We've decided to go to Disney! Now what?

[Stacey34]

Our family went to Disney when my daughters were 3 and 6. They are now 17 and 20 and they want to go back. After discussing it with my husband we have decided to go in June. Right after school lets out. What do I do now? We are members of AAA so I will be calling them tomorrow to get information. My daughters would like to stay at a resort and since we will be flying in from Ohio I like the idea of the free transportation to the parks. I have looked on the Disney site but I am assuming there are cheaper ways of going. I guess I am looking for some suggestions as to what my next step should be. We know that we want to stay for 5 nights and we want park hopper tickets. Could anyone give me some advice?
Thank you for your help!

 

[bcsmom]

You can watch the disney site for deals that come out. Also if you bought an annual pass for at least one member of the party, you would get an AP discount on your room (as long as they had a discount during your stay). I do not have AAA, but some people say that the discount through them is close to the AP discount on rooms. I prefer to stay in deluxe resorts, but some people save some money by staying at the value's or the mod's. I am a DVC member & we do rent points if you want to stay at one the DVC resorts. You can basically save about 40% off of your room. In the DVC rooms you can get a studio with a kitchenette or a 1 or 2 bdrm with a full kitchen. Check on the rent trade boards if you are interested in that. Also you will need to check out the restaurant boards, so you can plan your dining. You will want to book your ressies at any table service restaurant that you would like to eat at.

 

[jezabel_007]

What do DVC and AP mean?

I booked through CAA (Canadian) and I got a discount (not sure how much exactly). We stayed at AKL.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Wow! Congratulations on your decision. The place has undergone lots of changes in the years, and I would do lots of reading. We wouldn't try to do it all but maybe you and your family are the commando types and would enjoy the challenge.

Think about doing the Hoop dee doo review, or a character meal, we're already in the time to book these things, and for all I know you could be too late for certain things.

Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach are great water parks.

We are DVC as well, and had friends come in December who had never been to WDW, and we gave them some information, they were members of AAA as well, and they made a list of "must sees." We sure tried to get to them all!

Also, you may want to take a tour like the Keys to the Kingdom. It may be crowded when you are there and doing something like a tour helps you to get away from the crowd and have a good time doing something special together.

Bobbi

DVC = Disney Vacation Club, we bought into Disney's timeshare!
AP Annual Pass

 

[Stacy's a freak]

That's so exciting! Having old kids will be really fun

You've started well - talking to AAA is a good start. It is true that you can get deals if you watch the boards, but it seems that most deals are on the last-minute side. If you are a planner, AAA is a good way to go because you will save on the room/ticket package in the beginning and you won't have to wait for discounts (but you can, if you choose).

You might also want to think about doing the dining plan. At approx. $40 per person, per day, it will probably be a good deal for your family.

Otherwise, keep your eye on the boards for other suggestions - before your vacation, you are likely to feel like a pro after reading these boards

 

[goofy's friends]

I always start with a guide book. I would go buy one and start marking it up. After choosing and arranging for your accomodations, Choose your favorite things to do and places to eat--good opinions on this board as well. Check for the extra magic hours at each park the days you are going to be there and organize your days according to that. You may want to avoid the crowds at the EMH park or you may want to get that extra time in at that park. Once you have decided on what park to do each day, call and make reservations to eat. Be sure to do at least one character meal! Have a great time.

 

[eblack0409]

If you are looking to save money...I would suggest going with a Value resort...either Pop Century, All Star Music, Movies, or Sports. Talk with your AAA agent and they can give you prices. DH and I joined AAA last year and it has saved us alot of money on our trip in May, as well as the one we are planning in September!

 

[wasabi girl]

I'd suggest maybe a guide book to help with planning too. And the DVD from DisneyWorld. I just went with my DDs 17 and 20 this past December. We had a fabulous time. Loved the character meals, behind the scenes tours...the on site transportation..
The folks on this board are so helpful and knowledable...they will help you with practically everything.
Good advice I've gotten on these boards..."you can't do everything in a week"
Have fun! You will be surprised (or not, I sure was) at how much fun your older daughters will have at WDW!

 

[umbluegray]

First thing I would do (in case you haven't done this yet) is to go to www.disney.com and order a free copy of the WDW Vacation Planning Kit DVD.

I'd use this site, DIS, as a great source of information and tools. There are tools to help you schedule when to call WDW for reservations, etc.

I came up with a list of various activities, events, shows, and dining options as well as some non-WDW attractions. I then got my family together for a planning meeting to get an idea of what everybody was interested in.

Once we came up with a general itenerary, I went into mega-planning mode. How many days at MK, AK, MGM, EPCOT, etc. Which park on which day.

I almost enjoyed the planning as much as the trip.

Have fun!!!!

 

[jezabel_007]

Definetly Disney Dining...totally worth it. It costs $37.99 per person, per day incl. tax, and the tip is included.

 

[mama22]

Welcome! You started your planning out right by joining this board. The people here are so incredibly helpful and fun!

Once you have your dates ready, you will want to work out a tentative schedule, i.e. Monday at MK(Magic Kingdom), Tues at Epcot, etc., etc. The restaurants start taking "reservations" (ADRs) 180 days prior, so you can already start making these now. You probably still have time for the vast majority of restaurants in Disneyworld, but there are some restaurants fill up fast. You don't have to make these ADRs for every day, but if you go through the restaurant list and see some that you think your family may want to try, I would just call now and make the reservstion for the date and the time you want. With the new dining plan, table service restaurants have become very popular, making it very difficult to just walk in and get a table without a reservation without having to wait 1 or 2 hours+!

Have fun planning!

 

[Gary M]

http://www.mousesavers.com/disneyresorts.html#ap Click on this site to check the AP room rate situation. AP room discounts should give you a much better room discount than AAA. You just have to check to see if the rate is available for your resort and time of travel. If you stay at a deluxe resort or maybe even a moderate resort it may save enough money for one of you to buy an AP. If you all stay in the same room there will be an additional charge for the 20 year old daughter.

 

[aviva5675]

A wonderful AAA agent to work with is Kristin Basnett, I found her thru these boards and she has been great---******************************.com. ...
I also recommend a guidebook--the Unofficial Guide is great, really spells things out.
If your family eats at least one sit down meal a day I'd recommend the Dining Plan, as others have mentioned- for $37/day / person you get a snack, a counter service meal and a whole table serivice meal (or credit) including tax and tip. Its a real bargain since food at Disney is so expensive.
Your other big decision will be where to stay, and a TA like Kristin and a guidebook can be very helpful that way...
Have fun!


please PM me for Kristins email or phone- guess it didnt show for some reason....

 

[Hopefully]

Welcome to the DIS!!! You will find a wealth of information here. Keep asking questions and you will get answers.
I echo the advice to get a good guide book. The Unofficial Guide has a wealth of information as well as the Official Birnbaum Guide or the Passporter. Each of these offers something different and they are all helpful in some way.
I too recommend the Dining Plan if you like at least one sit down meal a day. It is $38/person/day and you get a TS meal including an appetizer, entree, desesrt, Tax and Tip, as well as a CS meal and a snack. There is a special forum at the top of the Restaurant Boards here on the DIS that will answer all your questions about the plan. We (3 Adults) saved $450 over the cost of the plan in October. Remember though, a sit down meal will take an average of 1 1/2 hours of your park touring time. You will have to decide what works for you.
Also check out the restaurants and menus at allearsnet.com. This can help you both decide where to eat, and once you have done that it will help you decide whether the Dining Plan will work for you as well as how to plan a meal budget. Food is expensive at Disney. I agree with the recommendation to go to the Hoop Dee Doo Review. It is pure Disney. Down home food (Fried Chicken, Ribs, Corn etc.) and a show with corny jokes and singing etc.
Check out the hours on the Official web site and make a tenative itinerary of which park which day. Are you early risers who will be up and out at park opening? If so the morning EMH will be great for you. You can get lots done in those first hours of the day. If not, you might want to avoid the EMH park on that day as it gets busier than usual as the day goes on. One strategy I have seen is to visit a park the day after it has had an evening EMH - folks say it is less crowded that day.
Once you have gathered some information, have a family meeting. As another poster said, one of the most important pieces of advice for you is to realize that you can not do it all in 5 days. There is so much to see and do at Disney. Have each member of your family come up with a list of "Must Do's" (maybe 3 or 4 each) and plan from there.
Planning for me is also as much fun as the trip itself.
Feel free to come back and ask more questions as you learn more and Have Fun Planning!!!

 

[Disney Spaz]

I conqure with the other posters about getting the DVD and the Guide book. I would review it and have the family choose a resort in each catagory they would like to stay at. Since you already know what tickets you want head over to AAA and start having someone price out a trip for you. Then depending on your budget choose the resort, tickets and possible dining that is right for your family. We are trying the dining plan through AAA this Nov because of how much our teenage DS's eat. Once you have the reservation I would review the guide book maps and set up a list of must do rides and attractions your family wants to do. Planning with the family can be half the fun. Either way know that no matter what you do it will be great. YOUR GOING TO WDW!