Starting to plan...lots of questions already!

[Wes1stTrip2016]

Hello everyone! First let me say this is an awesome forum and terrific source of information! Many thanks to everyone that responds to questions with such useful info!

My husband (45) and I (42) will be taking our DS to Disney for his 5th birthday (March 2016) so I am beginning to plan now as I thoroughly enjoy the planning process for all of our vacations. His grandparents will be going as well, we live in different states so they will be arranging thier own transpo but I will be doing all the planning for the Sat to Sat stay.

His birthday is March 9th, so ideally we would like to be there that week but based on spring breaks - I'm thinking Feburary may be a better bet for less crowded parks - input on this? Our calendar is flexible as he will not begin kindergarten til the fall of 16. I know to tell Guest Services we are there for his special occasion, so that he gets his button, but are there any other birthday related specials that I should be aware of.

Are the pools at Disney heated - will it be too cold to swim regardless of when we go if its that early in the year?

I have tenatively decided on Pop Century. Of the value resorts, I like it best as I think the grandparents will enjoy it and I hope that it offers adjoining rooms. Would like a recommendation on which building to suggest as we would like the shortest walk to the bus stop in the mornings. Less concerned about pool or lake views or noise levels as we don't expect to be in room much.

We are about a 8hr drive away, so contemplating driving or flying. If flight schedules remain the same, we would have a great straight thru flight arriving at 9:05am. If we arrive at the park/hotel before noon - whats the odds of getting into our room? Would there be any real benefit of having our vehicle down there with us? I would not anticipate needing to leave the property, as I pack pretty well - but just looking for thoughts on flying vs. driving.

Ok, I will stop there, but I promise to be back with lots more questions as I dig into my plans. Thanks in advance!

 

[Lupeix]

We are actually planning a very similar trip, DH, DS, grandma, grandpa and me. It will be for DS 4th Bday. We decided to go at the end of April, although that will be over a month from the Bday date. It is not very crowded and the weather is great. I am planning to give him a Disney related gift and reveal the trip on his Bday, and get him to plan with me and pick his fast pass +. Not sure if this will work for you
I have been in Disney at the end of February, and gone to the water parks with no problem. The pools are always heated anyway. The problem is that the beginning of February overlaps with ride closings and around president's day gets crowded.
I like having a car. It gives you the freedom to come and go as you please, waiting for a bus with a preschooler at the end of the day is not fun and you get everywhere much faster. We also plan on eating breakfast in every morning so it is good to be able to go shopping.
We ended deciding to stay off-site, in case you are considering that option, at Wyndham Bonnet creek which is on property and close to pop century. You can get a two bedroom condo for about the same as a value room. A car is mandatory in my opinion if you stay here, although they have a bus.
We just got the confirmation for a 3 bedroom condo reservation and are very happy!
Enjoy planning!

 

[mapleleaf4ever]

Stayed at POP this past spring and loved it. We had 2 connecting rooms. We had our car with us, but didn't use it while we stayed at POP (we spent one week off site as well). The walk from anywhere at POP to the busses is not bad, and getting to the parks in the morning was super easy. Only had one bad night getting back, line for POP was very looooooooong, but we just hopped on the Art of Animation bus,with no wait, and a nice short walk back to POP. Have fun planning.

 

[Jerzetta]

I love these boards to and planed our trip with a ton of help from the boards. For me the only thing I could recommend is to write down good ideas as you read posts. When I finally got to book the trip I was so excited because I knew I read so many great tips and couldn't remember them all. Have fun. Wow 8 hr drive to Disney so jealous.

 

[Wes1stTrip2016]

I'm not opposed to staying offsite, but I was thinking a package deal with the hotel/food plan/tickets would be our best "rate". I also like the idea of all the fun stuff to see in the hotels and of course the pools. Suggestions??

 

[crayon3448]

I personally like staying onsite- there is nothing like it, especially for a first trip! We also stay at Pop and love the colorful designs of the hotel. Easy time to take the buses to the parks. It is our favorite!

re: swimming- We went this year the beginning of February and swam no problem, the year before we went in March and it was cold- so it can be hit or miss but more likely than not you'll be able to swim. The pools are heated.

 

[Wes1stTrip2016]

I personally like staying onsite- there is nothing like it, especially for a first trip! We also stay at Pop and love the colorful designs of the hotel. Easy time to take the buses to the parks. It is our favorite!

re: swimming- We went this year the beginning of February and swam no problem, the year before we went in March and it was cold- so it can be hit or miss but more likely than not you'll be able to swim. The pools are heated.

How did you find the crowds & line waits during the Feb & March trips?

 

[SandyinMonterey]

The closer you get to Spring Break and Easter, the more crowded it is. I was just there during Easter (April 12-21) and it was crowded but I've also been there when it's been more crowded. I've also been to WDW in February. It can be a lot cooler depending on when you're there. It was too cold to use the pool and we didn't even think of attempting the water parks. Be sure to check for refurbishments at the hotel you choose, water parks, etc. It may effect your decisions. I know the WL pool is closing for refurb soon and many guests have opted out of staying there for that reason. Kind of silly to refurb a pool in the summer. As far as flying versus driving....you'd have to figure out the cost. If the flight is within your budget, will you be saving the wear and tear on your car, gas, time traveling versus getting there quicker by plane? There have been a few times our room has been ready before their standard check in time but I would think for the most part they try to stick to their policy. You can also get a birthday cake and serve it at one of the TS meals you've chosen, highly recommended getting ADR's. If he likes characters, a character meal is always a good choice.

 

[jezebel73]

If you go in February to avoid crowds, don't forget you need to avoid February break (week of President's Day). Crowd calendars for next year are showing both the last week in Feb and the first week in March as moderate crowds and Easter 2016 is late March, so I imagine crowds for 2016 will be similar and you could get really close to the actual birthday day and still not be fighting the masses. You can also usually find room and/or package deals in that time frame.

If prices are good, I would fly rather than drive. Personally, I love checking my bag at the home airport and not worrying about it again and the bus service is really fine.

Pop is a great choice. It was my first onsite hotel and the theming is great! You can pay a little extra to get a preferred room and I believe that puts you in the two closest buildings to the main/food court/bus stop.

With a 5 year old, I would recommend a day "off" or even a half day about every third day to wind down. That also allows you to explore more resorts and restaurants, like Chef Mickey's or Hoop Dee Doo Revue or checking out the savannas at AKL or shopping at Downtown Disney - not that you can't do these on a park day, but sometimes it's better to space things out a bit and avoid overload!

 

[PrincessDisneyMomx2]

My DD will be 5 March 1, 2016 We are planning on going for the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon late Feb 2016 and also celebrating her 5th birthday there!

When we went for my oldest daughter's 7th birthday I planned MANY special moments for her. Birthday button at every park and hotel, Special/Personalized menu's at T/S Restaurants, a diver in the fish tank at Coral Reef held up a sign that said "Happy 7th Birthday Princess Lexie" we were seated right by the tank (She thought that was so cool), Signed place mats from the characters at character meals. When you call and make your reservation with Disney make sure to let them know it's his birthday and read up on these boards for all the fun magical things that you can have all ready in place so when you get there you can sit back and enjoy their excitement

We got to our hotel (this past May) about 1230pm and we only had to wait about an hour to get our room. They took our bags and we went to get lunch. We stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort.. LOVED that hotel!! You can go to the parks or make sure to pack a bag of swim clothes and hit the pool, then have lunch and by then your room should be ready. Have tons of fun!!!

 

[crayon3448]

How did you find the crowds & line waits during the Feb & March trips?

Honestly, I didn't notice too much of a difference between the two. I think the parks are busy no matter when you go, but with using rope drop, Fast Passes, EMH, afternoon breaks and exploring out side the parks it has always been very manageable and we have had no problems with the wait times. A little bit of planning goes a long way- and it sounds like you're on the right track for that!

 

[crayon3448]

About having a car- Personally, I would drive if I lived 8 hours away, just because I would love to save the money that we spend on the flight. But if that is not a concern for you, then I would just fly. I don't think it's necessary to have a car at the parks, we've never had a problem taking the buses. The only time I think it would be nice to have one is if you plan to eat at restaurants at different resorts. It is easier to drive directly from one resort to the other than to have to take the bus to the park and transfer (buses don't go directly from one resort to another). If you plan to eat mostly in the parks or on the monorail line, then this doesn't matter.

 

[Aliceacc]

Just a quick warning: you want to request "CONNECTING rooms" not just "ADJOINING rooms."

The first will (hopefully) get you 2 rooms with a shared interior door; the second will only get you 2 rooms next to each other.

 

[Wes1stTrip2016]

Just a quick warning: you want to request "CONNECTING rooms" not just "ADJOINING rooms."

The first will (hopefully) get you 2 rooms with a shared interior door; the second will only get you 2 rooms next to each other.

Good to know! Thanks!!

 

[Wes1stTrip2016]

My DD will be 5 March 1, 2016 We are planning on going for the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon late Feb 2016 and also celebrating her 5th birthday there!

When we went for my oldest daughter's 7th birthday I planned MANY special moments for her. Birthday button at every park and hotel, Special/Personalized menu's at T/S Restaurants, a diver in the fish tank at Coral Reef held up a sign that said "Happy 7th Birthday Princess Lexie" we were seated right by the tank (She thought that was so cool), Signed place mats from the characters at character meals. When you call and make your reservation with Disney make sure to let them know it's his birthday and read up on these boards for all the fun magical things that you can have all ready in place so when you get there you can sit back and enjoy their excitement

We got to our hotel (this past May) about 1230pm and we only had to wait about an hour to get our room. They took our bags and we went to get lunch. We stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort.. LOVED that hotel!! You can go to the parks or make sure to pack a bag of swim clothes and hit the pool, then have lunch and by then your room should be ready. Have tons of fun!!!

I had no idea they offered so many neat birthday surprises - did you arrange all of them thru the main reservation office? Also is there a site that lists all of the options available? Thanks!

 

[Aliceacc]

On the car subject: we never rent a car. We take Disney's Magical Express from the airport (our tags came yesterday ) and take it back at the end of our trip, never leaving Disney property.

And just a word of caution: it's so easy to read these boards and think that everything is a "Must Do." Know that your son will have a wonderful time with very little planning on your part. So do all the planning you want-- for many of us, it's a lot of fun. But be prepared to drop your plans when necessary-- when someone is tired or hungry, or when a better opportunity comes along.