Talk to Me About DisneyWorld

My sons are 9 & 7 - if we wait too much longer they won't be interested in going.. at least not with us!

I've heard so much information on it over the years that I feel like I can't sort through it and remember the sources and figure it all out.

So tell me everything that you can think of! I know it's pricey - did you think it was worth it? Staying at a 'Disney' resort.. pros/cons? How bad ARE the crowds? Other places to see nearby - Universal, Sea World, Wet & Wild... worth it or just repeat of what we get at Disney? How many days should we be there in order to feel like we made a dent? Any tips or things you can tell me that will make a trip there better, easier, less frustrating?

Thanks!

Re: Talk to Me About DisneyWorld

Ok, I will try and help. We went last year (1st week of Sept) and my kids were 11 and almost 6) from Mon-Sat.

We got free dining. So for $1,500 we got park hopper tickets for 5 days, hotel and free dining.

We stayed at Pop Century (one of the cheaper hotels on Disney but pretty new). The kids loved it and we took the buses every where so we didn't have to worry about renting a car, maybe getting lost, spending money on gas.

The week we went was great. There were barely any crowds as the kids down south had already gone back to school. They also have fast pass now so you don't wait on line for very long for most rides.

We only stayed in Disney so I can't help out with the other places you have asked. Sorry.

I would say at least 6-7 days. I would have liked a extra day or 2.

Re: Talk to Me About DisneyWorld

Ok, being a Disney Vacation Club member, we own at Animal Kingdom and just recently bought points at Bay Lake Tower, I HIGHLY recommend it! But, NOT OVER THE SUMMER, if you can help it. It's way too crowded and HOT. DH and I always go the first or second week of December! It's decorated for Christmas, amazing by the way, and there are hardly any crowds. We usually come off a ride, and go back on! We have also gone mid to late October or early November, and again, not crowded at all. In my opinion, it's worth it to pull the kids out of school (I don't have any yet but one due anyday) lol to avoid the crowds. I know your kids are older, so maybe plan for that first week in September, I know the kids in the south are back mid August, and up here, they start right after Labor Day, that Wed, but then have Thurs and Fri off....so that might work for you! I would also recommend staying on Disney property and taking advantage of the Magical Express(to and from the airport) and all of the Disney transportation! Less aggrevation for you! Right now if you book, they are offering free dining, which in my opinion, is BIG and I wouldn't go without it! We love it! Since your kids are a little older, you don't have to be so close to MK, so I'd recommend a moderate resort, like Port Orleans Riverside or French Quarter, or, if your budget allows, I'd serioulsy recommend Animal Kingdom Savannah view room! Honestly, even though we own there, I usually prefer Boardwalk or Bay Lake now! I love Boardwalk, you can walk around, cute shops & restaurants, and the ferry is right there for Epcot! FM me if you want other info, I could seriously write you a novel on this and it's way too much for others to want to read! LOL

Re: Talk to Me About DisneyWorld

We've stayed at the Carribean Beach Resort - it's a moderate resort. I think your family would love it because they have Pirates of the Carribean themed rooms - what little boy would't enjoy that? The dining plan is sooooo worth it! Definitely do that. We've been to Universal while we were down there but honestly, there's so much to do at Disney that you really would never have to leave the Disney area. Plus staying on property is great because you can take advantage of their transportation - buses, ferries, monorails - to and from the resorts.

Re: Talk to Me About DisneyWorld

Hi Jeannie,

As an Authorized Disney Vacation Specialist and a vendor here on LIfamilies, I will try to help you in any way that I can.

First the posts above have some great information! I typically visit Disney World 5 or 6 times per year, and am actually there as I type this (Caribbean Beach Resort - very nice!). As mentioned in the previous post, I do not recommend a summer visit because of the heat and the crowds. That being said, I do understand the need to visit during a time when schools are out of session, so if that is the case, it just takes a little planning to figure out the best time for you.

Disney has 4 main theme parks and 2 water parks, plus the Downtown Disney district which is more for dining, shopping, and entertainment. Each theme park (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom) have at least some attractions for kids (and adults) of all ages, so you won't be restricted because your boys are getting a little older.

There is much more to a Disney World visit than the rides, too. There are daily parades, musical performances, evening fireworks, interactive meet & greets with the characters, miniature golf, boat rentals & fishing excursions, dining experiences, and so much more. During certain parts of the year there will be special events going on that can further enhance your vacation, such as the Food & Wine Festival and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party in the Fall, and then there is the magic of Disney during the holidays, with all the decorations and special events that time of year offers.

I have about 40 personal visits to WDW, with about 15 of those stays at non-Disney hotels. Some of them were great, some of them not so much, but I can honestly say that *I* would have difficulty staying at a non-Disney property. You will undoubtedly find differing opinions on this, so this is purely from my point of view. Disney resorts are typically divided into one of 5 categories - value, moderate, deluxe, deluxe villa, and the campgrounds. As you might expect, the value resorts are the most economical, but have the fewest amenities. As you move up a category, so do the amenities and expense.

Disney also divides their year into "seasons". These seasons carry different room rates, which make going at certain times of the year a better value. For instance, considering the balance of 2010, the most economical times to visit will be now through October 2nd, and then again from November 28 through December 16. The fact that these coincide with schools getting back into session after some sort of break is Disney's way of bringing in more guests during what typically would be a lull in bookings.

I could ramble on here for hours, but the last thing I want to offer up is that traditionally, Disney raises their ticket prices the first Sunday in August. This price increase will obviously increase the price of any vacation package as well, so just be aware that what you see today, will probably change by this time next week.

I hope was of some help!


Bob
Mouse Tales Travel

Re: Talk to Me About DisneyWorld

Ok, I'm chiming in again, but, my SIL who is 22 just came back from disney and also went to Universal. Ok, mind you she said it was insanely crowded and hot, but she did say that at Universal, the Harry Potter ride was one of the best rides she's ever been on! If your boys are into that, I'd consider making a day trip to Universal Just thought I'd share!!!

Re: Talk to Me About DisneyWorld

I am a DVC owner too and have gone at least 50 times over my lifetime. I can tell you that if your main purpose for visiting Orlando is to go to Disney, do yourself a favor and stay at a Disney resort. They run specials a lot that offer free dining. The hotels run from deluxe to reasonable so Disney covers all price points.

The pros of staying at a Disney resort are numerous: no need to rent a car; extra magic hours (when the park opens early or closes late for resort guests); etc.

Avoid Spring/winter break or Christmas week (the busiest times of the year). Summer vacation is crowded and hot. If you go towards the end of August it's still hot but less crowded since school starts back up down south earlier than here.

Re: Talk to Me About DisneyWorld

by the way, went to Universal on my last trip down there (early May). It was before the Harry Potter ride opened, so I can't say anything about that, but to tell the truth, I'm not a huge Universal fan. In my opinion, no one does a theme park like Disney.

Re: Talk to Me About DisneyWorld

Here is what you need to ask yourself... do we only plan on doing Disney parks? If so, then definitely stay on property and get a meal plan. If you want to do Disney 1-2 days, maybe Seaworld for 1 day, and then the rest of the time at the pool (which is what I personally think the kids enjoy the most) then you don't need to stay on property and you may be better off trying to rent a timeshare unit somewhere. It offers you more privacy (you can get a 2 bedroom and have the boys in their own room), kitchens (to cut costs), and the nicer ones usually have a decent amount of ammenities.

Re: Talk to Me About DisneyWorld

- stay a Disney resort. You get magic express from the airport. It's free! No need for cars and if you fly an "approved" airlines (I think most of them are now!) they take your luggage from the airport and deliver to your room. Same way on your way home.

- If you plan on spending more than the "basic" food, do a meal plan. We did not with DH and we were glad we did not. We did not need to because the counter service plan allowed $30 per day per person and we ate less than that. But if you are a sit down, 3 course meal person, then that the plan to do. They have different options.

- Do not book a value resort. I heard many horror stories. There are plenty of good "moderate" disney hotels. We stayed at the Polynesian. It's a luxury one but we did for several reasons. It was a short trip, it was on the monorail (I LOVE the monorail... you will too!!!) so great if you have younger kid (toddlers or need a stroller). And we went mostly to the magic kingdom. If DS was older, a moderate hotel would have been fine, pack the kids stay in park all day. Come back to hotel and jump in pool before dinner.

- Moderates are not on the monorail system but a lot are near Epcot and you can hop on it from there.

- Do get a park hopper pass. It's a bit more per ticket but you can go to multiple parks during the day. Otherwise with the regular tickets you can only go to 1 particular park per day and cannot visit another park that same day. I did not know that until someone told me when I was organizing my trip.

- Check disboard.com. Great info on hotels!

Re: Talk to Me About DisneyWorld

Thank you all - lots to consider!

Did you know you can't book for 2011 on line yet? No way for me to know prices!

1 issue is that we may want to go with my best friend and her family - she's a teacher so we're eyeballing winter break.. which I think is in February for her. People keep telling us that there are 'ways around' the insane crowds and there are fast track tickets for rides.. anyone know anything about this?

Also - we are thinking of giving ourselves a week there. We definitely want to do Universal and Harry Potter (probably more for ME than for the kids!) - how many days do we need for Universal.. is one enough? How many days would we need for Disney - can we allot 3 for the parks and then just spend time doing other stuff.. or is that not enough?

Message edited 7/28/2010 8:41:25 AM.

Re: Talk to Me About DisneyWorld

Posted by rojerono

Thank you all - lots to consider!

Did you know you can't book for 2011 on line yet? No way for me to know prices!

1 issue is that we may want to go with my best friend and her family - she's a teacher so we're eyeballing winter break.. which I think is in February for her. People keep telling us that there are 'ways around' the insane crowds and there are fast track tickets for rides.. anyone know anything about this?

Also - we are thinking of giving ourselves a week there. We definitely want to do Universal and Harry Potter (probably more for ME than for the kids!) - how many days do we need for Universal.. is one enough? How many days would we need for Disney - can we allot 3 for the parks and then just spend time doing other stuff.. or is that not enough?

Re: Talk to Me About DisneyWorld

I agree, that week will be really crowded. If your times are flexible, but you still want to have time with your friends, I would probably look into doing maybe a Wednesday-Wednesday as opposed to Saturday-Saturday. It could cut your costs considerably, give you a chance to have some days with shorter lines, plus give you some alone time as a family.

Re: Talk to Me About DisneyWorld

Since you are going February week, I think you need more time at disney world. Lines will be longer and you will get less done. I always get a park pass with no hopper because I hate going from park to park. I find if I want to be efficient I need to stay in one park per day. In the am I get there early to get my first fast passes. Then exactly two hours later I get more continuously throughout the day, Then I get to the rides when it is convenient to me. If I switch parks I can't necessarily use my fast passes. I am all about efficiency. If, however, ou want to eat at a different park you do need the park hopper . I think 2 days at universal is good 5 days disney. Seaworld is definitely not more than one day, IMO. Consider Disney water parks instead of wet and wild. Honestly though I like seven days at disney, because then we get to take our time with our small children. If I had bigger kids I would still do 7 days and just enjoy the water parks more.

Check out disboards.com

Message edited 7/28/2010 10:15:48 PM.

Re: Talk to Me About DisneyWorld

Don't go Easter week. We were there last year that week and it was really awful. The crowds were unbelievable to the point of making the wait miserable everywhere, even with the fast pass.

Just figured I'd add that.

When I was younger, we used to go the last week in August every year and I absolutely loved it. All the FL kids were back in school already (and most of the south) so it wasn't nearly as crowded. It rained every afternoon at 2 pm for about 10 minutes. But as long as you knew about that, you could plan around it and it was fine.

Re: Talk to Me About DisneyWorld