October trip - tell my how to book....

[DISNEYFANRI]

Woohoo - after 10hr break (why......?) I am finally going back to WDW in October - girls trip with my daughter for Feed and Wine Fest! Going for 4 nights - should I book direct from Disney? Travel Agent? AAA?
Where to stay ? - have only stayed at Allstars many years ago.

I welcome all of your thoughts and recommendations.

 

[goofyintoronto]

Woohoo - after 10hr break (why......?) I am finally going back to WDW in October - girls trip with my daughter for Feed and Wine Fest! Going for 4 nights - should I book direct from Disney? Travel Agent? AAA?
Where to stay ? - have only stayed at Allstars many years ago.

I welcome all of your thoughts and recommendations.

Food & Wine is my fave! So many yummy options. If you're going mainly for F&W, then perhaps try Swan/Dolphin resort? You'd be able to walk to epcot. Not sure about transport from the airport though. You might have to arrange for mears. im sure someone with more info can chime in. Me, im literally only at the resort to sleep/shower/swim. So i normally stay at the value resorts. Two of my faves are Pop & Sports. Both are great!

I'd book directly from Disney, but thats just me.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

If you are going primarily for Food & Wine (or "Feed & Wine" as you so aptly put it!) and you can swing a deluxe resort, I would see if there is availability at Beach Club, Yacht Club or Boardwalk. They are all beautiful resorts within walking distance of the IG entrance of EP. They sell out pretty quickly during F&W, though, so I would book ASAP if interested. Swan and Dolphin are also within walking distance and usually price out less than BC, YC and BWI, however, you will not get Magical Express, Magic Bands or 180+10 ADR's with Swan/Dolphin (you do get 60 day FP+ reservations, however). You also cannot charge back to the resort. We love Swan/Dolphin when we can get a bargain there, but you do have to factor in transportation to and from the airport. To get the best rates at Swan/Dolphin, go directly to the Swan/Dolphin website and join SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest), their free loyalty rewards program. I personally would not book through AAA. They no longer have a relationship with WDW so there really isn't any advantage. If you want to go through a TA, make sure they are with a Disney Earmarked Agency as their TA's will have the most expertise in WDW travel. I would also check out the October discount thread on the DIS to see what others are doing about discounts. Personally, I would book directly through Disney or with a TA only if they can offer you a better discount.

 

[DISNEYFANRI]

"Good speller - bad typist" that's me! Also laughing because it should read 10 year break - not hr - hahahha.

Thank you for the input! The planning is such fun!

 

[DisneyAnytime]

If you like to plan and enjoy the research, book direct with Disney. If you don't have the time, inclination, or energy to research all that has changed in the last 10 years -- use a TA (but again, make sure they are a Disney certified agent so they are more in the know).

Also, my absolute DREAM trip is Food & Wine, just me and the hubs, staying at Beach Club or Yacht Club within stumbling, er, walking distance of EPCOT. So if it is in the budget, those deluxe would be awesome. If a deluxe is a little pricey for you, any of the EPCOT area mods or a value would still be grand! The newest value, Art of Animation, is somewhat higher priced than the other values (sometimes as much as a mod!). My personal favorite is Caribbean Beach, but I hesitate to recommend it at this time as the resort is undergoing major construction from May 2017 - June of 2018. It is an EPCOT area resort though.

Happy Planning!

 

[Babsy]

Woohoo - after 10hr break (why......?) I am finally going back to WDW in October - girls trip with my daughter for Feed and Wine Fest! Going for 4 nights - should I book direct from Disney? Travel Agent? AAA?
Where to stay ? - have only stayed at Allstars many years ago.

I welcome all of your thoughts and recommendations.

where to stay really depends upon budget, however staying in an Epcot area resort is great when you are going for F&W.

If value, I would recommend POP. It is just a walk across the bridge from AoA which is cool to walk around for photo ops and has a good food court.

If moderate, I would recommend either POR or POFQ due to construction at CSR and CBR. POR is nice for the extra amenities and Royal Rooms. POFQ is small and only has one bus stop.

If deluxe, then AKL may be your least expensive WDW option, but you have to take the bus to Epcot. The Epcot resorts of the BC, YC or BWI would be ideal, but pricey. The Swan and Dolphin are often discounted to a much lower price than the other Epcot area resorts. If you qualify for the teacher/ military/nurse discounts and stay standard, you may get a really good rate, even after adding on the nearly $50 per day to account for the resort fee and either parking or shuttle to/from the airport.

Have fun!!

 

[MichaelWill&Megan'sMom]

Beach or yacht for food and wine. My husband and I went kid free for our 15th anniversary last November. Beach is our favorite with the kids, but we adored yacht for the two of us!