Would like help in where to start planning our trip

[TaraJean977]

I am a 31 year old mother to 3 boys...ages 5, 3 & 3. I've never been to disney, not even as a child. My husband is the only one in our house that's been and he also went as a young teen and he's now 34. We want to stay within a budget of $3,000-4,000 for our total trip.

Where do I even start as far as planning?

Is November, a good time to go? Next November?

 

[DisneyWorldbuff]

Never been to Disney!?! well.... you are in the right place. First, look at the WDW webite to find the different "seasons" for 2009- you will probably want to travel during a "Value" season to save the most money. Also, look at the "Value" resorts. That's my advice on where to start... but, I am sure that other people will have other suggetions too. First, pick your dates and resort and then you can plan more specifics from there. Good luck!!!

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I am a 31 year old mother to 3 boys...ages 5, 3 & 3. I've never been to disney, not even as a child. My husband is the only one in our house that's been and he also went as a young teen and he's now 34. We want to stay within a budget of $3,000-4,000 for our total trip.

Where do I even start as far as planning?

Is November, a good time to go? Next November?

The first thing you need to do is pick your exact dates and which resort you will be staying at. Mid-November is a great time to go. The crowds are pretty good and the weather is nice.

You can do All-Star Movies or POP for 7 nights with the basic dining plan for less than $3,000.00. For about $500.00 more you can stay at a moderate, like Port Orleans. For about $1,000.00 more you can stay at a Deluxe, like Animal Kingdom Lodge or Wilderness Lodge (any of the other Deluxe resorts will add even more money on).

I have stayed at all levels of Disney resorts and they are all wonderful. Right now we have 4 young children and the Value resorts are just a good fit for us. All-Star Movies is the children's favorite resort.

Also, we love the basic dining plan. It's about $39.00 per adult per night and $10.00 per child per night. Without the dining plan there is just no way I could feed my kids on $10 per day in Disney. You definitely need to make your reservations at the 180 day mark so you can get the restaurants you want to eat at. I use the touringplans.com website (it's the companion website to the travel guide The Unoffical Guide to Walt Disney World). It's $7.95 to join their site, but it is worth every penny. You can look at their crowd calender and plan your park days up to a year in advance. I look up my dates and pick which parks I will be in on which days and then I am able to pick my restaurants by the park or resort area we will be in on that day.

Hope this info helps. Happy planning!

 

[GRUMPY D]

hi early nov is nice but watch the closer to thanksgiving you get the more crowed it gets , the value resorts are nice they are more kid themed as for food if you have a car there skip the dinning plan and stop at the store for a couple a dollars more you can get a small frig in your room or you can spilit the meals betwen the kids at that age the dinning plan cost more than thay eat , character meals are sweet but are not worth it you can see them in the park for free and get better pictures and git a photo pass there free and good at all the parks you only pay for photos you want ,the park hopper is nice to it gives you the chance to go back to you room in the middle of the day to rest then go back to the park with 3yrs old they will nead a rest hope this all helps and just keep asking questions somebody will give the right answers

 

[nurse.darcy]

hi early nov is nice but watch the closer to thanksgiving you get the more crowed it gets , the value resorts are nice they are more kid themed as for food if you have a car there skip the dinning plan and stop at the store for a couple a dollars more you can get a small frig in your room or you can spilit the meals betwen the kids at that age the dinning plan cost more than thay eat , character meals are sweet but are not worth it you can see them in the park for free and get better pictures and git a photo pass there free and good at all the parks you only pay for photos you want ,the park hopper is nice to it gives you the chance to go back to you room in the middle of the day to rest then go back to the park with 3yrs old they will nead a rest hope this all helps and just keep asking questions somebody will give the right answers

Its actually 10 a day more for a small fridge. If you look at the pricing right now for a value (there is discounts available right now, you could get a value for 59 to 69 per night during november. With tax that will probably run you about 550 to 600 for 7 nights. Park hopper tickets for all of you will run $1,285.00. Purchasing the dining plan may or may not be good for you. You will have to decide. My issues with the dining plan are that I never eat at a table service restaurant every day. But they do have the new counter service dining plan and I think with your lot I would go with that and then if you choose some sit down meals you can pay for those out of pocket. I Went at the end of september with a friend, saw everything, enjoyed shows, made a couple dining ressies, and just basically had a great time. It was the least expensive trip I have been on yet and the most fun.

Anyway, your $4,000 budget is very doable if you plan properly. Enjoy!

 

[nurse.darcy]

Okay, I went to the WDW website and priced out a complete vacation package for you all (except air fare). These are at full price. At a value for 7 nights with 7 day park hopper and quick service dining plan (2 counter service and 2 snacks per day) Your total would be approximately 2,600.00. For a moderate your total would be 3,400. Either one would fall within your budget and you would have a great time.

 

[Metro West]

 

[lsmithruns]

I'd recommend the buying the current issue of the Unofficial Guide to WDW. There is a lot of good information in it for planning a trip, coming up with touring plans, etc. I think it is definately worth the $20.

Of course this website is a great place for information too and it is FREE!