Disney World

[mikosmommy]

I am wanting to go to Disney World before I turn 45. I'll be going alone, and trying to save up but it's all confusing. Dining Plans, no dining plans...hotels...I know prices will go up before I can go but does anyone have any tips? I know what hotel I want, even if it'll be 4 grand. I know there are cheaper ones on site but it's kinda been a dream to stay at that one. Last time I went I was a kid and it was the 80s. Hadn't been back since. (I'm an only child so last time I went I was with cousins.)

[justme]

If cost isn't much of an issue I would definitely go for their top of the line ones. Animal Kingdom is gorgeous, so is Grand Floridian and Wilderness Lodge. Contemporary, Polynesian and Boardwalk are also really nice.

The dining plans really vary on what you want - i.e. if you want to go to the really nice sit down places you'll need the most expensive plan because they take 2 sit down dining "points" or whatever they call them. I honestly haven't done the math on whether it's cheaper to not do that. If you're not a huge eater (the plan does a lunch - entree w side, drink dessert, snack, and dinner - entree drink and dessert, maybe an app?) you might be better off just paying as you go. Their more expensive places you're looking at entrees around $30 give or take which option you take. 

If you like food/wine I would definitely plan on going in Oct. If you are more a fan of gardens and stuff go March/April. If you like Christmas stuff Nov/Dec. Usually the last weekend of Food & Wine is the first weekend of the Christmas stuff so you could hit both if you can't decide.

You'll need to figure out the Fast Pass+ before hand. 

ETA: Whoops misread you saying you know what hotel you want. If you're only doing stuff on property the Magical Express will be worth the money.

[mollyanna58]

I second the idea of checking out the dining plan carefully.   It doesn't suit the way we eat at Disney World.  I think it's something like one sit down meal, two counter service meals, and a snack or two.  We stay at Disney Vacation Club resorts, and each room has at least a mini fridge, microwave, kitchen sink, and dishes, so we have breakfast in the room most days.  Many of the non-DVC rooms do, too.  We generally go to one character breakfast, which includes an "all you can eat" buffet, and then don't have lunch that day.   And you cannot buy say a 5 day dining plan and try to spread out the usage over 6 days.

If you are staying onsite, the Disney Magical Express is free transportation from and to Orlando Airport.  Also, there is a bus system that will take you to anywhere in WDW, so you don't need a car.  This does limit you to staying within WDW, but it's huge and has all sorts of dining experiences.  Each resort has a general store with some (expensive) groceries.

Find a website devoted to Disney travel, and look for recommendations for restaurants.  Try to make your dining reservations as early as possible, because many of the places fill up quickly.

Have fun! 

[justme]

I believe there's something like grub hub that will deliver outside food to Disney, but I'm not sure on that.

Also another thought is when I go I often get a kids meal for lunch. I can never eat the adult portion in one sitting. So that's another thing to consider that wouldn't work with the dining plan. There's also several lounges around property that have nice smaller plate menus. Last time I checked most of the items counted as a snack even though one, maybe two would easily be a full meal for me. My favorite is Tutto Gusto even though they no longer have my favorite item on the menu (also, after 4:30pm you can order off the full Tutto Italia menu - Tutto Gusto is first come seating so it's nice because Tutto Italia is often fulled with reservations). There's also one or two in Contemporary Resort that if you go early enough you can get a spot to watch the fireworks over MK.

[ilovedolphins]

I have been there 3 times in the last couple of years as an adult with my adult children. The first time we got the dining plan and I thought I could have saved my money on it. I am a small eater so if I ate breakfast I could snack through until supper.

I liked a few of the rides but mostly just followed the kids around to what they wanted to do. I guess I just loved watching all the people and kids having fun.

The adult kids plan on going in the fall to see the Star Wars stuff - see I don't even know what they are adding - "stuff" - I don't have a clue what the Star Wars stuff is. I just hear when that is completed they are going. I might tag along with them - I will have to see.

We stayed at the resorts onsite and The Dolphin. You aren't in your room much so I didn't care where we stayed.

[justme]

Feb 8, 2015 11:48:45 GMT -5 ilovedolphins said:

I have been there 3 times in the last couple of years as an adult with my adult children. The first time we got the dining plan and I thought I could have saved my money on it. I am a small eater so if I ate breakfast I could snack through until supper.

I liked a few of the rides but mostly just followed the kids around to what they wanted to do. I guess I just loved watching all the people and kids having fun.

The adult kids plan on going in the fall to see the Star Wars stuff - see I don't even know what they are adding - "stuff" - I don't have a clue what the Star Wars stuff is. I just hear when that is completed they are going. I might tag along with them - I will have to see.

We stayed at the resorts onsite and The Dolphin. You aren't in your room much so I didn't care where we stayed.

What Star Wars stuff? I haven't heard of it. Only thing I know is Star Wars Weekends but that's in the beginning of summer.

[mikosmommy]

Thanks everyone. I got a notebook and writing a lot down. $30 for dinner is a lot but for one meal it's not. 

[justme]

They do have more expensive ones. I have heard nothing but amazing things about Le Celliar (sp?) But it is one of their more expensive ones. I think above 30 for entrees.

[ilovedolphins]

I will have to ask them about Star Wars - I don't have a clue what they were talking about.

[steph08]

Here is my take.

I went to WDW the second weekend in January in 2013. It is Marathon Weekend, but the crowds weren't really that heavy, and they all clear out after Sunday when the races end. It would really only affect you on Sunday, the day of the marathon, because some areas might be roped off for the runners. This is especially true if you are driving to/from the parks, but if you're staying on site, it shouldn't be an issue unless you try to go somewhere between 7/8 a.m.

I would avoid MLK weekend - I think it is crowded then.

Here is a good idea of crowds: www.undercovertourist.com/orlando/crowd-calendar/ if you want to plan your trip around a less-crowded time.

You can usually get good discounts in January. This is what I would do. Book whatever hotel/room you want. Then watch the Special Offers tab at the bottom of the WDW website (disneyworld.disney.go.com/). For a Deluxe (I am assuming you want Contemporary or Grand Floridian), you can usually get 30% off in January. Once the deal comes out, just call the WDW Reservation line and update your reservation to include the deal. That way, your room is already reserved (waiting until the offer comes out means you might miss out on the hotel/room you want), and you get the discount.

Free/discount dining isn't usually out for January, that I've seen (I have seen it for February and sometimes in the fall). Whether a dining plan makes sense depends on how much you're going to eat and where you're going to eat (Quick Service, Table Service, or Signature). I've found a great Excel spreadsheet that allows you to input the restaurants/meals you're going to eat for your whole vacation and then it determines whether the Dining plan would save you money or if you would actually end up paying more. Just PM me your email address and I can send it to you.

You should be aware that all restaurants besides Quick Service ones pretty much require reservations. If there is something you really want and a specific day/time, you need to go onto the site (WDW site - Things to Do - Dining Reservations) 180 days prior to your trip to try and get that specific time/date.

Le Cellier mentioned above is a Signature. I've heard wonderful things about The Yachtsman, which is a Signature as well.

Disney's website is wonderful about listing all the menus for their restaurants.

I have a special fondness for the Garden Grill (the one in Epcot that rotates as you eat) because we had a wonderful meal there the first time we went as a family when I was 11.

And I also love pretty much any food in the shape of Mickey's head.

And the Disney app is very useful to find times for different shows, check the line time for different rides, etc.

[Ryan]

I just came back from DisneyWorld within the last week so I have a fresh perspective on this.  We stayed at the Contemporary, which doesn't have much theming but is located within walking distance of Magic Kingdom and on the monorail.  It has a fairly high price tag when compared to some other resorts and I would say it's worth it....if you wanted to spend less, I'd aim for something like Port Orleans French Quarter or Port Orleans Riverside because they are moderate resorts that are a bit cheaper, but still kinda close to the parks.  Keep in mind that sometimes these resorts are exempt from the discounts that come out.  

The dining plan is usually a good option depending on the types of meals you wanna do.  If you have kids and are doing character meals (more expensive), then you probably want the plan.  If you're just going to do a combination of eating in the room and in the parks, then I would not do it.  Personally, I would NOT do it if I were traveling alone.

You can save a lot of money (and time in lines) by going in the off-peak times.  Look at the crowd calendars and try to pick a time of year where the rates/crowds will be lower.  To make it simple, you want to avoid anytime that kids are off school, including even 3 day weekends like Columbus Day or Presidents Day.  

[Wisconsin Beth]

I'm in the midst of planning for an April trip.  I was last there in 2001 - they didn't have Fast Pass or the Dining Plan.  And DH and I didn't have kids. 

DH got a coupon emailed with a really good deal and I started panic planning.  Then dropped that to hire a travel agent and then a Disney planner.  The Disney planner is amazing so far.  She's designing a path though Disney using Fast Pass to hit the rides to eliminate long lines AND she's working dining in there where it makes sense so we're not traipsing back and forth. 

I'm sure we'll be going back to Disney in the future and we probably won't use the planner (or the travel agent) but right now, they're a blessing and a Godsend and worth every penny.  Travel agent is paid via Disney so no charge to us and she "gifted" us the 1st part of the planning.  The planner charges per day she plans. 


The planner is Help Around the Mouse.  Mods, if we can't have that name openly here, please remove.  I can PM the name to anyone interested. 

ETA - I'd gotten fair enough in my panic planning to know that we were staying in Animal Kingdom.  And be aware, Disney changed their opening hours for March and April.  The planner found out Sunday morning and emailed us. 

[Wisconsin Beth]

Feb 8, 2015 19:39:51 GMT -5 ilovedolphins said:

I will have to ask them about Star Wars - I don't have a clue what they were talking about.

Jedi Something in the Disney Hollywood Park. 

[justme]

It's really cute! The kids get trained by jedis then they fight Darth Vader or Sith mal. There was an extra villain or two during star wars weekends because they were training larger groups.

[justme]

Damn app won't let me edit my own post. I was talking about the training camp at DHS, but that's not new so I dunno if it's what they would be talking about.

[Ryan]

Feb 9, 2015 9:16:01 GMT -5 justme said:

Damn app won't let me edit my own post. I was talking about the training camp at DHS, but that's not new so I dunno if it's what they would be talking about.

This is called the Jedi Training Academy and it's in Hollywood Studios.  All the shows are the same so you can just search Youtube to see what it's about.  

[justme]

Feb 9, 2015 9:56:08 GMT -5 Ryan said:

Feb 9, 2015 9:16:01 GMT -5 justme said:

Damn app won't let me edit my own post. I was talking about the training camp at DHS, but that's not new so I dunno if it's what they would be talking about.

This is called the Jedi Training Academy and it's in Hollywood Studios.  All the shows are the same so you can just search Youtube to see what it's about.  

I know what it is, hence my post above saying it's cute as I've watched it several times. I'm saying it's not new, so I don't think that's what ilovedolphins kids are talking about for the new star wars thing in the fall. I haven't heard about anything new and I should have so I'm curious to what it is.

[Ryan]

Feb 9, 2015 8:35:07 GMT -5 Wisconsin Beth said:

I'm in the midst of planning for an April trip.  I was last there in 2001 - they didn't have Fast Pass or the Dining Plan.  And DH and I didn't have kids. 

DH got a coupon emailed with a really good deal and I started panic planning.  Then dropped that to hire a travel agent and then a Disney planner.  The Disney planner is amazing so far.  She's designing a path though Disney using Fast Pass to hit the rides to eliminate long lines AND she's working dining in there where it makes sense so we're not traipsing back and forth. 

I'm sure we'll be going back to Disney in the future and we probably won't use the planner (or the travel agent) but right now, they're a blessing and a Godsend and worth every penny.  Travel agent is paid via Disney so no charge to us and she "gifted" us the 1st part of the planning.  The planner charges per day she plans. 


The planner is Help Around the Mouse.  Mods, if we can't have that name openly here, please remove.  I can PM the name to anyone interested. 

ETA - I'd gotten fair enough in my panic planning to know that we were staying in Animal Kingdom.  And be aware, Disney changed their opening hours for March and April.  The planner found out Sunday morning and emailed us. 

I wonder if the Disney Planner is using the service touringplans.com to design the plan.  That's a service you can sign up to for like $8/year and you basically enter in the park you'll be, the times you'll be there, the rides you wanna do, and then optimize for "Minimize Wait Time" or "Minimize Walking" and it'll design the plan for you so you can reduce wait times.

I didn't remember how large the park was so I would definitely do Tomorrowland and Fantasyland in the AM, take a break, and then do Adventureland/Frontierland/Liberty Square in the PM.  I let my son talk me into criss-crossing over to Frontierland to do ThunderMountain and Pirates of the Caribbean and, although there were no lines, you do waste time criss-crossing the park since you have to go there/back.

Also, if you have kids that are under the height requirement for some riders then definitely use rider switch.  I have some tips on that if you're interested.


 

[Wisconsin Beth]

Both of my kids meet the height requirements.  Whether or not my 5 year old boy will actually want to DO the rides once we're there is a whole 'nother story...    My daughter will be a couple weeks shy of her 7th b-day and is excited about roller coasters. 

We're doing 1.5 days in Animal Kingdom, 2 days in Magic Kingdom and 1 day in Epcot (mainly for the Princesses.) Our travel planner was planning on having us hit the rides at 0800 but the change to an 0700 start might screw things up somewhat.  We're staying in Animal Kingdom.  I have no idea what software she's using and I know it's not very YM of me but I just don't care.  I don't want to plan this trip.  I got so bogged down in the beginning, trying to figure everything out, then explaining my logic and rational to my husband; listen to his thoughts and then counter/compromise.  Any future trips will be easier because we'll be working off more recent data and the kids will be older, will have 1 trip under their belts and can help with input on what to do and what to skip. 

[steph08]

Feb 9, 2015 10:33:34 GMT -5 Wisconsin Beth said:

Both of my kids meet the height requirements.  Whether or not my 5 year old boy will actually want to DO the rides once we're there is a whole 'nother story...    My daughter will be a couple weeks shy of her 7th b-day and is excited about roller coasters. 

We're doing 1.5 days in Animal Kingdom, 2 days in Magic Kingdom and 1 day in Epcot (mainly for the Princesses.) Our travel planner was planning on having us hit the rides at 0800 but the change to an 0700 start might screw things up somewhat.  We're staying in Animal Kingdom.  I have no idea what software she's using and I know it's not very YM of me but I just don't care.  I don't want to plan this trip.  I got so bogged down in the beginning, trying to figure everything out, then explaining my logic and rational to my husband; listen to his thoughts and then counter/compromise.  Any future trips will be easier because we'll be working off more recent data and the kids will be older, will have 1 trip under their belts and can help with input on what to do and what to skip. 

No DHS?

I personally think all the good rides are there - Toy Story Mania, Tower of Terror, Rock 'n Roller Coaster, Star Tours, etc. Shows - Indiana Jones, Beauty and the Beast, Fantasmic, etc.

[Wisconsin Beth]

Nope.  No DHS.  It's not DH and my thing and with the kids ages and interests, we're opting to skip it.  We'd toyed with doing one of the Shows but not very hard.

Tower of Terror is an absolute no go for the kids.  We've got some fear of heights, fear of dark and fear of falling/motion going on.  That and Haunted Mansion are definite no gos for us.  Which is why the roller coasters/trains are going to be hit or miss.  DS may surprise me (he did at the water park last weekend) but I'm not going to hold my breath. 

[steph08]

Ah, too bad. Toy Story Mania - there's a reason that you have to go first thing in the morning and the Fast Passes are sold out very quickly. That ride is so much fun. I hated the Buzz Lightyear one in Magic Kingdom - I didn't think the calibration or something was as good (at least that's the reason I give for my sucky score!).

[swamp]

<p>Toy Story Mania rocks. </p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

[Wisconsin Beth]

I'm really looking forward to my son's reaction to the Perry the Platypus/Agent P thing.  He loves, loves, loves, LOVES the agents and "Where's My Perry" with the assorted parts.  We got him little fedora hats so he could play agents.  I admit, I'm tilting this trip towards my son's interests somewhat - he loves animals which is pretty much why we've got 1.5 days in Animal Kingdom.  My daughter loves animals too but it's not the same.  We're trying to get some Princess stuff for her but don't know what we've got yet. 

Ha.  DH just emailed asking for an update from the planner.  I haven't heard back from her today but I went to the My Experience thing and logged in.  We got a Meet and Greet with Anna and Elsa.  And the 7 dwarves mine train. 

[Ryan]

Feb 9, 2015 10:33:34 GMT -5 Wisconsin Beth said:

Both of my kids meet the height requirements.  Whether or not my 5 year old boy will actually want to DO the rides once we're there is a whole 'nother story...    My daughter will be a couple weeks shy of her 7th b-day and is excited about roller coasters. 

We're doing 1.5 days in Animal Kingdom, 2 days in Magic Kingdom and 1 day in Epcot (mainly for the Princesses.) Our travel planner was planning on having us hit the rides at 0800 but the change to an 0700 start might screw things up somewhat.  We're staying in Animal Kingdom.  I have no idea what software she's using and I know it's not very YM of me but I just don't care.  I don't want to plan this trip.  I got so bogged down in the beginning, trying to figure everything out, then explaining my logic and rational to my husband; listen to his thoughts and then counter/compromise.  Any future trips will be easier because we'll be working off more recent data and the kids will be older, will have 1 trip under their belts and can help with input on what to do and what to skip. 

I think the requirements are that you qualify for rider switch if your kid doesn't meet the height requirements and/or is too scared to ride the ride. 5 years old is still an age where a kid would not want to ride a coaster and where the parent needs to stay with them. Not to confuse you too much, but this is something that most Disney gurus do not think about (probably because it doesn't apply to most people), but it’s really worth utilizing.

Let’s say your daughter wants to ride space mountain, but your son doesn't.

1) All of you walk up to the ride, even though your husband and daughter are the ones riding.
2) You ask for a rider switch pass and they’ll hand one to you after they see that your son is young enough.
3) Your husband and daughter ride Space Mountain. You can go and do a nearby ride that your son wants to do.
4) You now have the equivalent of a FastPass to come back and ride Space Mountain again.
5) The beauty of this is that you now have a more flexible fastpass that is actually good for 3 people. So your daughter/husband can ride again or, if your son is feeling brave, then he could also go the next time around (since it’s good for 3 people). They expire at the end of the month, so most likely you’ll be able to use it at any time during your entire trip.
6) You can still get a rider switch, regardless of whether the husband/daughter used a fastpass the first time around.

You can really maximize fastpasses by figuring it the ability to rider switch. In other words, you can schedule FP like this:

1) Peter Pan Ride: Whole family
2) Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: Daughter and Husband (Get Rider Switch Pass)
3) Tomorrowland Speedway: You and your son
4) Space Mountain: Daughter and Husband (Get Rider Switch Pass)
5) Buzz Lightyear Spaceranger Spin: You and your son.

The upside to this approach is that your son gets his 3 choices, your daughter gets her 3 choices, and then you have an extra pass to Seven Dwarfs and Space Mountain that you could use again.

The only recommendation I’ll make is that if you’re splitting up, try to make the attractions close together since you need to be present when they enter the line.

[justme]

Feb 9, 2015 10:54:19 GMT -5 steph08 said:

Ah, too bad. Toy Story Mania - there's a reason that you have to go first thing in the morning and the Fast Passes are sold out very quickly. That ride is so much fun. I hated the Buzz Lightyear one in Magic Kingdom - I didn't think the calibration or something was as good (at least that's the reason I give for my sucky score!).

There's a spot in the very beginning to max out your score but my friend wouldn't tell me where it is, otherwise the target under zerg gives you a lot of points.

[Ryan]

Feb 9, 2015 10:48:22 GMT -5 Wisconsin Beth said:

Nope.  No DHS.  It's not DH and my thing and with the kids ages and interests, we're opting to skip it.  We'd toyed with doing one of the Shows but not very hard.

Tower of Terror is an absolute no go for the kids.  We've got some fear of heights, fear of dark and fear of falling/motion going on.  That and Haunted Mansion are definite no gos for us.  Which is why the roller coasters/trains are going to be hit or miss.  DS may surprise me (he did at the water park last weekend) but I'm not going to hold my breath. 

Hollywood Studios is a bit overrated if you ask me, esp. if they are not going to do Tower of Terror and Rockin Rollercoaster. My family all thought Toy Story Mania was a little overrated for how long the waits tend to be.  The only upside for us in going there was that is where the Disney Junior stuff is at.

Star Tours is pretty cool, but not good for anyone with motion sickness.

[justme]

Hmm if they don't like scary rides you might want to think of a back up to the half day at AK. The only rides would be safari, river rapids, and bugs life. Maybe the kid ride, but it is a roller coaster. Then there's I think only three shows. Then really only two walking trails and a train ride to a petting zoo. I think of it as more of a half day park than dhs which is famous for that moniker. But maybe kids will slow it down a lot.

Btw there's a single rider line for Everest that should be faster if none of the kids want to go on it but the adults do.

The planner better be doing it, but make sure they include the extra magic hours in your plan.

Your kids would probably love the rope drop ceremonies so I'd at least plan one of those. Also, the trolleys down main street only go in the morning.

[justme]

Oh, and make sure to familiarize yourself with the fast pass part of the phone app. After you've used your original ones, or they've expired, you can sign up for one at a time for any park.

[Wisconsin Beth]

Feb 9, 2015 12:11:03 GMT -5 justme said:

Hmm if they don't like scary rides you might want to think of a back up to the half day at AK. The only rides would be safari, river rapids, and bugs life. Maybe the kid ride, but it is a roller coaster. Then there's I think only three shows. Then really only two walking trails and a train ride to a petting zoo. I think of it as more of a half day park than dhs which is famous for that moniker. But maybe kids will slow it down a lot.

Btw there's a single rider line for Everest that should be faster if none of the kids want to go on it but the adults do.

The planner better be doing it, but make sure they include the extra magic hours in your plan.

Your kids would probably love the rope drop ceremonies so I'd at least plan one of those. Also, the trolleys down main street only go in the morning.

Yeah, the planner brought most of that up too.  But I've got animal lovers for kids so we'll walk the paths and do the safari.  And the dinosaur stuff too.  If we finish early, we can go to another park (DH would like to hit Downtown Disney at some point) or hang out at the pool.  It's Disney - we'll find a way to occupy ourselves.