Hi! This is my first post here, but I've been browsing the boards for about 6 months. Warning, this will be really long!!! We have come across an unexpected way to save on our vacation and I don't know whether I should pocket it for more "free spending" while in the parks or if I should take the opportunity to upgrade to a deluxe hotel (which we will not likely afford in the future). Here are the details:
We are a family of 4, me, DH, and 2 kiddos, ages 6 and 3. We are traveling with my dad and my sister at the end of April. We are currently booked at POR, which I chose after a ridiculous amount of research and hmming and hawing.
We are on a tight budget, and had plans to save wherever we could on dining, etc, for example by sharing meals or ordering sides, and eating breakfast in the room.
So, my sister just got hired on full time by Disney (corporate, not parks). She will be receiving a Silver Pass (free entrance for 3 of us) as well as 50% off hotels (only based on limited availability). The savings for us having 3 of us get in free is about $1000. We went through and priced out our options for deluxes, and the only two even close to being affordable for us are Wilderness Lodge and Boardwalk. WL would cost us $350 more total, BW would cost us $475 more total.
What I know: WL has a boat to MK, a plus with two small kids. It also has a boat to CR and the monorail. Plus, the boat to Ft Wilderness means even more activity options for the evenings we have planned to not be at a park. Downside: The theme is PNW, and we live in the PNW. I doubt my kids would care about that, and DH doesn't see why I think this is a problem, but it IS a little weird to me to leave here to arrive at a resort that looks like here, lol! It's not a deal killer, just something I am pondering.
Boardwalk is intriguing, with easy access to the Boardwalk itself, plus walking distance to epcot and boat ride to DHS. I don't know if the Boardwalk will be great for the kiddos or not, but I guess dining options are nice. The rooms at BW look a lot brighter and nicer than those at WL. The pool, however, looks not awesome, and the clown is just scary and ugly! Walking to Epcot is a plus, for sure, and a boat to DHS sounds fun. We will be at Epcot and MK more than the other parks, though.
Last, if we just stay put in our current resort, we would have a large amount of cushion money while in the parks. That would mean dining without worrying about prices, more souvenir money, etc. It would also mean buses to every park, which is true of all mod resorts, and I knew that when I booked it. I don't know how hard the reality of this will be with two little ones, with planned park breaks for resting at the resort in the afternoon for at least a few of the days. I hear both great things and terrible things about the bus system.
I'd love some opinions. My dad, sister and DH all are open to either. I am the planner for this trip, and I am the one most concerned with the $$ and how and where to use them. We are usually tight on money and this is something long saved for and put together with Christmas money, etc. Saving all that money sounds really great, but on the other hand, who knows if my sister will still be working where she's working in a few years when we want to go again!!
Thoughts?
ETA: I should have mentioned that we won't get a discount at POR because there are no cast member rooms left. If we went to POFQ, we would save $400 on the total price. So we could also "downgrade" (in my opinion....I know some people love that one, but it just looks so much less fun than POR).
We are a family of 4, me, DH, and 2 kiddos, ages 6 and 3. We are traveling with my dad and my sister at the end of April. We are currently booked at POR, which I chose after a ridiculous amount of research and hmming and hawing.
We are on a tight budget, and had plans to save wherever we could on dining, etc, for example by sharing meals or ordering sides, and eating breakfast in the room.So, my sister just got hired on full time by Disney (corporate, not parks). She will be receiving a Silver Pass (free entrance for 3 of us) as well as 50% off hotels (only based on limited availability). The savings for us having 3 of us get in free is about $1000. We went through and priced out our options for deluxes, and the only two even close to being affordable for us are Wilderness Lodge and Boardwalk. WL would cost us $350 more total, BW would cost us $475 more total.
What I know: WL has a boat to MK, a plus with two small kids. It also has a boat to CR and the monorail. Plus, the boat to Ft Wilderness means even more activity options for the evenings we have planned to not be at a park. Downside: The theme is PNW, and we live in the PNW. I doubt my kids would care about that, and DH doesn't see why I think this is a problem, but it IS a little weird to me to leave here to arrive at a resort that looks like here, lol! It's not a deal killer, just something I am pondering.
Boardwalk is intriguing, with easy access to the Boardwalk itself, plus walking distance to epcot and boat ride to DHS. I don't know if the Boardwalk will be great for the kiddos or not, but I guess dining options are nice. The rooms at BW look a lot brighter and nicer than those at WL. The pool, however, looks not awesome, and the clown is just scary and ugly! Walking to Epcot is a plus, for sure, and a boat to DHS sounds fun. We will be at Epcot and MK more than the other parks, though.
Last, if we just stay put in our current resort, we would have a large amount of cushion money while in the parks. That would mean dining without worrying about prices, more souvenir money, etc. It would also mean buses to every park, which is true of all mod resorts, and I knew that when I booked it. I don't know how hard the reality of this will be with two little ones, with planned park breaks for resting at the resort in the afternoon for at least a few of the days. I hear both great things and terrible things about the bus system.
I'd love some opinions. My dad, sister and DH all are open to either. I am the planner for this trip, and I am the one most concerned with the $$ and how and where to use them. We are usually tight on money and this is something long saved for and put together with Christmas money, etc. Saving all that money sounds really great, but on the other hand, who knows if my sister will still be working where she's working in a few years when we want to go again!!
Thoughts?
ETA: I should have mentioned that we won't get a discount at POR because there are no cast member rooms left. If we went to POFQ, we would save $400 on the total price. So we could also "downgrade" (in my opinion....I know some people love that one, but it just looks so much less fun than POR).
But, having said that, because I am a very conservative and practical person when it comes to finances, I would save the extra $$$ The setting to me is so much more personal and cozy and I love the themeing. You would still have all the perks, but with less money 
Whatever you decide have great vacation 
) Our opinion was just that is was too much like home. We didn't love it. It was dark and just not our cup of tea. 
to the DISboards 
I am another French Quarter lover 
Happy planning no matter what you decide 
