Planning Our First Disney Trip !

[Momoftwo9598]

I finally talked my husband into taking a trip to Disney World. I have so many questions and I am finding this board very helpful. If anyone could give us any tips, suggestions, etc. I would greatly appreciate it. I am also reading the mousesaver website.

First I will tell you about my family. We live in Pennsylvania and will probably be flying out of Baltimore, Maryland. My husband and I have two children. Our daughter will be 14 by the time we take our trip and our son will be 11.

Where do I start with the questions...

First I haven't flown since I was a teenager and my children have never flown. My first question would be when I should book reservations for the flight. I am wondering when would be the best time to get the best price. I didn't mention earlier that we will be on a very tight budget.

I would like to go to DIsney the week of May 10th. I checked flight prices on travelocity today. If we fly out of Baltimore Maryland on Saturday May 9th and fly back home on Friday May 15 the price for round trip for the four of us is $860.00. Does that sound good or do you think I will be able to get it cheaper?

We haven't decided for sure on the dates but I was looking at the week of May 10th.. Does anyone know what Disney World is like in May? My son will be having his 11th birthday on May 13th and what better place to be on your birthday. I am looking for a date that Disney is less crowded because my husband nor my kids are very good at waiting in lines for hours. Also what is the weather like in May in Florida?

Next, we won't be staying at disney because my husband belongs to choice privileges and he has enough points that we can stay at a motel off site for free.

We don't plan to do any other parks in Florida besides Disney and we don't plan to do water parks.

Well if anyone could help me with any of my questions or have any suggestions or tips for me I would love to read them.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Missin'Disney]

Congrats!!

May is an awesome time to visit Disney....weather is warm but not unbearable, humidity is low and chance of a big hurricane is smaller than July/Aug./Sept.

Since you are celebrating a birthday you are entitled to receive a gift card in the amt. of a one-day ticket to use on Disney property. I'm sure you read about it on Disney's website, but if not, check it out.

the airfare sounds very reasonable. you can wait a week or two and hope it goes down slightly, but the change wouldn't be much cause it's already pretty low. There is a website called Sidestep.com that can track the fares and send you a daily summary of changes in fares via email. It's free and easy to sign up. I always use it when shopping flights.

I'd say to plan on visiting only one park per day (base ticket) as opposed to hoppers. That will save you $200 right there since you mentioned a tight budget.

Hang out here on the Dis and you will get answers to questions you didn't even know you had!!
Good luck planning your trip.
Planning is half the fun

 

[Darkside]

I think $860 to fly to Florida is a great deal. It would cost me about $300 per person to fly to Orlando for a 1 hour flight. Weather is going to be hot, but this is one of the most pleasent times of the year to visit Florida. Bring sun screen, I suggest the spray on type. Drink plenty of water, you will be walking most of the day, keep in mind that concessions at the park are not cheap. I know you are staying off site and this is your catch 22. Yes, your motel is free, but you will have to rent a car($$), gas($$), then you will have to pay parking each day at the parks($$), then if you will want to eat at some time? Value resorts are $82 per night, you will get free transportation, no parking fees, no gas for the car rental, extra magic hours at the parks, and free resort package service. If someone gets sick or hot or tired they can just go back to their room at the resort on the free transportation, if you are staying off property, this will pretty much ruin everyones day. Yes, it is cheaper to eat off property, but you will spend a lot off time navigating horrible Orlando traffic(you will waste about 3 hours for dinner off site, depending on where you eat). If you decide to eat dinner on site, you will need to make your reservations way in advance to get good seating times or dinner at all. The lines are not too bad when you use the fast pass system. I think just visiting the Disney parks is a wise move on your part, there is a lot to see and do at the four parks. Hope this helps.

 

[edamethyst]

I think the airfare is a great deal. I live in PA and fllying out of Pittsburgh for 5 of us we're paying over $1,300.00 and thats down from the $1,500.00 I originally got quoted!

 

[Metro West]

 

[ToddyLu]

I also have a Choice membership. No points . I have to agree with the other poster. Staying on site is very reasonable now with the 4/3 deal, someone said it was like getting the room 40% off for a week. WDW is huge and you get very overwhelmed and tired. The convinence of having a hotel a bus ride away is really worth it. I would also get a Park Hopper so you can do different resorts in one day--otherwise you are stuck at one park all day. I know Disney can be expensive, very expensive for some--but it is worth every penny to us. Most of the food is in really good portions so you may can get away with sharing meals--lots of people do. So with the 4/3 deal I would really consider staying on-site, once you do you will see how big the scale of Disney really is. It is still several miles to the resorts from the parks, even on site. Have a wonderful trip.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

Welcome to the DIS!

I hope your planning is going well. I'll send you some pixie dust to help out! I just wanted to say that you have a lot of different questions here which are all really important. I think, though, to get the best answers, it would be best to make multiple posts on different topics on appropriate boards. Most of your questions could be answered on the Theme Park Planning & Attractions Board. Just a helpful way to get more responses and the info that you need.​