Help Me Plan a Trip To Disney!

[constanz22]

Discovery Cove is awesome and worth every penny. I don't know if I'd do the Dolphin swim again, but the rest is great.
I have heard wonderful things about the different Disney dining packages, but have not used them myself. I would probably try to stay at a Disney hotel because there is free transportation to all of the Disney parks and attractions. You should look into the "park hopper" tickets, allowing you to go to all 4 Disney parks. I'm not sure 5-8 days is really enough time to see all 4 Disney parks, plus Discovery Cove, Universal (has 2 parks of it's own) and Aquatica. Discovery Cove is a full day thing. You probably could take a cab from Disney to Universal and Sea World. They are all pretty close together. You will not need a car at all while at the Disney parks if you are staying at one of their hotels. Go on their website and just start playing around with different hotel options. They have budget resorts (the All Star Sports, Music, etc.) to the very, very expensive (Swan and Dolphin, Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, etc). You can usually take a Disney shuttle from the airport to the resorts for free or part of your "package." I've been to most of the parks MANY times, so would be happy to answer any other specific questions you have.

[kadee]

It has been a few years since I've been, BUT...my son paid $700 for a Disney hotel room for us for 2 days! Not my way of doing things. There were all kinds of signs at nice hotels/motels up/down the strip heading towards Disney with reasonable rates.
ANY meals you buy inside Disney are WAY over-priced....especially the ones with the Disney characters! At the time we were there...you could ONLY get Coke as a soft drink & ALL their tea was Nestle Instant...served at all the refreshment stands & restaurants. I was NOT impressed with any of the food...some of it was pretty bad!!!! Spaghetti tasted like canned stuff!
If it were me, I would rather have a car so I could go to restaurants of my choice and at times I wanted instead of depending on public transport.

We spent one day at Disney & one day at Epcot and didn't see the full park of either! I don't think they had Discovery Cove when we were there. Sea World is another full day but well worth it! That one was much more fun for grandma here!

Even though you are going to Fl. take a heavy sweater, sweatshirt or light jacket! Some days it is pretty cool!

[jarhead1976]

Bring lots of money and patience. The magic kingdom is not so magic... try to avoid going during gay days! IMO

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Be aware that if you stay on a Disney property (which you can do and have a perfectly good time), you will be held hostage to Disney and the high prices, even in the condos.

I had a research meeting that was held at one of the resorts (Dolphin). While it was a very nice hotel and my meeting did include some very nice amenities (WiFi and gym were included, which are normally extra charges), the costs were outrageous - especially for food. One night we went for burgers when we first got in and it cost $30 (one beer)/person. Granted, the burger was good (all the food was good at this hotel) but EXPENSIVE. Best deal turned out being the breakfast buffet, which took the place of both breakfast and lunch.

Staying onsite does have some advantages (some parks are open after hours for hotel guests), and we really took advantage of this one night when Epcot stayed open until the early morning hours.

Probably the best way of doing this would be to break up your vacation into 2 segments. Stay on the Disney properties for 3-4 days so you can take advantage of some of the onsite benefits, then move off-site to do the others. It'll mean moving and acquiring a car, but if you stay on the main drag in Orlando (I think it's called International Drive), there is a trolley that runs down it. A lot of those hotels also have shuttles that run to various properties (including Disney). There are also quite a few very good, reasonably priced restaurants on this road (my research meeting's been in Orlando twice).

I've been twice, so plan on never doing it again.

[Deleted]

Okay, I'm putting this on my to do list. If I am not mistaken there is going to be a family trip next year. Time to start saving and planning.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Are you planning to go to DisneyLAND or DisneyWORLD?

[Deleted]

The one that is in Florida. Someone mentioned 4 parks. What is that about? I think I am going to have to learn some more about it.

[Deleted]

Points. I didn't plan the trip, my dad did, he paid, so i have nothing to compalin about. However, if i were to plan it, i would think of these things:

I don't think you need a car, BUT, if you are not going to stay on the Disney lot, then make sure your hotel has a FULL schedule of shuttles to and from the parks. Ours only had a few, and we ended up taking a taxi back in the evening. I know that Disney properties are more expensive... but if that means you don't need a car, and don't need to take a taxi, and can take advantage of things like going back to the hotel for a few hours and heading back again in the evening, it seems to me it is at least exploring the cost benefits of doing so...

I don't know about other people, but one park a day is plenty... if you are staying long enough, and depending on how much it is, i'd consider skipping the park hopper thing... its travel to get to and fro and wait in lines, etc. We did not go to more than one park a day.

We loved Hollywood... We almost didn't go, but it was the best for us, really.

We did take in lots of snacks in our packs, and only ate once a day in the park... and honestly i didn't think it was all that overpriced, considering (except Rainforest Cafe... )...

Your kids are older, so you probably won't have an issue with wanting to get character autographs and passport stamps at Epcot, but i'd skip both of those... time wasters, and the 'autograph book' wasn't looked at once since we got back...

I loved the parades, more than i thought i would... actually i liked all of it more than i thought i would... it was not my first choice of place to visit, but there is a magic to it...

I'm sure there's more ...

[Deleted]

Four parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood ...

[naturallyfrugal]

We're going to Disney World in February and if you're interested in staying in one of their hotels, be sure to check out the "Special Offers" tab and check hotel/package prices that way. If you just search from the home page, it won't give you any of the special deals and you can save quite a bit depending on the offer you select. They offer % off hotel, or kids stay and play free (these two or going on right now) and I have seen gift card offers where you receive a gift card (amount depends on chosen hotel) to use at the park (food, gift shops, whatever).

I'm finalizing plans right now - I've been waiting for the military discount to decide which offer is the best deal for us. Fortunately, February isn't particularly busy, so there is availability.

My only concerns are: availability in a "character dining" restaurant, and availability at "The Pirates League" (my son is almost 5 and loves pirates, so I think he will like looking like one - I hope! )

Like when we went to Disneyland, we will take snacks in to the park with us (grapes, apple slices, bananas, and water).

[MonicaLee5186]

I LIVE IN ORLANDO! From the airport, Disney has their own transportation if you are staying in one of their hotels. Seaworld, Discovery Cove, and Universal are not included in Disney Transportation, but there is a public bus called the Lynx. You can look up the schedules online.

I would suggest not staying on disney property, but booking a name brand hotel right off property. We went to the parks for my birthday and paid $29 a night at a Best Western 2 miles away. Most of the hotels around the property include transportation to the parks, sometimes including Universal and Sea World. MAKE SURE before you book, though, if that's what you want to do. If you really want to stay at Disney, check out their lower end hotels, the Pop Century is one and i think that they have a movie one as well. They are more affordable and still a really nice atmosphere, plus the free transportation to the parks. Also, if you rent a car, be aware that parking at the parks is $14 each day. So if you did 2 parks in one day, you'd have to pay twice or take the monorail to the 2nd park and then back to the 1st park to pick up your car.

Email or private message me if you want more info on the area

[suzwantstobefree]

If you have AAA it offers the best discounts for Disney tickets. I live in the Orlando area as well and the International Drive area is the one area I would avoid at all costs!!!! It is way too busy and most of the places are either overpriced restuarants or tourist souveniors that are junk! I believe the I Drive Trolley only goes up and down I Drive which will get you to Wet and Wild but not any of the other parks (well, perhaps Seaworld but I am not a 100% sure of that).

I think you are going to have a hard time getting to all the parks (Universal, Seaworld, Disney) if you are not either staying at a hotel that provides the transportation or you rent a car, but I really haven't checked this out since I live within 1/2 an hour of all the parks.

The one thing that you may want to think about if you enjoy older cars and things like putt putt and go carts is Old Town.

Hope you find exactly what you want for your vacation in Florida

[oreo]

We go to WDW every year but we only get 1 room on the Disney property. We always go when they have free dining plan and we upgrade to the non-counter only meals plan. The food at WDW is pretty expensive and the counter service meals in general aren't all that great and I think you'll get tired of them (although maybe not if you are only there a few days). Epcot has your best counter service dining. The transportation to/from the resorts/parks leaves about every 15 minutes so you don't need to look at a schedule or anything if you stay on the property. They offer free shuttle to/from the airport so you don't need a car at all. If you stay outside of the resort, you might need to rent a car and pay parking which sort of wipe out your savings staying outside (although you'll have a lot more food options if you stay outside).

They definitely have suites at some of the Disney property resorts but I don't know anything about them. One year we stayed on the property, then took the shuttles/boat to the Swan and Dolphin (I think that is the right one) to rent a car to stay off the property when we went to Island of Adventure. Then we used the car to get back to the airport. That worked well for that scenario.

Also, the longer a ticket you buy at Disney the cheaper each day gets so check out the prices to decide what ticket will work for you. We always buy the park hopper and water parks but if you'll only be there 4 or 5 days, you probably won't need the water parks because you won't have time. I don't think the "no expiration date" option is ever all that great a deal.

I hear the parks are crowded in the spring and summer (and the few weeks around Christmas). I recommend very late fall like October/November/Early December. Or maybe I'm just spoiled from the "Dry heat" in Southern California but the high heat and humidity in Florida a lot of the time is quite uncomfortable for me.

[vickysf]

Personally, we found that ALL food in Orlando was expensive. We deliberately didn't buy food in the parks to save money, but we found all restaurants pricey. One night I ordered a margarita without checking the price first (dumb) and was flabbergasted to see that it cost $12! It wasn't even that big!

[Deleted]

So apparently my family is going to rent a house together. There is going to be a fair amount of extended family so it might even be 2 houses. From what you guys are saying I'm gonna see which family members I want to share a car with. Is there any particular order you would do the parks in?

[oreo]

I'd check out the operating hours for the days you are going. I think Animal Kingdom and Epcot have the same hours every day but Hollywood Studios and the Magic Kingdom hours vary so you should maybe go to those parks on the days when they have longer hours (and maybe the parade or fireworks show you want to see).

If you want to eat at any of the restaurants in the parks, you should make reservations as soon as you can (I think it is like 90 or 120 days in advance, not sure). Many of the restaurants fill up with reservations months in advance and you won't be able to eat there if you just show up or try to make reservations when you get there.

[swamp]

Jan 25, 2011 13:15:23 GMT -5 oreo said:

I'd check out the operating hours for the days you are going. I think Animal Kingdom and Epcot have the same hours every day but Hollywood Studios and the Magic Kingdom hours vary so you should maybe go to those parks on the days when they have longer hours (and maybe the parade or fireworks show you want to see).

If you want to eat at any of the restaurants in the parks, you should make reservations as soon as you can (I think it is like 90 or 120 days in advance, not sure). Many of the restaurants fill up with reservations months in advance and you won't be able to eat there if you just show up or try to make reservations when you get there.

I just got back from Disney. All the parks are open different hourse.

FWIW, I'd stay on the grounds, not rent a car, get the counter service meals dining plan, get a Disney trip planning book, and make extensive use of the Disney website.

[oreo]

Another advantage to staying on property (sounds like you've already ruled that out though) is Extra Magic Hours. Every week each park has one day when it opens 1 hour early in the morning and stays open 3 hours after closing time at night for hotel guests. That allows you to get some extra time in the parks. They check hotel keys for this so it would be hard to get around it.

[kadee]

BOTTOM LINE!

Take LOTS of money! ;D

[jsjjkelly]

Oh my! Disney is my absolute favorite topic. Most people have already talked about the dynamics of the park. One thing I have learned is that if you are planning a WDW vacation, you can't plan enough. Like dining reservations can be made MONTHS in advance, and popular restaurants do book up quickly.

Make sure you get a guide book from the library. It will give you LOTS of information.

Some sights I use to help me through are www.allears dot net It's awesome. They even have articles on things like travelling with autistic kids to articles on the breakdown of the best bargains for tickets and their options.

Another site I LOVE is www. themouseforless dot com. They have a message board site like this one with friendly people who LOVE to talk about the mouse (like I do) and how to do it as economically as possible. Post even questions you think are the dumbest and someone will help you. They come up with creative ideas you can do too to make your trip awesome and affordable

The other site I use is www.disboards dot com. It's a message board site, but not as focused on doing Disney cheaply like mouseforless is. They focus on all things, including the parks in California, etc. I'm one of those crazies who had to travel to California to see what Walt built, and I gained a ton of information from there too.

Feel free to email me any questions. I'll try my best to help you out! Now that we live 45 minutes away from WDW, it drives me crazy we just can't go over there all the time!!! :-) I told my husband I'd almost like to live farther away so my vacation times are planned at WDW. Not just a day here and a day there. I told you I was crazy, right?

Shawn iN FL

[mrsgords]

My husband and I are going to DisneyWorld next month. We're staying at a Disney resort hotel (Caribbean Beach, I think it's called) for three nights and going to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. We bought the meal plan that gives us each one snack, one lunch type meal, and one table service meal each day. We've already made our table service reservations as we were told these restaurants book up fast. Our total cost was just under $1k (sans airfare). There's free transportation to/from the Orlando airport to our hotel, and because we're staying on Disney property, we can take advantage of the "extra park hours" at the Magic Kingdom, which are 9 p.m. to midnight. I haven't been to WDW in 11 years, and my husband hasn't been there since he was a teenager, so we're really looking forward to it!

[hereigoagain]

You guys are going to get me in trouble! I was just there in December and am thinking about the deal they have now, the 4 days for $120 ticket. I've never done the dining plan, but may have to look into it. We go at least once a year, only a few hours away from it. I love it, probably more than my kids!

[ineedaplan]

Snerdley: check the Doubletree near the Downtown Disney area. It's considered a Disney property, but the rooms are what you are describing at a lesser price than some of the other mainstream Disney properties, and you get the transportation that you want. I would get the park hopper passes, they are cheaper, and allow you the extended hours to avoid crowds, see the animals on the safari at the Animal Kingdom by going the day it opens early, and gives the teenagers more time to ride the very popular roller coasters during or after the nightly fireworks/parades. I also agree with taking advantage of the meal plan, the convenience of the plan pays for itself. You will have a hard time fitting in everything unless you are staying the 8 full days, and even then, you will be pushing it.

[wackyaunt]

We have stayed in houses and condos near Disney...some of the houses have been as far away as Haines City (about 45 minutes depending on traffic) but we liked the houses, they were clean, had washers/dryers, plenty of room, wireless, and our own pool. Not thousands of screaming children, just our own. It goes without saying that cooking in your own kitchen will save you $. You need to rent a car for this option. We learned after year 1 to rent directly from a realtor/vacation home company or directly from the owners at sites on the web rather than a "package" from travel sites. (search vacation home rentals) one year it was a 5 bedroom 3 bath home from a guy in Ireland on a golf course. (That was an adult week, so lots of tanning by the pool, golfing, and just relaxing...park only 1 day) We usually go for the park hopper for park tickets and pack lunches/snacks. One meal at the park. DD has an annual pass to Seaworld with premium parking included (she lives near there) so we always go there with her and use her parking pass. Old Town in Orlando is fun on Saturday night if you like to look at old classic muscle cars. International Drive has some fun museums/restaurants; but we try steer clear of those areas if it during peak spring break (Mar thru early April)...we can only handle so much insanity. If it is during a spring break...and you don't want to top out your blood pressure with traffic...stay at a Disney property and lose the car rental. If you want to stray from the property ask the concierge if they can get you a car for a day or 2; you may be able to hire a driver and van for the cost of 2 rental cars for a day. Hint: if you go during December all of the WDW Christmas decorations are fun to see at the hotels, park one place and use Disney transportation to visit them all...It takes most of one day, so there is lots of walking, monorail, bus, and boat rides sprinkled throughout the day.

[wackyaunt]

Oh, if you stay at a house off property...get the actual address of the house and the code to get the key from the lock box before you arrive, especially if you are arriving after business hours.

[montanatransplant]

Try Vacation Rental By Owner (www.VRBO.com). They have listings all over the country. I think some of the listings even let one call the owner directly. I'm not sure what safeguards there are regarding the place being on the up and up. But it could be a start.

Have a fun time!! Let us know your final decision/plans.

[rileyoday]

for children of that age they will have more fun at Universal Studios orlando. Many reasons why. We lived there and my children and friends 12, 10, 15 would only want to go to Universal.
We went to both but would buy annual passes for u.s.
Alot less crowded. They have on site resorts also. You stay there your room key gets you to the front of the line at all attractions. sweet. its also new tech all done in the late 90s.
Disney has stuff from 70s.
Anyway all the locals go us. rental cars are very cheep there but you dont need one. have fun . I enjoy all your posts.