Hello!
I'm new to this section of Dis and need some help! I'm very familiar with how to book for DLP and get the best price but I'm a little lost with WDW.
I went to Florida as a kid but that seems like a lifetime ago and this will be the first time I'll be booking the holiday. I'm still not convinced I'll be able to afford it so
Some info:
Party: 2 adults, 2 children (DS 3, DD 1),
Dates: June 2013 or School holidays 2014
I have a few questions that I hope you can answer:
- Where to stay and why? I-Drive? Maingate or WDW resort. I think we'll probably spend a week hitting the Disney parks, and a week to do the rest.
- What's the boards favourite budget hotel? We're on a very tight budget!
- Are there likely to be any offers (free dining?) any time soon for the resort hotels?
- When is the best time to book? I appreciate it's getting late for June but is it best to leave it until the last minute or try and get something now?
- Is a car essential?
- Has anyone seen any great offers?!?
- After park tickets, how much spending money do most people take?
- Any other tips would be much appreciated, especially budget related ones!
Thanks to anyone who can offer any help!

Some of your questions are more about personal preference than hard and fast rules, but I will do my best to give you my honest opinion!
Staying off site, on I-Drive or US192 will almost certainly be cheaper but there are pros and cons, especially if you're not sure about driving. Two key things to consider when choosing off site are getting around and whether or not free dining becomes available at the end of the month as expected.
If you don't have a car, you will be relying on public transport or free shuttle services which will have some minimal costs but what you lose in costs you gain in inconvenience. Given that you have 2 very young children and you may want to take breaks during the day. Staying on-site would probably be your better option. Equally, if you are on-site your need for a car drastically reduces and you may get free dining which will reduce your costs further. It's a balancing game, staying on site costs more, but when you factor everything in, an on site stay will probably work out better for your circumstances.
For the best deals in 2013, you've kinda missed the boat. The best prices for on-site were in April -June last year for stays this year. However, you're right on time for the 2014 deals, so all things considered, booking for next year would be better for you, because you can get the best price and you'll have a little longer to get the money together. Rumour has it the free dining and best deals for on-site stays will be released at the end of the month.
Spending money is a difficult one because it depends on the package you get and what you're holiday spending habits are. If you were to book a package on-site with free dining, you won't NEED huge amounts of spending money, because your food is all taken care of. Staying off site has added costs for food so you'd need more. We are a family of 4 (my kids are older and want everything they see!) and when we have free dining, we take around £1200 spending money. I always take a credit card for emergencies too.
Budget tips, again, it depends on what your package is. If you're on site with free dining there are ways to maximize your dining plan. There is a ton of information available online about this so I won't add to the pot! Off-site, there are some good places to eat very reasonably but you are in many ways tied to the park prices which are not very reasonable at all! It's not like you can just leave the park to get some lunch and head back later if you don't have a car and you're staying off-site.
In your situation, I would look at the deals for 2014 at the end of the month. I'd probably opt to stay on-site with no car and free dining (as long as it becomes available). If there is no free dining, I'd look at staying off-site with a car, either on I-Drive or in one of the neighbour hotels in Lake Buena Vista.