Total Disney Noob...

[Punisherthunder]

Greetings all,
I'm trying to take my wife to DisneyWorld at the end of July before she has to go back to school. She hasn't been to the park since 1990 and I haven't been since 1999.

I've been lurking on here for days and decided to join because I feel that we will be visiting Disney again and again each year.

So far we are planning on staying at Pop Century. It's just the two of us. We have no kids (yet!). I was contemplating the French Quarter but feel that Pop Century is simple enough for us. We are looking to stay for 5 days. We will be driving about 8hrs down from Tennessee. I have but only two questions right now.

- Is the dining plan worth it? I don't really eat breakfast and she likes fine dining more than quick service dining.

- Can we buy our tickets at the hotel? I've seen deals online and am rather hesitant to buy from some of these shady sites and would feel more comfortable buying at the park.

Thanks for reading along,
PT

 

[mel&me]

We always get our tickets from Undercover tourist, They have special pricing if you sign up for the monthly mousesavers news letter,you save a few extra $'s. As for the dining plan you will get a better response if you post question in the Disney Restaurants -- dining plan forum. http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=116

 

[mel&me]

Oh yea forgot to say;

 

[RNtheRN]

Welcome!!

 

[Metro West]

 

[magicaldisney]

 

[lovetoscrap]

Greetings all,
I'm trying to take my wife to DisneyWorld at the end of July before she has to go back to school. She hasn't been to the park since 1990 and I haven't been since 1999.

I've been lurking on here for days and decided to join because I feel that we will be visiting Disney again and again each year.

So far we are planning on staying at Pop Century. It's just the two of us. We have no kids (yet!). I was contemplating the French Quarter but feel that Pop Century is simple enough for us. We are looking to stay for 5 days. We will be driving about 8hrs down from Tennessee. I have but only two questions right now.

- Is the dining plan worth it? I don't really eat breakfast and she likes fine dining more than quick service dining.

- Can we buy our tickets at the hotel? I've seen deals online and am rather hesitant to buy from some of these shady sites and would feel more comfortable buying at the park.

Thanks for reading along,
PT

If you want to have the dining plan you will have to get a Package that includes Room and Tickets from Disney. You can buy only a one day ticket for the package and another ticket from a discount place for the rest of your days but there won't be much difference in cost since you have already paid for one day in the package. Disney tickets are priced so that each extra day gets cheaper and cheaper to add on, with the first day being the most expensive.

Undercover Tourist is very reputable as is Maple Leaf Tickets. Do not buy tickets from ebay, Craigslist, your Cousin Eddie, or some guy by the side of the road.

As for if the Dining Plan is worth it-- only you can decide that. To do that take a look at our menus here: http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/disneydining.cfm and on allearsnet.com and look at the offerings and the prices. Get an idea of what you think you would most likely order and then see if the total you spend would be worth it.

With the most popular 2 plans, the Quick Service and the Regular Plan you really only get 2 meals so not eating breakfast won't really matter. Beyond that it is just a matter of how much time and money you want to spend eating.

My only other comment on your plan would be that if you can I would try to do another day or 2 at Disney. Once you drive all that way, and have the tickets purchased 5 days is a pretty quick trip. It isn't much more to add on the park tickets for a few more days. Generally it is recommended to allow 2 days for Magic Kingdom, 1 for Animal Kingdom, 1 for Disney Hollywood Studios and 2 for Epcot. And you need a day in the middle to rest, enjoy the pool, and go to Downtown Disney. If you are eating a Table Service Meal a day that will cut into your park touring time.

Also, are you sure on the driving time from TN? I used to live in the NE TN area and it was a solid 12 hour drive. Even from Cleveland in the SE corner it is about a 10 hour drive. Of course that is assuming you stick to the speed limit!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Greetings all,
I'm trying to take my wife to DisneyWorld at the end of July before she has to go back to school. She hasn't been to the park since 1990 and I haven't been since 1999.

I've been lurking on here for days and decided to join because I feel that we will be visiting Disney again and again each year.

So far we are planning on staying at Pop Century. It's just the two of us. We have no kids (yet!). I was contemplating the French Quarter but feel that Pop Century is simple enough for us. We are looking to stay for 5 days. We will be driving about 8hrs down from Tennessee. I have but only two questions right now.

- Is the dining plan worth it? I don't really eat breakfast and she likes fine dining more than quick service dining.

- Can we buy our tickets at the hotel? I've seen deals online and am rather hesitant to buy from some of these shady sites and would feel more comfortable buying at the park.

Thanks for reading along,
PT

Reiterating a bit here but:

Have you checked availability at Pop century? July is pretty busy, as it's the height of the summer crowds.

To qualify for the Disney Dining Plan you have to stay-onsite and buy a Magic Your Way Package that includes, rooms, tickets and dining. As far as if it is worth it, it depends. We like sit-down meals so we don't do the quick service plan, which only has fast food options. We are a family of 6 and we always get the basic DDP, which is 1 Table Service Meal, 1 Counter Service Meal and 1 Snack per day. We love to do character meals. So, for us, it is totally worth it and it saves us money. But you also have to take into consideration that you will be going during a very busy time and the end of July is only one month away and you will have a hard time getting Advance Dining Reservations at most of the popular places at this late date. I would do a search and see if you can get any reservations at any of the places you and your wife want to eat. If not, there's really no bargain in the DDP.

 

[Disneydonnam]

Welcome

 

[Disn3y]

 

[disney74352]

Welcome!