Trip info gathering help!

[apugslife]

Hi! My dh and I are planning a trip to WDW in Decemer 4 - 17 2004 (we find out in a few days if he can have the time off from work, more than likely). I know we have plenty of time still, but I like to find out as much as I can, especially with this being such a long and (expensive, I'm sure) trip. We are traveling by vehicle from Central Ohio and will probably stay in Atlanta and arrive in Orlando on 12/5. We will be leaving Orlando on 12/16 and stay in Charlotte that night (wanted to take a different way to and from). Home on the 17th. This is his 2nd trip (1st was at young age with family) and my 1st. I will be making every arrangement. I was thinking of using priceline for each hotel we need. I know they charge a fee, but I thought it would be neat to try a few different hotels while in Orlando. We are looking for top notch under $80 (before tax) if possible. I saw a few hotels online that look nice: Sheraton Vistana Villages, Best Western DTD, Radisson Parkway, Gaylord Palms, etc...
We were thinking of doing the 7 day Park hopper plus and 1 day at Universal Studios. I also want to hit the outlets as soon as we can for disney gear (to save money from the parks) our big all out meal of the day will be lunch, to save from dinner costs. We also will be doing all our Christmas shopping there (one reason we are driving). Any advice would be appreciated. We are trying to keep costs down, while still having a magical time. We have an extra cost over most. We have 4 dogs to board, grand total around $850!!!!
When should I book our hotels? When should I buy tickets?
Thanks!!!

Stephanie

 

[apugslife]

I already have the 2004 Unofficial guide to WDW and the 2004 one from Birnbaum. I ordered the 2004 Passporter and am awaiting arrival. Any other book recommendations or other info resources are much welcomed. Thanks again everyone!

 

[apugslife]

Ok, I promise this is the last question (for now)!!! Can skyauction.com be trusted? Anyone have a good transaction with them. I see the Radisson Parkway listed for my travel dates at $1/nt right now. Is there any hidden fees or things I should know before using this site. I use ebay quite often, but am afraid to lose my money biding on that site for vacation deals. Thanks again and again!

Stephanie

 

[TGC]

You picked a great time to go to Disney World. I was there 2 years ago the 1st and 2nd week of December. The crowds are very small. (Thanksgiving crowds are gone and Christmas crowds have not yet come) We did not wait in any lines more than 10-15 minutes. Many attractions had no wait at all. Hope you are as lucky. It is a slow time so Hotel deals should be easy to find.

 

[Lisa P.]

You may want to consider starting the trip with a weekly stay at a luxury timeshare resort like Sheraton Vistana Villages. If you get a 1BR w/full kitchen, they usually have an inroom jacuzzi tub & inroom washer/dryer. Then you don't need to pack as much stuff for your trip. Check-in Dec 5 (Sun.) for the week and use that for your home base for shopping & visiting the Disney parks.

The crowds are so low at that time of year that you won't need Early Entry (especially with FastPass for the most popular attractions). Unless you are really early risers, you may stay up late to visit DTD or CityWalk or enjoy your resort too. Park closing hours are fairly early so you'll probably spend your theme park days at the parks, morning-'til-evening. Save money while spending much of your time at the parks & shopping. SkyAuction.com and TUG's Classifieds can offer good prices on weekly stays. 11thHourVacations.com and HotelKingdom.com can offer good prices on hotel stays, if you want to really save during your park touring.

Priceline would be fine for the 2 of your also, but you don't get to select your hotel. Read all about it at BiddingForTravel.com before you begin. There's no turning back once you commit with Priceline. I like Priceline for a night or 2 but I wouldn't want to use it for a longer stay than that, in case I didn't like the hotel they chose for me.

If you check-out of a weekly rental on the 12th, you could finish with couple nights at a Universal hotel for the Front-of-the-line privileges when you're visiting Universal and then a couple nights at another luxury hotel (Gaylord Palm? Disney Deluxe?) for some rest and a pampering experience at the end of your stay.

Hm... that's what I'd do, anyway.

 

[Lisa P.]

SkyAuction charges a surcharge which must be added to your bid. If you get a weekly rate, there's just one surcharge ($198?) but if you big on a nightly rate, there's a "per night" surcharge (amount?), so be careful to read the fine print before you bid. A lot of people here have posted successful experiences with them. We haven't used them as we have similar options directly through RCI (the timeshare exchange company which supplies most of SkyAuction's timeshare inventory). We've enjoyed our timeshare vacations - Orlando has so many beautiful resorts.

Book your accommodations once you are comfortable with your selection, understanding the cancellation policy of the option you choose.

If possible, get your tickets early, if you are confident of that selection. Prices increase once or twice a year so buying sooner is usually a good idea. Some wholesalers sell legitimate discounted tickets. See Mousesavers.com for details. Don't bid on partially used tickets on Ebay - some are scams. Universal sometimes runs special deals (like the 5 days for the price of 2 deal currently on their website) so look for a discount there. HTH!

 

[crazelion]

Most say skyauction is okey to use. It's good for getting Resorts for 250.00 a week using the ready set go options. They by night hotels is not a good deal. Yes they have fee to be add to the bill.

 

[iluvflorida]

Hi. I use skyauction all the time. Have booked over 25 timeshares with them. They are 100% safe and realiable. They will bend over backwords to satisfy. The services and taxes are extra but shown on the auction near the bottom. NOT always the same depends on auction. There is an additional one time charge on winning aution of $15 (booking fee). I agree with prior poster that you really should try to get a timeshare through skyauction. They often go very cheap. I generally pay between $225 and $450 for a 2 BR/2Bath 1100sq. ft+ condo for 7 nights. Yes that price includes the services charges and taxes etc. This is alway Feb and lst week of March. Your $80 suggestion is $560 and then you pay state and room tax above this for 7 nights.
If you take the timeshare tour (not required) you will get cash up to $100 or free or next to free tickets to theme parks. Please feel free to email me if you have more questions about skyauction.

 

[sln88]

I have only used Skyauction 4 times, but have been happy with what I have gotten.
Not a full service travel agency by any mean, but you get what you pay for.
As far as their nightly auctions, I don't feel that they are usually worth it. You have to add on a fee of $32 per night, and usually you can find the hotel for the same or less through conventional means.
I think their weekly auctions are a great deal. You add $195 plus $15 to you winning bid. The ready, set, go auctions are the best.

If Skayauction does not work for you, Hotelkingdom and Travelzoo have good deals.

I have heard the Christmas party at MK is nice- maybe you can go to that while you are there.