WWYD? Family Trip Planning

[AllyReggie]

*WARNING: Super Long Thread*

This is probably more of a rant of frustration than anything... (so feel free to just smack me upside my head and/or ignore me... )

Backstory:
Family had their first trip to Disney back in 2004 (I think? Maybe it was 2003). We stayed at All Star Movies. I was 14 or 15 at the time, brother was 12 Grandmother and Parents were in attendance. I fell in love with Disney World hardcore. Started planning our trips back to the world as soon as I got home, but things always seemed to get put before the trip, and I eventually moved out on my own.

Married my Prince in 2016, we honeymooned at WDW. Stayed at Saratoga Springs in September w/ Free Dining. I was able to get a great deal on the place (in my opinion) and we loved being right next to DS and in a beautiful suite. Husband caught the Disney World bug and now he is very excited about going back with our 1 year old.

The deal:

We were going to just go to Disneyland this September, a few days and just to get back into the Disney spirit. My dad is big into Halloween and wanted to see the Halloween decor. Something just kept eating at the back of my mind. Around January 5th, I happened to be on the WDW website (as I am want to do) and noticed free dining was available for our planned trip days and I thought "what they heck, the prices at DL have increased recently, lets see how much more it is to go to WDW". And to my surprise it really wasn't that much more. Food options are more plentiful, you are fully in the Disney bubble and there are 4 parks versus two. I presented the comparisons to the parents and they agreed, we should go to Disney World. My husband and I will be paying for our share, my parents for theirs.

I provided my parents with 4 different package options, and my mother opted for the cheapest of them all, wanting to save money. I wasn't enthused, but any Disney World is better than no Disney World!

Booked the Free Dining package w/ the TA and we got two rooms at All Star Sports. I explained that they are motel style rooms, with double beds in a small space. Everyone was happy (well, I was fine.).

Fast forward to last night. I am working on planning and itinerary things and watching youtube videos about the hotel and the layout and everything and my mom comes into the living room (Long story we are doing a generational home thing until my husband and I have accumulated a large enough down payment for our own home).

As she is watching the videos with me, she starts to get uneasy/sad. Now she is second guessing the hotels because they (admittedly) look gross/run down and she didn't understand apparently that when I said "double beds" I meant they are the size of a double bed. She wants to be cheap, but she also doesn't want to be in a rundown room and she is worried that if she notices that the rooms are not great, it will be a pock on an otherwise great trip.

I advocated for fancier rooms, so I don't have much room to be impartial, I wanted to go back to Saratoga Springs and get a 2 Bedroom Villa to share. Now I am having to attempt to find all the different options available to us (still wanting free dining) in zero time and with little left to pick from.

So far (at the moment) Saratoga still has a 2 bed villa. Coronado Springs has rooms and Caribbean has some Pirate Rooms. There are a few other options for our dates but they are exorbitantly expensive (even to me).

What would you do? Convince her to splurge on a 2 bedroom villa? Is Coronado good? Should I find something else? How long should I scream "I Told You So" into my pillow to make this feel better?

Thanks in advance for any insight. I know the clock is ticking on this so I hope I can figure out what she really wants before Free Dining disappears!

 

[a1tinkfans]

Ohhhh I hear ur angst.
Try in push thru this with “ ur Going to Disney”.
That being said... she wanted cheap ( in ur description, so no disrespect meant) and cheap is what you got.
I’d not do cbr pirate, it’s more costly room for not a good location.
Coronado is a nice resort.. but I’d not return.. it is heavy on convention/smoking imho and we tried it twice with same result. I also think their under renovations.. CK that on Every resort ur researching.
Saratoga 2br sounds great for u guys but that sounds like a huge bump up cost wise. If u think you can upsell her??
Would it be comparable at pofq? Lovely resort, smaller size, food court, good transport, boat to disney springs is a great perk... and restaurant at POR is walkable ( easy flat 10 minutes on a path. )
If it were me trying, I’d go pofq ( or POR but ONLY preferred room location , 2 rooms if possible)
Wishing you the best of luck.
It Will work out!!
Pixie dust Your way and safe travels!!!

 

[Disneylover99]

Is there anything available at Pop? Still a value, but the rooms all have queen beds and it's newly refurbished.
I wouldn't choose the Pirate rooms at CBR. They are double beds.
What's the difference in price between Saratoga and CSR?

 

[AllyReggie]

Ohhhh I hear ur angst.
Try in push thru this with “ ur Going to Disney”.
That being said... she wanted cheap ( in ur description, so no disrespect meant) and cheap is what you got.
I’d not do cbr pirate, it’s more costly room for not a good location.
Coronado is a nice resort.. but I’d not return.. it is heavy on convention/smoking imho and we tried it twice with same result. I also think their under renovations.. CK that on Every resort ur researching.
Saratoga 2br sounds great for u guys but that sounds like a huge bump up cost wise. If u think you can upsell her??
Would it be comparable at pofq? Lovely resort, smaller size, food court, good transport, boat to disney springs is a great perk... and restaurant at POR is walkable ( easy flat 10 minutes on a path. )
If it were me trying, I’d go pofq ( or POR but ONLY preferred room location , 2 rooms if possible)
Wishing you the best of luck.
It Will work out!!
Pixie dust Your way and safe travels!!!

I am so glad you understand!

Here is where we are at:

2 rooms (8days/7Nights) @ All Star Sports w/ Free Dining (upgraded to Deluxe): $3220 each (with Travel Insurance)

Saratoga Springs 2 Bedroom Villa is $9191 total or $4595.5 each (with travel Insurance) An Additional $1375.50

POFQ doesn't have any FD left or Fun In the Sun Room Discounts so, for a comparable 2 rooms its $4814 each. An Additional $1594

That is what I am most worried about regarding Coronado. I wonder if anyone has stayed in there mid September and knows if there are lots of conventions at that time. The smoking is a very real threat to us... we are not good with cigarette smoke and would likely be severely hampered by it. I wonder if that comes mostly from conventioneers? Or is Coronado a smoking hotel?

 

[AllyReggie]

Is there anything available at Pop? Still a value, but the rooms all have queen beds and it's newly refurbished.
I wouldn't choose the Pirate rooms at CBR. They are double beds.
What's the difference in price between Saratoga and CSR?

Pop seems to be unavailable for our dates. AoA is available but it seems to be more expensive (only Suites available, and we have decided that having 2 bathrooms for the 4 adults is needed).

Coronado Springs is 3938.50 each ($718 more than All Star Sports)
Saratoga Springs is 4595.50 ($1375.50 more than All Star Sports, $657 more than CSR)

 

[Disneylover99]

Pop seems to be unavailable for our dates. AoA is available but it seems to be more expensive (only Suites available, and we have decided that having 2 bathrooms for the 4 adults is needed).

Coronado Springs is 3938.50 each ($718 more than All Star Sports)
Saratoga Springs is 4595.50 ($1375.50 more than All Star Sports, $657 more than CSR)

I think you should book Saratoga now and sleep on it. That's really where you want to stay. But hold on to your Sports reservation for the time being.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

Have you considered just getting the regular DDP rather than deluxe? In the heat of September, you may find deluxe to be too much food and getting the middle plan would save money. For SSR, you could save roughly $570 each by staying with the regular DDP, which would make the price increase from All Star Sports about $800. I know that's still a little of money, but going from the All Stars to SSR would be so worth that to me. The 2 bedroom villas are great and the kitchen/laundry/patio/living room are so helpful to have.

 

[QueenIsabella]

I agree on considering dropping the deluxe dining plan. You could even do simple breakfasts in the room to save money, since you would have a full kitchen. Laundry facilities mean you could pack less. Personally, I find that the DxDDP is just too much--it's more like you're going from meal to meal, versus enjoying a theme park. Of course, if you plan on having a bunch of signature meals, that changes the equation. But I'm just looking at ways to save money (and I wouldn't want to spend lots of time on table service with a toddler, but that's very dependent on the toddler's temperament.)

 

[a1tinkfans]

How’d I miss that? Please consider the regular dine versus Deluxe. Putting the savings aside.. it is soo much food, soo much lost time seeing/doing and all that extra planning. We ve done all of them. Deluxe was very much overkill ( figure 2-3 hours Each meal between getting there/checking in/ ordering /eating n tallying bill). Unless you are All serious foodies and that’s your “ thing” , the regular plan will easily get you a “ snack/liter” breakfast, a quick serve lunch ( or of course swap for bkfst) and a lovely sit down meal each evening. It’s quite doable.

What would the difference be for Saratoga With regular dine? Is that more doable for you?

Regarding insurance... is that thru disney?
Insure my trip is where we purchase ours. There are many policies.. I typically include cancel for any reason and pre existent which many , most do NOT include.
The thing about any ins policy is.. read the Exclusions, if it’s Not there.. ur covered for it. Didn’t mean to add more work.. but money can be saved for Better coverage.

 

[3gr8boys]

The room renovations at CSR are done....and by September the tower will be open....I think the restaurant on Lago Dorado might be complete too. The rooms are very nice and the CSR grounds are lovely. In April there was some convention activity, but it didn't impact the feel of the resort in my opinion. I do not know if convention activity is more intense in September. Smoke is an issue for my son and I (both asthmatic) and we didn't have any issues.

Totally agree that one TS meal a day is plenty! Do see what switching to regular dining plan does for your resort $ options!

 

[crazylady]

I love the idea of the 2 bedroom at SSR but $1300 each is alot of money. I'd go for CSR and decrease to the regular dining plan.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

The bump from regular DDP to dxdp is about $40.76/adult/nt or $570.64 for each family of 2 for 7 nights.

Going off of your pricing, staying with regular DDP at SSR would be $4024.86 for each of you, or $804.86 more than what you have at ASp with dxdp.

If you were to stay at Coronado with regular ddp, it would be $3367.86 each, or $147.86 more than ASp with dxdp.

 

[Nancyg56]

Oh my, I would make a few changes. First, get rid of DxDDP. I am a dining fan, and I almost never book this plan. It really is a lot of food, and a major commitment to dining. If your parents are trying to save money, and who is not lately? This is going to be an issue. You may lose a lot on wasted food credits. The difference between the regular plan and DxDDP is over 40 per day per person. It adds up.

I would not put my nose up at CSR. It is not my favorite resort, however it really is lovely, especially for adults. There are dining options, lounges, and the transportation is good. I think it is a nice compromise between a deluxe villa and a value. I would not book a pirates room at CBR.

I would also think about SSR and price it out with the regular plan a opposed to the DxDDP and see if the increase is palatable to all of you. It is a large resort, however you would be able to share space, and it sounds liek you know how to do that already, and offers very noce amenities.

One thing we have done as extended family is to book one Deluxe room. My DD, DSIL and DGD stayed with us for a few years while they saved to buy their own home. We were able to share space and book at the Grand, the Poly and BC becuase we were okay sharing space. Not eveyone can be this close on vacation though, so that may factor into your decision, however there may be opening for that level of accomodation.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Oh my, I would make a few changes. First, get rid of DxDDP. I am a dining fan, and I almost never book this plan. It really is a lot of food, and a major commitment to dining. If your parents are trying to save money, and who is not lately? This is going to be an issue. You may lose a lot on wasted food credits. The difference between the regular plan and DxDDP is over 40 per day per person. It adds up.

I would not put my nose up at CSR. It is not my favorite resort, however it really is lovely, especially for adults. There are dining options, lounges, and the transportation is good. I think it is a nice compromise between a deluxe villa and a value. I would not book a pirates room at CBR.

I would also think about SSR and price it out with the regular plan a opposed to the DxDDP and see if the increase is palatable to all of you. It is a large resort, however you would be able to share space, and it sounds liek you know how to do that already, and offers very noce amenities.

One thing we have done as extended family is to book one Deluxe room. My DD, DSIL and DGD stayed with us for a few years while they saved to buy their own home. We were able to share space and book at the Grand, the Poly and BC because we were okay sharing space. Not everyone can be this close on vacation though, so that may factor into your decision, however there may be opening for that level of accommodation.

Normally, I would agree with this, BUT--the OP has a 1yo toddler. That likely means a stroller and a pack and play, both of which eat up floor space. Plus, in one room, everyone is at the mercy of the toddler's antics and sleep schedule. Now, I happen to love the Poly, first floor with a toddler, because they can run around outside a bit. But, it would be just our family--MIL would get her own room, so she could escape! As always, it does depend on the toddler's temperament, and an individual's tolerance level.

 

[Nancyg56]

Normally, I would agree with this, BUT--the OP has a 1yo toddler. That likely means a stroller and a pack and play, both of which eat up floor space. Plus, in one room, everyone is at the mercy of the toddler's antics and sleep schedule. Now, I happen to love the Poly, first floor with a toddler, because they can run around outside a bit. But, it would be just our family--MIL would get her own room, so she could escape! As always, it does depend on the toddler's temperament, and an individual's tolerance level.

I saw that the OP had a little one. We probably could manage but we would either need a patio or a full balcony to accommodate the Pack and Play. Not for the child, but so we could keep from stepping all over each other LOL!

Frankly, I would probably want two rooms or a 2 bd villa under these circumstances, and based on MIL feedback, I would pay for the moderate. CSR is lovely, and would allow for the adults to enjoy more amenities if the youngster did not adjust well to WDW.

 

[bigbabyblues]

I would stay wherever you want and have your parents stay where they want. There is no reason you have to stay in the same place, Disney transportation will allow you to meet up at the parks very easily. I would definitely have separate rooms, at the very least. I couldn't share a room with my ILs or my parents.

CSR wasn't our favorite resort, but I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again. The things we didn't care for were minor, our overall stay was fine. There was a convention while we were there, but it didn't impact us at all.

 

[verleniahall]

I'm going to be completely different and say stay where u are.

you only there to sleep- the rest of the time you are in the parks. qe have stayed at all starmovies, and they arent that bad really.

but I'm the person who will forgo a mod pt deluxe to be able to stay for 2 weeks at a time.

 

[MommaBerd]

Have you checked into renting points for Sarasota? That will likely save some $$. The cash prices on villas are exorbitant! Usually 2-BRs are available there, and since you still are before the 7-month window, you just might be able to get one. I just looked on David’s (a DISboard sponsor) at a week in September, and the cost for a 2BR is $3128! A HUGE difference! And, you can add the DDP to a DVC rental. Just another option to consider.

 

[KayaWildfire]

About All Star Sports(we stayed there over Christmas 2018 and in January of 2018), the resort isn't really run down. The rooms are clean and nothing is falling apart. The resort is a bit on the ugly side(we stay there was for the price and not the theme) and I disagree with many of their paint choices, but there really is nothing wrong with it. The rooms are not fancy though. This is also a resort that hosts a lot of teams so if you are looking at relaxing around the resort or doing a lot of resort time, Sports isn't for you.

No matter what you decide to do, I really would reconsider the deluxe DDP, it eats a ton of park time.

 

[AllyReggie]

Sorry my response has taken so long! Got home and proceeded to be asked to take my mother through every option available, cost differences and amenities. And I still had to socialize with my husband and little one... it was a night!

DDP vs DxDDP
I thought a lot about dipping down to DDP because obviously we'd save a good chunk. Because we are staying during free dining, the cost of bumping up to DxDDP is about $1k (I am mostly out of maths this morning, so excuse the rounding). Here is where we plan to eat (over the course of 7 days, because we do have one day at Universal planned). (I should note that we are foodies, we like to experience new foods and fun restaurants, and my parents have elected that, air conditioned meals as often as possible are preferred, several of these they requested specifically)

Sci-Fi Dine In (1)
HBD (2)
Tusker House (1)
Flame Tree BBQ (1)
Morimoto Asia (2)
Ragland Road (1)
Akershus (1)
Biergarten (1)
Le Cellier (2)
Teppan Edo (1)
HDDR (2)
BOG (2)
Skipper Canteen (1)
Crystal Palace (1)
Water Park CS (1)
That's 20 credits, so there is room for one more meal in there somewhere!

If we just did the DDP, the 5 Signature meals is already 10 table service credits, and the DDP only gives you 1 per night. Since we are staying 8 days/7 nights that is already more than our credits allow. We could pay out of pocket but then... I spent a lot of time valuing out the cost of each restaurant and whether or not we'd make back the difference in free dining. It worked with All Star Sports... now I have to do it again for whatever hotel we pick. Its a lot of food, but everyone has picked restaurants they wanted to go to (without any understanding of the FD plan, I am the only one who knows how it works and so these choices were all made without trying to "optimize" the plan).

I will work out the math again and report back once my brain is screwed on. I don't want to have to tell anyone we can't go to the restaurant they picked, and I really don't want to cut out my restaurant choices... but maybe that is what I will have to do to make this cost effective.

Insurance
Yes that is the standard insurance through Disney. Since we booked with a TA (which, I will probably never do again, as much as I want to help someone elses business, the lack of control I have to change things, and the guilt I feel thinking about just renting DVC points or something is... annoying) its the insurance that Disney offers. I am relatively fine with what we have. I was more just mentioning it in case anyone notices a $160 discrepancy in my pricing.

One Year Old (will be 1yr 9mo at time of trip)
Honestly, I am least worried about her. She travels extremely well for a kid IMHO and she loves sitting down in places and just people watching. She is very personable and will wave and anyone (and anything) she sees. Table meals will be her recharge time, she is not big on naps, hasn't been since she was little so we aren't anticipating needing to head back to the hotel too often for naps for her (now my parents on the other hand....)
Regardless, I am worried about the Pack N Play space. I was going to just *make it work* wherever we went, but if we are considering upgrading, then I get to put that into the equation. If CSR works with a Pack N Play then that puts it higher on my list for sure. I am more than willing to try something new, even though I love SSR if it makes everyone happy.

Splitting the party (stay where we want, let Mom & Dad figure out themselves)
D&D is my thing, and one of the unspoken rules is, you never split the party!
I can't say I enjoy this idea. Firstly, because Mom & Dad intend to spend a lot of their Disney time doing things with their Granddaughter, and secondly my parents are quite awful at being available if they are not in direct communication. They get lost relatively easily, and my mom is a sign reader so without reminders that there is a family with a child waiting for them at the front gate, she might end up wandering around reading parking signs... for fun! (Okay not that bad but I really don't want to have to add in time for "meet up" in our trip, that sounds like unnecessary work for me. But I will bring it up as an option.

Stay where you are (All Star Sports is fine!)
I don't hate this option, but Mom has pretty much all but nixxed this idea. She doesn't want to stay anywhere that looks run down, and all the videos I have found of the Sports complex is that it is beaten to hell, faded grimy carpet, dirty fixtures, peeling wall paper and all that. Maybe it isn't as bad as the Youtubes say, but my mom has pretty much put her foot down and said, if she is paying this much to do Disney, she wants something better than a motel 6 (why oh why didn't she have this opinion 3 weeks ago!) I think today is my do or die day, so I will present the pros and cons of this to her tonight.

DVC Point Renting
Ugh... this one is smart, and I should just do it but my conscience is messing with me. We have two rooms booked with a TA. If I cancel, she did all that work for me for nothing. Feels like a jerk move. I know all is fair in getting the best deal but... the ability to modify and control our own reservation is pretty nice, and while I am not adverse to renting points, I need to think critically on how this changes our trip... it is a HUGE difference though... very difficult.


I should be back later today with more specifics, hopefully I can come up with something that everyone loves.... being the planner can be fun and stressful eh?