ok we have just got back from dlp and want to go to wdw orlando....

[janejakelibbyemma]

now we prefer to stay in a hotel as its me, dh and 3 kids, aged when we travel 3,6, 5.
we are looking to go in 2007, when its fairly quiet, so i am thinking feb/march/may.

who is best to book with, friends swear by travel city direct, but i am wondering if its cheaper to book direct and get own flights/transfers, we don't want to hire a car, but it would be an option if the fly drives work out cheaper?

any tips thanks jane.

 

[Miffy2003]

Hi Jane and welcome to the UK boards

Do you want to stay onsite at Disney or are you happy to be offsite with shuttle bus options (as you say you don't want to hire a car)?

With 3 children in the room you are quite limited for options onsite at WDW as the majority of WDW rooms only sleep up to 4 people unfortunately. I know you can sleep Under 3s in a cot in rooms in addition to 4 others, but depending on how big your 3 year old is this may not be an option (also I guess if they are 3 they aren't under 3 if that makes sense)

Sometimes it is cheaper to book a package but often the cheapest option is to book separately. I would recommend having a good look around at what is on offer online before booking to get the best price

May I recommend A Brit's Guide to Orlando as a really great book to get your planning started. There is absolutely tons of great information in there for first timers as well as repeat guests

Feb & March can be busy at certain points due to US holidays so choose carefully - if you can avoid busy times then that's a bonus I do hear great things about May but have never been then myself.

Do join us with your planning, ask away with anything you want to know

 

[janejakelibbyemma]

thanks, i knew we would struggle onsite,. as we just about made it at dlp with emma being under 2, so of site with shuttle buses would be the option for us, we are now thinking of jan as we have been told its quieter, but then we were told that of dlp in march and it was heaving.

 

[Miffy2003]

January will be super quiet but the weather can be pretty cold (by Floridian standards that is)

May would be quite quiet.


By any chance were you at DLP over a weekend? They are always busy! I have found WDW easier to cope with in terms of crowds than I did at DLP.

I'm not too good with offsite hotels and shuttle buses, so hopefully someone else will jump in now

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Hi Jane

On site you could consider the fort wilderness cabins?

Off site there are plenty of condos/town houses to rent. We had a 2 bed condo at the Sheraton Vistana Village - it was great with plenty of space and a washer/dryer.(Always a bonus with kids) - but you would really need a car. This was booked through Virgin.

Have just booked at Windsor Hills for this year & getting a fly/drive. Never been here before but it is getting some good reports.

Ask if I can be of any further help.

 

[Cyrano]

Just jumping in as I'm hoping this will help our planning also.

Any indication of family suites at value resort? I seem to recall a discussion regarding all sports

 

[Soprano]

Just back. Was there Feb 27th-March 16th. Was lovely and warm all the time. That may not be normal as the weathermen were saying how warm and dry it was.

It was very quiet until the last few days when Spring Break was really taking off and the parks became VERY busy. Glad we did everything before they broke up.

 

[Ware Bears]

Hi Jane

Port Orleans is a moderate Disney hotel that will sleep a family of 5 in one room plus there are the new suites at All Star Music that Reid mentions. We're also a family of 5 and although I would love to stay onsite our budget just won't run to it. There are a lot more options for a family of 5 off-site than on. Best thing to do is just price all the options up, onsite versus offsite, package versus DIY.

Here is a link to the new suites. Unfortunately we are going at a very expensive time, I can't justify spending $259 a night as compared to under £45 ( but I wish I could! )

 

[Night-train]

Any indication of family suites at value resort? I seem to recall a discussion regarding all sports

All the info you need is here; http://allearsnet.com/acc/faq_asm.htm

 

[JohnnySharp2]

I think most hotels would be pretty cramped for you, have you considered renting a villa - not necessarily a more expensive option if you shop around.
Although a car is a must if you do this.

I would vote for May, for a good balance of nice weather and low(ish) crowds.

The weather can be chilly in the early months, especially in the mornings, February and March can be really nice but can also be wet and cold as we found last year.

 

[mushumadness]

we have used tcd 4 times and are booked with them this year and next

rwe are staying in a villa this time as theres 8 of us this time, its costing 1100 for the villa which is an executive one with pool heating

 

[Cyrano]

Thanks for the links guys