Too many questions, need your advice !

[Megashifter666]

Hello , first time poster here , and I’m trying to book a stay for my wife and I for the first time on our own . I’ve been to Disneyland hundreds of times but only been to WDW twice . Our last trip was all planned out thanks to her Dad being able to get us a room with him at Shades of Green . Anyway, we’re looking at staying Jan 2-10 and I have a ton of questions (some of which the answers will probably just be personal opinions) . Anyway , here it goes ….
1. Port Orleans resorts vs Coronado , which do y’all prefer ?
2.I contacted Dreams Unlimited for quotes but found better prices on Priceline. Is there a big difference between going through Priceline or a travel agent ?
3. I don’t have a credit card with a high enough limit to book the stay ,is booking on a debit card a pain in the bum ?
4. are split stays worth it ? Do they handle all of your luggage for you ?
5. through the Disney site it seems like alot of resorts are all booked up . Is this generally a busy time of year or are things just operating at reduced capacity?
Okay, I think that’s all for now . Any advice is awesome, thanks you

 

[missingdisneymore]

1-completely personal preference. There are dedicated threads to each of the Port Orleans resorts, as well as Coronado. Reviewing these might be helpful to you to help you make a decision. And there is a huge difference between Riverside and French Quarter comparing between those two, let alone adding in Coronado.

2-The prices can vary based on what you selected or what level room you were getting, and many other factors. You would need to make sure that you were getting the exact same thing with both of those offers. dreams unlimited is top-notch and many of their agents are part of this board, so I’m always going to tip the hat for them.

3-it’s no different than using a credit card, however, to get a refund, it always takes longer for it to be processed to a debit card than a credit card Because actual bank accounts are involved, not a third-party billing agency.

4-again, completely personal preference. If you are fine with packing everything up and moving to another place, you get to experience 2 resorts. On the other hand, packing everything up can be a pain. Yes, Disney will transfer your luggage for you as long as they are both Disney resorts.

5-Yes, a very busy time as many schools are not back in session until a week or so into January. If I recall, only two resorts are left unopened, everything else is open but probably at a bit of reduced occupancy. Someone else probably has much better info on this.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

5. through the Disney site it seems like alot of resorts are all booked up . Is this generally a busy time of year or are things just operating at reduced capacity?

I wanted to hit this one… yes, generally speaking holiday crowds tend to extend through the first week of January at WDW. While some school systems are back to school that week, some school systems and many colleges often aren’t yet. And for those without kids it’s usually popular given mostly nice weather and better resort price points than the thick of the holidays. Plus the WDW Marathon weekend is 1/6-1/9, which is typically a very popular event that helps fill resorts.

All of they said, it’s a great time to go, IMO. Happy planning!

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I wanted to hit this one… yes, generally speaking holiday crowds tend to extend through the first week of January at WDW. While some school systems are back to school that week, some school systems and many colleges often aren’t yet. And for those without kids it’s usually popular given mostly nice weather and better resort price points than the thick of the holidays. Plus the WDW Marathon weekend is 1/6-1/9, which is typically a very popular event that helps fill resorts.

All of they said, it’s a great time to go, IMO. Happy planning!

Agreed. With the marathon returning to in-person again, it's likely to bump the crowds that week - especially Th-Sunday.

 

[loves to dive]

Others have already answered so this is just my two cents:

1. As others have said, it's a personal preference. It's mostly about theming. POR (I'm assuming Riverside) is a beautiful resort with lots of little hidey holes to seem like you are by yourself. Both it and CSR are large resorts. CSR is sort of a deluxe light because it's a convention resort. This is a disadvantage to some, some like it. I prefer CSR, I like the southwest theme, I like it has more food options.

2. I've never used Priceline but from what I understand, there is an option to actually choose the resort and there is an option that you don't know what resort they are choosing. Using a travel agent is about convenience. They will search for you, they will confirm things for you and are experts in the field. If you are comfortable doing your own research, searching and know all the ends and outs of Priceline, that's up to you.

3. Debit card works, my son uses his at WDW. I wouldn't personally because I don't like my checking account out there free to use.

4. Worth it is subjective, yes Disney will transfer your luggage. I enjoy split stays, they allow you to experience more than one resort at different locations. In some cases, they will allow you to save money. Some people don't like "feeling homeless" for a portion of a day and don't like packing and unpacking twice. I've never felt homeless, I have a car always so I don't need to pack twice, I can just use two bags. If you don't have a car, packing cubes might be your friend. I just check out of resort #1 after breakfast and go to resort #2 and check in. I do use on line check in but since it's usually early in the morning, I like to go to the front desk and say I'm there in case something opens up. I store my luggage (Or leave it in my car) and head off to a park and go about my day. Depending my mood, I either go back to the resort when I get the room ready text or I continue going about my day and go back when I'm ready. If you have had your luggage transferred, it's not going to be at resort #2 until later in the afternoon. You need to let bell services know you are there and must be in your room for them to deliver it or you can drop by bell services and grab it yourself.

#5 Have no answer.

 

[CynBeth]

Hello , first time poster here , and I’m trying to book a stay for my wife and I for the first time on our own . I’ve been to Disneyland hundreds of times but only been to WDW twice . Our last trip was all planned out thanks to her Dad being able to get us a room with him at Shades of Green . Anyway, we’re looking at staying Jan 2-10 and I have a ton of questions (some of which the answers will probably just be personal opinions) . Anyway , here it goes ….
1. Port Orleans resorts vs Coronado , which do y’all prefer ?
2.I contacted Dreams Unlimited for quotes but found better prices on Priceline. Is there a big difference between going through Priceline or a travel agent ?
3. I don’t have a credit card with a high enough limit to book the stay ,is booking on a debit card a pain in the bum ?
4. are split stays worth it ? Do they handle all of your luggage for you ?
5. through the Disney site it seems like alot of resorts are all booked up . Is this generally a busy time of year or are things just operating at reduced capacity?
Okay, I think that’s all for now . Any advice is awesome, thanks you

1. We have never stayed at Coronado but love both of the Port Orleans resorts. FQ is a Mardi Gras theme and is smaller with 1 bus stop and a short walk to the food court even from the furthest building while Riverside is larger has 2 sections one has mansions and the other is a bayou theme with 4 bus stops. Both share amenities and there is a boat to Disney Springs.
2. Honestly I have heard horror stories about 3rd party booking sites have never used that or a travel agent. I would just book directly through Disney.
3. We have a Disney Visa card the free one with that you have 6 months to pay off a trip no interest. When initially booking a package you just put down a $200 deposit and have to pay in full I believe 30 days before the trip. It could be 45 can’t remember.
4. Since you have not been in a while I would just stay at one resort and experience that. Plus a disadvantage is when booking ADRs it is considered 2 reservations so can only book at 60 days for the days at the 1st resort plus switch day and then have to wait until 60 days of the second resort to book the rest and right now with them being hard to get that would be a big disadvantage. Also if you decide to get Genie+ and have to be on everyday at 7 am you would not want to also worry about switching resorts as well.

Good luck and happy planning!

 

[ShannyMcB]

1. Have stayed at Coronado, loved it! Beautiful area to walk especially in the evening. Transportation options are lacking though.
2. Used dreams for our trip in August, the extra money was worth it for the convenience. And when wdw released discounts the agent applied them when possible without me having to deal with the app or being on hold for hours. Ended up saving us a couple hundred on our package. Plus our agent booked most of our ADRs...yay not having to wake up early to do this! I provided her the restaurants I was interested in and she got most of them!
3. Cant speak to the debit card for the trip but if you book a package (again I used dreams unlimited) you can pay in installments...100 here 500 there so the whole balance is not on your card at once. I always feel safer paying with a credit as opposed to a debit since it's not my actual liquid account being processed (personal preference there). Plus if your credit card gives cash back or whatever that adds up fast! And you can use those funds to pay down the bill or buy giftcards for use on vaca!
Cant help with 4 or 5 personally

 

[sponica]

My answers are in bold

1. Port Orleans resorts vs Coronado , which do y’all prefer ? I haven't stayed at Coronado, my sister loved it as it felt more adult. I like the small foot print of POFQ but my favorite (so far) is Port Orleans Riverside
2.I contacted Dreams Unlimited for quotes but found better prices on Priceline. Is there a big difference between going through Priceline or a travel agent ? If you have problems, priceline is going to be your "agent". If you're going to to use an agent, I would use a human person at an agency.
3. I don’t have a credit card with a high enough limit to book the stay ,is booking on a debit card a pain in the bum ? You don't need to pay for the entire stay at once, if it's a package (resort + tickets) it's 200 dollars down and paid in full 30 days before check in. I use debit cards all the time to make my payments.
4. are split stays worth it ? Do they handle all of your luggage for you ? No experience here, but they do move your luggage.
5. through the Disney site it seems like alot of resorts are all booked up . Is this generally a busy time of year or are things just operating at reduced capacity? It's holiday travel + marathon travel + reduced resort staffing.