Very Overwhelmed Newbie

[zbargainmama]

Geez I don't even know where to start there is just so much information. We are planning a trip in 2011 and thought I would get a head start on planning and how to go about saving money.

 

[JoShan1719]

Welcome!

Take a deep breath! Planning is half the fun of a trip. Have you picked out your dates yet? Everything gets easier once you decide exactly when you're going.

 

[zbargainmama]

No dates as of yet I am thinking Jan. 2011. I want to pick a time when things are not too crowded.

 

[JoShan1719]

January is a great time to go, crowds are low since winter break is over. How many people in your group are going? Are you staying on or off property?

 

[Metro West]

 

[zbargainmama]

Just four of us. I plan on staying on property but that is before looking at the hotel prices and budget LOL

 

[Disn3y]

You came to the right place to find out everything you need to planning a great trip! Welcome!

 

[JoShan1719]

You can find a lot of off property hotels at really great prices. Orbitz, Priceline, Kayak, etc. are really helpful in that aspect.

 

[Carol23]

How many days are you thinking about staying?

 

[zbargainmama]

Thinking about staying 7 and then another week somewhere near by so we can do sea world, busch gardens, space shuttle, alligator farms etc.

 

[shaz105]

Hi

Welcome To the Board I know what you mean about overwhemled i am still trying to get my head around things.

I havent even started writing down my PTR yet

 

[Disney Crazy Debbie]

I am like a commando when it comes to WDW trips! So...I may not be the calmest planner; however, if you go in January you do need to think resort/hotel and then start looking over the restaurants for any reservations (ADRs, to be exact). You can make your ADRs 180 days prior to your check-in date.

Have fun, because as it has been previously posted - planning is the beginning of your fun!

 

[magicaldisney]

 

[JoShan1719]

Thinking about staying 7 and then another week somewhere near by so we can do sea world, busch gardens, space shuttle, alligator farms etc.

You should look into the Orlando Flex Ticket. It covers like 6 or 7 parks (not including Disney) and could save you money, rather than buying all of those individual tickets. Here's the link: http://www.orlandoflexticket.co.uk/pages/home

 

[zbargainmama]

I am like a commando when it comes to WDW trips! So...I may not be the calmest planner; however, if you go in January you do need to think resort/hotel and then start looking over the restaurants for any reservations (ADRs, to be exact). You can make your ADRs 180 days prior to your check-in date.

Have fun, because as it has been previously posted - planning is the beginning of your fun!

Is January going to busy I read up on the low season of the parks and it mentioned January I thought we would go around the second week. The prices on hotels are lowest then too.
Am I not making the right decision? We can really go whenever, just sometime between now and Sept. 2011.

 

[lovetoscrap]

Is January going to busy I read up on the low season of the parks and it mentioned January I thought we would go around the second week. The prices on hotels are lowest then too.
Am I not making the right decision? We can really go whenever, just sometime between now and Sept. 2011.

2nd week of Jan. is perfect-- low crowds and not hot. Make sure you know when President's day and MLK weekends are and avoid them because the Fri- Mon crowds will be higher.

You will still want to make your ADR's as soon as you are able (6 months out). Even during the slow times the popular restaurants can fill up fast. Especially the Character Meals and some of the top restaurants. Our Disney Restaurants board can help you out with that.

And you will want to just start looking at the onsite hotel options if you want to stay in a Disney Resort and decide what you want so when you are able to book it you can (I don't think you can book for 2011 yet?). Later in the year keep an eye out for any discounts being offered. Since it is a very slow time Disney often offers additional discounts to fill their rooms.

 

[Tinkerkell123]

Welcome! I think January is a great time to go! Also after Thanksgiving holiday...

Check out AllStarVacationHomes too. We use them when we come to WDW to rent a condo or house. There are 4 of us, but when we do WDW we bring a sitter. We usually rent a 3 bed, 2 bath place and have loads of room and most of the properties are only about 10 minutes from the gate. I believe our last stay of 7 nights in early December was around $1200 for a 3 bed, 2 bath, gorgeous place. They are beautifully furnished and have everything you need for cooking except food! It's not that I don't love Disney's hotels. I LOVE the theming they have, but I just do not want to share a room with the kids and if we bring a sitter we would have to have 2 rooms. Much cheaper to go condo...

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Is January going to busy I read up on the low season of the parks and it mentioned January I thought we would go around the second week. The prices on hotels are lowest then too.
Am I not making the right decision? We can really go whenever, just sometime between now and Sept. 2011.

If you are going the second week of January, then the crowds should be lower. The first week of January is still very busy and the third week can be very busy with MLK holiday. It can still be quite cold in early January, though.

The first week in February has lower crowds. The first week of March has low crowds and the weather is usually really nice by then.

The best way to get started with planning is to buy a good guide book. I, personally, think The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World and their companion website, www.touringplans.com is the best. I use their Crowds/Best Days calendar to plan all of our days. As for resorts/hotels, we only stay on-site. Probably wouldn't go to WDW if we couldn't stay on-site- it's the only way to go, for us. All-Star Movies is our favorite value resort, Port Orleans Riverside is our favorite Moderate and The Polynesian is our favorite Deluxe resort.

Here are some of my best planning tips:

1. Make sure you have Advance Dining Reservations as soon as possible. They are available for booking 180 days in advance.

2. Get to the parks at opening. You really can get a lot done in the morning because so many other people sleep in.

3. Eat lunch around 11:30 a.m. before the fast food places get busy. Then when while everyone else is eating lunch, you will have lower crowds.

4. I buy a ton of the two for a dollar ponchos at the dollar store and keep them in the backpack. That way you can throw them a way after use and not worry about keeping up with a wet bulky poncho the rest of the day. Bring throw away ponchos to wear on Kali River Rapids at Animal Kingdom, if not you WILL get soaked.

5. Other things I put in the backpack each morning are Tylenol/Motrin, small first aid kit, camera with extra batteries, small hand towel, hand sanitizer, wipes and a bottle of water.

6. Most single service items under $4.00 are considered a snack credit on the dining plan.

7. At Magic Kingdom head to Fantasyland first, if you are not doing Fantasyland on a particular day then head to Splash Mountain first, then Big Thunder Mountain; at Epcot always ride Soarin' first and get a Fastpass for later after you get off of the ride; at Disney Hollywood Studios always ride Toy Story Mania first, then head over to Rockin' Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror; and at Animal Kingdom ride Expedition Everest First then head to the Safari.

8. Favorite fast food restaurants at MK are Pecos Bills and Cosmic Rays; favorite fast food at Animal Kingdom is Flame Tree Grill

9. If there are two lines going into an attraction, always take the line that goes to the left.

10. My best tip would have to be USE THE FASTPASS SYSTEM. Our rule of thumb is if the wait is 25 minutes or less, we wait in line. If the wait is 30 minutes or more, use a Fastpass. It is not highly publicized, but your Fastpass does not expire until the end of the day. You can never use it before the return time stamp on the pass, but you can always use it after. We try to collect Fastpasses during the early part of the day and then use them later in the afternoon when the parks become more crowded.

Click on this link by a fellow Disers and it will give you an excellent overview of Fastpass:

http://www.oinc.net/disney/fastpass.php

11. I like the Photopass. You can pre-buy it before your trip for $99.00. When you enter the parks you will see the staff photographers, they will take your pictures and give you a Photopass and you can use that for the rest of your trip. Each time you see a photographer have them take your picture and they will scan your picture. Then when you get home you can pull up the pictures, with the code they email you after purchase, and pick the photos you want on a CD. They will then mail you the CD and the copyrights to the CD and you can take them to Walmart or Walgreens or wherever and get them developed. They also have a lot of cool software that you can use to edit your photos before you have them put on the CD.

My favorite Disney planning sites are:

www.disboards.com
www.allearsnet.com
www.wdwinfo.com

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Welcome! I think January is a great time to go! Also after Thanksgiving holiday...

Check out AllStarVacationHomes too. We use them when we come to WDW to rent a condo or house. There are 4 of us, but when we do WDW we bring a sitter. We usually rent a 3 bed, 2 bath place and have loads of room and most of the properties are only about 10 minutes from the gate. I believe our last stay of 7 nights in early December was around $1200 for a 3 bed, 2 bath, gorgeous place. They are beautifully furnished and have everything you need for cooking except food! It's not that I don't love Disney's hotels. I LOVE the theming they have, but I just do not want to share a room with the kids and if we bring a sitter we would have to have 2 rooms. Much cheaper to go condo...

We are a family of 6 and we always get two connecting rooms at a value resort. It is the cheapest way to stay on-site and we still get all of the Disney perks.

The Disney Dining Plan is a must for us and you just can't get that staying off-site.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

There are lots of ways to start saving! Here are some of the things that I am doing for my upcoming trip:

1) keeping $60 out of each paycheck (can be lower, but that is what I figured I spent in stupid stuff over a 2 week period so I'm putting it elsewhere)
2) recycle aluminum cans (see if family will help you out too)
3) I tried to donate plasma, but due to a DVT a few years back, was not allowed to participate in the program
4) have garage sales to get rid of the stuff we don't need/use anymore
5) judging 4-H fairs over the summer
6) I'm a photographer in my other life, so I've picked up a couple of weddings for friends
7) yardwork for family/shut-ins (don't require them to pay, but sometimes they insist on me taking $15 for my "trouble"
8) switching to store brand items to save on my grocery bills

There are lots of ways to save for vacation without it affecting your regular income. We are staying at a value during value season, which also helps our cost. If a deal comes out, we will upgrade to a mod to stay closer to my DBFF who's coming with us this fall.

Be creative and the more you tuck away now, the less you have to save later!

Good luck... oh, have you picked up a guidebook yet?