Planning a trip fpr 6 HELP!!!!

[mommieto4]

Hi~

I'm starting to begin preperations for our trip next year (prolly around 4/02) and I'd like some pointers for first time Disney goers...well, I went once when I was 15, but dh and children have never been.

Tips I'm looking for are:

Cost cutting
Hotel recomendations
Where to get park hopper passes from (and best rates)
Where are the best places to go with children

We are a family of 6 and my children will be ages 8, 5, 4, and 1 next year when we take this trip.

btw..we will be travelling in our own vehicle and staying for 5 days

p.s. I read somewhere that the Swan and Dolhin offer $99 rates for teachers (I'm one), is this true, and if so, what kind of ammenities do they offer? We're looking for a suite type of room and possibly continental breakfast included. Thanks for any input

Darlene

 

[tink2dw]

HI, we stayed at the Holiday Inn Family Suites,it is 1 mile from the Epcot Rd. gates to WDW on state road 536,it was the BEST place we stayed in Fl. when we went to WDW!! [I wished we had stayed there The whole time instead of moving to All Stars which was a real let down.]

The FREE Breakfast is wonderful!! Especially if you sit out on the enclosed porch!!

The KID SUITE we stayed in could have slept 7 with no crowding!! the Master bedroom had a Door, a king bed,25"tv,comupter port,telephone,and ceiling fan[plus AC]
Kid suite had 2 bunkbeds and a trundle bed[we had a crib in the livingroom]plus 25"tv,nintendo 64[games are $5.00 per 24hrs.]a CD player, and a bed time story phone,and a table and chairs,
The livingroom had a sofa bed[i think it's a queen]and a 25"tv,a large safe you program.
The kitchen has a micowave and refigerator and sink and lots of cupboard space.
the Bathroom is very large w/3 storage shelves,a hairdryer, sink and a shower/bathtub.

Check out their 2 great pools and they have a FREE Shuttle to WDW

Ask for a WDW themed room!!!

Here are two links
http://www.hifamilysuites.com/index.html?

http://www.basshotels.com/holiday-inn?_

WE LOVED THE HOTEL AND WILL RETURN THERE AGAIN

 

[jstmee]

Now you have me worried. I have reservations for the All Stars Sports 2 rooms, for the six of us. 2 adults, two 13 year olds a 9 year old and 8 year old. Eight nights.

We also have back up reservations at the Holiday Inn Family Suites, Kid Suite, but I decided against that because we wanted the early entry days and resort magic plan. I'm hoping what they don't see, they won't miss. Help.... We will be on the go constantly, love water parks, etc. used to live near Paramount Carowinds in SC and would go dawn to dusk..

What was the downfall of the All Star resort?

 

[tink2dw]

All Stars is no more than a Motel 6 type room without a coffeepot. 2 beds,a table,2 chairs,1 tv,5 drawers [i think] a clothes rod,1suitcase stand, a sink, the door hardly clears the toilet,a tub/shower w/ empty soap/shampoo container[in 10 days they couldn't get it filled??took 2 days to get a bar of soap!!] short shower curtain[length].Sopping Wet carpet[just shampooed,and they wouldn't switch us to another room??Told us to keep AC on at 40 degrees,after 3 days it started to stink,so they came and sprayed it?] Oh,and they don't change your sheets while you stay there!! found that out by accident!!

And my personal worst[at Jazz]was faces on the bathroom wall paper,one particular one was a real wierd,one eye open staring at everything you did in the bathroom,very yecky!!

If EE is important go the code site and get a deal at a moderate!!!

 

[TShippPugh]

We have a quite large family (7 of us going) and I found that renting a home is much cheaper than renting a hotel room (which several thousand people have stayed in over the years!).

I found a 4 bedroom, 2 bath with it's own pool in Davenport (10 min to WDW) for $99 per night. The house was just finished in April, so very few people have stayed there.

It's worth a look-see, especially if DH is worried about costs and you are giving up a nicer hotel to cut costs!

They have anywhere from 2, 3, 4 and 5 bedrooms for rent. Check out:

www.fvhr.net
www.vrbo.com

 

[katefromny]

We are going to WDW in May 2002, and we have rented a 2 bedroom villa at Disney's Boardwalk Villas, and a 2 bedroom at the Wilderness Lodge Villas (8 nights total--we are splitting our stay between two resorts). We rented our villa from a Disney Vacation Club member--and saved a SUBSTANTIAL amount of money. We were going to stay at Port Orleans Riverside, but we would have required 3 rooms--at $149+tax per room that adds up fast. We are renting our DVC rooms for about half of what it would cost us to go through Disney, plus we have the additional amenities of a full kitchen, living room, two bathrooms, washer/dryer and location, location, location!! If this is an option you think you might be interested in, I recommend you check out the DVC rent/trade board on this site, and the DVC forum on this site. They contain a wealth of information on the subject of renting.

 

[katefromny]

if renting from a DVC member, you'd also be eligible for EE and E-night. The only disadvantage that I am aware of is that maid service only occurs once every 4 days when you rent points from a Disney Vacation Club member. I think you can pay for additional service, but I prefer to have the room to myself without anybody cleaning up after me.

 

[Mic]

jstmee,
While I agree that the All Star's are nothing fancy, they are still on-site and offer the perks that go with that(magic plans, EE, transportation, etc.) My husband did not care for the ASMusic at all when we were there in 01/00, and liked it even less when we stayed there for 1 night before moving into a 2-bedroom at Old Key West this past March. We,too, need 2 rooms because we have 4 kids, but I think 2 rooms would be a good idea for a family of 4 if the kids are used to having their own bathroom at home, as the bathrooms and rooms are small at the AS. My best friend is going to WDW for the first time in Sept. with her 3 kids and mother, and they are staying at the ASMusic in 2 rooms for $49 a night for each room, which is a good deal in my opinion. I offered her what was left of my DVC points, but her kids really wanted to stay at the AS because of the big icons. The AS also have a pretty good food court, which I am sure my friend will use for dinner a few times, as this is a budget trip for her. If all you need is a room with no frills but a little theming, then AS foots the bill. My kids are 6-12, and thought the AS were fine. Don't worry!

BTW, I live in NC, a little more than an hour from Carowinds, and we have had season passes there for 6 years. We go all day, too, and I take my older daycare children on field trips there, as I just did Tuesday...1 woman, 8 kids, 10 hours...we had a blast! We are doing it again in 2 weeks! (We have to go see Atlantis next week!) I wish I could afford Disney tickets for all of them, but it was almost $2000 for the 6 AP's I bought for my family, so Carowinds tickets are the best I can do for them! Several of their families have plans to go to WDW in the next 2 years, and I did not hesitate to suggest the AS to them! Have fun!

 

[tink2dw]

But if you are LOOKING for MAGIC at your RESORT,it won't be at AS!!!!!
But as always do what you wish!

 

[Uncle Mikey]

The Swan and Dolphin teacher rate is up to $129 for 2002.