Planning our Vacation to Disneyworld - any advice?

[Bullgrit]

Since I know you like Basic Instructions, try to find Scott. He works there. Somewhere on his site, he mentions how to find him.

I had seen mention of him working at Disney somewhere on his site, (his wife, Missy, too). But I just assumed it was behind the scenes. I'll look around on his site and find where he works specifically. If I can bump into him, I'd love to tell him his comic is great. That would be a cool little extra on a WDW vacation.

Bullgrit

 

[Baron Von Mandrick]

Lots of good advice here. Another suggestion is the pick up the Unofficial Guide to Disneyworld (or something like that)

I highly recommend this book. It has different plans for doing Disney with kids and without. It lists which times which parks are the most crowded, and also which times at the park which rides are the most crowded, and actually provides plans of the order to do each ride in order to avoid the crowds.

It talks about all of the Disney resorts and restaurants as well. I've stayed at both Disney resorts and non-Disney resorts there.

I've only stayed at the moderate resorts that are Disney owned. However, the rooms were clean, and we weren't in the rooms that much because we were at the parks most of the time.

The positives for staying at a Disney resort:

1. Transportation to and from the airport, and they take care of your baggage as well. That was a huge plus.

2. Meal plans can be a good value, and many of the meals can be had at your hotel.

3. Transportation to and from all of the parks.

You don't have to worry about driving, parking, and only minimal concern over meals. One suggestion I would make is Ohana at the Polynesian resort. The entertainment is great for kids, and the food was awesome and unlimited as well.

The positives for staying off site at Disney

1. The rooms may be cheaper.

2. You will most likely have a car and aren't limited to just Disney World while in Orlando. You can go other restaurants, malls, Universal, take a drive to the beach, or whatever else you'd like to do.

Of course the negatives are parking at Disney World, finding your way around while driving, paying for the parking at Disney World etc.

Anyway the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is worth it's weight in gold. Get it ahead of time to help you plan the trip details, and bring it with you for advice. I can't tell you how much time it saved avoiding crowds, seeing the shows we wanted to see, and all of that kind of stuff.

They have all sorts of plans for going with kids, without kids, 1 day at the park, more than 1 day at the park, what order to see the different parks in so that kids enjoy it all, and don't find Epcot to be anti-climatic after having been at Magic Kingdom, etc. There is so much in there that can help you make the most out of your trip.

 

[NewJeffCT]

The positives for staying off site at Disney

1. The rooms may be cheaper.

2. You will most likely have a car and aren't limited to just Disney World while in Orlando. You can go other restaurants, malls, Universal, take a drive to the beach, or whatever else you'd like to do.

Of course the negatives are parking at Disney World, finding your way around while driving, paying for the parking at Disney World etc.

Anyway the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World is worth it's weight in gold. Get it ahead of time to help you plan the trip details, and bring it with you for advice. I can't tell you how much time it saved avoiding crowds, seeing the shows we wanted to see, and all of that kind of stuff.

They have all sorts of plans for going with kids, without kids, 1 day at the park, more than 1 day at the park, what order to see the different parks in so that kids enjoy it all, and don't find Epcot to be anti-climatic after having been at Magic Kingdom, etc. There is so much in there that can help you make the most out of your trip.

A lot of the non-Disney resorts that are in Kissimmee have complimentary shuttle buses to & from the various Disney resorts, and may also have shuttles to & from the airport. I believe you can also take public transportation from near Downtown Disney to some of the other resorts (Sea World, Universal).

However, the complimentary shuttle buses are not always as conveniently schedule as the Disney resort shuttles, and I have never taken the public transport in Orlando, so I don't know the quality and convenience of it (it was recommended to me a few years ago when we were considering a day at Sea World while staying at the Disney Coronado Springs)

 

[Baron Von Mandrick]

A lot of the non-Disney resorts that are in Kissimmee have complimentary shuttle buses to & from the various Disney resorts, and may also have shuttles to & from the airport. I believe you can also take public transportation from near Downtown Disney to some of the other resorts (Sea World, Universal).

However, the complimentary shuttle buses are not always as conveniently schedule as the Disney resort shuttles, and I have never taken the public transport in Orlando, so I don't know the quality and convenience of it (it was recommended to me a few years ago when we were considering a day at Sea World while staying at the Disney Coronado Springs)

That's a good point. I guess when I didn't stay at Disney resort I was going as cheaply as possible and stayed at a Best Western that didn't have any kind of transportation.

One of my favorite things about that was that I got to eat breakfast at waffle house each morning. It sounds gross, but it was the kind of vacation breakfast food that helped me keep going during the time at the parks.

This thread really makes me want to go Disney World again now.

 

[NewJeffCT]

That's a good point. I guess when I didn't stay at Disney resort I was going as cheaply as possible and stayed at a Best Western that didn't have any kind of transportation.

One of my favorite things about that was that I got to eat breakfast at waffle house each morning. It sounds gross, but it was the kind of vacation breakfast food that helped me keep going during the time at the parks.

This thread really makes me want to go Disney World again now.

actually, when we stayed in Kissimmee at a place that didn't have a shuttle, we just walked across the street to a hotel that did - they didn't check that closely that we weren't guests at that hotel.

 

[rkwoodard]

between 1st and 2nd

Hello,

Not much specific advice here (everything has been dead on accurate).

My first trip was last year, and we are planning our second for this next spring. October is awesome, the crowds were not too bad, and it was still warm enough to swim.


Mind-set. If you plan too much, you will wish you had been more relaxed, if you are too relaxed, you will wish you had planned more. That said, if there are important sit down resturants you want to eat at you have to reserve them. This means you are planning your park visits around your meal schedule.

Mind set. Try to realize, you can't do everything....but what ever you do, it will be a freaking blast.


Last tip. If there are any occasions, let the people know (starting with your hotel front desk). We went so that the trip occurred on my son's fifth birthday......WOW. He was treated like a King.

 

[jmucchiello]

Last tip. If there are any occasions, let the people know (starting with your hotel front desk). We went so that the trip occurred on my son's fifth birthday......WOW. He was treated like a King.

Oh, yeah, this. Tell the desk clerk at check in if anyone in your party is having a birthday, wedding anniversary during your stay. They give you a button to wear (for birthdays) that will get you a lot of little comps and friendly Happy Birthdays from just about every Disney employee you encounter.

Still would like to give age appropriate advice but I guess you don't want to discuss your kids' ages on the web. I understand.

 

[Crazy Jerome]

For kids under school age, the bargain time between New Years and Valentines Day is not only the cheapest time to go all year, but not crowded at all. Unless extremely lucky, you won't spend anytime in the water. But that isn't a problem that time of year anyway. The first time we did this, we saw one ride with a 40 minute wait, once--in six days. Usually, waits were under 10 minutes, meaning you can use Fast Pass for anything longer.

Having stayed at Wilderness Lodge and off the resort on our last two trips, I like both. We live about 12 hours away from Orlando, and have relatives in Jacksonville where we stayed going and coming. So driving for us was doable. With more time available than money, driving is definitely worth it, even with the parking costs. For flying in, I'd definitely stay in the parks. But if time is tight and money at least available, I'd also side with staying on the parks. That extra hour in the morning is handy.

Definitely do not get the park hopper option (to change parks) unless you are staying less than 4 days and have no one younger than a teen. You simply won't move that fast, and the option is expensive. On our last trip, we knew we would be hopping one day (to see Fantasmic), but it was still cheaper to buy the extra day than to get the hopper. Once you get up to 4 days, additional days simply don't cost that much per day.

If you plan to go to Fantasmic, and you see that note about getting there 90 minutes early, note that this is a minimum, not a max. It will be almost closed out 90 minutes before the show starts--when when crowds are minimal.

If you want to eat at the Ohana (Polynesian resort, very good) and watch the fireworks, make your reservations the day you get your tickets. If you are getting tickets for a trip that is 3-4 months out, that will probably still be too late. But you can try.

A character meal in Magic Kingdom can be a good deal. A late "breakfast" serving as an actual lunch is not bad. You can do the same stunt at Animal Kingdom. But our favorite was a last minute (reservations two days in advance in Feb.) addition of the Liberty Tavern. Getting an early dinner before the crowds start for the big shows in Magic Kingdom is nice.

 

[Bullgrit]

I'll be in Disney World in about 18 hours! Woohoo!

Bullgrit

 

[Bullgrit]

When I said, above, that the time of year can make or break a WDW vacation, this is what I meant.

For example:

See my blog for other photos of a light crowd level.

Bullgrit