Trip coming up in Sep.... could use some advice!

[Katydid78]

Hello, all! We are planning our first family trip to Disney World for the second week of September. When I say "we" I mean me, my husband, our 4 kids (ages 9, 7, 4 & 1) and my parents. I've been before as a teenager, but this will be my first time for my DH and kids.

Our original plan was for us (my immediate family) to stay for free at my aunt's condo in Kissimmee while my parents stayed at a resort on site. But we have just been offered 202 DVC points at the Saratoga Springs Resort from some friends and we would all much rather stay together on site than have to drive to and from the parks everyday.

We are thinking the 2 bedroom unit at SSR might suit us well, but from the info I found on this site, 202 points would only get us 6 nights and we were hoping to stay 7. Can anyone tell me if it's possible to pay for another day and still be able to stay in the same room? And who do we book that with, the friends who own the DVC, or through expedia or some other site?

Also, I could use some advice on how to start planning our park visits. So far, we know we want to do 2 days at MK and 2 days at Epcot. We plan to spend the remaining time at the resort pool and Downtown Disney. I think 4 days at 2 different parks will be the best strategy for us since we have small kids. We certainly don't want to try to cram in too much and get burned out.

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[TarmackQT]

Welcome to the DIS!

 

[GaBelle]

Hi Katydid! Welcome to the DIS!
Unfortunately I cannot help with your stay question directly. You may pose that question on the DVC forum and see if those lovely folks can answer. If all else fails, call Disney Travel Co.

For park planning, I do think with small children 2 days at MK is a great strategy. Instead of 2 days at Epcot, I would do one at Epcot and one at AK if you are trying to only do 4 park days. Since you are staying 7 days and if you really want 2 days at Epcot, then do try to get to AK for one of your days. There is a lot for young and old alike. Its one of my family's favorites.
Research and read on these boards. There is so much you can glean here!
Check out easywdw.com for great info. There you will find crowd calendars and recommendations for parks per day, and intelligent reasoning for the recommendations.
Happy planning!

 

[dawgfan]

Usually you will go through the DVC owner who makes the reservation for you.

Kim Wright Wiley has a great book called Walt Disney World With Kids. I would buy a copy and study that.

 

[Katydid78]

Thank you all for your advice, so far!

We are now booked for 7 nights in a 2 bedroom villa at Old Key West! Our friends gave us a super awesome deal on their points.

I'm so excited!

If I have more specific questions about planning, touring, etc. I should just start new threads in the appropriate forums, yes?

 

[GaBelle]

Thank you all for your advice, so far!

We are now booked for 7 nights in a 2 bedroom villa at Old Key West! Our friends gave us a super awesome deal on their points.

I'm so excited!

If I have more specific questions about planning, touring, etc. I should just start new threads in the appropriate forums, yes?

Before starting a new thread I would look to see if it had been asked or discussed previously. Check out the stickies at the beginning of forums or use the search function.
But there are very knowledgeable and helpful (and friendly) people here! So at any point that you can't find an answer please ask.

 

[DanenRox]

You've picked a great time to travel and what a great place to stay! The 2 bedroom will give you plenty of room for all to actually be able to relax. Advice: sure!
Make a grocery/liquor stop on your way into WDW so you don't have to rely on Disney dining exclusively (pricey).
Plan on "opening the parks" whenever you can. You'll get to see and ride a bunch of stuff without long waits. Touring plans aren't really necessary in September since crowds are low. But again, the key is...get in early.
The Character Depot in Epcot has several of the original Disney characters and after standing in one line, you get to take pictures with them all. In the afternoon, lots of other characters can be found around World Showcase.
That's all for now....
Happy planning.

 

[kerriberri13]

You can book the room for a night on Disney's website. After it is booked, call Disney and tell them your situation. They will most likely do everything they can to keep you in the same room. If for some reason they can't, they will help you move all of your stuff to another room.

We stayed at SSR a few years ago in a 1-bdr with our timeshare. We wanted to stay an additional day but moved into a studio. They accommodated our request to be as close to the main lobby as possible and helped us move our luggage to our new room.

 

[RHMH]

Hello, all! We are planning our first family trip to Disney World for the second week of September. When I say "we" I mean me, my husband, our 4 kids (ages 9, 7, 4 & 1) and my parents. I've been before as a teenager, but this will be my first time for my DH and kids.

Our original plan was for us (my immediate family) to stay for free at my aunt's condo in Kissimmee while my parents stayed at a resort on site. But we have just been offered 202 DVC points at the Saratoga Springs Resort from some friends and we would all much rather stay together on site than have to drive to and from the parks everyday.

We are thinking the 2 bedroom unit at SSR might suit us well, but from the info I found on this site, 202 points would only get us 6 nights and we were hoping to stay 7. Can anyone tell me if it's possible to pay for another day and still be able to stay in the same room? And who do we book that with, the friends who own the DVC, or through expedia or some other site?

Also, I could use some advice on how to start planning our park visits. So far, we know we want to do 2 days at MK and 2 days at Epcot. We plan to spend the remaining time at the resort pool and Downtown Disney. I think 4 days at 2 different parks will be the best strategy for us since we have small kids. We certainly don't want to try to cram in too much and get burned out.

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Dis-Friend

 

[alicat8]

I'm new here too, but somewhat of a Disney pro This is my first post!

Is there a reason you don't want to see the other parks??? They're all amazing in their own way. HS has some awesome rides (though not a full day park for me) and Fantasmic. AK also has tons and is a bazillion times better than a regular zoo (great shows and rides too!)

 

[Cruisinskier]

Hi.. We are just back from WDW and I have to agree that AK would be a great park for the younger kids. Not sure they would enjoy 2 days at Epcot, especially if the have MK to compare it to....I would change it to 1 day Epcot (do first), 2 days MK and 1 day AK (which is also typically a shorter day so will give you some pool time).
Enjoy your trip and the time in the Villa!!!

 

[maryandtyson]

Hi.. We are just back from WDW and I have to agree that AK would be a great park for the younger kids. Not sure they would enjoy 2 days at Epcot, especially if the have MK to compare it to....I would change it to 1 day Epcot (do first), 2 days MK and 1 day AK (which is also typically a shorter day so will give you some pool time).
Enjoy your trip and the time in the Villa!!!

I totally second this plan! Once your kids see MK, it might be hard to tear them away from it! We love AK (animals, Festival of the Lion King, Rafiki's Planet Watch has a petting zoo...) and HS has Disney Junior Live on Stage, the Muppets, Beauty and the Beast stage show - worthy of a part day, at least.

Enjoy the time and the memories you are creating with you family!