Trying to plan a trip for 5...advice please!

[jennz]

Hi everyone! We're going to WDW 4/2/06 (arriving around 6 pm) - 4/7/06 (leaving around noon) and are trying to get some friends to go with us. They want to go but are worried about the cost. I posted on the resorts boards for advice on that and was hoping I could get more info here...they have 2 boys, one teen and one pre-teen and an 8 yr old girl. We'll be driving down. I got a quote for room and tickets and they put them in 2 value rooms, the cost was around $2300. How can I cut that? She's a nurse, he works at a bank, and they have AAA. Any ideas??

Thanks!!

 

[HeatherC]

Have you considered staying offsite? You can cut your room cost by quite a bit I would imagine. If you have a car, it is super easy to get to Disney from a ton of places.

A couple suggestions would be renting at Cypress Pointe (about $100 a night for a 2 bedroom) through Hotel Kingdom. Or...a condo at Windsor Palms....or look on SkyAuction. We rented a 2 bedroom last year at Orange Lake for $260 for a week! The condos are awesome and some are even closer to some of the theme parks than the onsite resorts. Plus...in my opinion (just my opinion...not good or bad), but the value resorts are nothing great to me. Yes the theming is nice, but the rooms are SMALL and are only a basic hotel room. You can stay in a MUCH larger place for 1/2 the price....have two or three bedrooms each with a tv, a couple of bathrooms, washer/dryer and full kitchen. Not that you want to cook, but it is nice to have breakfast in your jammies. A couple other nice ones are Windsor Palms, any of the Marriott Resorts, Hilton Grand Vacation Club, Sheraton Vistana.

Also...depending on what day you arrive, I would not necessarily buy a pass for that day. You may only need a three or four day pass...which would cut the cost a little.

Go to Mousesavers.com and sign up for the free newsletter. This has great info and offers special ticket prices through the newsletter link.

Just as an FYI....we have gone many times for no less than two days for less than $2300. It can definitely be done, you just need to plan a little more. These boards are a terrific resource.

Hope this helps.

Heather C

 

[HeatherC]

Forgot to mention that we too are a family of five and I hate having to pay for two rooms so everyone has a bed. That's why I love the condos so much. Most of them sleep anywhere from 6-10 people for less than the cost of one single hotel room.

HeatherC

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

Staying offsite is probably the easiest cost-cutter but here are some other options:
- Stay onsite at POR. There's a trundle bed in some rooms that will accommodate a 5th person if they are not that big (ie a small child). With a AAA discount, the room would probable run them about $166/night with tax.

- Make sure that the room is a std. view and not a preferred room.

- Check to see if the quote includes insurance. Drop it if it has been. Insurance can always be obtained thru another source like InsureMyTrip.com for less.

- nurses get a discount at the Swan or Dolphin. I think that rooms at the Swan will accomodate 5 people. They also offer AAA, Entertainment Book and AARP discounts.

- Check MouseSavers.com for info on discounts at DtD area hotels. Many have free breakfast and some will accomodate up to 6 people in one room.

- Change your dates. You've chosen to go during Peak Season. Rooms are at their second-highest rates. The difference between the cost of a Value resort during Value Season and Peak Season is about $40/night when you take taxes into account.

- Remove the Hopping or Magic Plus options from the tickets if they have been added. Hopping adds another $37+ to each ticket. Magic Plus is another $47+ per pass. Use the AllEarsNet.com Ticket Price Comparison Chart to figure out whether it is worth reducing the number of days on their passes in order to save money.

I'm sure that they can knock a few $$ off of the cost of the trip. Keep you eyes open for Spring 2006 discounts. There's a rumor that discounts for 1/1 to 3/8 are set to be announced on 11/3. Discounts for April will probably not come out until the new year. Good luck!

 

[jennz]

Thanks for the tips - I'll search for a few different options to give them, I don't want them to have "sticker shock."

 

[lovewdwdvc]

There is a nurse discount available and the Swan/Dolphin. You will have 2 queen beds and can requestaroll away for an additional charge of (i think)$25. It is a lovely resort.

A one bedroom DVC technically sleeps 4 but you can bring anair matress for the extra person. This way you will have full kitchen livingroom with pullout sofa, lovely masterbedroomwith kingbedjetted tub etc.

 

[MARCIAKAZ]

We are also a family of five. We stayed in a 3 bedroom condo at windsor palms last year for under $600 for 7 nights. It was very comfortable and a short drive to WDW. As for onsite, I imagine that POR with a trundle would cost less than two value rooms.

 

[tinkerbell13]

My family of 5 stayed 8 nights for less than $700 for a 3 bedroom Condo. It really was the best option for us. I have two teenagers and would not want to cram into a hotel room for that long, nor do I want to pay for 2 rooms for more than we got the condo for. It was great! We were in the Emerald Isle community and loved it. Super close to the parks, but you do need a car.

 

[poohj80]

I highly recommend staying on site if at all possible. It's just more magical to us.

Have you considered renting DVC points from a member? You get the same amenities of a condo while still being on Disney property. If still available, both families would fit in a Grand Villa and Old Key West requires the lowest number of points.