Newbie

[Bucksnducks]

Wow, I can't believe all the info. here. First of all, I know nothing about taking a family to disney. So, any help at all is appreciated. I am thinking of taking my wife and 2 daughters - ages 7 & 9 to Disney World in August. I have heard of buying points??? Not sure what that means or how to do that. OR should I just stay at the resort, or in a hotel close? I am very overwhelmed. Thanks. What a great website!

Jim

 

[dopeynme]

Hi and welcome! As you said, this board is a great source of info!!!! I have learned a lot here, although my husband does get tired of hearing, "I was reading on the Dis......"

The points you mentioned relate to Disney Vacation Club. If you go to the Dis Home page, there is a tab telling you all about it. "Renting points" is if you are not a DVC member but you pay a member to use their points (which is how they calculate the cost of the various resorts). I haven't done it, but it seems that many have and really enjoyed it. It is allowed!

As for whether to stay on property or off.....you will find people in both camps. I prefer to stay onsite because I find it more convenient, I can use Disney transportation and I am fully immersed in Disney's high quality of service and the magic of the experience. We have stayed at values, moderates and deluxe and found great service at each. Others like getting away from Disney and it is possible to find excellent bargains on vacation homes and hotel rooms. So my advice is to read a lot (the resorts forum is helpful) and decide based on your family's preferences. You might want to check out allearsnet.com. They have descriptions of each of the Disney resorts with photos. Whatever you decide, good luck planning and welcome to a new addiction!!!!!

 

[Krousfive]

Hello,
We also travel in August and the weather can be very hot and humid. We are from the west coast and it can be a bit overwhelming. We love to stay at Disney for the luxury of all the transportation is provded, it is easy to return to your resort during the heat of the day. We usually nap and/or swim. (even the 11 year olds took naps last summer - touring is hard work!) Magical Express pick up from the airpoirt is awesome too!

We have 3 kids and find that the dining plan is also a good deal. We wouldn't be able to do all the special meals with charatcters if we were paying out of pocket.

Last, we couldn't do Disney in August without a little miracle called "Body Glide." It is sold in sports stores and we put it on our feet, armpits and where our shorts might rub. Because of this amazing stuff, we have had no blisters or chaffing -which can ruin a day!

Good luck with the planning!

 

[wildbillk987]

I read the other posts and I totally agree. You really need to read and research the forums on this website and other sites because it will only help you with planning your trip and for a newbie and can be pretty overwhelming. I am a disney vacation club member and have also rented points from other members. You can access it from this website and there is also another website not affiliated with this site called *********** which has alot of buying and selling of points. As a vacation club member I will tell you that the hotels affiliated with the vacation club usually run from $200 on up depending on when and what size room you book if that gives you an idea on the quality of the room and the hotel and if you were to buy points you would pay a fraction of that cost to the vacation club member and they would help you book the room. I have stayed both inside and outside of Disney at a house we rented and we loved both ideas but staying in the park to my family was always easier having someone else drive and the early and late magical hours at the parks. Also with so many deals going on I would probably suggest a travel agent who might be able to find you some great deals that you may not even know about and might make planning a little easier. If you were interested in buying points one of the easiest ways I have found was on *********** and research the screename "Daddio" and he has a great process. The points are usually a couple dollars more than others but his system seemed pretty easy and he has his own website. I am not affiliated with him at all but was just trying to help you out if you went that route. The most important thing at Disney World is to remember not to get stressed out because it is alot to take in and you can see it all so enjoy the moment because it is the place on Earth!

 

[homedad]

I also recommend you get a book called the Unofficial guide to Disney, good real info. Depending on budget I also say stay onsite....pick a resort close to where you want to be. Cannot go wrong with the the WL, great theme, deluxe resort so it has a few more amenities and its least expensive of deluxes(as is AKL)....good luck and read, read, read

 

[nikkers]

We just got back from our first family vacation at WDW. I learned so much from everyone on the boards. Everyone was so helpful. I couldn't believe all of the information about planning a Disney vacation. I was very overwhelmed at first, but slowly the information came together. Thanks to all of the information, I felt very prepared on our vacation. Here is a post to my thread with some of the tips we found useful for our first vacation. Good luck planning your vacation!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2077259