We went to DL for the last 2 weeks of June; here's what I learned:
1. Phone around (and surf the Web) for flight/package prices. I got the best deals by booking everything myself but two travel agents quoted me vastly different prices for the exact same trip.
2. Spend the extra money and get the Passport Plus tickets (available only from Walt Disney Travel Company). These allow you to hold multiple Fastpasses at any one time. If you're going at a busy time (and when isn't it busy!!??), these are well worth the couple of extra dollars. At one point, we held Fastpasses to about 5 different rides. If you decide to leave the park before you've used the passes, then give them away to someone who's coming in the gate just as you're leaving. (We did this and, quite obviously, made the day for that particular family.)
3. Be careful when picking up your rental vehicle; I specifically asked for no additional insurance but was charged it anyway and I erroneously initialled the rental contract ACCEPTING the insurance (I thought I was declining but DIDN'T READ the contract - having just got off a flight with two small, cranky kids, reading the small print wasn't at the top of my list). Oh, and forget about trying to get this refunded after the fact!! This "little" error cost us US$159.60.
4. If you're using your hotel's shuttle, take the RETURN timetable with you to DL - we learned this the hard way and had to walk home after our first (LONG) day at DL!!!
5. Visit DL in the cooler months - we had unseasonably cool weather for our first 5 days and saw/did so much more (and enjoyed it too!!). The last couple of days were HOT and we all flaked out well before noon. Frankly, it wasn't so much fun!
6. For souvenirs etc. go to the Disney Character Warehouse (I can't remember the address but I'm sure someone on this board knows it). Admittedly the selection isn't what you'll find at DL but the prices absolutely cannot be beaten.
7. To give you a rough guide of food costs, we spent approx US$65 per day for two adults, son aged 8 and daughter aged 5. Our hotel provided "breakfast" (doughnuts or toast); we had lunch and snacks at DL but ate offsite in the evening.
8. One exception to the above, we "splurged" on one dinner at DL. We had reservations at the Blue Bayou but once we arrived in DL, figured the kids would have more fun at Ariel's Grotto - it was GREAT!!! Admittedly, the food wasn't anything to write home about but the atmosphere was terrific and the character encounters (and therefore photo-ops) were plenitful.
9. I spent a LOT of time planning our trip - firstly the whole family helped to prioritize the rides they wanted to go on, then I made up an itinerary based on visiting a couple of "lands" per day. This worked out beautifully. We saw/did the priority items for that particular land first thing and then spent the afternoons going back to previously visited lands and re-riding favourites or seeing/doing anything we'd missed first time around. Before arriving in DL, we had explained to the kids that we would see and do EVERYTHING but they would have to be co-operative in sticking to the "Plan". The kids had no problem whatsoever with this and we didn't spend ANY time playing the "Whaddya you wanna do?" "I dunno, whaddya you wanna do?" game.
This approach demanded that I become a "Disney Commando" and tell everyone else what to do/where to go but I really think that the time I spent planning this trip was WELL worth it. We were able to go at a relaxed pace knowing that we would eventually get to everything. Many families seemed to be rushing around at a frantic pace and you could see them getting more frazzled and cranky by the minute!!!
10. Sea World - well worth the trip but don't eat there!!!!!!
11. Finally, we spent 9 full days in Calfornia (DL and Seaworld) - I should have booked another 7 days of so of RELAXING beach-type vacation. I was absolutely exhausted when we arrived home and could definitely have done with a couple of days of doing absolutely nothing!!!
Hope this helps anyone planning their vacation - we had a wonderful time and I'm sure you will too!!
1. Phone around (and surf the Web) for flight/package prices. I got the best deals by booking everything myself but two travel agents quoted me vastly different prices for the exact same trip.
2. Spend the extra money and get the Passport Plus tickets (available only from Walt Disney Travel Company). These allow you to hold multiple Fastpasses at any one time. If you're going at a busy time (and when isn't it busy!!??), these are well worth the couple of extra dollars. At one point, we held Fastpasses to about 5 different rides. If you decide to leave the park before you've used the passes, then give them away to someone who's coming in the gate just as you're leaving. (We did this and, quite obviously, made the day for that particular family.)
3. Be careful when picking up your rental vehicle; I specifically asked for no additional insurance but was charged it anyway and I erroneously initialled the rental contract ACCEPTING the insurance (I thought I was declining but DIDN'T READ the contract - having just got off a flight with two small, cranky kids, reading the small print wasn't at the top of my list). Oh, and forget about trying to get this refunded after the fact!! This "little" error cost us US$159.60.
4. If you're using your hotel's shuttle, take the RETURN timetable with you to DL - we learned this the hard way and had to walk home after our first (LONG) day at DL!!!
5. Visit DL in the cooler months - we had unseasonably cool weather for our first 5 days and saw/did so much more (and enjoyed it too!!). The last couple of days were HOT and we all flaked out well before noon. Frankly, it wasn't so much fun!
6. For souvenirs etc. go to the Disney Character Warehouse (I can't remember the address but I'm sure someone on this board knows it). Admittedly the selection isn't what you'll find at DL but the prices absolutely cannot be beaten.
7. To give you a rough guide of food costs, we spent approx US$65 per day for two adults, son aged 8 and daughter aged 5. Our hotel provided "breakfast" (doughnuts or toast); we had lunch and snacks at DL but ate offsite in the evening.
8. One exception to the above, we "splurged" on one dinner at DL. We had reservations at the Blue Bayou but once we arrived in DL, figured the kids would have more fun at Ariel's Grotto - it was GREAT!!! Admittedly, the food wasn't anything to write home about but the atmosphere was terrific and the character encounters (and therefore photo-ops) were plenitful.
9. I spent a LOT of time planning our trip - firstly the whole family helped to prioritize the rides they wanted to go on, then I made up an itinerary based on visiting a couple of "lands" per day. This worked out beautifully. We saw/did the priority items for that particular land first thing and then spent the afternoons going back to previously visited lands and re-riding favourites or seeing/doing anything we'd missed first time around. Before arriving in DL, we had explained to the kids that we would see and do EVERYTHING but they would have to be co-operative in sticking to the "Plan". The kids had no problem whatsoever with this and we didn't spend ANY time playing the "Whaddya you wanna do?" "I dunno, whaddya you wanna do?" game.
This approach demanded that I become a "Disney Commando" and tell everyone else what to do/where to go but I really think that the time I spent planning this trip was WELL worth it. We were able to go at a relaxed pace knowing that we would eventually get to everything. Many families seemed to be rushing around at a frantic pace and you could see them getting more frazzled and cranky by the minute!!!
10. Sea World - well worth the trip but don't eat there!!!!!!
11. Finally, we spent 9 full days in Calfornia (DL and Seaworld) - I should have booked another 7 days of so of RELAXING beach-type vacation. I was absolutely exhausted when we arrived home and could definitely have done with a couple of days of doing absolutely nothing!!!
Hope this helps anyone planning their vacation - we had a wonderful time and I'm sure you will too!!
