login
Disney World Vacation Recommendations
-
No new posts
|
 2011-01-15 5:22 PM |
Expert  1158    Chicagoland |  Subject: Disney World Vacation RecommendationsWife, myself and the 2 kids are going to Disney World. Recommendations please! Kids will be 3 and 7. Young, I know, but they want to go! We'd like to stay nearby, relatively inexpensive but nothing divey. A condo (within reason) would be nice but not essential. We would be going for 2-3 days. We were thinking around Thanksgiving because we don't want to go when it is too hot. Any suggestions on housing, time, etc... Thank you!!!! I would love to do a sprint around there but do not want to take away from my family's vacation. Any ideas on that subject would be great too! |
| 2011-01-15 5:43 PM in reply to: #3301881 |
Master 2642  Bloomington, MN | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations Have you looked at any of the Disney vacation packages? The moderate resorts are very nice and can be reasonable in a package. We are in the Disney Vacation Club "DVC" and have been there many, many times. The ages of your children would lend very well to the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and the Animal Kingdom. Especially, the Magic and Animal Kingdom. Food varies based upon your taste. Food plans are available with various options. One other thing. If you stay at a Disney resort, airport transportation will be included. Disney picks up your checked luggage and delivers it to your room as part of the cost of your stay. You can take a Disney bus to the resort (also included). It may eliminate a car or cab ride. The shuttles are about $40 per person round trip as I recall. It has been several years since we last used a fee based shuttle. We just jump on the Disney coach and go. Our luggage ends up in our room in a few hours. Awesome! PM me if you are interested in any more ideals, we have tons! |
| 2011-01-15 7:11 PM in reply to: #3301881 |
Expert 1099 Orlando, FL | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations If you have some flexibility in your dates, come in October. We live here, and we only go to the parks in October for the most part. The weather is usually WONDERFUL and it is one of the slowest times in the parks - with kids that small the waiting in lines can be a big pain. I'd second looking at on-property packages with food plan, especially for a stay that short. If you were planning a week trip, the condo or vacation home makes more sense. Disney has a wide variety of pricing for resorts which makes many of them quite competitive with nearby hotels, and you'll be so happy to be close and enjoy things like early entry to the parks. Plan ahead what special meals you want to do (character breakfasts or dinners, etc) and book those as soon as you can, especially if you come at Thanksgiving. We used to love the breakfast buffet at the Contemporary - not sure if they still do it, but we'd see 4-6 different characters there and it was pretty reasonable. If you can shift your meal times a bit, you'll have better service and less of a wait. I'd recommend Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom for the parks, and maybe a half day playing around in Downtown Disney (mostly free, Lego store, some small kiddie carnival rides and free shows). You can also go to the boardwalk area and get a pretty good view of the Epcot fireworks at night for free. Mousesavers is a good website with TONS of tips, and they keep up with the latest ins and outs There is almost TOO much help out there, so remember it's for fun and enjoy the journey! |
| 2011-01-15 8:24 PM in reply to: #3301881 |
Expert 703 Colorado Springs | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations Wilderness Lodge is one of the lower priced on property Disney resorts. It is a short boat ride to the Magic Kingdom. You take a bus to the others. The show a Kid's movie each night on the "beach" down by the lake. My son loved it when we stayed there. There is a nice running trail there, too. |
| 2011-01-15 8:40 PM in reply to: #3301881 |
Member 75 Indy | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations I would highly recommend Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween if you chose to go around October. We went in late September and this was the highlight of our trip. No lines for rides, we sat on Splash Mountain and rode 3X in a row. We stayed at the Pops Century to save money and were happy with the place. Our cost was at $700 per person (3) with round trip airfare and a full meal plan. Have fun, the planning took months for my wife. |
| 2011-01-15 8:51 PM in reply to: #3301881 |
Member 55 St. Louis | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations My wife book our stay through bookit dot com, I believe she said it was less than $80 per night for a 3 bedroom villa with kitchen and laundry. We are staying at Bahama Bay. I'll let you know how it stacks up against Disneys Saratoga Springs in a couple weeks.One great thing about Disney is that they allow coolers, so you can pack your lunch and drinks. Which is great for your budget and diet.Enjoy it! |
| 2011-01-15 8:55 PM in reply to: #3301881 |
| Delaware, OH | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations I went last year the 2nd week of December. The parks weren't crowded at all and we got tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. It was a great time since the parks were decorated for the holidays and the characters were dressed in their holiday finest. Since we are avid campers, I stayed in my very posh canvas tent at Wilderness Campground. Cheep per night rates and since I had my kitchen we could cook (or not) depending on the mood. I have found that the food plan that can come with some of the resort deals is too much food. |
| 2011-01-16 8:51 AM in reply to: #3301881 |
Champion 7347 SRQ, FL | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations Sent you a PM with some super secret tips  |
| 2011-01-16 8:55 AM in reply to: #3301881 |
Expert 1456 Central New Jersey | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations Ride the monorail but ask to ride in the front with the driver (max of 4) you may need to wait a monorail or 2 but the kids will love it! |
| 2011-01-16 9:18 AM in reply to: #3301881 |
Elite 4547 | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations I'm hearing recommendations for October...but aren't most kids in school in October? |
| 2011-01-16 9:39 AM in reply to: #3301881 |
Master 2642 Bloomington, MN | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations Ages 3 and 7. Easy to make up any lost school, plus October is a great time to go. Crowds and lines should be shorter than closer to the Holidays. I also concur with Downtown Disney if you can spare the time. We usually go downtown the day we get into town if it is in the PM. Fun to wander around and it is free. BTW, make sure to use the "FastPass" for the rides. |
| 2011-01-16 10:45 AM in reply to: #3301881 |
Elite 3201 South Florida | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations I have tons to add, but we're just getting ready for my daughter's birthday party. If you want to stay in a condo I'm just learning about a place called Wyndham Bonnet Creek. It is across from downtown Disney and it is a timeshare place so you rent from owners. We are supposed to be going the first weekend of February for the first time. They have 1-4 bedroom units. We're going with another family and are sharing a 3 bedroom for 2 nghts. It works out to $94 a family a night includng fees and taxes! It would be a bit cheaper if we stayed longer.We also have season passes and go a few times a year- I will write more later about the Disney hotels, restaurants, things to do with kids, etc. |
| 2011-01-16 1:49 PM in reply to: #3301881 |
Champion 6503 NOVA - Ironic for an Endurance Athlete | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations We usually stay at either Disney's Pop Century a value resort that is usually =< $100 / night. Or, we go the opposite way and stay at a luxury resort like Animal Kingdom Lodge, where you can wake up with a giraffe outside your room. Don't forget to sign up for the Disney Magical Express, where your bags to magically arrive at your room and you get a free Disney Bus Ride from the airport to the "World". There isn't much reason to rent a car if you stay "on property". |
| 2011-01-16 3:38 PM in reply to: #3301881 |
Expert 1158 Chicagoland | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations Such great info! Thank you! |
| 2011-01-16 4:21 PM in reply to: #3301881 |
Master 1655 NJ | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations Also, if you're an AAA member, you can get park passes directly from your local office for face value but you don't pay tax. And the bigger bonus is Diamond Parking from AAA. You still have to pay the $14 a day parking rate but the Diamond lot is right next to Handicapped Parking. That was one of the things that made staying off site much easier - no waiting for trams to remote lots. We parked and had a 3 minute walk max to the monorail station. |
| 2011-01-16 5:31 PM in reply to: #3301881 |
Expert 1203 | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations I would highly recommend that you stay in the park. Unless you are driving by the time you spend money to rent a car you could have just stayed on the property. We went for 8 days last year staying in the Coronado Resort (Moderate) and loved it. Cheryl Murphey |
| 2011-01-17 7:04 AM in reply to: #3302519 |
Champion 7347 SRQ, FL | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations ChineseDemocracy - 2011-01-16 10:18 AM I'm hearing recommendations for October...but aren't most kids in school in October? Exactly. Less crowds. |
| 2011-01-17 7:08 AM in reply to: #3301881 |
Elite 2733 Venture Industries, | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations There are a ton of condos that are pretty moderately priced in the Disney Orlando, Kissimmee area. My family and I go to Disney once a year for a week. We have stayed at the Bahama Bay resort in Davenport. It's about a 20 minute drive to the main gate of Disney World and maybe 10 minutes to Animal Kingdom. I think we paid a little over $100/night for a 3 bedroom condo. They also have 2 bedroom condos that are under $100 a night. Also if you go the week after Thanksgiving it's one of the least busy times in the park, especially if you avoid the weekends. As far as Tris Clermont is about 30 minutes from Disney and they have a ton of tris throughout the year. We've stayed at other places too, from Disney properties to other condos. PM if you want more detailed info. |
| 2011-01-17 7:33 AM in reply to: #3302493 |
Master 1410 White Plains NY | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations wwlani - 2011-01-16 9:55 AM Ride the monorail but ask to ride in the front with the driver (max of 4) you may need to wait a monorail or 2 but the kids will love it! They don't allow that anymore  Bummer, right? |
| 2011-01-17 7:39 AM in reply to: #3302546 |
Master 1888 Winder, GA | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations Buckshot - 2011-01-16 10:39 AM Ages 3 and 7. Easy to make up any lost school, plus October is a great time to go. Crowds and lines should be shorter than closer to the Holidays. I also concur with Downtown Disney if you can spare the time. We usually go downtown the day we get into town if it is in the PM. Fun to wander around and it is free. BTW, make sure to use the "FastPass" for the rides. We actually took our kids last October (8 and 5) and it couldn't have been more perfect. Our kids had a fall break so it worked great for us. The parks were more crowded then we expected but NOTHING compared to what you'd see during the summer. We were there the first week of October and it was in the 60's at night, 80's during the day, clear and sunny. The week of Thanksgiving is one of the busiest weeks of the year. We stayed at one of the value resorts (Movies) and it worked well for us. We knew we'd only be at the hotel to sleep at night so no need to spend the extra money. There are buses running all the time to all the parks and they have a quick-service restaurant on site. Speaking of food, when we booked they had a special that if you were there for 5 days you got dining for free. So, we basically ate breakfast in the room and had lunch and dinner at the parks. The options are not varied but it saved us a bunch of money. And most of the meals (including the kid's meals) have options for healthy sides like carrots, grapes or applesauce. |
| 2011-01-17 8:26 AM in reply to: #3301881 |
Elite 2733 Venture Industries, | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations Also if you go after Thanksgiving you can do Mickey's Christmas party at the Magic Kingdom. It starts at 7 pm when they close the park, it's a different ticket, and it runs from 7 pm to 1 am (I think). The crowds are way lower than during the day. |
| 2011-01-18 11:10 AM in reply to: #3301881 |
Elite 3201 South Florida | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations If you are trying to stay in a budget but would like to stay on property the values (All Stars & Pop Century) are the way to go. They are very basic, like a motel but Disney style which means much nicer. There are no sit down restaurants but they each have big food courts. If you want to go up a little bit Port Orleans (a moderate level) is really nice but a bit spread out. We always have a car so I don't mind it being spread out - we just park by the room and drive if we need to. They grounds are beautiful - very lush and green. They have sit down restaurants and a medium size food court that we liked. The next level are the low-end deluxes - Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom. We LOVE Wilderness Lodge, but with three kids we can't stay there anymore. It is beautiful, modeled after the lodges in the national parks. They have a few sit down restaurants and a very small food court. The highest level is deluxe. The ones on the monorail are great when you have kids, but they are pricey. In order from cheapest to most expensive (usually) - Contemporary, Polynesian & Grand Floridian. If you want to stay off site there are tons of hotels on I-Drive and by downtown Disney. We just stayed off site at Buena Vista Palace and got a room for under $100 a night. it is right across from Downtown Disney and was very nice. Check out disboards.com - they have a forum called Orlando Hotels and have tons fo information about off site hotels & condos. If I can't afford to stay on th emonorail I think I'll stay off property from now on. I love being on site for the ambiance, but the value is hard to beat off site since we drive to the parks a lot of the time anyway. The only thing I miss when I'm off site are the Extra Magic hours - days where the parks are open an extra hour and you can only take advantage of it if you are staying on property. |
| 2011-01-18 1:47 PM in reply to: #3301881 |
Champion 11989 Philly 'burbs | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations Go left. |
| 2011-01-18 3:43 PM in reply to: #3306826 |
Expert 1158 Chicagoland | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations mrbbrad - 2011-01-18 1:47 PM Go left. I'm a liberal, I always go left! Thank you everyone for the great info! |
| 2011-09-14 2:31 PM in reply to: #3301881 |
| New user 1 | Subject: RE: Disney World Vacation Recommendations Any of the Rosen hotels are great and affordable. Are you looking for more of a Disney Hotel though? What are you doing for disney world car service as well? |
|
|
|
|
View profile
Add to friends
Go to training log
Go to race log
Send a message
View album
CONNECT WITH FACEBOOK