remember me? the quickie lady? I want to pick your brain

[itsdisneytime]

Alright....some of you may remember me ... Im "the quickie" post where my husband has promised all of a sudden to send me and my daughter to the world next month.

I am trying to plan something now for the end of May. I for many reason have 1000 questions and really want one of you to take me under your wing and direct me so that I use my 5 days wisely. Anyone have time to adopt this whack job and get me straight?

Here is what im most worried about ... it looks like im right, his idea of sending me is gonna be handing me the cash and telling me to make it happen for me and my daughter. His idea of enough cash is $2400 .. HELLLP ... I dont know how to make this work!

I have come to grips on the fact that Im going to stay onsite and at one of the cheap resorts (or economy) whatever word is politically correct ... im super worried about not renting a car though, and while some of you say its okay to use DME or resort transportation, Im thinking it will be a challenge to navigate as Ive never done that before.

What about eating? How do you get a variety of places to eat with no car? Do you think I should rent a car for just the reason of being able to go in town and eat affordably someplace or are there nice places to eat that wont break the bank.

Which of the cheap resorts is the best ... please advise. I will keep these questions as being it for now. Thanks in advance for your help. I really need it,

oh i almost forgot .... is the end of may a horribly busy time?

 

[budbeerlady]

You can easily do this for $2400.

Stay at Pop, get the dining plan and us Disneys Magical Express. We usually do a family of 3 on this plan for around $1600-$1800 depending on the time of year and the deal.

Disney dining is great! You just park hop or eat at the park you plan to be in. You really do not need a car. I would get lost and find it easier to take Disney buses around.

Airfare will take a little shopping around but same deal, shop around.... Fly into MCO so you can use magical express to get to Disney.

 

[budbeerlady]

If you feel comfortable with it post the dates you are looking for and people here will help you with airfare quotes, package qoutes, etc.

 

[Chelley00]

im super worried about not renting a car though, and while some of you say its okay to use DME or resort transportation, Im thinking it will be a challenge to navigate as Ive never done that before.

What about eating? How do you get a variety of places to eat with no car?

We usually stay offsite, but when DD and I went alone in Nov, I rented a car because I'm a control freak and didn't want to be a slave to busses schedules or whatever.

Total waste of money because we LOVED the busses. They are very easy. You pick the park you are going to, find the sign and board that bus. At the park, find the sign for your resort, and board that bus. Super easy.

There are hundreds of restaurants in the parks and Downtown Disney, all of which are a short bus ride away from any resort. You can also go to other resorts from the parks using the busses (or monorail) and eat there.

 

[bjscheel]

We usually do a week for a family of 4 on $3000, including airfare and everything, so I'm sure you can do it for 2. My last trip was booked at only 5 weeks out due to finding some great airfare!

We have stayed at Pop and All Star Movies and liked them both. Magical Express and the bus service is wonderful. No need to rent a car at all! I would be so lost driving myself, and DH drives for a living- loves to let Disney take over.

Your resort will have a food court and there are plenty of quick service food places in each park. Driving off site will take up valuable park time I don't know how old your daughter is, but maybe it is possible to share a meal if she's a light eater. We do like the dining plan, including the quick service plan, though I don't know if it saves us any money. It's just convenient.

I like to book online and see how changes affect the price. Get the cheapest room option (non-preferred, no special view). Make sure you take off all the ticket options you don't want, as they will automatically pick park hoppers and tickets for your arrival and departure day...you may not have time to go to a park on those days, so knock it down to the number of days you will actually go to a park. If you have a partial day, Downtown Disney is a good option that doesn't require park admission.

May shouldn't be as busy as summer break, it ought to be a beautiful and wonderful time to go. Memorial Day weekend might add to crowds.

 

[poohfriend]

Do you have a Disney Visa...if your dd is under 10 she could get in free...

...check to see if you have the Quick Service Dining Pin associated with your name. Just call in and ask Disney. SOme reps are helpful with this.

last resort, try the summer resort room only at POP. add your tickets and dining to it. I think you can do this for right about $1650 for 6 nights at pop, 7 day base tickets and plus dining at the end of May. This leaves you $750 for extras and flights. Bring snacks and breakfast foods.

Renting a car is an unnecessary expense. Use the bus service and Magical Express.

 

[delmar411]

you can book Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, a deluxe studio from May 17th to May 22nd (just picking random days) with the quick service dining plan and 5day base tickets (hoppers would be $50 extra each) for $1962.10.

That's for 1 adult and 1 child under 10.

Or Port Orleans Riverside, with a water view, same dining and tickets as above for $1553.70

or All Star Music, preferred room, for $1253.41

I'd say $2400 is more than do-able.

And I say no rental car. It's a waste of money if you are eating on site and there aren't going to be any rates so cheap that you are going to actually save money by eating off site, yk?

 

[itsdisneytime]

If you feel comfortable with it post the dates you are looking for and people here will help you with airfare quotes, package qoutes, etc.

totally feel comfortable... i havent picked dates but off the top of my head i was thinking may 27th - june 1st ... but those dates are not set in stone if there is a better deal. I wanted the airfare from Norfolk VA to MCO to be cheap really really cheap ... so thats why i thought flying out on a thursday and in on a tuesday might be good.

thanks to all who voiced their opinion about the DME, you all have convinced me not to rent a car.

I am still really worried about dining. My daughter is not a light eater, in otherwords, we probably would not share a meal. Can someone intelligeable about the dining plans help me understand the difference between quick dining and adding a sit down meal or however it goes?

 

[Ericandjenng]

My answers are in blue

Alright....some of you may remember me ... Im "the quickie" post where my husband has promised all of a sudden to send me and my daughter to the world next month.

Congratulations!

I am trying to plan something now for the end of May. I for many reason have 1000 questions and really want one of you to take me under your wing and direct me so that I use my 5 days wisely. Anyone have time to adopt this whack job and get me straight?

May is a great time to go but realize any major holiday--including Memorial Day--is going to be very busy!

Here is what im most worried about ... it looks like im right, his idea of sending me is gonna be handing me the cash and telling me to make it happen for me and my daughter. His idea of enough cash is $2400 .. HELLLP ... I dont know how to make this work!

Currently there are several promotions going on for packages. Sometimes that's the best deal, sometimes not. Call the Disney Res # and have them give you options and what specials are available for the dates you want. Also if nothing else, AAA almost always has a discount on the hotels available (and no you don't have to book with them but you do have to be a member and show your card at check-in)

I have come to grips on the fact that Im going to stay onsite and at one of the cheap resorts (or economy) whatever word is politically correct ... im super worried about not renting a car though, and while some of you say its okay to use DME or resort transportation, Im thinking it will be a challenge to navigate as Ive never done that before.

Like others have said and you've realized, WDW is large and you will spend time driving in circles if you are not careful. The bus system is great! Also DME from MCO works like a charm--yellow tag your checked bags and pouf it will show up in your room several hours after you check-in.

What about eating? How do you get a variety of places to eat with no car? Do you think I should rent a car for just the reason of being able to go in town and eat affordably someplace or are there nice places to eat that wont break the bank.

If you want to know your costs going in, get a dining plan. Time-wise you may not be able to get ADRs for some TS restaurants this close to traveling, especially if you go Memorial Day weekend. So check out the QSDP.

Which of the cheap resorts is the best ... please advise. I will keep these questions as being it for now. Thanks in advance for your help. I really need it,

If you definitely are going value, buses are best from POP since it's by itself. The All-Stars share buses in most cases.

oh i almost forgot .... is the end of may a horribly busy time?

We are going the weekend before the one you're talking about and expect to have moderate or even light crowds except for HS--Star Wars Weekends start the same time. We went pre-kids in May the week leading to Memorial Day and we could see the crowds building all week as we got closer to that weekend (we left on Friday).

totally feel comfortable... i havent picked dates but off the top of my head i was thinking may 27th - june 1st ... but those dates are not set in stone if there is a better deal. I wanted the airfare from Norfolk VA to MCO to be cheap really really cheap ... so thats why i thought flying out on a thursday and in on a tuesday might be good.

thanks to all who voiced their opinion about the DME, you all have convinced me not to rent a car.

I am still really worried about dining. My daughter is not a light eater, in otherwords, we probably would not share a meal. Can someone intelligeable about the dining plans help me understand the difference between quick dining and adding a sit down meal or however it goes?

My best advice about flights, is just to start with the airline websites that you have available and play around with the dates. I don't know which Airport is the best for you to fly from but MCO is the code for Orlando International where the DME picks up and delivers you. Alot of those sites have an option for choosing to look at additional dates at the same time--ie, the day before/the day after, etc. Also realize that an airport a little further, may have better/cheaper flights--if you're in the Norfolk area, I am thinking Richmond possibly, but haven't driven it in a long time so I don't know if it's feasible. If Allegiant is at your airport, check where they are flying into. I know it has changed for our airport but I don't know if they changed all of their flights into Orlando. They were flying into Orlando-Sanford which is on the north side of Orlando and it's $$$ to get from there to WDW.

There are whole threads on the Dining plans and the restaurants. Also check out Allears website or the Disney site. They have tons of info on the dining plan and the restaurants along with their menus including prices. Quick explanation:

DDP: 1 QS, 1 TS, 1 snack per night, per person....(it may be 2 snacks, I can't remember)
QSDP: 2 QS, 2 snacks per person per night.

The dining plans HAVE to be part of a package unless you are staying on DVC points. I don't remember your DD's age, but if she is 9 or under, then she is a child (on child's prices) and must choose from the child's menu. Over 10, she is an adult and will select from the adult menus. If you want to do several character meals, you probably would be better off using the DDP. But remember those all take alot time away from seeing the rest of disney but they are a nice break to your day too. Also you will still have to pay the gratuity on your TS meals in addition to the original cost of the DDP. We have stopped getting the DDP since they changed it and stopped including the gratuities.

Also the PP's advice about bringing breakfast foods is a great one. We always take a box of cereal and just buy milk the night before. That way our DS can eat without waiting until we get to a park which can take 45 min to an hour between waiting on a bus, walking from the bus to the entrance, getting through the gates and then getting to a QS restaurant.

One last thing--I mentioned it up above--ADRs are an absolute must for the DDP--otherwise you are liable to waste money because alot of the TS restaurants will NOT have any walk-up availability.

Happy planning!

 

[RooRach0906]

We normally fly AirTran direct flight from RIC to MCO and it is normally the cheapest for us and only 2 and half hour flight. Im pretty sure it is the same for where you live in VA.

 

[SandrA9810]

Always check around for air tran codes. There's two parts two the codes, a 4 digit discount code and a long certificate number. You'll need both to get it. And if you do use a coupon, try to find four codes and book it one way (it's the same price as if you did it round trip), that way you can double your discount.

I was able to recently book 4 flights, saving 60$ total.

 

[itsdisneytime]

I was sooo excited when I looked today and found all this WONDERFUL information. To those of you who REALLY took the time and went the extra mile, I tell you I read every single word and I totally am amazed that you all went to such lengths to help me *as I really need it*

Im just always happy to get input and responses and I say thanks to each of you for even clicking "reply"

I wish you all good health and happiness!

 

[EKW]

Just a thought...do you have a Disney Travel specialist in your area? When we got to DLR I do everything myself. When we go to WDW I book a package...minus airfare...thru a local travel agent who is a Disney specialist. Why? She can get me the best package available at the time and, should a PIN come out later, she will do all the rebooking for me. The cost? Nothing! Not a cent out of my pocket!

Do not waste money on a car! We stay at Movies and alternate eating breakfast in our room and breakfast at the food court. My kids love the Mickey waffles. I take a small suitcase of food with us (we fly Southwest and never even need one bag each...so it doesn't cost anything for that small pilot's case!) and one thing I take is individual sized peanutbutters. I love just buying two slices of bread and some milk...add their butter and my peanut butter and have breakfast for myself for next to nothing! BTW...to eat in your room, take asceptic packs of milk or powdered milk. Don't think you need a fridge. I did a fridge swap last time and it was more of a pain that it was worth!

As far as restaurants, there is plenty of transportation around the parks. My kids loved taking the boat from MK to WCC. If you aren't the patient sort, you can always get a cab! Use Magic Express to and from the airport...when you are alone with your kids it is SO nice to not have to hassle with suitcases, too!

 

[SalandJeff]

1st suggestion - go over to the DVC rent/trade board and see if you can find someone renting points for your dates. We are staying in a studio at AKL for about $100 per night (and done on very short notice). That way you'll have the ability to keep breakfast, drinks, and snacks in the room - we find this saves a lot. You can get groceries delivered from Garden Grocer for a small fee (there's another grocer also, but I forget the name)

If Jetblue or Southwest fly in your area, check out their fares. While Airtran fares are sometimes low, you have to remember to factor in the cost of luggage and seat assignments (if that is important to you). Southwest - bags are free and Jetblue allows one checked bag each for free. Usually cheapest to fly on Tues, Weds, Thurs.

I would not rent a car. You can use magical express from the airport and Disney transportation to get to the parks and DTD. There are such a variety of restaurants at the parks and DTD, and you can choose a variety of price ranges.

It is definitely doable on your budget. Have a great time.

 

[MomtoGKC]

OK - just for fun I put in some dates. I still don't know if your DD is under 10 ir considered a Disney adult, so I did it as 2 adults to be sure. I also used the Richmond airport someone else mentioned because ti was way cheaper and had non-stop flights. Personally, we don't like the dining plan, but I put it in here just so you could see a total number (minus spending money you want to bring!) Here's what I got for May 19-24th at POR. It only has base tickets, not hoppers, so you could still add on for that if you wanted them.



Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside

2 Adults

Arriving May 19, 2010

5 nights

Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside
Includes

Magic Your Way Package Plus Dining

6-Day Magic Your Way Base Ticket

Round-trip Flight

Subtotal: $2,243.00

 

[SalandJeff]

1st suggestion - go over to the DVC rent/trade board and see if you can find someone renting points for your dates. We are staying in a studio at AKL for about $100 per night (and done on very short notice). That way you'll have the ability to keep breakfast, drinks, and snacks in the room - we find this saves a lot. You can get groceries delivered from Garden Grocer for a small fee (there's another grocer also, but I forget the name)

If Jetblue or Southwest fly in your area, check out their fares. While Airtran fares are sometimes low, you have to remember to factor in the cost of checked luggage and seat assignments (if that is important to you). Southwest - bags are free and Jetblue allows one checked bag each for free. Usually cheapest to fly on Tues, Weds, Thurs.

I would not rent a car. You can use magical express from the airport and Disney transportation to get to the parks and DTD. There are such a variety of restaurants at the parks and DTD, and you can choose a variety of price ranges.

It is definitely doable on your budget. Have a great time.

 

[v.t.]

totally feel comfortable... i havent picked dates but off the top of my head i was thinking may 27th - june 1st ... but those dates are not set in stone if there is a better deal. I wanted the airfare from Norfolk VA to MCO to be cheap really really cheap ... so thats why i thought flying out on a thursday and in on a tuesday might be good.

I am still really worried about dining. My daughter is not a light eater, in otherwords, we probably would not share a meal. Can someone intelligeable about the dining plans help me understand the difference between quick dining and adding a sit down meal or however it goes?

That is exactly when we are thinking of going! The boys will miss the last day of school, oh well, it is party day and we can have a much better party at DW! I did receive the free QS dining pin. (Register on-line, play with some dates and then if given the survey respond that prices are too high, you might get one too.) With QS you get 2 CS (fast food meals) a day, 2 snacks and a refillable mug. IMHO that is plenty of food. If you study the menus on allears.net you will be fine. We often shared meals, took our own breakfast foods and snacked a lot. In some places a snack is practically a meal. With it being so late, I doubt you would be able to get ressies, so I would avoid the TS meals.

We had a car last year and never used it, we had no problems with the buses and the ME was great for those who flew.

I am a little worried about the Memorial Day crowds, but I think it will be better than the summer crowds. Has anyone gone during Memorial Day? How bad were the crowds compared to the second week of June?

 

[Shmily1]

Congratulations on your trip! You will have a blast!!

We live 4 hrs from WDW so we always drive but as soon as we get to the resort, we park the car and never move it until time to go home. One day, we will end up with a dead battery doing that I guess! Don't worry about not having a car. You will be fine. We've never felt like we needed a car since everything we needed is right inside the WDW area.

Dining plan is a lot of food! Even with a teenage boy, it's a lot. We ended up with snacks left over at the end of the week and had to use them on cookies to carry home! You can also do the buffets on the dining plan, which we did, and if your DD is a breakfast lover, there are some great breakfast buffets to get her all filled up for the day. They are character meals too so they're fun as well. You could even do Crystal Palace before MK opens.

I've not stayed in any value resort that wasn't awesome! The only one we haven't stayed at was Sports. Our favorite is AS Music since our kids are teens but AS Movies is a close second for us, but would be our recommendation for a family with little kids. Then again, we now have DGS8months and are thinking of staying there on our trip in May as opposed to Music.

One hint, I would not waste time or money on a park hopper ticket unless you absolutely have to park hop. It takes precious time to get from one park to the other and to us, it's not worth the costs unless we are staying at BC or another EPCOT area resort so we can run in and out of EPCOT whenever we want.

Any other questions, just ask away!!

 

[Leeanne]

I just wanted to say congrats on your quick trip! Everybody else has given great advice so I won't repeat it. However, we went last year the same time you are talking about and stayed at All Star Movie. It was fabulous! We has such a good time and enjoyed ourselves so much!! Go, have fun....let Disney worry about the driving! Also the dining plan saved us so much money. When we ate quick service (we were there for 10 days) we never ate just hamburgers. We had sandwiches, wraps, salads, ect. Epcot especially has great quick service with the World Showcase. So if you are looking at not doing the Disney Dining Plan (with the table service) but worried about just eating hamburgers and hot dogs, don't be! We did DDP but honestly the QSDP looks like it would be fine, we just prefer to sit down and relax at the end of the day. One thing we liked about the dining plan was that we could order pretty much whatever we wanted and didn't have to worry about prices. That made life so much simplier and easy and we didn't have to have large amounts of cash or credit card shock when the bill came it. Go, enjoy!!!! I am excited for you!

 

[3boymthr]

We went last year in May. Totally great time of year in WDW. It was very hot but not unbearable. If you are worried about crowds check out the crowd calendar on touringplans.com the official website for the UG. You are close enough in date now that it should be up for May. If not you can get a subscription for about $9. Since this will also gain you access to their touringplans it is totally worth it.

As to the car you definitely don't need it. We drove to WDW so we had a car there. We didn't really use it, it could have sat there unused for the whole week and we wouldn't have missed it. One of the keys to getting thru the week without a car is to book TS meals at restaurants that are at the resort you are staing or that are in the parks or just go with the QSDP.