Not sure where to start

[SweetPeasMom2]

This will be my 3rd time attempting a DW vacation. The other times never really got far. I'm not sure where to start.

We will either be going May 29-June 6 or so. Or Oct 11-17 or so. It's me and dh and our kids, ds 6 and dd 4 (or she will be by Oct).

If we go in May, it'll be dh and ds' b-day (May 30 - they share a b-day).

The $1600 deal doesn't apply to either of these dates.

I've priced out a few resorts. Pricing is w/in a few $100 of each other.

I guess trying to decide to stay on site or off and if we stay on site, other than the money, is staying at a value better or staying at one of the moderate resorts better.

Any direction and opinions welcomed.

 

[stepnut]

You'll find answers across the board. I think the best advice to you would be to decide what your family preferences are, how you all function as a group on vacations, and what you want to spend your money on.

On site has the WDW transportation, no parking costs, Extra Magic Hours for the parks, the Disney Dining Plan option, and a real Disney "feel". It also has long lines for the transportation system, thin hotel walls with lots of noise, cramped rooms with no fridge, and is more expensive.

Off site there's more room in a condo for a whole lot less money, a lot quieter, more flexibility if you rent a car, the ability to have your coffee in your jammies, a washer and dryer for laundry, and the option of cooking a meal to save the cost of a restaurant. But it also has no Extra Magic Hours, having to purchase groceries once you arrive, not a Disney "feel", and you most likely need to rent a car and pay for parking at the parks.

Off site in a hotel, you'll save money over an on-site place, but you may still have to get a car, or pay for a shuttle to the parks, and you may or may not be able to do any meal prep in your room (outside of coffee and a bagel.) And it's still a hotel, so you don't know what you'll get for neighbors. You are close to restaurants and will most likely have room service.

So, think about what you want, and what your family needs. We wanted lots of room, I needed the ability to cook some meals for my food allergic son, and I want my coffee within 5 milliseconds of me getting up. I didn't want to hoof it to a food court or Starbucks to find my coffee. And I hate those little hotel packs you get with the fake powder creamer and not enough sugar.

 

[Aliceacc]

Hi Wendy and welcome.

I started this thread the other day; it may help you get a direction:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1715551

It looks at though you'll be taking your son out of school either way, so that doesn't enter into your decision (or does it? End of year/ start of year-- which would be easier?) That said, I'm guessing the crowds would probably be lighter in October.

 

[SweetPeasMom2]

Thanks for the feedback. I will go look at that thread.

Actually, if we go in May, it'll be after school lets out. We get out the 23rd of May. But we start the first week of August.

Stepnut - I know what you are saying. That is where I'm torn. Last time we went on vacation to the beach, I wanted a condo for 2 reasons. One for the kitchen and 2 that the kids needed a room that we could close the door for privacy, etc. I think we cooked breakfast there and at sandwiches. All of our dinners were ate out. So we could easily do that in a hotel room. If we stayed on site, we'd do the dining plan. So it would be easy to have Poptarts for breakfast. DH is the big coffee drinker and he's good with the hotel stuff.

 

[dzneelvr]

Try not to overthink the situation. If all the room choices are within your price range, pick one, make the reservations and then jump on your airline websites to search for flights to match up. You can easily adjust your confirmed resort ressie if you need to this far in advance. I'm a huge proponent of staying onsite for the unique experience and to enjoy our resort's pool area instead of going to a waterpark. We picked the ASMo simply because it was affordable and we wanted to be able to go annually if possible and we have been. Now I can't get my family to leave the ASMo and try something new ASMo has family suites, so check it out since you do use a kitchen. Also by staying onsite, we get a limo through Happy Limo to/from the airport but don't have to do any driving during the vacation. Upon check in, you can add park hoppers to your room key, so no advance planning needed there. do dining ASAP if you're going May/June. There won't be much chance of walk-ins during that busy time. Let's see: room, flight, dining, transport, park tickets--you're done

 

[TJA]

I guess trying to decide to stay on site or off and if we stay on site, other than the money, is staying at a value better or staying at one of the moderate resorts better.

I think staying onsite is very advantageous when you have young children because you can easily hop back to your resort for an afternoon rest/swim and then back to the parks for dinner and night-time shows. Disney will supply free transportation to the parks via bus, boat, or monorail. And you'd also be able to utilize early and late hours at the parks if you stay onsite.

As far as which is better, a value or moderate resort, that really depends on your own personal family. We are a family that enjoys spending time at our resort, so it's important to us to stay at a resort that we really love. However, on the flip side of that, many people are only at their resort to sleep so it makes total sense for them to stay at a value resort.

 

[MiniGirl]

My biggest con with the values and the moderates are the double beds. If I go with just my girls, they are fine. They share a bed and I get a bed to myself. If dh joins us, I want a bigger bed, and that means a deluxe or DVC resort which can be a little pricey. I don't even know if that is a concern for you, but I wanted to throw it out there as many people are surprised that the beds (even at the mods) are doubles.