Wow, what a site

[sholtz77]

I am amazed! there really ARE others out there that are as obsessed as i am with planning a disney vacation.

i have just stumbled on to this site while trying to plan a disney world vacation dec 12-19 03, it will be me and my girlfriend mary. i have not been to the world since i was a kid (i am now 34) and mary has never been there. i grew up in the midwest, and stayed in disney world many times as a kid, however my girlfriend grew up in seattle and has only been to disneyland.

sorry to ramble but i am so excited about this site!

well, it seems that if you grew up or live east of the rockies you went to dw, and if you lived west you went to dl.

the two of us went to dl in march and had the best times of our lives. i told her that dw far surpassed dl, and that there was really no comparrisson.

with that being said, we are both financially challenged and have considered staying at a value resort, but would really like to stay at a moderate resort. i can see i will have many sleepless nights reading recomendations and suggestions any advise would be greatly appreciated. thanx again for the forums and the site

 

[susy]

Hi and welcome!

I think you have picked a perfect time to go! Coronado Springs is my favorite resort (moderate), but I would stay at All Star Movies if it meant you would have to forgo other things. The Movies is so cute and is really very nice. Dec is sometimes too cold to swim and the park hours are shorter. You could not have picked a better week and it is still value season.
Lots of festivities. I would try to get tickets now to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Also, there is the Candelight Processional at Epcot. I would book a few sit-down meals and at least a few character meals. Try to see some of the resort decorations, like at WL and GF.

check out these sites:
wdwig.com -has resort photos and menus

mousesavers.com for discounts

 

[pixiechick]

Welcome Sholtz77!

Susy made a lot of great points. Staying at a value resort is a better choice if a moderate means eliminating some of the wonderful restaurants and events that happen at that time of year. A lot depends on how much or how little you want to "do".
Another option is to switch resorts for your last night or two to one of the lower priced deluxe resorts, Wilderness or Animal Kingdom Lodge. They are slightly more expensive than the moderates but are beautiful at Christmas. Perfect for just hanging out and relaxing! The cost would average out to equal that of a moderate for the whole week. Some people like to switch resorts, others don't.

December is such a wonderful time to visit the World! You will find lots of great info and advice here. Enjoy!!

 

[tnkrbell]

Welcome to the Dis!!!
If you have ANY Disney question you are sure to find it here!! (Dont forget to check the other disscusion boards for other non resort related questions also)
You can find great rates at Disneys Value resorts like someone else said go to Mousesavers to check out the newest discounts!!
I recomend you stay onsite!! It will make your stay so much better!! (IMHO)
If you havent been to Disney since you were a child you will have ALOT of catching up to do!!!Good luck and enjoy planning!!!

 

[DrTomorrow]

sholtz77, run as far away from this web site as fast as you can! You'll avoid sleepless nights, unproductive days, mornings where you wake up at 7AM ET (4AM your time?) and make phone calls, and a veritable alphabet soup of acronyms (ToT, CRT, MNSSHP, POFQ, ....). Save yourself now!



What, you're still here? Well, in that case....

Welcome, sholtz77, to the DIS boards! You'll find more Disney information that you'll ever need, but the finest group of people I've ever met. Read, ask questions, rant (but over on the Debate Board, please) - make yourself at home.

As to your question: I'd stay at value this time around (it sounds like you might be making return WDW visits in the future) - the All Stars are great for adults too! That way you won't be as worried about $$$ and you'll be able to enjoy it more. You can also scout out the moderates for your next trip.

I echo what other's said: wdwig.com for info, mousesavers.com for savings help.

Be Well!

 

[phyllis1966]

Welcome sholtz77!

My travel agent (TA) told me about this site in April and I've been hooked ever since! I've never encountered so many helpful folks in one place! Since I am obsessed with this site, I check it out almost every night, and during the day, too...my husband (DH) used to make fun of me, but not since some fine folks on the DIS showed me how to save $1300 on my vacation ! Ask any question and I guarantee you'll get at least 10 answers (many more if you hit upon a hot topic!).

Enjoy planning!

 

[>>^..^<<]

Welcome to the DIS

Lots of great people here to help you with any possible question for A to Z.

Have fun planning

>>^..^<<

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

Welcome!

You will love this site and the people who frequent it! Very informative and a true fellowship of DIS lovers!

I also agree with DrTomorrow....Be VERY afraid!

 

[girlsx2]

Welcome!!

As everyone else has mentioned, you will have plenty to read here. I would have never thought that I could ever afford to go to disney with three kids and a husband for anything less than all the gold in Fort Knox. However, thanks to the wonderful people on this site and a few others that many have already told you about, you can do it!! Check out staying at Pop Century. That is a new resort opening later this fall. I am not sure of your dates or the opening date of PC, but it would be worth checking into. It is a value resort. I have only stayed at the Wilderness Lodge (WL) last Feb (got a reallllyyyy good rate) so I can't comment on the moderate resorts, but keep reading. There are threads for FAQ for all resorts, the main thread to get to them is one of the first ones posted on the resort board. Check it out, they are very informative. Hope this helps!!


Sherri

 

[Claudia Kellenberger]

Welcome to The DIS !

When I first found this site, I could barely believe that so many people were as obsessed as I was. I have Web TV at home, so I get the internet on my living room TV. When I found The DIS,
I called my Husband in the living room, and showed him what I found. Honestly......there was a tear in my eye as I was trying to tell him what a wonderful site I found.

Then one day a lightning storm hit our WebTV receiver and it blew up. I had a very brief thought of letting go of the internet.
Then I remembered My "DIS family" and we ran out the very next day to get the WebTV receiver replaced !

 

[Disneymoon04]

to the DIS!

 

[sholtz77]

thank you for all of your notes, you all seem so helpful. just a quick question: has anybody ever seen a moderate for around $100.00 a night?

was thinking about cbr(i'm trying to learn all the acronyms)

 

[off2disney]

Welcome, Sholtz77!

We will be at WDW Dec 15-21 so will be there about the same time. I hear this is a wonderful time to visit Disney, the crowds are lighter, it's value season, and all of the resorts will be decorated for the holidays. I originally planned to go solo and had reservations at Wilderness Lodge, but now my daughter and grandson are joining me so we have switched to All Star Sports (I think he'll like the theming, and too, my daughter wants to try a lot of the restaurants we haven't tried before, so we'll use the money we'll save on lodging to spend on eating. I tease her that she wants to eat her way through Disney!

This is the site to answer all your questions about Disney World! I have found some of the nicest people on this site, and and have used their suggestions to save money and budget for our trip. Another site ou might want to check is: www.mousesavers.com

They have some great information about rades and codes for resorts, rental carsd, etc. It is mind-boggling all the information they provide!

 

[figmentvi]

Accckkkk......a double post and I can't delete it !!!

 

[figmentvi]

Welcome to the DIS......watch out....we're a pretty nutty bunch.

Yes...have definitely seen mods for $100 or less. The best discount is usually for Annual Passholders. Since your going to be spending 7 days in WDW you may want to look into purchasing one when they announce the AP (annual pass) discounts for Dec. You could save up to 40% off rack rate. This board will let you know when that happens BIGTIME. Alot of times the room discount more that pays for the AP. I believe the AP price on the mods during Dec. (not Xmas) last year was $89.00

Only one member of your party needs to have an AP into order to get the discount.

Keep checking in here for other discounts.

BTW.....There will be lots of DIS'ers in WDW during the first and second week of Dec. Check out the DIS meet board for info on when and where.

 

[cinmell]

Welcome!

I just wanted to say Hi and welcome! I'm sure any questions you have can be answered here. In case you haven't seen this yet, here is a list to help you with abbreviations http://www.wdwinfo.com/abbreviations.htm . Happy planning and enjoy your vacation!

 

[susy]

Does anyone know where mousesavers.com has the hsitorical discounts? I know that during value season I have seen discounts for as low as $49 at the values and $74-$79 at the mods. AKL and WL for $109 last year. Unless you will spend lots of time at your resort, I would stay at a value and save your money. Undoubtedly, you will be back!