Utterly overwhelmed....

[canuckhead]

We are going to WDW in the fall...have booked airfare and now I am looking at the rest of the trip.

I am finding all of this information overwhelming to be totally truthful. I am starting to learn a little after doing lots of research but still haven't figured out if

-it's better to buy the disney dining experience
-go through mouse savers, or expedia or dreams unlimited
-wait to book or do it now...

Any advice on how to get disney smart in a hurry. I really am honestly trying!

thanks fellow canadians
canuckhead

 

[Nala2007]

Well I am not Canadian but I will give you my two cents

DDP is really different for everyone, some will say it's better for their family, some will disagree. You really have to research that one.

I don't know what websites or TA's we are allowed to "plug" on here, but I know what I believe to be the best, you can PM me...or maybe someone will come along and know whether or not we are allowed to do that...

BOOK NOW!! If you want to get what you want and get the dining reservations you want, do it ASAP. Trust me, this family is all about winging it, but for table service restaurants that just isnt really happening anymore unless you are willing to wait an hour plus.

Happy planning! <~~~~ I love that guy...

 

[Scratch42]

To better help you, exactly when in the fall are you planning on going?

Different times during the fall could make or break your trip if you don't plan for stuff now!

j

 

[SnowWhite]

Hi Canuckhead, welcome to the disboards. The Disney Dining Plan (DDP) can be a cost savings feature if you were planning on doing character meals and Disney's table service restaurants. If you were planning on doing alot of just counter service (food court, cafeteria style) restaurants then I would say it would be a waste of money. I will tell you right now that most of the table service meals run a family of four around $110.00 or more usually. Our first experience with the dining plan was last year when we snagged the free dining offer. It was great! We did many restaurants we would have never tried and now purchased the dining plan for this upcoming trip in may. Are your kids young? Would they be interested in doing character meals? Also Disney has wonderful interactive restaurants that aren't character meals but still alot of fun to dine at. Whispering Canyon, Ohana, 50's PrimeTime, etc. If you are going in the fall you will want to make your ressies soon if you are going in Sept, as you can book your ADR's (Advance Dining Reservations) 180 days in advance, plus ten days if you are staying onsite. Hope this info helps. There are a few different ticket options as well, maple leaf tickets, undercovertourist, etc. just price it our for your family and you will make the right decision. Good Luck and don't be afraid to ask for help.

Rob (Snowwhite's DH)

 

[SandraC]

Hello! Take a deep breathe and relax.

You are planning your VACATION! YIPPEE!

Just let all the information flow and you'll keep what you want and disguard the rest.

Don't try to do everything.....pick a bunch of MUST DO's and MIGHT DO's and go from there.

Blessings, Sandra

 

[coastgirl]

I felt exactly the same way, but it's worth it to sort it all out, you'll get more out of the trip.

I subscribed to TourGuideMike late in the process, and found it useful, but it would've been more useful if I'd done it earlier. It's only $20 or something, as much as a guidebook.

First trip, we bought an annual pass for 1 adult so we could get the room discounts (not guaranteed, but fairly dependable), then the Disney Dining Experience. For us, the Dining plan was too much food, but that's up to you...We used CAA but could've done as well ourselves. Second trip we got our park passes through undercovertourist, good for Cdns b/c there's no additional international shipping. I also bought the Passporter travel guide (really good organizer and I love their maps) and visit their boards often.

And, if you don't book now, I'd say book soon. We booked to have something and then changed when something better came up. (I.e., the annual pass rates). Mostly you want to be able to book any big "must haves" for dining and know your dates 6 months out, like Cinderella's or Le Cellier if you're interested, or maybe something like a fireworks cruise. If you book room-only (not a package) you only have to pre-pay one night.

There is a lot, I know. Good luck, keep plugging, and try to have fun! If you're a researcher, it's actually kinda fun b/c your efforts will pay off. I have also found these boards and some others really helpful if you have specific questions.

 

[tmli]

If you have CAA, you can book now and get at least that discount. I don't know where you live but you could see if your local CAA has a Disney Specialist.....unfortunately you can sometimes get an agent who doesn't know much more than you do and cause you to be further overwhelmed!! The CAA in Kitchener for example has a Disney Specialist! If booking a package only a CAA can book it, but if you want room only than others can book it.

If you don't have CAA...it may be worth the cost of at least an ala carte membership to get the discounts. If a better deal comes along prior to your FP being made then your agent could rebook at the better deal.

You said Disney Dining Experience--did you mean plan or the DDE card? The DDE card is only available to AP holders or florida residents.

 

[daver]

We are going to WDW in the fall...have booked airfare and now I am looking at the rest of the trip.

I am finding all of this information overwhelming to be totally truthful. I am starting to learn a little after doing lots of research but still haven't figured out if

-it's better to buy the disney dining experience
-go through mouse savers, or expedia or dreams unlimited
-wait to book or do it now...

Any advice on how to get disney smart in a hurry. I really am honestly trying!

thanks fellow canadians
canuckhead

Well, let's look at the questions. For the DDP ... since you are staying on site, do you want to say have some character meals and eat at some of the more expensive restaurants? If so, go with DDP, if you want to eat on the cheap, you can do it without the DDP. We went for the first time and took the DDP, Had more than we could eat, but we didn't have to sacrifice when it came to choices. You are there to have fun so why worry about how to eat cheap?

I booked right on Disney last year and again this year, I personally could not find a better price that would save me any more than say 1-3% off my trip. With Disney, I felt confident that it would go as planned, and it did.

One advantage of booking right now through Disney is this. You can book now, change/modify plans as specials/sales come along. Best of all you can put $200.00 down and as long as it's paid in full 45 days prior to travel, you are good. That way when the loonie goes up, make a payment. That should save any money you will save anywhere else!

BTW... when are you going? We are Sept 28 - Oct 8 /07

That's my 1.76 cents after exchange

 

[tmli]

One advantage of booking right now through Disney is this. You can book now, change/modify plans as specials/sales come along. Best of all you can put $200.00 down and as long as it's paid in full 45 days prior to travel, you are good. That way when the loonie goes up, make a payment. That should save any money you will save anywhere else!

This is true no matter where you book your vacation. This is a policy of Disney therefore it doesn't matter where the vacation is booked. You can make changes without penalty up to final payment date as well as pay extra anytime you would like to.

 

[tone.def]

We are going to WDW in the fall...have booked airfare and now I am looking at the rest of the trip.

I am finding all of this information overwhelming to be totally truthful. I am starting to learn a little after doing lots of research but still haven't figured out if

-it's better to buy the disney dining experience
-go through mouse savers, or expedia or dreams unlimited
-wait to book or do it now...

Any advice on how to get disney smart in a hurry. I really am honestly trying!

thanks fellow canadians
canuckhead

1.) I think the Dining Plan is a good deal
2.) Mouse Savers isn't a TA, expedia can't answer your questions or give you a "personal touch", DU isn't the only agency out there. I always recommend using a Canadian agent - there are a few here.
3.) Book now.

 

[FayeW]

Welcome, Canuckhead!

If you can give us a few more details (number of people going, ages of children, time of travel, is this strictly a WDW trip, or will you be visiting SeaWorld and Universal theme parks) we can try to give you advice more tailored to your specific circumstance.

We planned our "once in a lifetime" trip in 2003. We did so well budgeting (staying offsite via skyauction, flying out of the US instead of Canada, etc) that we now have 3 trips under our belt! We haven't stayed onsite yet, but we have had really great trips and had fantastic 2 bdrm condos!

Just let us know what you need, we'll be happy to help!

 

[Disney Fanatic]

My vote would be for renting points from a DVC member and staying at a DVC property.

You can go to the DVC boards to do this.

I personally do not like the dining plan because I like to have flexibility in our days and not feel we have to be somewhere specific at a specific time. But this is personal taste.

Lastly go to ticketmania.com and buy your tickets for the duration you need and your all set.

 

[Dazer22]

Welcome, Canuckhead!

If you can give us a few more details (number of people going, ages of children, time of travel, is this strictly a WDW trip, or will you be visiting SeaWorld and Universal theme parks) we can try to give you advice more tailored to your specific circumstance.

We planned our "once in a lifetime" trip in 2003. We did so well budgeting (staying offsite via skyauction, flying out of the US instead of Canada, etc) that we now have 3 trips under our belt! We haven't stayed onsite yet, but we have had really great trips and had fantastic 2 bdrm condos!

Just let us know what you need, we'll be happy to help!

Sorry about the hijack. Faye, I love the pictures. Do you remember where your kids sat in order to be picked to Festival of the Lion King. ( Do they usually pick from the front rows?

 

[nflder]

I know exactly how you are feeling. I am in the process of planning our third trip to Disney in April - Last October when it was time for us to book I got totally overwhelmed and paniced a bit. So you are not the only one who gets overwhelmed!

Relax and enjoy the planning process. The Canadian forum is a great place to get your questions answered.

 

[FayeW]

Sorry about the hijack. Faye, I love the pictures. Do you remember where your kids sat in order to be picked to Festival of the Lion King. ( Do they usually pick from the front rows?

I don't remember which section, but they were in the front row. It was my son's birthday, and he was wearing a "Today's My Birthday" button. The CM saw the button and said "Oh, is today your birthday? Then I have somewhere special for you to sit" and put us in the front row. When our friends arrived, we gave their kids the front row with ours, and all 4 kids were chosen to participate!

My husband did the pictures. He originally had it as a banner, but it was a signature violation so he seperated it into two pictures, and just put them up against each other, so now they are legal!