Planning first WDW vacation

[KGH16]

Hi all,

My name is grace and im currently a Junior in college. I am planning my first trip to Disney (Trip #5 for me) for my boyfriend (He's never been!!) and myself in 2018. We plan on going the last week of January/First week of February because of lower costs and crowds (and our anniversary) for four nights and five days. I would like to get the regular Disney Dinning Plan (not the basic) and plan to buy breakfast foods once we arrive so that will knock off one meal used.

I have a few questions that I really cant find an answer to on my own.

I like the price of the Value Resorts but I have always stayed at the Poly. That being said, I cannot afford to stay at Poly for the entire trip but I love the Poly and its proximity and transportation to Epcot and the MK.

My idea is this: Hit Hollywood Studios the day we arrive (were flying and taking magical express) then do Animal Kingdom the day after. Because we would have to take the bus either way, we would stay at a Value Resort. Then, we would move to the Poly for our MK and Epcot days.

Best of both worlds right?

My concern though is the dining plan. I know we have to book to seperate packages in order to do this.

1. Would it be easier to use the dining plan for the parks we know we will be eating a lot in? (MK, Epcot) and pay out of pocket for the other parks? (Hollywood, Animal Kingdom)

2. Would I still save money by upgrading to the next dining plan if I were to go with the DDP for half of our trip? I want to save money! haha

Lastly, I heard that I could exchange snacks for quick service meals with the DDP? Is this true? I would rather buy a box of granola bars and have more quick service meals (Even if that only means one or two.)

Thank you so much!!

 

[Marionnette]

Hi all,

My name is grace and im currently a Junior in college. I am planning my first trip to Disney (Trip #5 for me) for my boyfriend (He's never been!!) and myself in 2018. We plan on going the last week of January/First week of February because of lower costs and crowds (and our anniversary) for four nights and five days. I would like to get the regular Disney Dinning Plan (not the basic) and plan to buy breakfast foods once we arrive so that will knock off one meal used.

I have a few questions that I really cant find an answer to on my own.

I like the price of the Value Resorts but I have always stayed at the Poly. That being said, I cannot afford to stay at Poly for the entire trip but I love the Poly and its proximity and transportation to Epcot and the MK.

My idea is this: Hit Hollywood Studios the day we arrive (were flying and taking magical express) then do Animal Kingdom the day after. Because we would have to take the bus either way, we would stay at a Value Resort. Then, we would move to the Poly for our MK and Epcot days.

Best of both worlds right?

My concern though is the dining plan. I know we have to book to seperate packages in order to do this.

1. Would it be easier to use the dining plan for the parks we know we will be eating a lot in? (MK, Epcot) and pay out of pocket for the other parks? (Hollywood, Animal Kingdom)

2. Would I still save money by upgrading to the next dining plan if I were to go with the DDP for half of our trip? I want to save money! haha

Lastly, I heard that I could exchange snacks for quick service meals with the DDP? Is this true? I would rather buy a box of granola bars and have more quick service meals (Even if that only means one or two.)

Thank you so much!!

1. Would it be easier to use the dining plan for the parks we know we will be eating a lot in? (MK, Epcot) and pay out of pocket for the other parks? (Hollywood, Animal Kingdom)

The dining plans are just as easy to use at one park as they are at another park. The only factors to consider would be whether you will get a better value from your credits if they are used at MK/Epcot vs. HS/AK.​

2. Would I still save money by upgrading to the next dining plan if I were to go with the DDP for half of our trip? I want to save money! haha

IMO, you don't save money at all with the DDP. It's just a convenient way to pre-pay for your meals.​

Lastly, I heard that I could exchange snacks for quick service meals with the DDP? Is this true? I would rather buy a box of granola bars and have more quick service meals (Even if that only means one or two.)

No, You have it backwards. You can exchange QS credits for snack credits (at limited locations) but not the other way around.
​

FWIW, any planning for a trip that is more than 2 years away should probably not hinge on today's price structures and packages. Disney can, and does, make changes to package requirements, ticket matrices and dining plan inclusions. At this juncture, it's probably best to just start saving for that trip and worry about the details when you actually get closer to booking it.

 

[ceecee]

I would rethink changing hotels, IMO too much hassle. Pop Century is a nice value resort and early Feb should be a good time with less little ones there. Also the dining plan won't save $ unless you do a lot of the expensive meals. My daughter has been spoiled and is used to the Beach Club but we started at Values 16 years ago and she doesn't mind them at all especially when planning a "friends" trip. If you do get the dining plan use a snack credit for a muffin instead of a breakfast meal. With the savings of not staying at Poly you will probably break even and be able to do some great restaurants. You are at the right place to start planning....have fun!

 

[LJSquishy]

Skip the dining plan -- that will save you money and you'll be able to eat anything you want! It is not any more convenient to have the dining plan than it is to pay with a credit card/use your Magic Band. You'll get to eat whatever you want whenever you want without the dining plan dictating what you can and cannot have.

Your split-stay idea sounds great, but for such a short trip I would rather just stay put in one place since it takes quite a bit of time out of your day to transfer to a different resort. I would stay the entire time at a Value resort or bump up to a Moderate if it averages out to about the same (2 nights Value + 2 nights Poly) total cost. Also, while staying at The Poly would be nice, unless you plan to go back and forth between your room & MK for mid-day breaks, it's not any more convenient really. Since you already have a pretty short trip and are 2 adults, I don't think you'll want to take mid-day breaks and go back to your room for naps. We stayed at AKL which was about a 15min bus ride to MK and we felt like it only took a few minutes to get there...none of the resorts are "really far" to where the location of them is a downside so keep that in mind. 10-20 minutes on a bus goes by very fast.

 

[IndianaRRT]

I'm with the other posters in saying don't worry about the DDP. Paying OOP for your meals is actually cheaper unless you plan on eating at the most expensive places every single meal and cleaning your plates in the process. And I would just stay at POP for the whole trip. For a value, it's terrific. Do yourself a favor and get the preferred room. Then use the money you save for character meals, souvenirs, or something else special. There are so many fun activities for a WDW first-timer that don't include moving resorts. Hope you have a safe, fun, and memorable trip!

 

[a742246]

Try looking into renting points from a DVC member. If you go in January the OKW DVC studio rooms will average about $130 a night with no tax!

Its something to consider anyway!

 

[StitchBuddy]

I would suggest only staying at one hotel, possibly a moderate. We love all of them, but for a more romantic feel I would go with Port Orleans. As somone else mentioned, just skip the dining plan. It is more cost effective to pay out of pocket, especially during low season. Hope you have a magical trip!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Your trip is 2 1/2 years away. Lots could change between now & then. Never too early to start thinking about it, but you could be in an entirely different financial situation by then - or, Disney could drastically alter pricing. Etc. Who knows?

 

[LovesTimone]

Hi all,

My name is grace and im currently a Junior in college. I am planning my first trip to Disney (Trip #5 for me) for my boyfriend (He's never been!!) and myself in 2018. We plan on going the last week of January/First week of February because of lower costs and crowds (and our anniversary) for four nights and five days. I would like to get the regular Disney Dinning Plan (not the basic) and plan to buy breakfast foods once we arrive so that will knock off one meal used.

I have a few questions that I really cant find an answer to on my own.

I like the price of the Value Resorts but I have always stayed at the Poly. That being said, I cannot afford to stay at Poly for the entire trip but I love the Poly and its proximity and transportation to Epcot and the MK.

My idea is this: Hit Hollywood Studios the day we arrive (were flying and taking magical express) then do Animal Kingdom the day after. Because we would have to take the bus either way, we would stay at a Value Resort. Then, we would move to the Poly for our MK and Epcot days.

Best of both worlds right?

My concern though is the dining plan. I know we have to book to seperate packages in order to do this.

1. Would it be easier to use the dining plan for the parks we know we will be eating a lot in? (MK, Epcot) and pay out of pocket for the other parks? (Hollywood, Animal Kingdom)

2. Would I still save money by upgrading to the next dining plan if I were to go with the DDP for half of our trip? I want to save money! haha

Lastly, I heard that I could exchange snacks for quick service meals with the DDP? Is this true? I would rather buy a box of granola bars and have more quick service meals (Even if that only means one or two.)

Thank you so much!!

For a 4 night trip I would not waste precious time changing hotels, as you will have to check out of 1resort by 11 and can't check into the other resort till 3 or 4ish- Meet in the middle and why not just go with a moderate. PPFQ might be nice and there is a boat to Disney Springs ( DTD). Or a Value to really save money, how much time are you going to spend in the resort?


We for one like the dining plan, and if you plan it out right you can make it work for you. Regular DDP is 1 QS, 1 TS and 1 snack per person per day. So for 4 nights that's a total of for the both of you, 8 QS, 8 TS and 8 snacks. You have to look at arrival times, and departure times, and you can fiddle around with how you use each credit.

Make sure to take everything into considerations, what time are you landing, waiting on magical express, drive and drop off time, check in, luggage delivery. So if you land say around noon, it will be 3 ish before you get to one of the parks, check park hours to get the most out of the 1st day. So for the dinning plan you could do a early dinner at a QS, and have a snack later on, or vice versa.. this will give you a TS credit for later on during your trip, maybe a character breakfast at AK so you can get into the park early and don't forget to plan in your fast passes. It does take some planning but its worth it, and you can make the most of your budget.

You can exchange 1 QS for snacks, depending on what snack and where you are at.

I would plan on bringing some kind of breakfast items, granola/ breakfast bars, pop tarts, those small bowls of cereal, instant oatmeal ( you can purchase milk in the food court or gift shop), crackers, those small bags of chips. You could also think of using a grocery service for water, soda, and other items. Garden Grocer delivery's to WDW Resorts.

You also can use your snack items for, muffins, pastry, fruit, yogurt...

Happy Planning...

On a side note you could ask for Disney Gift cards for birthdays, holiday and such to help with the extras.

WDW will have changed things up by the time your trip rolls around. So start saving now.

 

[roadtripper]

If you really love the Poly, you might try to rent points from a DVC member for a studio. I agree that skipping the dining plan is a good idea. Book one special dinner, one character meal, and save money the other days by snacking, packing food etc.