Worried I messed up reservations?

[firsttrip]

I am getting a little worried that what I thought was the best route to plan this trip is backfiring on me. The Frommer guide book I was reading said to try to book "room only" reservations & that packages are usually not a great deal. I did book 5 nights @ WL with an airline discount. Good rate for room only but now that I have that I am wondering if I would have saved more on Magic Your Way. I still haven't bought any park tickets yet and because I haven't booked a packaging I don't have the Dining Your Way package. Is the Magic Your Way such a great deal? I guess what I need to do is sit down and price everything out but can never seem to find the time.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
This is my first trip to WDW and I think there is lots to learn
Thanks
Nancy

 

[epcotitis]

I still think you can spend less on food than the dining plan.
Don't worry about it the planning is part of the adventure. What are some more details of your trip..like date and number of travellers resort preference...That will help answer your questions.

 

[firsttrip]

I just feels overwhelming and maybe I just need to take a step back and not worry so much, but with thinking about dining plans, tickets, flights, it just seems as though there is a lot to think of if you are trying to get the best deal possible. I have booked at WL and am really looking forward to staying there. My kids are small & I think we will all enjoy WL. I need to find the time to price everything out but it seems to be adding up really fast.
Nancy

 

[barbaraann]

First of all, if you have already chosen the hotel (resort) that you want to stay at, and you are happy with that, I would not think about changing to a package. You said that you also have your air fare.

You now need to figure out exactly how many days you will actually be at the parks. You did not say how long your trip was for. Educate yourself about the new ticket plan. Only buy the tickets that you need. Or you can buy one with no-expiration, and use it on a future trip. For instance, if this is a 5 day trip, and you are planning another 5 day trip, you can buy a 10 day no-expiration and definitely save money. I myself, only buy a ticket for one vacation at a time, making it easier to plan. It seems easier to me knowing that I have 5 days in the parks and planning around that. There is plenty to do at Disney World on any given day you may not wish to visit a park.

About the dining. If you have never been to Disney before, and you are going with children, you definitely should try to include a character meal. They are very enjoyable. You can plan that around which park you will be at on that particular day. I personally think the dining plan is too confining. Basically for any vacation, you need to sit down and add everything up. Know what you want, and figure it out Dollars and Cents. A package is not always cheaper.
You may not eat as much food as the dining plan suggests.

The best thing that you can do is read the DIS boards, there is lots of good advice here. Also ask lots of questions. You will get good answers

 

[firsttrip]

Thanks very much. There is so much information on this board. I wish I knew about it before. I do have plenty of time though to start my homework. We are not travelling until November. I am sure you will be hearing from me many times in the next few months.
Great board!
Nancy