Disney World (Orlando) Deals and Discussion

Quote from serra : This thread is for Disney World (Orlando, Florida) Deals and Discussion. Feel free to discuss: resorts and park deals disney vacation package deals accommodations around disney disney transportation disney dining deals ticket deals that include other attractions special events & promotion happening at the park

This is where the real Disney stuff is - including a recent concert by my favorite group.

Sadly, I live on the wrong coast and am too poor to afford this place because someone killed off the deal for free food.

If you are rich - or lucky to be in FL - then you know this is where all the good stuff is.

I've been to DW so many times I've lost count. But I'm not rich .... just used to live in FL. I guess it's kind of like Vegas ... much cheaper if you live near there.

We had some great military deals come our way up until about 3 years ago and then I guess DW decided to stop "appreciating" those that serve. The deals they offer now really suck.



Ahhhhh, the days of not paying extra for no expiration date tickets and the ability to park hop for free as well. I can even remember when they only had 1 "value" resort and the rooms were only $48 a night.

Helpful Disney Trip Planning Sites:

www.mousesavers.com
www.wdwinfo.com (this site also has informational message boards)

these 2 sites are an absolute MUST if you are planning a trip to Disney World or Disneyland. You can find info on saving tons of money on your trip, including discounts on Disney onsite Resorts as well as Disney Theme Park passes.

www.disneyworldmoms.com is also a great resource.

Moms (and dads!) answer questions regarding WDW activities, events, etc. I found their advice to be so helpful in planning our trip.

Also, there are many great Disney fans posting tips on the Walt Disney World facebook page and blog:

http://www.facebook.com/WaltDisneyWorld

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/

We went during one of the free dining periods and I couldn't have been more pleased with the meals. Especially since I would never have *paid* for more than one character meal... and we were able to do 3!

Not a money saving tip, but this might help someone. Being a Disney newbie and used to being able to planning a regular trip on a moment's notice, I learned that flying by the seat of your pants doesn't work for Disney if you're trying to plan meals. You truly need to make reservations for meals 180 days in advance to get good reservation times. Silly me, I had NO idea. We did end up with some good ADRs (Advanced Dining Reservations) but most of them weren't optimal and that ended up costing us time, which at Disney is most definitely money.

Oh, and just remember, a snack is a snack is a snack.

For those w/ school age kids Disney has a great youth program that you can particapate in and get tickets up to 8 days deeply discounted.You child gets a 3 hours behind the magic "class" and you get a great deal on tickets for your whole family. If you can get a group of 10 kids together you can go whenever. If your just going as a family, then you have to wait for individual enrollment classes which are released a few months at a time.They have lots of different classes for ages from 6-18.

Here is the link DISNEY YES [disneyyouth.com]

We just bought 5 day tickets (no park hopper) for $147. each, you can add the park hopping option and waterparks for a little more.

HTH

ETA: We also use www.vrbo.com to rent off property we get a townhouse, condo, and sometime a pool home for less then we'd pay for a hotel room at disney. Just booked a 3 bedroom townhome for 8 nights for $495 all inclusive, your not getting a hotel room w/out roaches for that price

We went to Orlando the week between Christmas and New Years. For us, doing a SeaWorld Vacation package was a better deal, we did one day at Disney and the rest at SeaWorld and Aquatica. Our hotel was a Residence Inn Penthouse Suite. There were 5 of us, 3 adults and 2 kids. When I was researching it was diffcult to get one room package at Disney for 5, without going to a higher level resort package.

dis boards are a fantastic source of info too. Unfortunately we won't be going back since they are taking out toon town so it will be disneyland for us from now on.

These condos are FANTASTIC and right by WDW. For less than the price of a hotel room you get a full condo. http://vacationupgrades.com is the site where you can book condos. If you are booking less than 60 days out the price is usually lower. Bonnet creek is fabulous and I will miss going there

Quote from MrsLola : Unfortunately we won't be going back since they are taking out toon town so it will be disneyland for us from now on.

I read about that somewhere. Do you know what they are putting in place of TT?

nice!

and thanks for the new forum!

heading to DW in April

Quote from MsGal : I read about that somewhere. Do you know what they are putting in place of TT?

Major Fantasyland expansion, so TT is out.

Thanks for all the helpful links and posts. Thinking about taking the kids in May and we need all the help we can get! Time to start reading!

Very useful info! How does this work? Say I have 2 adults and 2 children, so I can buy four 5 day tickets for $147? Or it's only good for kids? And are these tickets the same as the ones you buy from the booth? Thanks.

Quote from tinker79 : For those w/ school age kids Disney has a great youth program that you can particapate in and get tickets up to 8 days deeply discounted.You child gets a 3 hours behind the magic "class" and you get a great deal on tickets for your whole family. If you can get a group of 10 kids together you can go whenever. If your just going as a family, then you have to wait for individual enrollment classes which are released a few months at a time.They have lots of different classes for ages from 6-18. Here is the link DISNEY YES [disneyyouth.com] We just bought 5 day tickets (no park hopper) for $147. each, you can add the park hopping option and waterparks for a little more. HTH ETA: We also use www.vrbo.com to rent off property we get a townhouse, condo, and sometime a pool home for less then we'd pay for a hotel room at disney. Just booked a 3 bedroom townhome for 8 nights for $495 all inclusive, your not getting a hotel room w/out roaches for that price