Sister Trip to Disney

[smc2014]

Good morning!

I'm planning a 5/6 night trip for October of 2018 (or the sometime in the fall) to take my 10 year old sister. She's very much a girl but is also shy and doesn't like a lot of crazy. I'm 25 and have been numerous times but I'd like to stay somewhere. My sister has stayed at all of the All Stars. I've stayed at the All Stars, PORR, Caribbean, Coronado, and Fort Wilderness.

I would love to stay somewhere like the Wilderness Lodge or AKL. I'm considering purchasing an annual pass as well. Basically I want it to be our big trip of a lifetime together but I'd like to also not break the bank. Any recommendations would be very appreciated!

 

[Kt75]

Not sure how f you saw, you can pay your trips with Disney gift cards. If you google it, you will see how to do so at BJs, Target, cash back sites etc, its worth it for a little bit extra savings.

 

[westie55]

If you want to stay deluxe "affordably", consider renting points for a DVC studio villa through an agency like David's Vacation Rentals. This can make staying at AKL or WL about the price of a moderate, however there are drawbacks like the inability to cancel, extremely limited mousekeeping, etc. that are discussed pretty extensively on this board in other threads about renting DVC points. I have done this several times and the process is easy and allowed me to stay at resorts I wouldn't be able to otherwise afford. I do recommend that if you go this route, you book 11 months in advance of your trip.

Otherwise, AKL and WL tend to be the least expensive deluxe resorts. You can get rooms there in $300/night range, and that's without an annual pass.

I have made a sister trip with my own sister an annual event! We love going together and you will definitely make special memories. Enjoy!!!

 

[smc2014]

Not sure how f you saw, you can pay your trips with Disney gift cards. If you google it, you will see how to do so at BJs, Target, cash back sites etc, its worth it for a little bit extra savings.

I LOVE the BJs tip! I just learned about it and have already made a Disney gift card order from BJs!

 

[smc2014]

If you want to stay deluxe "affordably", consider renting points for a DVC studio villa through an agency like David's Vacation Rentals. This can make staying at AKL or WL about the price of a moderate, however there are drawbacks like the inability to cancel, extremely limited mousekeeping, etc. that are discussed pretty extensively on this board in other threads about renting DVC points. I have done this several times and the process is easy and allowed me to stay at resorts I wouldn't be able to otherwise afford. I do recommend that if you go this route, you book 11 months in advance of your trip.

Otherwise, AKL and WL tend to be the least expensive deluxe resorts. You can get rooms there in $300/night range, and that's without an annual pass.

I have made a sister trip with my own sister an annual event! We love going together and you will definitely make special memories. Enjoy!!!

Thanks for the point rental suggestion! I had no idea this was such a thing. Are there other places that DVC points can be rented from?

 

[tobikaye]

There are a few places that rent DVC points. Some require payment right away and are set in stone with no changes or refunds so you would want to check into travel insurance. Other places may allow changes, but at a higher per point price. I have been tempted so many times to book via DVC rental points, but a studio has not been something that would work since someone would have to sleep on the sleeper sofa. Since it is your sister and you, it might work well for you. It just has not worked with 2 adults that need their own beds since I usually travel with my sister or cousin.

Just an FYI, but I only saved about $100 using my AP discount at AKL this past June over the general public discount. So, I would not use a possible AP discount to base your resort pick. I will say that if you are footing the bill yourself, the best thing would be to go ahead and book what you think you can afford for next October, then as you get closer, you can either upgrade or downgrade your stay as needed.

Something to consider in your costs would be if your main splurge is going to be your resort, or if you want to splurge on experiences as well, such as dining, shows or parties.

 

[happymommy]

Have you looked into the newly renovated rooms at Pop Century? A 10 year old may enjoy the decor of the resort, the dedicated bus service is nice, and two queen beds is a bonus! In a studio, you get one real bed and a sofa sleeper, which is fine, but if you want to save some on the resort, you can splurge on special meals or snacks.