whomper Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Im taking the Whompers to Disney (fla) this fall. We are probably looking to go in sept/ oct/nov . Places to stay..Deals you heard of . In general what the total cost including spending money was for you. It will be 4 of us..Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliaz Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Im taking the Whompers to Disney (fla) this fall. We are probably looking to go in sept/ oct/nov . Places to stay..Deals you heard of . In general what the total cost including spending money was for you. It will be 4 of us..Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. thanks 1381768[/snapback] Call them direct, I've "heard" you can receive better deals via calling them direct but i've only heard that, don't know anyone who has done that. Liberty Travels has fantastic deals as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_bone65 Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Im taking the Whompers to Disney (fla) this fall. We are probably looking to go in sept/ oct/nov . Places to stay..Deals you heard of . In general what the total cost including spending money was for you. It will be 4 of us..Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. thanks 1381768[/snapback] Hurricane season in Florida at that time of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliaz Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Hurricane season in Florida at that time of the year. 1381774[/snapback] DISCOUNT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junebugz Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Frank doesn't get to go Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSULions Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 October or November is the best time to go. The parks close a little earlier, but the crowds are definitely smaller and you can ride more things / attractions without the long waits. The weather is also much better too. September is more risk from Hurricanes and it is still pretty darn hot in Orlando until later in Oct. We stay at a time share place when we are there and that has worked out nicely. It is off season, so you should be able to pick up some nice deals for those months. If you want to talk more I will give you my cell via PM if you want to chat.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whomper Posted March 22, 2006 Author Share Posted March 22, 2006 Frank doesn't get to go 1381783[/snapback] Hes watching my dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whomper Posted March 22, 2006 Author Share Posted March 22, 2006 October or November is the best time to go. The parks close a little earlier, but the crowds are definitely smaller and you can ride more things / attractions without the long waits. The weather is also much better too. September is more risk from Hurricanes and it is still pretty darn hot in Orlando until later in Oct. We stay at a time share place when we are there and that has worked out nicely. It is off season, so you should be able to pick up some nice deals for those months. If you want to talk more I will give you my cell via PM if you want to chat.... 1381787[/snapback] Thanks..let me check out what info people offer up in here then ill give you a call.I appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juanruiz13 Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Buy new sandals Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinL Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 I'm very much in favor of staying on Disney property. It may cost a little more but the stress of not having to drive anywhere is worth it (to me). You can get the Park Hopper (at least that's what they used to be called) pass, and then you can bus to / from any of the parks or areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 We went to Disney World 4 times over 10 years, but the last time was like 13 years ago. The first time we stayed on the hotel strip in Orlando. Big mistake. Wasted toooo much time commuting. The next three times we stayed in the World @ the Caribean. It's on the monorail loop so getting to the Magic Kingdom & Epcot is fast. The main transportation center/hub is within walking distance on the Caribean. I realize the park has grown a lot since we were there, but staying in the World is paramount IMHO. There are/were benefits like 1 hour earlier park opening & being able to make Epcot Restaurant reservations from your room. We always went in March/April. Yeah...high season, but great weather. Have Fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easy n Dirty Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 I went last year with the family for the first time - we went in June, peak season, so I ended up doing unbelieveable amounts of research on how to beat the crowds and it paid off beautifully. I'm not sure what the best way is to help you out here, 'cause I could go on and on about crowd-beating strategies - which may not even be that important since you're going off peak. if you wanna' PM me we can hook up by phone if you like - I'm on Long Island and if I recall you're in NYC area also. As far as cost-savings, a couple things come to mind right away: 1. Look into getting an annual pass. This is exactly what it sounds like - it's a full year pass to go to any park at any time. Costs more than the 7-day ticket you would otherwise get, but annual pass holders get great discounts on lodging (assumes you're staying on campus), as much as a third off, so it more than pays for itself right there. Just get one of these, say for yourself, then buy 7-day or 5-day tickets for the rest of the crew. 2. Disney has a new dining plan this year, actually a couple of different alternatives. One plan has you paying a set price per person which entitles you to one counter meal and one sit-dwon meal per day (plus one snack). I think this is called the Disney Dining Plan, it costs $38 per adult and $11 per child per day. There's a separate plan called the Disney Dining Experience - this costs $50 per person (I think) and gives you 20% off all meals for the entire week, including alcohol. Where to stay - alot of choices here. We stayed at The Beach Club, which is in the Epcot resort area, and it was great. It has the best pool of any of the Disney properties and is centrally located also, and is on the Boardwalk which has some interesting night time entertainment. Probably a little pricier than some of the other properties. Alot depends on your budget - I'm personally a big fan of renting a car, even though Disney has free transportation available throughout the resort area. I just didn't want to stand around waiting to take a 40-minute bus ride back to my hotel at the end of each night, but other people I know say using Disney trasnportation is just fine. I tend to spoil myself on vacation. There's way too much advice to include in a message baord post, PM me if you wanna' follow up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSab Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Last year, I stayed at the Sheraton Vistiana.Right around the corner from Disney. Do not fly USA 3000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Just say no! But if you insist, we went through AAA and stayed at the Port Orleans Disney resort right there. I have to echo the others that say don't stay offsite. It's nice to just jump on a tram and ride right up to the gate. Plus you get special perks by staying inside the resort. Port Orleans was nice. I think the trip cost us about $1,500 or so for four. It's been a few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caveman_Nick Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 I have been twice in the last 2 years, and there are a few things I would try to do... 1) DO NOT! try to combine a Disney vacation with going to Seaworld, Universal Studios, etc.. There is so much to do in Disney that taking the whole week there is well worth the trouble. 2) As a few have mentioned, stay in the park. I have done it both ways, and wasting the commuting time is not worth the money saved. Staying on the Monorail is the best thing if you can manage it. 3) The week after ThanksGiving is among the slower weeks of the year. If your kids aren't quite in school yet, or if you don't mind keeping them out of school for that week, it's a great time to go. The lesser crowds and the chance to see the Disney Christmas decorations make this worthwhile. 4) Book your eating times in advance!! WAY in advance! If you want to be able to plan your time well, slots in the restaurants fill up fast. Also, if you are going to try to have a meal in Cinderella's Castle, make sure it's not dinner, because Cinderella doesn;t come to dinner and the kids will be dissappointed. They don't tell you this when you book the dinner unless you ask, and eating there is expensive. 5) IF you can find a way to manage (ie a park service where you can have your kids watched for a few hours, or by bringing grandparents along (a great idea IMHO), try to eat as Victoria and Alberts with your wife alone. Make it your treat to each other. If you like fine dining, and don't mind a $300+ dollar dinner check as a special occasion, you won't be sorry. 6) No Matter what, if there are rides you want to do (ie. the Aerosmith Rockin' Coaster, The Tower of Terror, ETC.) that are considered among the most popular, getting to the park as the gates open and rushing to the ride first thing will get you on fast and then you'll be free to enjoy the rest of the day. I can't stress enough how much of a difference it makes to get to the park at opening or even before!! 7) Parkhopper is the way to go. If you do most of thes things, (you don't really have to go for the expensive dinner, but your wife will respond well, if you know what I mean ) you will have a great trip. Don't let the eating schedule bother you. It is much, much more stressful to not have reservations than to make them and have to work around them. You can always cancel if you have to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Czarina Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 I disagree about staying offsite. When we went down there a few years ago with my sister in law and her family, they stayed on, we stayed off. They stayed at the Caribbean. Nice area but the rooms are SMALL, SMALL, SMALL. I don't know about you guys, but when I'm travelling with my kids, I like to have my own room whenever possible so I don't have to go to sleep at like 9pm. You coul barely move in that room with two adults and two kids. And the caribbean rooms are larger than the 'value' resorts rooms. We rented through Vacation Rentals By Owner at a place <4 miles outside the gates. We had 3 br/2ba, a pool outside the door and a little convenience store onsite. We were barely ever there, but we did have a quick breakfast in the condo before heading out for the day. It was $75/night, I kid you not. Because there was laundry facilities in the unit, we packed way lighter and just threw in a load of clothes once while we were there. Windsor Palms This worked out for us well, but we knew from the start we'd be renting a vehicle, since we split our time out in the Tampa/St. Pete area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easy n Dirty Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 6) No Matter what, if there are rides you want to do (ie. the Aerosmith Rockin' Coaster, The Tower of Terror, ETC.) that are considered among the most popular, getting to the park as the gates open and rushing to the ride first thing will get you on fast and then you'll be free to enjoy the rest of the day. I can't stress enough how much of a difference it makes to get to the park at opening or even before!! 1381888[/snapback] Rock solid advice right there. The way to do it is as follows, using Soarin' at Epcot as an example (great ride BTW): Get to the gates maybe 10-15 minutes prior to opening. When the gates open, head stright to Soarin' (no need to run, you're on vacation). Send your wife and kids onto the standby line while you go to the Fast pass machines with everyone's park pass. Get Soarin' fast passes for everyone, then go join your family on the standby line (people understand and let you through when you tell them you're joining your family further up in the line). You will then get on Saorin' within 15 minutes at the absolute most, and you will have a set of Fast Passes to ride it again later. Then after you get off Soarin', head to the next attraction (maybe the Imagination ride, or better yet Turtle Talk with Crush. As soon as your next Fast Pass window opens up, the designated Fast Pass person (that would be you Whomper) heads over to Test Track and grabs Fast Passes to that attraction, then go back to your family. It's not as crazy as it may sound, and if you continue in this fashion, by the end of the day you're rding everything on Fast Pass because you've accumulated a bunch of them. Critical thing that most visitors do not realize - a Fast Pass is good all day. It says on the Fast Pass that it's good only for a certain period - say from 10:45AM to 11:45AM that day. Not so - you can use that Fast Pass all day from 10:45AM onwards. I used this strategy when we went last year - by the end of the day when we left the park, I almost always had extra unused Fast Passes to the premier attractions in my pocket, which I would simply give to someone who was just walking in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonorator Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 definitely use fast pass to reduce the amount of time spent in lines. beyond that, take a pile of cash, bend over, and receive your financial punishment from walt. it is not pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pork chop express Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 yeah, i have some advice...don't go. go to Busch Gardens Williamsurg and then drive to Tampa and see that one. Better parks for the money. I am not a fan of Disney. I think they are a drain to the wallet for subpar goods, meals, and entertainment. i have been there twice in the past two months and it sucked both times. just my .02. there is good news, at least there is an Orlando Ale House right on the outskirts of the hotel area. Spend as much time in there as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 yeah, i have some advice...don't go. go to Busch Gardens Williamsurg and then drive to Tampa and see that one. Better parks for the money. I am not a fan of Disney. I think they are a drain to the wallet for subpar goods, meals, and entertainment. i have been there twice in the past two months and it sucked both times. just my .02. there is good news, at least there is an Orlando Ale House right on the outskirts of the hotel area. Spend as much time in there as possible. 1382317[/snapback] +1 Disney sucks. Busch Gardens is tons better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSULions Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 October or November is the best time to go. The parks close a little earlier, but the crowds are definitely smaller and you can ride more things / attractions without the long waits. The weather is also much better too. September is more risk from Hurricanes and it is still pretty darn hot in Orlando until later in Oct. We stay at a time share place when we are there and that has worked out nicely. It is off season, so you should be able to pick up some nice deals for those months. If you want to talk more I will give you my cell via PM if you want to chat.... 1381787[/snapback] I forgot to mention that we are planning a November trip ourselves. My in-laws have a 2 BR timeshare all lined up and they are coming along to see my soon to be 5 yr. son go for his first trip to DW. We are staying at one of the Westgate Lakes resorts in Orlando, so the lodging is already paid for. Just need to purchase one of the Hopper plans. Lots of other good advice from others on this thread, especially the stuff on the Fast Pass attractions and lining up special character dining meals for your kids. The kids get to see the character up and close, get autographs, etc. and I would recommend doing at least one. I like doing one for breakfast within one of the parks and then you can get early admission to the park, which is nice. Also, if you go to DW in October, it is a must to go to the Mickey's Not so Scary Halloween Party. They shut down the park early on those dates @ 6:00 pm, but you can come in at 4:00 to enjoy the park before it closes and they set up for the big party. Anyone without a yellow bracelet leaves and everyone staying goes to Tomorrowland and to ride the rides while the rest of the park gets set up. At 7:00pm the park opens again and most of the rides are available again, along with alot of other fun things. Free face painting, parade with all the Disney villians, trick-or-treat areas all over the park. We went the last time we went to Disney and it was the highlight of the week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSab Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 I forgot to mention that we are planning a November trip ourselves. My in-laws have a 2 BR timeshare all lined up and they are coming along to see my soon to be 5 yr. son go for his first trip to DW. We are staying at one of the Westgate Lakes resorts in Orlando, so the lodging is already paid for. Just need to purchase one of the Hopper plans. Lots of other good advice from others on this thread, especially the stuff on the Fast Pass attractions and lining up special character dining meals for your kids. The kids get to see the character up and close, get autographs, etc. and I would recommend doing at least one. I like doing one for breakfast within one of the parks and then you can get early admission to the park, which is nice. Also, if you go to DW in October, it is a must to go to the Mickey's Not so Scary Halloween Party. They shut down the park early on those dates @ 6:00 pm, but you can come in at 4:00 to enjoy the park before it closes and they set up for the big party. Anyone without a yellow bracelet leaves and everyone staying goes to Tomorrowland and to ride the rides while the rest of the park gets set up. At 7:00pm the park opens again and most of the rides are available again, along with alot of other fun things. Free face painting, parade with all the Disney villians, trick-or-treat areas all over the park. We went the last time we went to Disney and it was the highlight of the week. 1382431[/snapback] Westgate lakes is nice, I stayed there in 2001. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrobb Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 (edited) http://www.mousesavers.com Tons of advice, discounts, links, etc. RR Edited March 22, 2006 by rrobb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDFFFreak Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 I'm very much in favor of staying on Disney property. It may cost a little more but the stress of not having to drive anywhere is worth it (to me). You can get the Park Hopper (at least that's what they used to be called) pass, and then you can bus to / from any of the parks or areas. 1381803[/snapback] I'll ditto this statement. There's just something nice about staying at the Disney properties that really keeps you in the sprit as opposed to a non-disney property on or off site. You'll pay more, but the kids will love it. A couple of good restaurants: Victoria & Albert's (at Grand Floridian) one of the best meals the wife and I have ever had. If you want a nice meal for just the two of you, try this place one night. Le Cellar (sp?) Stakehouse at Canada in Epcot. I was surprised how much I liked this place. There are a couple others that are slipping my mind. Don't forget to take a ride on Tower of Terror and Rock and Rollercoaster (MGM), Dinosaur (Animal Kingdom) and the old favorites at the Magic Kingdom such as Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain and the Haunted Mansion. Have Fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommyknocker Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Lots of great advice here. Geting there early really is a big thing, so much can be done before the hoards. If you can hold out, the fireworks show at the end of the day at Magic Kinbgdom is awesome. Another thing you may want to consider is taking a back pack of water and samiches, last time we were there normal food is hard to find, alot of tofu this and veggie that, nasty nasty stuff. Besides a bottle of water was like $4.00. Where you stay all depends on what you want to accomplish. If you want to include Seaworld or Universal then off site may be best but if youre all about Disney then on site has numerous rewards. That area has so much to see and do it would take months so pick your poison and enjoy!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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