The time is coming, help me plan

[kman1011]

The time has finally come. My wife and i are taking our 6, and 3 year old son to WDW. We are thinking sometime in January. Now this is where you all come in. We are thinking 3-4 full days in the parks. We would maybe come in the day before in the afternoon and figured probably don't want to waste a half day at disney. Park Hopper passes I am guessing is the best way. We want to stay on site and have narrowed it to all star movies or the contemporary resort.(We like the idea of the contemporary as the monorail runs straight thru.) My wife and I made one visit to WDW together about 5 years ago. The parks we are thinking is magic kingdom, animal kingdom, and mgm. We are flexible on days traveled and will make it work around what saves us money. So all your suggestions are greatly appreciated. Airfare would be out of Sioux Falls, SD, or Omaha, Ne.

 

[mad4themouse]

Hi kman1011 and welcome to the DISboards!

My first suggestion would be to checkout any package deals. Although packages are usually not the way to go, there have been some very attractive packages lately.

Disney has a VISA promotion right now that includes free UPHs for 2 children for every paying adult. The offer is good from Jan 4, 2004 until June 16, 2004. The UPH will give you unlimited park visits from the day you arrive until the midnight of day that you depart. Total cost for room and passes for your family at an AllStar resort would be $896.68 for 4 nights. It might be more economical than booking a room-only plus Park Hopper passes (4-day PHs from Ticketmania for 2 adults and 2 children would run $772.00!)

If you don't want to visit the parks on your first day, book a room-only reservation for that night only. Have them link the reservations so that you do not have to change rooms.

Book your own airfare. I have yet to book an air-inclusive package thru a travel agent that didn't have lousy flights (connections, itty-bitty little two-prop planes, inconvenient flight times). Keep an eye out for good airfare. The best times to book are on Wednesday mornings just after midnight EST. Download Sidestep to compare the best airfare. When you see a good price for the flights you want, jump on it. They disappear fast.

Use a towncar service to get from the airport to WDW. For a family of 4, this can actually be less expensive than traveling by way of a Mears shuttle bus. It will definitely get you there faster. Get one that allows for a 1/2 hour grocery stop and you can stock up on soda pop, juice, snacks and bottled water. Get a small styrofoam cooler to keep everything cold. Refill it daily with ice from the ice machine.

Sign up for the newsletter at MouseSavers . There are also lots of suggestions on that site for saving $$$$ while in WDW.

Lots more suggestions but these should get you started. Have fun planning!

 

[kman1011]

So I would book the package first and then call back and book the room for the one extra night. Is it signifigantly more for the contemporary and for those that have been there is it worth it.

 

[tink2dw]

The water in Florida smells and tastes like sulfer!! WDW sells bottled water for $2.50 each for a small bottle!!That can be a real budget buster!! SO a Water Plan in necessary. Here are some of the solutions That have been posted

1. Buy water filtering Britta Sports bottles.

2. If you Drive bring cases of your Favorite bottled water from home

3. Flying, Buy bottled water at Walmart near All Stars.

4. Send cases of your Favorite bottled water to your WDW Resort

 

[tink2dw]

How to get started Planning a WDW Vacation!!


Start reading all the Walt Disney World guide books your library carries new or old. Ask which are the favorite ones that other DIS members like.

Then you can start deciding what are the things that are "must do's" and "must see's." and decide the length of your trip.

Then decide on the tickets you will need here.
http://www.mousesavers.com/tickets.html

To keep an EYE on All the discounts for on-site and off-site resorts check here often and sign up for the MouseSavers.com newsletter to get all the best news.
http://www.mousesavers.com/wdw.html

For Air fares sign up at all the Airline Web sites that fly out of your airport, that fly to Orlando or MCO in airline speak. Then Check Expedia,Travelocity for airline deals. Also check out the Transporation Board air,car deals.
http://www.disboards.com/

Start a WDW change jar to save for your trip.[there are many tips here on this board!!]

Also you can decide where you will want to eat and start making plans to make your food budget and check the Priority Seatings Calculator to know when you can make PS's some are as far out as 730 Days.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/dispscalc.html

Also to help decide where to eat you can find menu's at Deb's wdw site,this works 2 ways to see where to eat what,and how much it costs, to finalize the food budget.
http://www.wdwig.com/menu/menus.htm

To keep all this info in one place,here is a computer Disney Vacation Planner. It will print each day on a seperate sheet. Also check the pull down menu'sat the top for loads of info!!
http://www.intercot.com/planner/default.asp

Well,this should get you start on a thousand more Questions!! So,don't be shy! Ask away!! The kind members here will share what they know! So,check back often!!

tink2dw

 

[ohanaMAMA]

...was to read read read these disscussion boards.. there are a lot of ways to save money if you plan ahead

*At allstars there may be a minimum night stay ( 3 nights?)
* When you stay onsite you are eligible for "ultimate park hoppers" or legnth of stay passes wich are great! You can move from park to park all day from park open on the day you chek in to park close the day you check out... what we did was arrive in Orlando on a monday and stay in a cheap local hotel (check expedia.com) that evening ( we visited DTD that night) and then check into Allstars early the next morning so as not to miss any park time. They will hold your luggage until your room is ready and you are free to visit your parks... then the last day we checked out of allstars and then hit the parks all day.. staying that night at the same cheap local non-disney hotel..so we could leave orlando early the next morning.

that way we made the best of our park time and didnt pay as much for the two non-park days

 

[kman1011]

So on your last day when you checked and went out to the parks did you have to go all the way and bring your bags to the new hotel?

 

[mad4themouse]

Originally posted by kman1011
So I would book the package first and then call back and book the room for the one extra night.

Book the package first (to make sure that it is available for your choice of resort for your dates) and then book the room-only reservation. This can be done with the same phone call or can be done with separate phone calls. Just remember, you will have to make a deposit for each reservation and there is the possibility that you will still have to change rooms.

Is it signifigantly more for the contemporary and for those that have been there is it worth it.

The Contemporary is a deluxe resort. The AllStars are value resorts. The difference in price is substantial. Because you end up paying the "rack rate" for your accomodations with the VISA package, the deluxe resorts are not such deal. A garden Wing Room at CR (which is in a building separate from the A-frame building that the monorail goes thru) would cost your family $1,778.28 for 4 nights using the VISA package. To me, that's a significant chunk of change. However, you might be able to get the CR for less by using a AAA or some other kind of room-only discount.

I've stayed at the Contemporary once, in a Tower Room. The view of the MK was enchanting. The convenience of the monorail and a short walk to the MK was great. The kids were less than impressed with the pool but loved the game room. I probably would not have stayed there had it not been the land portion of our 3-day land/4-night Disney cruise. I like Coronado Springs just as much and it's a moderate resort.

If you haven't checked out the Resorts Board yet, I would suggest going there. I would also suggest going to This DIS Resorts and Hotels Descriptions. Read up on the different resorts and decide what suits your family and their expectations from a vacation. For some families, a deluxe resort on the monorail is essential to their vacation happiness. For others, a clean room with comfortable beds is enough to fulfill their needs.