Where to begin?

[elute]

Ok, I am lost. We are in Toronto and would like to plan a trip to Disney World for the fall. We have 4 children under the age of 6 and would like to bring the grandparents along. If anyone has any tips or anything, it would be greatly appreciated. There seems to be so much information out there but I don't know where to start!

Thanks!

 

[mtmbyck]

yikes....you have a kot of research to do!!

Stay on www.wdwinfo.com and you will find everything you need.

Set a budget and then find the accommodations that fit that budget. If you go in Sept you might be lucky enough to hit the parks during free dining ( a HUGE savings).

I always think first timers should stay onsite so you can use the buses and the resort as your guides. Not sure what to reccommend though given you are 6 - the largest hotel room only handles 5 - might want to try renting pts from a DVC member and get a 2 bedroom at Old Key West!

 

[lisalonglash]

Ok, I am lost. We are in Toronto and would like to plan a trip to Disney World for the fall. We have 4 children under the age of 6 and would like to bring the grandparents along. If anyone has any tips or anything, it would be greatly appreciated. There seems to be so much information out there but I don't know where to start!

Thanks!

My tip is to enjoy yourself on these boards and to use a Disney-specialist travel agency! I distinctly remember feeling just like you are when I was trying to plan our WDW vacation last October. Then several people let me in on a fantastic fact - there is an incredibly wonderful agency in Bolton, ON that I (and countless others) HIGHLY recommend - Fairytale Dreams & Destinations They booked everything for us, jumped on any discounts that came up for our dates, can book all your ADRs if you like, answer all the gazillion questions involved in a WDW vacation, etc. It doesn't cost you anything to use them, Disney pays them

I wish you a wonderful, magical vacation!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Then several people let me in on a fantastic fact - there is an incredibly wonderful agency in Bolton, ON that I (and countless others) HIGHLY recommend - Fairytale Dreams & Destinations

Count me in as another fan of Fairytale Dreams & Destinations. We used them for our trip last month and they are nothing short of FANTASTIC! Their staff will help make this a trip you will always remember.

 

[elute]

OMG. Thank you so much, we live in Bolton lol

 

[Applemomma]

If you are looking at Disney Vacation Planners then may I give a plug to Dreams Unlimited Travel (see link at the top of the page). These boards are actually a partner of theirs (though the boards came first I believe). You'll never see them advertising themselves in a post or steering you towards their services but they sure are a knowledgeable bunch. Quite a few of their agents are posters and you can actually get to know their owners through the DisUnplugged podcast and in that forum. It's a totally online travel agency though so it would depend on how comfortable you are with that; some people like the idea of sitting face to face with someone. I planned my last trip on my own but plan to take advantage of them the next time I do a total on property experience just because I know it will save me time. I'll tell them what I want and let them find me the best way to do it!

Apart from that .... READ!! I read constantly on the DisBoards and wdwinfo.com befrore we went. It may seem overwhelming but you'll sort it all out in no time. Disney is one of those vacations that the more you know the better off you are....not because there are things you have to know or a plan you have to follow but so that when things are not going according to plan you can switch gears and not skip a beat. Our last trip was our first as a family and my husband had a conference for the first four days. Because of all I learned on here I toured the parks on my own with our girls with confidence and because I had the "inside scoop" from here I even got us free dining for the week!

Beware though....this quickly becomes an addiction! The best kind though

 

[lisalonglash]

Beware though....this quickly becomes an addiction! The best kind though

Oh now, that is too true! "Hello, my name is Lisa and I am addicted to the DIS, is there a support group for this?"

 

[Drivercan]

Assuming you have a car, you might think about staying offsite in a vacation home/townhouse/condo. The cost savings would be significant.

You would have a lot of room for everyone, you can put the kids to bed and relax after a long day at the parks. You have a kitchen and washer dryer. You can save money by making your own lunches and eating them at the parks. When hunger pangs would start, we would just sit down wherever we were, while in line for a ride or in some shade and open up our lunch and eat. Saved time because we did not have to wait in line for lunch food and save lots of $$$.

If we did not want to eat out for dinner, we would make some spaghetti, salad and garlic bread or any other "home cooked" meal.

The day we arrive, we go grocery shopping to Publix and stock up on what we need. The individual homes would tell you what to bring i.e not all homes supply soap, shamphoo etc like a hotel does.

We've stayed at Windsor Hills and Windsor Palms. You can pm me if you want names of specific companies we booked with.

The condos we stayed at were a 10 minute drive to the parks and you set your own schedule. If you stay onsite you have to wait for shuttle buses based on their schedules not yours. Might be tough with 4 youngsters eager to see Mickey!!

 

[lisalonglash]

OMG. Thank you so much, we live in Bolton lol

You're very welcome! I'm so thankful other people recommended them to us and I feel very confident recommending them to others (especially Canadian Disney-goers, as we all like to use Canadian companies when we can, right?), they are awesome!

 

[maggieb9975]

Count me in as another fan of Fairytale Dreams & Destinations. We used them for our trip last month and they are nothing short of FANTASTIC! Their staff will help make this a trip you will always remember.

tried site..thought there was a virus problem but it was me...sorry....

 

[lisalonglash]

Yikes!!! I thought I would check them out for my next trip possibly and when I went to their site I got a big red square that said as below , is it just me and my settings?

I just went to their site and it was fine, perhaps it is your settings? My settings are pretty tight (external firewall, anti-virus program, etc.)

Perhaps try again

 

[maggieb9975]

I just went to their site and it was fine, perhaps it is your settings? My settings are pretty tight (external firewall, anti-virus program, etc.)

Perhaps try again

It must be my settings which are very tight (3 teenage girls!) and it is strange ..if I go to one reference from google it gives me same warning but from another it doesn't...anyway I am going to delete what I said in previous post as to not scare people away from them...thanks!

 

[AndyMcV]

Hi elute

Here is a great site for someone who is planning a Disney trip for the first time.

Go to www.allearsnet.com and check out the planning section. It's a great site.

 

[ferris198]

I've gotten the same message for the last month now about a virus, and it isn't my computer.

 

[maggieb9975]

I've gotten the same message for the last month now about a virus, and it isn't my computer.

Okay...I feel better...at least it wasn't just me....

To OP...you might want to borrow or buy some Disney books...I found them great and then once I had read them all the info on those wonderful sites , including this one, start to make sense...it can be overwhelming....

P.S. Some good books....Birnbaums, Passporter, Unofficial Tour Guide with kids....I would read them in that order too as the UG one is pretty detailed.

My first trip , I knew nothing about Disney and booked everything thru CAA...(offsite)..I am much wiser now and do all my own booking/planning BUT this site is addictive because there is always some new nugget of info you can learn and eventually give back to people....

Enjoy the planning..it is a big part of the fun.....

 

[fivebyfive]

I've gotten the same message for the last month now about a virus, and it isn't my computer.

Nope and chances are it wasn't the website in question either. There are a couple of "spy wares" floating around which put an ad into Google searches.

Link about it found here: http://http://blog.mpecsinc.ca/2009/01/antivirus-2009-on-googles-home-page.html

Scary stuff huh? I mean one would think that Google would be safe!!