WWYD Help me decide..

[TraceyDisney2008]

I have a few options to choose from, each with different good and bad. Please give me your opinion


2 Adults and 2 17 year old girls. 10 days at POP

1 room flying from Toronto $5000.
2 room flying from Toronto $6000.
2 room flying from Buffalo $5000. 3 hour drive from home so one night before vacation in hotel $100.00

Is 10 days too long to spend in a room with two teens?
Is 1000.00 savings worth the drive to Buffalo, I have never flown from there before.

To fellow Canadians how do you book your vacations? I have only ever used westjet but this years price is alot higher than last year I am hoping it will drop since i is still 5 months away but am worried if I wait to long things will get worse, I am holding out for free dining.

 

[encinc]

How long would your drive be to Pearson? We find that even though we live less than an hour from Pearson and about 2 hours from Buffalo, it is actually quicker and easier to fly out of Buffalo. You pass through customs in the car, so you don't worry about that at the airport. Parking is close to the terminal and reasonably priced. Check in and security lines are short.

To me, the amount of hassle is so much less that I'd choose to fly out of Buffalo even if the price difference was negligible. In your case, having an extra room would make it well worth it!

 

[mississaugamom]

I would agree with driving to Buffalo. I just flew from there on Friday, and the drive was well worth the airfare savings. Book a park/fly deal with your hotel and you'll be able to leave your car there for up to two weeks.

With two 17 year old teens at POP, I know I'd appreciate the extra room! I'm planning to be there in August and will be sharing with two 13 year olds. Wish they were old enough for a second room too!

Arlene

 

[AndyMcV]

For sure you should do the 2 rooms and flying out of Buffalo for $5000.

We flew out of Buffalo last June and it was easy. We live east of Toronto and our drive took about 3.5 - 4 hours to get to Buffalo. We also stayed over night at the Sleep Inn. It is totally worth saving $1000 no question!! Think of all the things you can buy from WDW for $1000 versus giving that money up for airline tickets.

When we go again we will for sure fly out of Buffalo unless we get some rediculously good deal out of Pearson. It cost the 4 of us TOTAL under $800 to fly direct to MCO out of Buffalo.. yes taxes and fees in, total. Air Canada out of Pearson was $2600. Let me know if you have any questions about flying out of Buffalo.

Andy

 

[lisalonglash]

I would think two rooms would be much more comfortable with your particular group We're just south of Vancouver, but fly out of Seattle - the price difference is pretty dramatic 99% of the time. You should definitely look into flying out of Detroit or Buffalo I sent you a PM regarding your question about booking the vacation

Have a fabulous time!

 

[tiggerrr]

I can't make any comment on whether Buffalo or Toronto is the better way, but I can give advice on the rooms. I can't imagine staying for 10 days with our two teenagers (16 & 18) trying to share the same bed. Plus, you will be tripping over each other given the size of the rooms. The extra room and the ability to have separation is a great thing.

Ten days is a long time, and you may not think you'll spend a lot of time in the room, but the time you do spend in there will when you are at your most tired, hot, and cranky from dealing with the summer heat and crowds at the end of the day. Or to have your day get off to a bad start from fighting over the bathroom as you scramble to make rope drop. You don't want your hotel room to make things worse.

We've quite enjoyed having the boys in a different room when we travel to Disney.

One side note, just be aware that Disney policy officially is "Children under the age of 18 may not occupy a hotel room on their own." When you make the reservation the names (and adult/children status) of all occupants is required and you may be asked for ID when checking it. This would require one parent and child's name on one reservation and the other parent and child to be named on the second room. And the keys would be keyed to that room. This is not a reason to avoid getting the second room, just a fact to be aware of.

 

[iluveeyore]

Hi Tracey - I'm Tracey too!!!
When are you going??? I'm trying to figure out how it will cost you so much if you're doing free dining (or are you including park tickets?). We always fly Southwest, usually can do between $140-180 ea. roundtrip non-stop. Park & Fly at the hotel will save you $65.00 in parking for 10 days at the airport. My Dsis and I shared a room at Pop with my two teenage sons in 2008 for five days. If it's a matter of saving money, we really had nothing to complain about except for their mess in the corner of clothes & shoes. They slept in, we got up and went to rope drop every day. We'd come back in the evening, they'd still be out. Never really had a problem, and we were rarely in the room except to sleep at night. But if the girls are going to be doing everything with you, then you will need the extra room just for the extra bathroom to get everyone ready without problems.

 

[dancin Disney style]

I would pick BUF over YYZ any day. To save money number one and ease of use number two. As mentioned you can do a park n' fly hotel package or just use the airport parking lot, which BTW is about half the price of YYZ.

As to the room question, we stayed at POP last July for 14 nights. With the four of us in one room which is 2 adults an 18yo and a 10yo. In the past when we all went together we had stayed at a mod so I was concerned that it would be crowded and we would want to do harm to one another but it was fine. I guess because I had stayed at a value before that I was prepared for the size of the room. I took time to figure out how to organize our stuff in the room to make things efficient. Anyway, it's not that big of a deal to have four people in one room. I do agree that if the kids are going to go off on their own it will be even less of an issue.

The prices mentioned seem a little high unless they include park tickets. You mentioned hoping for FD....if that becomes available and follows similar dates to the past offers it won't start until the Sunday before labour day weekend (Aug. 30th ?).

 

[TraceyDisney2008]

Thanx for all you opinions just a little more info for those who have asked..
It will be me and DH with two teenage girls, one being my daughter and the other being her friend. I have decided that two rooms will definatley be needed. We are hoping to go from August 24 until September 3rd but can push it 3 days either way, which is where my hopes for free dining come in. The prices I have come up with are for our flights, 10 nights at POP and 10 day park hoppers plus water and more options. I have been watching west jet because we got a great deal last year by booking in the month of April but Disney offers a great deal with packages and flights from Buffalo, I do like the thought of going through customs in the car instead of at Pearson.

 

[redrosesix]

Thanx for all you opinions just a little more info for those who have asked..
It will be me and DH with two teenage girls, one being my daughter and the other being her friend. I have decided that two rooms will definatley be needed. We are hoping to go from August 24 until September 3rd but can push it 3 days either way, which is where my hopes for free dining come in. The prices I have come up with are for our flights, 10 nights at POP and 10 day park hoppers plus water and more options. I have been watching west jet because we got a great deal last year by booking in the month of April but Disney offers a great deal with packages and flights from Buffalo, I do like the thought of going through customs in the car instead of at Pearson.

Yes, you definitely need 2 rooms. Driving 3 hours to Buffalo seems well worth it -- imagine what other people do who live further from an airport. If we could drive to the US in 3 hours, we'd be doing it too.

I don't think I would bother waiting for the Westjet flights when they have prices like those on Allegiant and SW (although I have noticed that both Westjet and AC don't come out with their deal fares until about a month before) because you are planning to travel at the same time all the university students return to school - not a good time to look for a deal.

 

[mississaugamom]

Airfares on Westjet have already been offered on sale for your timeframe in August to match a sale Air Canada ran early in February. We booked on Westjet from Toronto to Orlando, August 23 to September 6, for $412 per person including taxes. Keep watching for one-day fares throughout this month. I don't think Southwest's schedule goes quite far enough for your booking dates yet ... next bock of dates opening is around April 7.

We're travelling in a very similar scenario ~ DH and I with our 13 year old daughter and her best friend. Due to their ages, we're going to make do with the one room at POP ... and we're hoping for Free Dining too!

Have a great time!!!

Arlene

 

[iluveeyore]

We'll be there Aug. 23-Sept. 4 at OKW!
In my opinion, and in my experience, I think you'll do better to just book your room & tickets directly through WDW and then find your own flights (SWA is best out of Buffalo - no charge for luggage and no charge to change your flight - you can even rebook it if the price goes down and get a credit). Our friends have flight for March Break for $72 each way, so you can do what I'm doing and wait until about 1-2 months out and start finding flights - they're usually cheaper as it gets closer unless you can grab a cheaper flight further in advance - you can always change them later.
Also, if you book with Disney you only have to pay one night deposit, then pay the rest when you check in if you're booking room only. Ticket prices don't change, and you can purchase them on your room keys when you check in. Maybe the dollar will be better then.
I do realize you're holding out for free dining, which will be a package, so then you'll have to pay in advance, but not for your air fare.

PM me if you need any more tips.
HAppy planning!

 

[dancin Disney style]

We are hoping to go from August 24 until September 3rd but can push it 3 days either way, which is where my hopes for free dining come in.

Just a little note about your dates.....most of the school boards in Ontario are finalizing start dates of September 1/09. I don't know for sure about the high schools though.

 

[seashell724]

For sure 2 rooms and fly out of Buffalo.

Westjet is a dream compared to the US flights but the cheap price makes it WORTH IT! We live 15 mins. from our Cdn. airport but drive up to 8 hrs. south to the US b/c the flights can be SO much cheaper.

Keep in mind that most U.S. flights feel like cattle calls compared to Canada but it is for a short amount of time anyway!