Planning for a trip and need some advice

[PeeKooAaa]

Hi

We are planning a vacation in Orlando and of course we are going to visit WDW.

The trouble i'm having at the moment is...should we stay at
some of the Disney Resorts or not ?

We will visit other parks too, at least SeaWorld, maybe visit Kennedy SpaceCenter and maybe drive to St. Peterbourgh.

So is it wise to stay at the (more expensive) Disney Resorts or some cheaper hotels for example on International Drive ?

Since we are flying from Europe (Finland to specific) those darn flight make a mighty hole to our budget so all those cool Disney's deluxe resorts are out

Planning to take the trip on may '04, two adults and 5 yrs old kid.
Any suggestions ?

- Pete -

 

[Ashleigh]

You could always stay at a value resort for just one night to experience all of the Disney magic. Depending on what time of the year you go, you can get the value resorts for a good price. I'm sure the 5 year old would like the wake up call in the morning. Hope this helps out some.
Ashleigh

 

[chirsty'smom]

Everything will depend on when you are going

SeaWorld comes recommended especially if you are looking for a few "thrill " rides that WDW doesn't have.

If there's a shuttle launch at Space Kennedy while you are visiting then that's a MUST!

As far as the resorts - look into the price of one of the All Star Resorts- the free parking, bus service and Extra Hour at the parks are a few perks worth staying on property. Plus the wake up call is perfect for the little one! Make sure to have everyone somewhat awake before the call so everyone can enjoy the reaction.
Check out www.mousesavers.com she lists all codes/specials for your hotels.

Have fun planning!

 

[Kapp]

staying at a Disney resort. The resorts are nice and make it so easy to get to the parks. We have stayed at the ASM, AKL and the Dolphin and enjoyed all with the AKL and Dolphin being ahead of ASM. Keep looking for discounts and special rates (especially for the Dolphin). You won't regret a Disney Resort!!!

The shows at SeaWorld are fun but as a family, we were not too impressed with the rest of the part. To each his own but we will skip SeaWorld next time. I would go to the Space Center instead for sure.

 

[Gomez Gang]

I would also recommend staying at a Disney resort.
You can find great deals depending on the length of stay, time of year, etc. You can also take advantage of the free transportation system, free parking (if you have a car), early morning entry into the parks, wake-up calls and most importantly the Disney service. We have stayed at the Coronado Springs before becoming DVC members and I was very impressed with the ambiance and service provided (we only paid $89/night--I looked for a special package)

 

[mathboy]

I would not suggest staying on I Drive simply because of the distance to WDW. I suggest staying at a Disney resort, but if that is out of your price range, there are plenty of reasonably priced accommodations much closer to WDW than I Drive.

 

[HaleyB]

I would stay at the new value resort Pop Century. Wait, I am. We are going last week of May first and week of June. When I priced the vacation with passes and a nice (not grand) outside hotel I found that onsite at a value was no more (possibly less) expensive.
Is the Visa deal avaliable to you? In the US kids stay and get free passes with a Disney vacation package but I am not sure if you can take advantage of this or not. Another possible way to save onsite is with an Annual Pass. I know there are some great tickets avaliable outside the US, but the AP may still be worth it if there are AP rates at the hotels (only one of you needs it). Check out Mousavers.com for lots of good info.
My main advice would be to price everything. If you stay off site you will need a car (I think, even if there are 'free shuttles'), so it may be that a onsite stay is a better deal. If there are no deals onsite and you have to stay off keep checking back. You can reserve an offsite room now so you are safe, and just cancel it if a better deal shows up for staying onsite. I think the annual pass rates are rather last minute and there may be new specialls out in January (as that is when the Visa deal expires).