Please help me planning our first trip to WDW?

[torimcdisney]

Hi. My 16YO DD, 9YO DS, DH and I are planning our first trip to WDW for this september. We are on a really tight budget though so we will most likely be staying at the Movies Value Resort. I clicked on the Free Dining promo and the final quote (we upgraded to Deluxe, since it seemed convenient) was $2003 from Sep.13-18 and that seemed affordable buuuut...
My DD does not want to share a bed with her brother and she says she wont be able to sleep because her dad snores. It's true and it is pretty bad. We won't fit into that room, I'm afraid. Oh, also, we live in Mexico for the moment due to my DH's job and we don't want to do a long distance call unless it's absolutely necessary.
I have a few questions and I would love it if someone would help me out!

1.Can we get two rooms for that same price or something near it with that same Deluxe package?

2.I'm aware that there are only two double beds per room but I was wondering if they had sleeper sofas or rollaway beds in the hotel that we could use? (perhaps if DD had the bed she would be willing to sleep with "Mr.Snory")

3. We probably won't be spending a lot of time (probably only at bed times) at the hotel so I really don't want to spend more on a Moderate resort. There are no more suites for our trip dates (and we can't change them). Any ideas on how to spend no more than about 2000 while staying on Disney property?

4.Any other tips you may have for us? Experiences similar to ours so that we can have a clear idea of what to do?

Finally.. (sorry for making this long but I want to make this trip as memorable and budget friendly as possible)

5. Any tips on how to save time, what to see, what to skip, where to eat or any things like that for WDW newbies?

Thank you so much for any help you can provide, you have no idea of how thankful we will be towards all of you!

Have a happy day!

 

[I'mNoPrince]

Welcome to the DIS

You can always get 2 rooms but you will have to see about the cost.

There are also Cabins at Fort wilderness campground that are very nice All-Stars also have Family suites that give you a few more bed options., 2bdrm villas as well that you can look into .

Over on the DVC board sometimes memebers have reservations over there for rent but then that would not give you the free dining.


If things get real tight then you do like us even with just one and that's take a Blow-Up mattress ,DD just sleeps better on it then she does the pullouts we get with the studios

 

[TheDizMom]

1.Can we get two rooms for that same price or something near it with that same Deluxe package? I know you can get the 2 rooms, but you will have to pay the difference. You could go back on line and just start a new reservation and just see what comes up if you don't want to make the phone call. I think calling them may be your best option even though I know you are trying to avoid that.

2.I'm aware that there are only two double beds per room but I was wondering if they had sleeper sofas or rollaway beds in the hotel that we could use? (perhaps if DD had the bed she would be willing to sleep with "Mr.Snory") We have stayed at the All-Star Sports and there is no way you are going to fit another bed of any kind in those rooms, unfortunately. They are just too small. We are a family of 4 like you are, and we spend very little time in our room since we're in the parks all day, so we just made due with the smaller room since we were hardly in it. I have to say though on our last trip we stayed at the GF, since my IL's took the family on the trip and payed, and to be honest 4 people in that room was close quarters too, although there is a day bed there. They were much bigger, but it doesn't do anything for the sibling issues . As far as the snoring, that would be my DH too, and the only solution there is a good pair of ear plugs !!

3. We probably won't be spending a lot of time (probably only at bed times) at the hotel so I really don't want to spend more on a Moderate resort. There are no more suites for our trip dates (and we can't change them). Any ideas on how to spend no more than about 2000 while staying on Disney property? That's a tough one, unfortunately. The good thing is that you can pay for it a little at a time if you want to as long as it's paid up 45 days before your trip. If you do it this way it may enable you to get that extra room or upgrade to a moderate. I think having everything paid ahead of time helps a lot and then when you get there just be really frugal with your money. I really understand the Disney on a budget thing so I totally sympathize. I would try to avoid spending money on the things that don't come included with your DP, room and park tickets unless it's really something you want to do. I love things like the Hoop-Dee-Doo, but they cost extra and on a tight budget may not be the best way to spend your money when there are so many other things that are just as great and don't cost extra.

5. Any tips on how to save time, what to see, what to skip, where to eat or any things like that for WDW newbies? I would find a good book on all things Disney, like Frommers and Birnbaum's, and read up with your kids. Also the Travel Channel, if you can get it there, is currently showing pretty much every show on Disney they have ever done. Do a little research and then sit down as a family and decide what things are most important to you all to see and concentrate on those things. Figure out what things are Fast Pass attractions and make sure to take advantage of them. Get passes first for those things that are most popular like Everest, Kilamanjaro Safari, Test Track, Soarin, Space and Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror and Rockin Roller Coaster because sometimes they can run out of them if it's a busy day. I wouldn't miss any of these attractions or Kali River Rapids, BTM, Buzz Lightyear, The Lion King and Nemo shows, The Castle Show, afternoon parades and Mcikey's Philharmagic. I also don't think you can really go to MK and not do Small World, Dumbo and the Teacups because it just wouldn't be a true WDW experience if you don't (even if the Small World music is a bit annoying, it's still my favorite). Absolutely do not miss any of the night shows at MK, Epcot and HS. They are all phenominal and worth the long sit time it requires to find a good viewing spot. Restaurants are tougher for me to suggest since your kids are older and may not be as interested in the character meals, which mine are. We love Chef Mickey's, Crystal Palace, 1900 Park Fare, 50's Prime Time and the GF Cafe. Make sure to call for your Advanced Dinner Reservations (ADR's) beginning 90 days from the first day of your trip to have the best chance of getting your dinner reservations when you want them. I always plan what day we are going to what park so that I know to make ADR's at the restaurant we want to go to the same day we are in the park, if it is one that is located within one. It saves you time and if you want to spend the day at the park anyway it's just more convenient.

I hope you have a great trip. It really is so much fun and a great family experience.

 

[mjkacmom]

My biggest recommendation is to make your ADR's 90 days out, since you are going during free dining.

 

[sksjasams]

Actually you can fit a roll away bed in the room. We stayed at POP this past fall (same size rooms) and my DS10 slept in a roll away. I think it was $15/night. We moved the table and chairs to the other side of the tv and put the bed along the wall between the tv and window. It left a small path to walk thru, but DS has to have his own space to sleep and it was definitely worth it. You could always fold it in half in the morning. We just left it and managed fine. We were not in the room very often.

As far as snoring, you could get your DH some Breathe Right strips. They help my DH and would be worth a try.

Enjoy your trip!

Julie

 

[EthansMom]

For sharing beds, we often had DD sleep with me and DS sleep with Dad. Also, we take earplugs for sleeping in case of noise. If I were you, I'd tell DD she has to live with the way things are and use some earplugs if Dad snores.

We went with Free Dining last year and, honestly, the basic dining plan is a LOT of food. I don't think you'll need the Delux upgrade for food.

Definitely call right at 90 days (that would be June 15, phone 407-WDW-DINE, line opens at 7 a.m. EST) from your arrival to book your sit down restaurants. Here's a link to the info/menus for the dining plan: http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-dining-plan.htm

Check out the menus to see what sounds good to plan your trip. I've found that, with careful planning, you can have a great trip with just basic MYW park tickets instead of upgrading to park hopping. You'd need to have an idea of which park you'll be in on which days. Here's the link to the park (and parade/show) hours: http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/hours.htm

Our favorite parks are Magic Kingdom and Epcot. DD5's favorite ride is Soarin' (in Epcot) and DS7's favorite ride is Rockn' Rollercoaster (in Hollywood Studios). Our favorite meals are Chef Mickeys (character meal buffet in the Contemporary Resort, which is a brief monorail ride from Magic Kingdom) and Hoop De Doo (takes 2 TS credits; a funny dinner show that's very entertaining and has great food; you take a boat from just outside MK to get to it).

Our kids are younger, but our general method of touring is to get to the parks early (as near to open as possible), do as many rides/shows as possible (using Fastpasses as much as we can) and then leave the park in the early afternoon when it's hot and crowded. We usually head back to our resort for a rest/swim. Then we'll either head back to the park in the evening for a parade/show, head to Downtown Disney, or take in a dinner show (like Hoop De Doo).

I hope this helps!

 

[dsnymomof4]

I agree that you probably don't need the deluxe dining - the regular dining plan has PLENTY of food - especially if you plan your meals right. Look at the menus on allears and plan where you want to eat and definitely make your ADRs at 90 days! With the money you were spending on upgrading the dining plan, you could afford a second room at the All Stars (or any value resort). If you get 2 connecting rooms, that would solve the problem of not having to share a bed and DD not having to sleep in the same room as Snory (I mean Dad). When Sept park hours come out, take a look at the hours and EMH and have an idea of which parks you want to visit on which days. That will also help in deciding when to make your dining reservations. My final piece of advice would be - relax and enjoy your trip! Don't try to do everything - decide what you really want to do, and then be flexible. Things don't always go according to plan. In fact, in my family they rarely go according to plan-but we still manage to have a wonderful time each and every trip. Hopefully this will be the first of many more to come! Have fun!

 

[torimcdisney]

With the money you were spending on upgrading the dining plan, you could afford a second room at the All Stars (or any value resort). If you get 2 connecting rooms, that would solve the problem of not having to share a bed and DD not having to sleep in the same room as Snory (I mean Dad).

Thank you very much for all the help all of you have offered! Reading this we've decided to just stick to the Free Dining but I was wondering if you can get the connecting rooms online or do you have to call in order to get those? Thanks again for all of the great help, we're so excited!
Oh, and my kids (even though they ARE older, still want to do the character dining things...I guess they're still young at heart )

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Thank you very much for all the help all of you have offered! Reading this we've decided to just stick to the Free Dining but I was wondering if you can get the connecting rooms online or do you have to call in order to get those? Thanks again for all of the great help, we're so excited!
Oh, and my kids (even though they ARE older, still want to do the character dining things...I guess they're still young at heart )

You can not book connecting rooms on-line, you will have to call Disney direct.

 

[squirrel]

I agree, you should be fine with the regular DDP. If you plan well and do some sharing you should have very little or no oop expenses.