~~**The Official January 2014 Group**~~

[lolobug]

Can anyone tell me when you pay for your resort? I know there's an initial deposit but not sure what kind of payment schedule follows

 

[MikeysMamma]

When I was on the Disney website, they needed a deposit then it just said balance due November (for January trip) if I remember correctly. A friend said she just sent a check every month until her balance was paid.

 

[MikeysMamma]

Does Disney World accept Disney Dollars still? & can they be bought at my local Disney store? Once we get our trip booked officially, since my son is too young to be surprised I was thinking I could get Disney Dollars and use them as "rewards" when he did something good... such as staying dry all day (recently potty trained), cleaning up his toys, brushing his teeth etc... this way I might be able to build up a little excitement as he learns about Disney and help teach good behavior at the same time

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Can anyone tell me when you pay for your resort? I know there's an initial deposit but not sure what kind of payment schedule follows

When you book your trip through Disney's Website (which is the Walt Disney Travel Company), there is a deposit of $200. The remaining balance is due 45 days prior to your arrival. You can pay all in one lump sum or you can break it into multiple payments as long as you pay up the entire balance before the 45 day mark.

There are no penalty fees if you cancel your reservation 46 days or earlier. I believe between 6 and 45 days, cancellation fee is $100, and less than 6 days it is $200 (so you lose the entire deposit). Changes or modifications to the reservation cost $50 with 45 days or less.

Hope this helps!

 

[the_green_machine]

Hey guys...I have to, with a heavy heart, leave the group....The other couple that were heading to WDW with my wife and I just backed out. We could go by ourselves but we were looking forward to a group trip.

We've changed our plans and are now heading to Switzerland in April (although I'd still take WDW in a heart beat).

I hope everyone has an amazing time.

GREEN

 

[HeatherLassell]

Hey guys...I have to, with a heavy heart, leave the group....The other couple that were heading to WDW with my wife and I just backed out. We could go by ourselves but we were looking forward to a group trip.

We've changed our plans and are now heading to Switzerland in April (although I'd still take WDW in a heart beat).

I hope everyone has an amazing time.

GREEN

BOOOURNS! Ok you told me this on facebook already but I had to say how sucky that is here!

 

[HeatherLassell]

I know this was written for mikeysmama, I'm going to jump on too though! Lol
We have 2 little girls (2 and 4) so MK is going to be our biggest draw. So, as for us, we are considering CR and Poly... What do you think? If we don't stay at Disney we are going to book at Bonnet Creek
Thanks for the help!

I think if you can afford the Deluxe resort then go for it! If I ever go for a shorter trip I'm gonna try Poly. It's BEAUTIFUL! We ate there at Ohana! Yummmm!

HeatherLassell I was planning on the AofA resort, in the Cars themed room. I know it costs more, but I'll pay the extra for that Cars rooms because I know my son will LOVE it, plus it's our first visit so I want to make it as special as it can be!
I was considering 5 day tickets, no park hopper. I was thinking we could do this:
Jan 4- check in
Jan 5- Magic Kingdom
Jan 6- Hollywood Studios
Jan 7- Magic Kingdom
Jan 8- SeaWorld
Jan 9- Animal Kingdom
Jan 10- Magic Kingdom
Jan 11- check out

Does this sound good? I was told to get park hopper because AK and HS don't have much for the little ones, but I don't want to overwhelm him... and most of our time will be spent at MK.

I am going to check out your link now

Awesome! You'll see quickly what I mean about how excited for that trip I was! lol

No Epcot? There are a lot of cool things there!

I am thinking Port Orleans Riverside OR Art of Animation! Those suites look very awesome! I'd totally stay there! I have 3 kids to the extra space/beds and bathroom would be so helpful!

Can anyone tell me when you pay for your resort? I know there's an initial deposit but not sure what kind of payment schedule follows

You can pay however you want....you just have to have it paid up 45 days before your trip! I sent in monthly payments with my credit card and then went and paid the card off the same day! Worked for me!

 

[Daisy07]

What is everyone's opinion about the Dining Plan? Is it worth it?

I read one idea of buying a Disney gift card the same cost as the dining plan and any money left over use for souvenirs.

 

[zy144622]

What is everyone's opinion about the Dining Plan? Is it worth it?

I read one idea of buying a Disney gift card the same cost as the dining plan and any money left over use for souvenirs.

We think its worth it. If your ok with planning in advance and making reservations go for it. We find it much more relaxing and enjoyable when there's no "bill" at each meal. No ones looking at prices before they order. Just live in the Magic.

 

[Lizziejane]

What is everyone's opinion about the Dining Plan? Is it worth it?

I read one idea of buying a Disney gift card the same cost as the dining plan and any money left over use for souvenirs.

We've done the DDP twice - the first time, it was absolutely worth it. Back then, it included the tip and I think it included an appy too. On our last visit, it was still plenty of food, but didn't save us much money - we likely would have paid the same amount out of pocket. However, I don't think we would have ordered that much food if we were paying out of pocket. Bear in mind, my two 20-something sons eat a LOT, and they were complaining of too much food by day 3. The plan sounds reasonable, but the size of the portions are often far more food than we're used to. So, had we been buying as we went, we likely would have spend less on food.

Having said all that, I love the convenience of having everything paid for and not having to worry about it.

 

[Daisy07]

Thanks for the opinions on the dining plan! Love the comment of "Just live in the Magic"

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

What is everyone's opinion about the Dining Plan? Is it worth it?

I usually take a more of an OCD approach when deciding if we should sign up for a dining plan. I first finalize our dining itinerary and figure out which TS and CS restaurants we want to eat at for all three meals for each day of our trip. Then I do a comparison of the dining costs out of pocket vs. dining plan using a spreadsheet to figure out whether we are truly saving money if we go with a dining plan. For most of our trips, we come out ahead by paying out of pocket. We did the dining plan for our last trip as part of the Stay/Dine/Play package and we came out ahead by quite a bit from the combined discounts.

But it all really depends on what your usual dining preferences are. For instance, we usually don't order desserts and don't purchase resort mugs so that means we would be spending more money than we would have if we purchased the dining plan.

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

I should also add that having done these calculations many times before, the dining plan usually saves you money if you are doing a good number of non-breakfast character meals.

 

[HeatherLassell]

I think the appeal for me is having the meals paid for before we even get there! Easy peasy!

We had the free dining and it was great. We did a few character meals as well as Ohana.

 

[lolobug]

Just booked the Poly for Jan. 22-29- first trip, ever! Please add me to the list

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Just booked the Poly for Jan. 22-29- first trip, ever! Please add me to the list

We had such a great time when we stayed at the Poly last year! It's a great choice for a first trip!

 

[lolobug]

We had such a great time when we stayed at the Poly last year! It's a great choice for a first trip!

Thanks! We're a little in sticker shock but I hope it wears off by the time of arrival

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Thanks! We're a little in sticker shock but I hope it wears off by the time of arrival

I hear ya! I was very glad that we took a whole day off from the parks and spent it as a resort day at the Poly. Otherwise, the sticker shock may never have worn off. The only thing we did that day that was off the resort property was hopping over the lake to MK just for the Main Street Electric Parade and then hopping right back before Wishes started.

 

[nym4588]

January 6-15 at Old Key West

 

[HeatherLassell]

January 6-15 at Old Key West

Awesome we have the exact same dates! Welcome to the group and I added you to the main page!!