Questions, Questions, Questions!

[lmm24293]

Well I have my hotel choices narrowed down to 4 All-Star Movies, Pop Century, Coronado Springs, and Port Orleans Riverside! Can anyone give me their opinion as to which they liked the best and why?
We will be doing the dining plan but I am not sure if I should do the standard or deluxe plan at this point. We aren't really big eaters as far as having to have 3 meals a day but we do tend to snack throughout the day. I home school our daughter so it has become a bad habit with us
Also, we will be driving from Va. so I am wondering if I should get tickets for the whole 9 days as well won't arrive till probably around 4 or so the first day and will probably leave around 9 or so on the last day....or if I should only buy tickets for the actual full days we will be at Disney? I am also a little confused....if we go into a park that morning, go back to the hotel for the afternoon and return to the same park that evening is that permitted? Do you need a park hopper pass for that? Sorry to bombard everyone with these questions

 

[lovetoscrap]

You have questions that can be answered on our different forums. The best thing to do is divide them up and post your Resort Questions on our Resort board, the Dining Plan questions on the Restaurants board and the ticket questions on our Theme Parks Attractions and Strategies board.

 

[Aliceacc]

Hi, and welcome!

Well, as a family of 5 we've never stayed at any of the resorts you mention. But ASM and POP are both Values, and the remaining 2 are both Moderates, so the levels of amenities-- along with the pricing-- will be different. Friends stayed at Port Orleans Riverside a few years ago and RAVED about it, so that would probably be my top choice. (And besides, that's the theming that appeals to me most.)

As far as the meal plan goes, we find that the regular DDP is just about perfect for us. We tend to have breakfast in our room, using our snack credits. (OK,small disclaimer: we also place an order with Garden Grocer: 2 cases of water, park snacks, and breakfast stuff: fruit, cereal and milk, donuts, that type of stuff.) Since I'm the early riser, I take our cups and get coffee/tea/whatever for the kids as my husband showers, then get the kids up for breakfast.

We do counter service for lunch, then typically have an ADR for dinner. We always end the week with extra snack credits. My sister once did the deluxe DDP and said it was just too much food; I KNOW it would be for us.

WE go for 7 nights, and always get park tickets for 8 days. We fly in early, and out late, but I would make the same suggestion for you... get the 9 day ticket. At that point, it's a difference of like $10 per day to add on that extra day. And you're going to be itching to get to the parks. What we typically do on the first day is make a dinner ADR at Chef Mickeys (in the Contemporary-- you can walk to the Magic Kingdom from there, or take the monorail if you prefer.) Then we hit the Magic Kingdom. You can get a set of Fastpasses for after dinner.

That last day, if you're really going to leave at 9 am, you probably don't need park passes. (But I would get them anyway, on the off chance that you can't bring yourself to leave until noon )

As to parkhoppers, we get them. But you can leave and re-enter a single park per day without it being considered hopping.