ left over on gift card so you can use anything left to buy suvies.

 

[momof2gr8kids]

I think 5000 each is plenty for a great trip. I agree with the other person that suggested more park days. It doesn't cost much more per day and it's a more relaxing pace. Not sure when you are going in the fall, but the past few years in the fall free dining has been announced. Check the promos for this year to see if the date ranges that are included are dates you might be going. It changes each year, and the number of rooms and resorts are less each year but it can give you an idea of what deals may be out there in 2018 for you.

As for Dining plan, personally I don't think it's worth it if you have to pay for it and not having it gives you more flexibility in where you eat. Being a couple of young girls you may enjoy having a few drinks and food in a lounge instead of a restaurant. Or at the pool bar. Or you may be there during food and wine and prefer to snack around Epcot instead.But everyone's different and you have to crunch the numbers and figure out what's best for you. As PP said you can put what you'd spend for DP on a gift card and use that. You can apply the gift card to your account at the resort and still use your Magic Band to pay for everything for that all inclusive feel.

 

[MelGirl]

Hi Melgirl
Welcome to the the Canadian DIS forum,
If there was a time that I could choose to visit Disney World it would be the Fall time.(I am currently a school staff so Fall/Halloween is not happening for me ).

The weather there is still great,the Fall/Halloween decorations are wonderful. Try trick-Or Treating in Magic Kingdom. Try Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party.(Tip: enter Park at 4pm using special events ticket).



I have not tried the spa at The Grand Floridian but the Senses Spa at Saratoga Springs resort and Spa is wonderful.
Have a look here
http://www.easywdw.com/easy/blog/se...-at-disneys-saratoga-springs-resort-a-review/

Do you airmile? Just a suggestion as you can use airmiles to get Disney World and Universal Studios Park tickets.

Do you like starbucks?
You can use your starbucks app or card in the 4 parks and there are two starbucks in Disney Springs.
My family knows this is a great gift card to buy me.

I would suggest 2 days at Universal but maybe that's because I'm a big Harry Potter fan.

Take time to enjoy the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot.


Keep an eye on flights.

Have a great time planning your special trip!
Hugs Mel

Yup, we definitely want to go at the least crowded time of year, and are already doing the research on that. Thanks for the tip about the Seratoga Springs spa, will keep that in mind and check out all the options

 

[MelGirl]

An idea
Build a day plan

Day #1
Day#2
Day #3
Day #4
Day# 5
etc

Include on each day:
Must do food/snacks
Must do rides --choose 3
Must do attractions (check on attraction times).

Plan a break pool/Spa day day every 3-4 days

Pack extra shoes--wear only well worn in shoes--nothing new.
Pack moleskin/band-aids sunscreen/hats.

Take a picture of the back of your park tickets and keep it on your phone.
Pack a brief list of emergency numbers
Doctor/Parents/ any medications or health issues.

Maybe visit the Poly for a evening meal or late night snacks/drinks.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/polynesian-resort/dining/


Hugs Mel

I'm all for having a loose time line and a few things planned out there and there, but I know its no good to over-plan ether- its a vacation after all, we want it be relaxing Will definitely keep important documents/papers all in one place, and backups are a good idea. Thanks

 

[MelGirl]

For a 10 day stay, with one day being at Universal, I'd do a 9 day hopper. You can still have some relaxing days,hang out at resort for pool time, shop in Disney Springs then go to a park at night.
We typically have 10-14 day trips. We have a relaxing touring plan going to the parks at rope drop and returning for mid day break. And sometimes have resort, sleep in days and go to a park at night. You'd want to make the most of your time there. And there's so much to see, I don't think only going to parks 5/10 days will be enough.

Since this is your first trip you're planning by yourself, I'd get a Disney Specialized travel agent to help you book and plan. You can tell on the website if you see Mickey Ears and says Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. They will also ensure you get a room discount if there are any released for your travel dates.

Research & planning are your best friend. Aside from this excellent site, I like allears.net, mousesavers.com, and touringplans.com which is a paid site but only $12 for a year subscription. Well worth it for the ton of info they provide, and their touring plans work. They also have a crowd calendar so you can see which is the best park to go to on any given day. I use this for every trip to map out our plans.

I stopped using the DDP, and instead I get a Gift card when I arrive and put the amount of what The cost of DDP would be and just use that for dining. It's sort of like being on the DDP. Just put aside in a saving or envelop monthly for it like you would for DDP. I always have $ left over on gift card so you can use anything left to buy suvies.

You're right that more park days would probably be more fun, because now that I think about it, it gives us more flexibility but won't cost that much more. We can always sleep in some days or come back early on others as we feel like it. Just as long as we have rest time and don't exhaust ourselves (I remember how tiring it can be lol), I'm good with it

A travel agent sounds like a good idea too, I know my dad has used them from time to time for other trips, and even used on for our last Disney trip just this last December, with pretty good results. He always tells me that often times travel agents can get/find deals that you can't get elsewhere, so its worth at least inquiring.

This Disney gift card thing sounds brilliant, thanks for the tip! What a great alternative to using a dining plan that may actually be even better... Still pre-paid, still linked to your magicband, but no restrictions (Heck you could even put extra money on and use it for buying souvenirs and such too!) or hassle. I like it So how does one go about getting a Disney gift card?

 

[MelGirl]

I think 5000 each is plenty for a great trip. I agree with the other person that suggested more park days. It doesn't cost much more per day and it's a more relaxing pace. Not sure when you are going in the fall, but the past few years in the fall free dining has been announced. Check the promos for this year to see if the date ranges that are included are dates you might be going. It changes each year, and the number of rooms and resorts are less each year but it can give you an idea of what deals may be out there in 2018 for you.

As for Dining plan, personally I don't think it's worth it if you have to pay for it and not having it gives you more flexibility in where you eat. Being a couple of young girls you may enjoy having a few drinks and food in a lounge instead of a restaurant. Or at the pool bar. Or you may be there during food and wine and prefer to snack around Epcot instead.But everyone's different and you have to crunch the numbers and figure out what's best for you. As PP said you can put what you'd spend for DP on a gift card and use that. You can apply the gift card to your account at the resort and still use your Magic Band to pay for everything for that all inclusive feel.

Thanks for the re-assurance on our budget I've been doing some more research and loose number crunching and it's looking like it should be just fine.

As far as the dining plan goes, I'm really loving Sue M's Disney gift card thing, it seems like the best way to go

 

[Sue M]

You're right that more park days would probably be more fun, because now that I think about it, it gives us more flexibility but won't cost that much more. We can always sleep in some days or come back early on others as we feel like it. Just as long as we have rest time and don't exhaust ourselves (I remember how tiring it can be lol), I'm good with it

A travel agent sounds like a good idea too, I know my dad has used them from time to time for other trips, and even used on for our last Disney trip just this last December, with pretty good results. He always tells me that often times travel agents can get/find deals that you can't get elsewhere, so its worth at least inquiring.

This Disney gift card thing sounds brilliant, thanks for the tip! What a great alternative to using a dining plan that may actually be even better... Still pre-paid, still linked to your magicband, but no restrictions (Heck you could even put extra money on and use it for buying souvenirs and such too!) or hassle. I like it So how does one go about getting a Disney gift card?

I don't live in the US, so can't get gift cards here, although I just heard a rumour the Canadian Disney stores now have cards you can use in the parks now.
But what I've always done is keep my disney food/Suvie budget in my savings acct, and before we leave I transfer the amount to my Visa, then first thing when I arrive at WDW is go to resort gift ship and buy gift card using my Visa I pre loaded with my vacation funds. I use 2 gift cards, one for food only and one for suvies. This helps you stick to the budget!

Did I mention the book, WDW The Unofficial Guide? Great planning book.