Sept / Oct 2011

[Oz-kateer]

hey, why am I paying $150per night, per room? , when you guys are only paying $70

I never really got a full breakup, our total for the 2 rooms, 5 adults, eight nights was 3634 including the park tickets, I think we paid extra for a preferred room (whatever that is...and upgrade to regular dining plan)

Free dining, not so free, is it......I still think it is pretty good value, we paid that sort of money last year at the Gold Coast, and there was no food involved.

$150 per night, per room - but don't forget that's a whole package INCLUDING THE PARK TICKETS, plus the dining upgrade. Plus you got a preferred room but you can drop this if you want to and save a few hundred dollars - preferred room just means closer to the reception area. It's nothing to do with the actual quality of the room.

$3434 for 5 adults for 8 nights is only $90 per night each and since that's all inclusive (give or take a meal) of food, resort transport, airport transfers, hotels and park tickets - that's still great value no matter what angle you look at it from.

The $70 per night would be room only. Park tickets and food would be extra, plus there's an extra $15 per night per adult per room after the first two - so for example a room only with 4 adults would actually be $100/night, not $70. If you added on the food at full resort cost on top of the $70 room, plus park tickets, you're still ahead!

I've done a whole heap of maths on it - staying on site with different options, staying off site, buying food and replying on shuttles, renting cars etc, and for my family structure, and what we're looking for, staying on site during free dining is cheaper, for what you get.

By the way, for anyone worried that it's all "fast food" for the counter service, you can actually get a great selection of counter service meals that are not of the burgers and fried variety, especially at Epcot. Think of a food court where you can get Italian, Chinese, seafood, sandwiches, salads, fruit, sushi, sometimes even roasts etc - if you plan a bit, you can get some great meals.

 

[australiankaren]

Hi there

add My DH & I to the list of aussies doing WDW in sept 2011.

My DH & I are booked:
SYD -LAX 15 SEPT V australia [saved $2000 on getting early premium econ air in january]Free night in LA using FF points]LAX-Tampa 16 SEPT picking up car [$126 for 8 days on priceline -hertz, normal cost around $450], driving to WDW
[saved $1000 on return air flying into tampa than into orlando- first class]its only an hours drive from wdw from tampa, on freeway.Easy
16-24 SEPT BLT , 1 bedroom appartment[DVC members since last year]we just couldnt take staying at value resorts any more..i guess we are getting to old
SEPT 24 flying back to LA, Free night in LA using FF points
25-02 OCT Disney Wonder- mexican riveria from LA, balcony cabin
2 OCT Free day @ LAX hotel waiting for night flight in LAx using FF points
2 OCT LAX-Syd arriving home on 4 OCT.

SO FAR I HAVE SAVED NEARLY $4000 FINDING GREAT DEALSand isnt the dollar AWESOME

If you need any help re planning etc, dont hesitate to ask.....

We love our Mouse

 

[australiankaren]

Hi...me again

Most of you seem to be staying at POP...which is the best of the value resorts IMHO.

Just a few comments though:

• Think westfield food court on a thursday night before XMAS with disney theming..we enjoyed the theming but it is a huge resort, lots of kids, lots of noise. Ask for the 70's building if you need a bit more quiet, it isnt overlooking a pool, so the traffic is less as is the noise.
• Bus service is ok-good, its the only resort on the route so you dont have to share withother resorts.
• If you want a king bed, its very much a hit or miss, otherwise every room has 2 x doubles with room for fold up crib [just].
• they have a few laundry's on site, make sure you have $1 notes.
• lines for front desk are LONG and SLOW...expect to burn 30 min - 1 hr waiting.
• the food at the food court is deep fried, dont expect many healthy options.
• buy the refillable mugs, they are worth the $$$$, especially if you are going in summer as the amount of coke you drink is unbeliveable...i still am trying to get rid of my diet coke addiction
• these resorts are really you get what you pay for, clean, safe, big, family orientated
• for more peace and quiet, and nicer accom try port orleans riverside as a moderate, or wilderness lodge as a deluxe.

If you'd like a self contained appartment, try renting points from the vacation club or paying cash.

for first timers, we HAVE NOTHING TO COMPARE TO WDW, its huge, its loud and its expensive. Plan your days and then be flexible, you CANT SEE IT ALL...so pace yourselves.

enjoy the planning

K

 

[WAMUMOF4]

hey, why am I paying $150per night, per room? , when you guys are only paying $70

I never really got a full breakup, our total for the 2 rooms, 5 adults, eight nights was 3634 including the park tickets, I think we paid extra for a preferred room (whatever that is...and upgrade to regular dining plan)

Free dining, not so free, is it......I still think it is pretty good value, we paid that sort of money last year at the Gold Coast, and there was no food involved.

I booked through Hotels.com in standard rooms and they charged me in $AUS for some reason they were nearly $100 cheaper than DW i did ring them to ask why which they could not explain. We are also there in Value season.

We had already decided we didn't want the dining plan and purchased our tickets through the Youth individual enrollment class we are doing 2 classes which is the prerequisite for international visitors (we home-school but individual enrollment is open to everyone) so our tickets for the 2 programs and 6 day hopper pass with 6 visits to waterpark/Disney quest was $1345.62
So even if we do spend $1500 oop on food we still come out $1400 ahead of what the package through DW was going to cost us
For us there is no way our 9 and 11 year old will eat the amount of food on a dining plan and i was very stressed about having so many ADR's planned now we are only doing 4.

 

[austraveler]

The meals at Disney are huge. We were on the QS dining plan and discovered that we only needed three meals between 5. At the end of the week, we still had a heap of meals and snacks left.We bought vast amounts of Mickey rice irksome treats to take home for the boys' friends. I also did the comparison between our gold coast trip and our WDW trip and we spent $800 less for a holiday of the same duration (excluding the flights). We stayed at POFQ at a 30 percent discount. The resort and the food court were quiet and uncrowded despite our being there at Easter.

 

[battymum]

$150 per night, per room -
$3434 for 5 adults for 8 nights is only $90 per night each and since that's all inclusive (give or take a meal) of food, resort transport, airport transfers, hotels and park tickets - that's still great value no matter what angle you look at it from.
QUOTE]

I actually think its a pretty great deal, I am very happy, we upgraded to regular dining, and I am so looking forward to going to all those restaurants we never would have gone to if it werent for free dining. I have looked at menus and each meal will be $40 pp plus QS at $15 and a snack $5 (roughly) thats $300 on its own for our family!

I think it adds a whole extra dimension to our holiday!

Its especially good value now that our $ is at parity!

 

[AussieMumma]

I spent hours looking at different accommodation options last night and still haven't really made a decision.

Options are:
Offsite 3 bedroom villa with private pool, full kitchen and laundry, hiring a car, driving and parking then catching Disney transport.
Onsite 2 hotel rooms, paying extra for a mini fridge, being able to hop straight on a Disney bus so saving time and no need for a hire car so saving money, but then the rooms are nearly double the price to start with (just going by prices on the WDW website)

I think if I could get the free dining it would make my decision easy but that's not on offer at the moment and may not be again before we go, so I just have to go with what I've got.

I'm not worried about not "feeling the magic" by staying off site, I have been to Disneyland 3 times and stayed off site and know that it's still a magical experience just to be there.

I think I need to get exact prices for the car hire and parking and then also approx cost of meals and or groceries then go from there. If it works out similar price then I might just scream!

 

[battymum]

Look at it this way POP Century has 2800 rooms that each hold 4 people, thats a lot of people potentially waiting to catch those buses in the morning! You may also have to walk a few hundred metres to get to the bus stop.

With an off site townhouse, your car will be at your front door, I would hazard a guess that if an off-site guest and on-site guest left their front door at the same time, they would be at the park entrance pretty much the same time.

Another thing while you may have booked a connecting room, Disney doesnt actually guarantee that you will be in one. This doesnt matter so much for us as our kids are 16 & 14, but if your kids are younger.....

Dont get me wrong, I am looking forward to staying at Pop, but only for the free dining, I dont think we will be spending much time at the resort.

Hey, I'm a libran, have to weigh each side of the argument!

 

[Tara2004]

AussieMumma, I think Im in the same position as you. Its such a head spin.

I have 2 kids One is 4 years and the other is 7. (By the time we go to the usa)

POP sounds great. Probably not as worn down being the newer hotel.

Im stumped! so much to choose from. Im planning around 16 days away.

Just 2 nights in LA

Around 5 nights in disney ( POP hotel )

6 nights at a normal orlando hotel (going to Legoland, Universal studios, shopping & our business meeting.)

2 -3 day road trip to the beach. Not sure exactly where yet.

Our business meeting is on the 15th of November.

Can anyone recommend any hotels to saty at in Orlando? Near lego and universal.

What the cheapest and best deal for POP (Disney) in November.Im not sure when to book yet . Earily or late Novermber.

Any feeback helps.

I would never of guessed to have booked online and dodge the Aussie travel agents. Do you save alot booking that way?

Oh btw, We have NEVER been to the USA. Im have no idea what Im doing really, just being guided by you guys.

 

[DVCAustralia]

Originally posted by Tara2004
Around 5 nights in disney ( POP hotel )
6 nights at a normal orlando hotel (going to Legoland, Universal studios, shopping & our business meeting.)
2 -3 day road trip to the beach. Not sure exactly where yet.
Our business meeting is on the 15th of November.
Can anyone recommend any hotels to stay at in Orlando? Near lego and universal.

I would never of guessed to have booked online and dodge the Aussie travel agents. Do you save alot booking that way?

Disney (DVC) have Vero Beach Resort on the Atlantic Coast.
I would strongly recommend that you give WDW at least 7 days.
Legoland is about a half hour drive south of WDW and Universal is about 10 minutes north of WDW so you will not find somewhere close to both. Since Universal will take more of the days it would probably be better to base yourself somewhere near there and just do the longer drive to Legoland on the day you go. Virtually every off-site hotel at that time of year will be cheap, it really depends what room and facilities you are looking for and tripadvisor is always worth checking.
With the dollar as high as it is it would be very hard not to save alot of money avoiding Australian travel agents for accomodation, tickets etc.

I think the November park hours came out today, it is worth checking them to make sure your dates take advantage of the extra morning and evening hours you get for staying on-site.

 

[AussieMumma]

Thanks battymum, I never even thought about the amount of people waiting to catch the buses in the morning!!

Does anyone know what happens if you drive and park in the carpark, do you get a shuttle bus to the ticketing & transportation and go from there or can you get a shuttle straight to one of the parks? Are there carparks near each of the worlds etc?

Tara2004 Have you looked at the Nickleodeon Hotel in Orlando? It is really well priced and looks great fun for the kids. If you don't have pay tv they may not know all of the characters but it still looks great! We are probably going to stay there for part of our time in Orlando.


We are in Orlando for 15 nights so we are probably going to split the time between two places. Just to decide which two!!!

 

[Tara2004]

DVCAustralia, 7 days at Disney, Im going to be a walking zombie. I have heard the walls are paper thin at POP resort.

Have you looked at the Nickleodeon Hotel in Orlando?

Aussie Mumma, Im a 35 year old duck, After hitting Disney for 7 days straight and moving on to Universal studios, finishing the night with Nick' action. Im going to have to be suckin' down some serious bright red slurpies to pump me back up with energy..lol. Looks awesome for the kids though.

What Im looking for is a place with a free buffet brekky.

Is it better to go through a US agent or just book online?



Thanks for your replys.

 

[Travel Mum]

Wow, this thread has suddenly come to life again with all these new posters! Welcome to our "vacation club"

a) I stayed for 5 nights at POR with the 30% room only discount and paid for the QSDP. On the QSDP and assuming that we would have eaten as much food as was served, we probably saved 25% on food. The deal clincher was the refillable mug, which we used well at POR.

Princess, we have free regular dining so unfortunately don't get the refillable mug included however I am tempted to buy it extra. However, would it really only be useful if we were allocated a room nearish to the food court? I haven't booked a preferred room and, although I've got my fingers crossed our room is not way away, would the refillable mug be a waste if we had to walk ages to get to the food court? Were you close?

 

[Sugarglider]

Welcome to all the new posters and first time WDW Trippers
a couple of previous posters -like Princess in Oz - have suggested some really good ideas and do strongly recommend planning - although you obvi are planners otherwise you wouldn't be here!
Can I recommend having a look at wdwinfo which is connected to this forum, as well as Bob Sehlinger's Unofficial Guide to WDW. Bob's book has a matching website - www.touringplans.com - and he recommends a whole lot of other websites which are all excellent to help you. You 'll be able to compare all the resorts and he even has a section on off site hotels. And be willing to use the search function on these boards - you'll probably find the answers to almost every question.
All my trips I have planned myself and booked directly with WDW taking advantage of their special offers - I've never paid rack rate, so keep your eyes open! This trip I am using a UK based travel agent who has given me fantastic, speedy service but no more than I could have gotten myself through WDW.

 

[AussieMumma]

Tara2004 Aww come on your still a young chicken!!!!
If your looking for breakfast have a look at the Residence Inn or Staybridge Suites.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

DVCAustralia, 7 days at Disney, Im going to be a walking zombie. I have heard the walls are paper thin at POP resort.



Aussie Mumma, Im a 35 year old duck, After hitting Disney for 7 days straight and moving on to Universal studios, finishing the night with Nick' action. Im going to have to be suckin' down some serious bright red slurpies to pump me back up with energy..lol. Looks awesome for the kids though.

What Im looking for is a place with a free buffet brekky.

Is it better to go through a US agent or just book online?



Thanks for your replys.

Geez make a woman feel old i'm 36 so what does that make me?
We are staying at Nick resort for 2 nights before DW The quality suites at Buena vista is where we booked before we decided to stay at POP it has free breakfast seems to rate well on trip adviser and here is a link i got of the Dis board http://www.avistahotels.com/earlybird/ Also here is another thread on here that may help you has a discounted room rate http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2270021&page=12

Have a look at expedia.com.au to compare as well when booking hotels (non Disney) I ended up using them for most of our hotels the $ is great and it worked out cheaper for most of them than booking direct this year

 

[PrincessInOz]

Wow, this thread has suddenly come to life again with all these new posters! Welcome to our "vacation club"



Princess, we have free regular dining so unfortunately don't get the refillable mug included however I am tempted to buy it extra. However, would it really only be useful if we were allocated a room nearish to the food court? I haven't booked a preferred room and, although I've got my fingers crossed our room is not way away, would the refillable mug be a waste if we had to walk ages to get to the food court? Were you close?

You really have to do the sums on this one if you're buying it.

A cup of coffee/tea costs about $2? $3? Soda is about $2. The refillable mug is $12.95 or thereabouts.

We were in the Oak Mansions, which is about a 5-7 minute walk from the main complex. Not close; but not that far either.
We used it in the morning and it would have saved that amount for coffee/tea per person. DS didn't like the "juice" that was on offer, so he didn't really use it that much. We would then rinse the mugs out and take them back to the room (more walking).
At night, it was a bit of chore to walk to the complex after a full day at the parks. But DH and I took turns to go. We pretty much had a hot cup of tea every night.

I believe that we easily 'spent' $25 on hot drinks each, if we had paid for it.

With DS, it was less clear-cut. He would have used the mug about 4 times for either soda or 'juice' in the time he was there.

We didn't intend to do this; but when we moved to BC, we asked the people at the BC store if we could use the mugs there. They said YES!!! I don't think they were supposed to....but we did ask....
Because we spent a lot more time in the afternoon at SAB, DS was the clear winner with soda at the BC. He certainly enjoyed his afternoon drinks a lot!

 

[queenie82]

We didn't intend to do this; but when we moved to BC, we asked the people at the BC store if we could use the mugs there. They said YES!!! I don't think they were supposed to....but we did ask....
Because we spent a lot more time in the afternoon at SAB, DS was the clear winner with soda at the BC. He certainly enjoyed his afternoon drinks a lot!

That's SHOCKING!!! I'd never do that

 

[PrincessInOz]

AussieMumma, I think Im in the same position as you. Its such a head spin.

I have 2 kids One is 4 years and the other is 7. (By the time we go to the usa)

POP sounds great. Probably not as worn down being the newer hotel.

Im stumped! so much to choose from. Im planning around 16 days away.

Just 2 nights in LA

Around 5 nights in disney ( POP hotel )

6 nights at a normal orlando hotel (going to Legoland, Universal studios, shopping & our business meeting.)

2 -3 day road trip to the beach. Not sure exactly where yet.

Our business meeting is on the 15th of November.

Can anyone recommend any hotels to saty at in Orlando? Near lego and universal.

What the cheapest and best deal for POP (Disney) in November.Im not sure when to book yet . Earily or late Novermber.

Any feeback helps.

I would never of guessed to have booked online and dodge the Aussie travel agents. Do you save alot booking that way?

Oh btw, We have NEVER been to the USA. Im have no idea what Im doing really, just being guided by you guys.

Definitely book on-line and dodge the Aussie TAs. I've booked online or direct for the last 10 years now.

Depending on your budget, you might want to consider staying at one of the Universal hotels.

For your WDW package and best option for your family, I highly recommend an American TA. There are a number of options suggested on this thread; with the two common ones being Dreams Unlimited and Small World Vacations. Send them both an email and ask for the same thing and get them to quote. Depending on the responses, you might find that you prefer one TA over the other.
5 nights at WDW is doable but it isn't anywhere enough time!

There are a number of historic threads that will provide initial info for you. If you have time, it may be worth just having a look and then go from there. If nothing else, it will provide a starting point for you....and then you can ask more specific questions from there.

Thanks battymum, I never even thought about the amount of people waiting to catch the buses in the morning!!

Does anyone know what happens if you drive and park in the carpark, do you get a shuttle bus to the ticketing & transportation and go from there or can you get a shuttle straight to one of the parks? Are there carparks near each of the worlds etc?

Tara2004 Have you looked at the Nickleodeon Hotel in Orlando? It is really well priced and looks great fun for the kids. If you don't have pay tv they may not know all of the characters but it still looks great! We are probably going to stay there for part of our time in Orlando.


We are in Orlando for 15 nights so we are probably going to split the time between two places. Just to decide which two!!!

Disney transportation moves a LOT of people in the morning and all day from resorts to parks and back; plus from park to park.

If you're staying on-site, then you won't have to pay for parking. If you're staying off-site, then you will have a daily parking fee to pay when you drive in.

For MK, the parking is at the TTC. From here, you can catch a ferry (longer trip) or the monorail to MK. You can also catch the monorail to Epcot from the TTC.

There is also parking adjacent to Epcot, DHS and AK. Depending on how close you are to the gate, you can either walk or catch the trams that are provided.

If you are staying on-site, then you will have the advantage of catching the Disney buses to any of the parks or DTD. For MK, the Disney buses drive right up to the MK gates; rather than dropping you off at the TTC.

That's SHOCKING!!! I'd never do that

You would never........ask!

 

[austraveler]

I recommend booking with a us travel agent like the magic for less or dreams unlimited. They usually give you credits to spend at WDW and will always make sure your reservation is amended to get the very best deal. Also, if you are pricing on the Wdw website, make sure you go through the current specials tab rather than price from the option on the front page.
In respect of the busses, I know there are a lot of people, but moving people around is what Dsney does best. My personal opinion is that people just like to complain. I compare catching the busses at Disney to catching public transport here but the stop is right outside your door and there are only a couple of destinations.