? should I plan a trip for July?

[Tuliplvr]

Hi everyone,
so it's been about 4 years since my family has been to Disney. My DD is graduating and would like to go to Disney. When we have gone in the past we have always planned super far ahead for dining, fastpass, etc. If we try to plan something now will we not get any dining or fastpass options? Also, does anyone know if AAA offers any discounts for hotels or tickets? Not sure with college in the fall if this trip will be feasible. We have always stayed on property. We are a family of 4 with 2 teenagers. Maybe 5 nights? Thank you

 

[Pluto777]

Hi everyone,
so it's been about 4 years since my family has been to Disney. My DD is graduating and would like to go to Disney. When we have gone in the past we have always planned super far ahead for dining, fastpass, etc. If we try to plan something now will we not get any dining or fastpass options? Also, does anyone know if AAA offers any discounts for hotels or tickets? Not sure with college in the fall if this trip will be feasible. We have always stayed on property. We are a family of 4 with 2 teenagers. Maybe 5 nights? Thank you

Dining ADR's start at 180 days (plus up to 10 if your onsite), and fastpasses start at 30 (60 if your onsite) so your dining will be starting at a bit of a disadvantage, but fastpasses will be no problem. If you are talking about getting a room onsite that is a different question. Hope that helps!

 

[mshanson3121]

You can only book Fastpasses 30-60 days out, so you have lots of time for that. Dining, you'll have a harder time getting the "big" ticket reservations (CRT etc...), but there still should be lots of options available if you get right on it. I believe AAA can get you discounted tickets, not sure on Disney hotels. You can also check out Undercover Tourist and Parksavers for discounted tickets.

If money is tight due to college upcoming, perhaps consider staying off site at a Windsor Hills condo. Booking through VRBO you can easily find condos for $100ish a night, and they are literally only a 3-5 minute drive to the Disney gate. Bonus is more privacy for everyone since these have 2-3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. They get rave reviews on this board. Plus you'll save a lot of money on the dining plan/eating out, since you can buy groceries and make your breakfasts, pack snacks for the park, make a couple suppers/lunches even, and then can splurge on some nice meals within the park. Or, another option is looking into staying at one of the Disney springs partner hotels. This will cost more than Windsor Hills, but they now allow the 60 day Fast Pass, and offer free transportation to the parks (just not the Magical Express to/from the airport), so if you didn't want to rent a car that could be easier. Plus, if you sign up for the MouseSavers newsletter, every month they send out promos codes to get great deals on these hotels (I've seen rooms for as low as $88/night).

As for how many nights, yes, I would do 5 nights so you could do at least 1 day at each park.

 

[Tuliplvr]

Wow thank you so much for the fast responses!! It's been a while so I'm rusty on everything. I appreciate it! I'll definitely look into the Windsor Hills condos as an option as well as the Disney Springs partner hotels.