First, and maybe only, trip - lots of questions

[KrisM]

My parents are sort-of taking us and my brother's family to WDW next year. I say sort-of because I do not expect them to be paying for 100% of the trip, but I do expect they'll pay for a large amount of it. We'll find out how much later this summer, when they figure it out :).

My family hasn't been before and if we go back, it'll likely not be for a number of years. The kids will be 7, 5, and 3 next summer.

I am reading and researching and trying to figure out our trip. How long should we plan on staying? Where would you stay? How long at each park?

I am thinking more than 5 days there would be necessary to make sure we do the things we want to and not leave feeling like we missed somthing big. I know we won't see everything of course, but I want to see enough. But, then I think 2 days at MK, 2 at Epcot, and 1 each at DHS and AK. That's only 6 and even adding a down day in the middle gives us 7. So, maybe 8 days total so we can spend one at the end going where we want to see things again?

We won't go to a water park. DS1 would love it, but he's happy enough with the parks near home. And, I think Universal is too old for them to really enjoy.

I keep flip-flopping about where to stay and even what type of hotel. We'll stay on-site for sure. We have 5 people, so are limited where we can stay.

I think my parents will cover the cost of a Value for a week. They've mentioned that one of our kids can share their room even. I, personally, think that's a bad plan though. And, I think they'll cover a week of park tickets and cheap food. They'll pay for as much as they figure they can afford. So staying longer is on us, but overall, it'll be fairly cheap.

I know this is far ahead and open-ended, but I'd just like to get some of this figured out!

[BabyMine]

I would plan to do a park a day. There is so much to do at each one and you don't want to rush through them.

We stayed at the Contemporary in May but next time we are staying at the BLT becasue it's a villa and has a kitchen in the room.

We loved staying on the monorail line. Although it doesn't go to each park.

The next time we go we are going to Downtown Disney. I thought it was still clubs but they changed it out and now they have tons of stuff for kids.

Make your restaurant reservations in advance. Some restuarants fill up quick.

[mytwosons]

We did 8 days on our trip and still didn't see everything. If your parents are paying for a week, I would stay for 10 days, since the tickets would be super cheap for days 8-10. You probably won't pay additional for airfare, so your only expenses would be food and hotel.

Have fun!

[egoldber]

We have been well over a dozen times and still not "seen it all". You can't in one trip. :) But giving yourself more time means you don't have to rush.


They've mentioned that one of our kids can share their room even. I, personally, think that's a bad plan though. And, I think they'll cover a week of park tickets and cheap food. They'll pay for as much as they figure they can afford. So staying longer is on us, but overall, it'll be fairly cheap.

While I am sure that staying on the monorail is nice, I've never done it, so I don't know what I'm missing. ;) When money is no object, we prefer to stay at an Epcot area resort (Boardwalk, Beach Club) so that we can walk to Epcot or DHS. (Epcot is by far my kids favorite park.)

But often money is an object, so we have stayed at Values and Moderates many times and enjoyed them too. In some ways they are actually more convenient and have more services and more budget food options than the Deluxe resorts. For the price of one Deluxe room you could almost certainly get two connecting rooms at a Value or Moderate.

Why do you think that having a kid stay with your parents is a bad idea? I think it's a great idea and my older DD often sleeps with my ILs when we travel. She is an excellent and deep sleeper though.

[KrisM]

Why do you think that having a kid stay with your parents is a bad idea? I think it's a great idea and my older DD often sleeps with my ILs when we travel. She is an excellent and deep sleeper though.

Because even when one kid stays 1 night with them at their house, they generally complain about how hard it is and how early they get up. Granted, it would only be sleeping, but I just think I'd have to listen to a week's worth of complaining :). I'd rather smuggle the kid back to our room.

[JTsMom]

How long

I don't think you can really stay for too long, so I'd milk it for all it was worth. :) You won't run out of things to do, period. To me, it's not even worth it for us to go for less than 7 days, so that's my minimum. 10 would be great. 14 would be my dream scenario.

Where to stay

It totally depends on your priorities. I don't think there is a bad on-property choice. Every resort has it's pros and cons. If I had an unlimited budget, my first choice would be BLT. In reality, we've stayed at CSR and Pop, and both were fine. I think the Values are great for kids, especially if you don't plan on spending tons of time at the resort. If someone were willing to foot the bill for me at a Value, I'd jump on board in a heartbeat.

How long at each park

We're all about the MK. We spend a minimum of 3 days there, but could easily do more. I would not do less than 2 under any circumstances. Epcot- at least 2. DHS- you can do it in 1, but 1.5 or 2 would be better if you want to see all of the shows. I'm not a huge AK fan. 1 day is plenty imo. Hence our 7 day minimum. :) It's nice to have a day for DTD too, or at least a half day. 1 down day is great too. I wouldn't count arrival or departure days, at least not for a park day, so now we're at 10/10.5, which is what we aim for. If I had 14, I'd throw in some resort touring, another down day, another MK day, and maybe a spa/pirate cruise/whatever type of day as well, and I'd really take my time and not do full park days. Seriously, there's no end to the stuff you can do, especially when you have kids and can't do things as quickly.

[bubbaray]

We will probably only go to WDW once too -- its just sooooo long a flight and DL is sooo close (comparatively).

When we do go, we hope to stay for 2w and stay onsite, but probably at a value or moderate (again, b/c the flights are so long and therefore expensive). We might consider staying offsite, but our trip is at least 2y (probably more) away, so we haven't really started even looking.

[BeachBum]

You might want to consider Bonnet Creek resort. It is on Disney property (across from boardwalk and next to Carribean Beach) but it is not a Disney property. It is run by Wyndham. We got a 2 bedroom condo on our last trip. The pools were great, it was very convenient etc. We rented someone's time share points and got a truely fab deal ($100/night)
We are passholders and have been to the World many times...but we will really, really have to think hard about staying on site again after this experience.

With a large group staying for many days, I would think you could get 3 condos, cook some meals save some money, have a great chance to spread out.

No doubt, the themes of the Disney properties are fantastic...you are "in the magic" the whole time...But with most people, something has got to give in the budget. I think Bonnet Creek is a good compromise.

[KrisM]

How long

I don't think you can really stay for too long, so I'd milk it for all it was worth. :) You won't run out of things to do, period. To me, it's not even worth it for us to go for less than 7 days, so that's my minimum. 10 would be great. 14 would be my dream scenario.

I'm not sure we can swing 14 days there, since we'll probably have 2 days on each end for driving. But, quite possibly, we can do a total of 16 days, which means 12 days at the park. I'm guessing that's a max. I'll shoot for at least 10.


Where to stay

It totally depends on your priorities. I don't think there is a bad on-property choice. Every resort has it's pros and cons. If I had an unlimited budget, my first choice would be BLT. In reality, we've stayed at CSR and Pop, and both were fine. I think the Values are great for kids, especially if you don't plan on spending tons of time at the resort. If someone were willing to foot the bill for me at a Value, I'd jump on board in a heartbeat.

Is there a nice acronym list for Disney :)? I am slowly learning, but I did have to look up BLT and CSR. Would you do 2 rooms at a value over 1 at a moderate if price wasn't a concern?


How long at each park

We're all about the MK. We spend a minimum of 3 days there, but could easily do more. I would not do less than 2 under any circumstances. Epcot- at least 2. DHS- you can do it in 1, but 1.5 or 2 would be better if you want to see all of the shows. I'm not a huge AK fan. 1 day is plenty imo. Hence our 7 day minimum. :) It's nice to have a day for DTD too, or at least a half day. 1 down day is great too. I wouldn't count arrival or departure days, at least not for a park day, so now we're at 10/10.5, which is what we aim for. If I had 14, I'd throw in some resort touring, another down day, another MK day, and maybe a spa/pirate cruise/whatever type of day as well, and I'd really take my time and not do full park days. Seriously, there's no end to the stuff you can do, especially when you have kids and can't do things as quickly.

We'd probably arrive in Orlando late on Sunday and stay off-site. We'd be up for an early start on Monday morning. Do you plan 3 days in a row at MK or split things up? I'd think we'd want to start with MK just for the specialness of it and then break it up and go somewhere else the next day. Can you tell me about the pirate cruise? I don't think I've stumbled across this at all.


You might want to consider Bonnet Creek resort. It is on Disney property (across from boardwalk and next to Carribean Beach) but it is not a Disney property. It is run by Wyndham. We got a 2 bedroom condo on our last trip. The pools were great, it was very convenient etc. We rented someone's time share points and got a truely fab deal ($100/night)
We are passholders and have been to the World many times...but we will really, really have to think hard about staying on site again after this experience.

With a large group staying for many days, I would think you could get 3 condos, cook some meals save some money, have a great chance to spread out.

No doubt, the themes of the Disney properties are fantastic...you are "in the magic" the whole time...But with most people, something has got to give in the budget. I think Bonnet Creek is a good compromise.

I will check that out. Thanks!

[clc053103]

BLT is Bay Lake Tower, which are DVC villas at the Contemporary Hotel.
CSR is Coronado Springs Resort.

I personally love being right on property, and prefer to be either MK area or Epcot Area- but I think I would take anywhere on property over off property. JMO.

If you look at a DVC property (they do take cash paying guests, or you can rent points from a member) you get a kitchen or kitchenette, if having some meals in is of interest to you.

As to going to different parks, I also agree starting at MK is usually the best- and then we switch parks daily- what park we do what day has a few factors- like who has early or late magic hours for disney guests (a perk of staying on property), where we want to dine that day, and of course, crowd calculators (there's a few out there, tour guide mike is popular- google it!)

[bnme]

I think 10 days would be perfect. The extra days on park tickets are really not that much so you can spread things out and not feel like you had to spend all day, every day in the parks. I would plan at least 1 full day of no parks and do several partial days. Otherwise I think it would be total burn out. We are usually there for 5 or 6 full days (not counting travel days) and it is too short (even though we go often and are not trying to see everything). I would definitely do hoppers if staying that long. You may want to catch the fireworks a second time but not want to spend that whole day in the park again.

I would be worried about being crowded into a hotel room that long so I would look into a condo type room if I could swing it. Maybe renting DVC points or the Fort Wilderness cabins? But it depend what you are used to and the kids ages. Or maybe staying at 2 different hotels for a change of pace.

We usually start at MK but you also have to consider the days that there are certain parades/shows at the various parks that you want to see. Not everything runs everyday. For example, on our last trip the only night that it made sense for us to see Fantasmic! (a lazer show at Hollywood Studios) happened to be our first day. And we usually plan a character meal on the day we arrive in Orlando to have something exciting to do.

[KrisM]

I personally love being right on property, and prefer to be either MK area or Epcot Area- but I think I would take anywhere on property over off property. JMO.

I was unclear - I would only stay off-site that first night. I figure it might be easier and cheaper to stay elsewhere for that night and then get to the on-site hotel the first full day.



As to going to different parks, I also agree starting at MK is usually the best- and then we switch parks daily- what park we do what day has a few factors- like who has early or late magic hours for disney guests (a perk of staying on property), where we want to dine that day, and of course, crowd calculators (there's a few out there, tour guide mike is popular- google it!)

Thanks! I paid for Tour Guide Mike, but I am not getting it just yet. I see lots of information, but it seems like I still have to figure it out myself. I must be missing something.

[Momof3Labs]

I was unclear - I would only stay off-site that first night. I figure it might be easier and cheaper to stay elsewhere for that night and then get to the on-site hotel the first full day.

I wouldn't do that. Then you lose time the first full day packing up, checking out, loading up the car again, and moving to a new hotel. And with kids, the whole "novelty" factor of a new place kills time, too. I'd just start at the Disney resort and then you can hop the bus early the first morning to hit the parks right away (and come back after a long day at the parks to a somewhat familiar place with all of your stuff ready to go, vs having to check in, unload the car, unpack etc all over again).

[egoldber]

I agree with Lori and I would just check into your main hotel. Split stays are OK, but it's better if you can do it after a few days, when you are ready for a bit of a break from park days anyway.

[lhafer]

We too are going for the first time later this year. I have a question about the parks (hope you don't mind me highjacking your thread for a moment!).

If we stay at the Hilton in downtown Disney and go to a park (say MK), would we be able to come back to the hotel at all, or once we leave the park we can't go back the rest of that day? Does a ticket for the day last the entire length of the day, or just the length you are at the park? Do you have to buy the no expiration tickets to be able to leave the park for a while?

[egoldber]

Your park entry is good for one whole day at that park. So you can leave and re-enter.

[JTsMom]

Is there a nice acronym list for Disney :)? I am slowly learning, but I did have to look up BLT and CSR. Would you do 2 rooms at a value over 1 at a moderate if price wasn't a concern?


Sorry about that! We have a bit of a sickness over on this forum. LOL

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1660743

Maybe we should ask the mods if we can sticky that list.

As for the resort- I don't know, it's just a personal preference thing. Would you put all 3 kids in 1 room, or split up? I think they won't guarantee adjoining rooms, but I could be wrong about that. Mod vs. value- how much time do you spend at the resort? If your kids are big on the pool, would they miss having the slide? Have you seen the All Star Family Suites? How do you feel about the on site sit-down restaurant situation? Do you plan on driving to the parks as opposed to taking the bus? (I would) How do you feel about the themeing of the various resorts? Have you looked into renting DVC points?

We'd probably arrive in Orlando late on Sunday and stay off-site. We'd be up for an early start on Monday morning. Do you plan 3 days in a row at MK or split things up? I'd think we'd want to start with MK just for the specialness of it and then break it up and go somewhere else the next day. Can you tell me about the pirate cruise? I don't think I've stumbled across this at all.


I agree with pp's- I'd go right to the Disney resort. You won't save enough to make the waste of time worth it, and it will be fun for the kids to check out the resort that first night. You can even get a Mickey wake up call. :) Plus, since check in time isn't until 3, you'd end up going to the parks, having to come back, and check in, etc.

I also agree that splitting up the park days is a good idea. TGM is a bit confusing at first, but you'll eventually see the crowd calendars, and I HIGHLY recommend going by them when you can, and trying to go to the least crowded parks each day. It really makes a huge difference. There are forums over at TGM, and those people can help you figure out how the site is set up. There is SO much good info on there for a first timer.

Anyway- yes, MK is usually our first stop, and we return several times. You'll need to plan for parades, fireworks, etc. as well.

Pirate cruises- I don't know a ton about them b/c we haven't done one yet. Beth has done them all though, so I'm sure she can give you the best info. I know she's said they are all pretty similar.

Here's some really basic info:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/just_for_kids/piratecruise.htm
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/recreation/kids-activities/

[KrisM]

I'll rethink the first night stay. I just worry that we'll arrive around 9pm and the kids would be so excited about a themed hotel that they'd be up really late and we'd get a slower start that next day.


Would you put all 3 kids in 1 room, or split up? I think they won't guarantee adjoining rooms, but I could be wrong about that. Mod vs. value- how much time do you spend at the resort? If your kids are big on the pool, would they miss having the slide? Have you seen the All Star Family Suites? How do you feel about the on site sit-down restaurant situation? Do you plan on driving to the parks as opposed to taking the bus? (I would) How do you feel about the themeing of the various resorts? Have you looked into renting DVC points?

If we had 2 rooms, ideally, I'd have my own room and DH would have all 3 kids with him :ROTFLMAO:. Probably not going to happen though! We'd likely split us up and the kids could sleep where ever they wanted. Hopefully we'd get connecting rooms, but I have read that they aren't guaranteed.

DS1 loves pools and loves anything water. He'd love a slide for sure. He'll be 7 then and probably won't need a nap every afternoon, so we'd swim while DS2 and maybe DD rested. So a nice pool would be great.

I looked at the Family Suites, but they seem about as much as 2 regular rooms and a bit smaller?

You would take the bus? Or drive? I don't have any idea what we'd do. We may bring our double stroller, so driving might be easier.

I don't think a sit-down restaurant makes a big difference either way to me. Theming - I've looked at a lot of pictures, but can't keep them straight in my head. Most seem good.

I sort of looked at renting points and it still seems like it ends up really expensive. I guess I just need to figure out what we're willing to spend. We can afford to stay whereever, but we do tend towards frugal.

Thank you for all the help, everyone!

[JTsMom]

If we had 2 rooms, ideally, I'd have my own room and DH would have all 3 kids with him :ROTFLMAO:.

I vote for that! :bighand: LOL

Here's some very detailed info on the suites. I've never seen them, so I can't really help much.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1072409


Have you ordered the free planning DVD? Sometimes it helps to see some video of the resorts. disboards has a ton of info, as does allears.net The moderates have slides into the pools, the values don't, but they do have some other fun features. Caribbean Beach (CBR) has a pirate themed pool. Pop has the Goofy pop jets (good for the 3 yr old). Deluxes have the really super duper pools. The Yacht Club and Beach Club (I think) have Stormalong Bay, which a lot of people like.


I definitely prefer driving to the parks. I think it's easier, and I use the AAA diamond parking so that I can get a good spot. With a double stroller, I'd really consider driving. The reason I asked about that is that the bus service varies from resort to resort, so that might make a difference to you.

Renting points definitely isn't cheap, but it's a way to get a deluxe room at a lower cost than retail. If you'd use the kitchen, that could save money. One downside is that you don't get daily maid service.

[/QUOTE]

[KrisM]

I vote for that! :bighand: LOL

Here's some very detailed info on the suites. I've never seen them, so I can't really help much.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1072409


Have you ordered the free planning DVD? Sometimes it helps to see some video of the resorts. disboards has a ton of info, as does allears.net The moderates have slides into the pools, the values don't, but they do have some other fun features. Caribbean Beach (CBR) has a pirate themed pool. Pop has the Goofy pop jets (good for the 3 yr old). Deluxes have the really super duper pools. The Yacht Club and Beach Club (I think) have Stormalong Bay, which a lot of people like.


I definitely prefer driving to the parks. I think it's easier, and I use the AAA diamond parking so that I can get a good spot. With a double stroller, I'd really consider driving. The reason I asked about that is that the bus service varies from resort to resort, so that might make a difference to you.

Renting points definitely isn't cheap, but it's a way to get a deluxe room at a lower cost than retail. If you'd use the kitchen, that could save money. One downside is that you don't get daily maid service.

[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the link and more info. It's all so confusing and just so much! I'm also looking at the Wyndham Bonnet Creek, mentioned above. Not very expensive for a whole lot of room. I need to figure out if staying at a non-WDW place is what we want though.

I just want someone to plan it all for me!

ETA: I did get the DVD, but we haven't watched it yet. On my list...

[JTsMom]

Just keep telling yourself that no matter where you stay, it'll be great- and it will be. I really don't think you can go wrong with any of the Disney properties, and I hear great things about BC as well. You're going to have a blast, don't worry. :)

[KrisM]

Just keep telling yourself that no matter where you stay, it'll be great- and it will be. I really don't think you can go wrong with any of the Disney properties, and I hear great things about BC as well. You're going to have a blast, don't worry. :)

Oh, I know! We will. I just need to get some things figured out and under control so it's less overwhelming.