Disney World sometime next year -- best deals, how to prep?

Quote from tiger0 : Hi All, Looking for some advice from the deal gurus here who have been to Disney World. Planning to go with the kids and grandmas next year sometime (probably spring), but never been there before. Any general advice you can give if we're looking to save coin but still have a full Disney experience? Any things I can do now in prep (like getting a Disney credit card, saving up reward points for Disney giftcards, etc.) to maximize savings? And if we're planning to go for 5-6 days, can anyone give a ballpark idea how much we should expect it to cost us (planning to visit all the parks)? Any and all advice much appreciated! Thanks, tiger0

We just got back from Disney World a couple weeks ago.

I found this book to be helpful:
http://touringplans.com/unofficial-guide

The tourning plans website is also helpful. But don't get caught up in the touring plans especially if you have young kids and older adults. I tried to follow touring plans but my kids kept finding things that diverted us. I did use the touring plans mobile app but I found that It was much better if I treated it as a checklist rather than a rigid plan. The app allows you to optimize your list with just a click, so it was helpful when we needed to determine 'where to go next'. The touring app does require GPS and an Internet Connection. My connection to my provider (sprint) was terrible at most parks. Some parks have wi-fi. The Magic Kingdom had rock solid wi-fi throughout the park, others was more spotty or non-existent.

For saving money I would suggest staying onsite unless you want to do things outside of Disney, then stay off site and rent a car.

I'd recommend staying onsite and getting the deluxe meal plan. You might be able to penny pinch and save a couple bucks on meals, but it's so much less stressful and easier to have a meal plan. It's paid for before you get there and you don't have to worry about choosing menu items based on price.

The cheapest hotels are the value resorts. The three all-star resorts are the cheapest of the value resorts but they are also the farthest away. Pop-Century or Art of animation are probably your best bet if you go value. We stayed at All Star Movies and every morning we were waiting at least 30 minutes for a bus (at least it seemed like that).

Www.disboards.com

Www.mousesavers.com

I'm coming up on my 9th DisneyWorld trip next month. I love planning Disney trips, and I'd love to help answer your questions as best I can. Please feel free to respond with any questions you might have.

General Planning Advice:
*Look at the websites that have already been mentioned. They are all great resources.
*Plan. You're off to a great start by knowing that this is something you should research. You will get the most out of your trip if you can research and plan and organize to some degree. There are tons of strategies for how to plan out your days, etc; and if you can do this, you can get a lot more accomplished each day.

Trip Advice:
*For a "full Disney experience" that you asked about, I highly recommend staying at one of the Disney World hotels. There have 3 overall pricing tiers, Value, Moderate, and Deluxe. So depending on your budget, you can determine which one is right for you. By staying on Disney property, you will be more immersed in the whole experience, and you can also take advantage of things like: Disney transportation, "extra magic hours" where the park is open to Disney resort guests ONLY, and certain promotions like free dining (if it is offered during your vacation dates).
*A previous poster mentioned dining plans - I personally find these very helpful as well. There are three tiers here as well - quick service, disney dining, and deluxe dining. Most people would advice against deluxe dining, it's a huge amount of food and takes up a lot of time. You should research the options to see what works for you.
*There are 4 parks, and your average park tickets can get you in to any of the 4 you want to go to. There is additional option you can purchase called "park hopper". Some people find this helpful, some don't. This allows you to visit more than 1 park on the same day. Without it, you can only visit one park per day. It just depends how you want to schedule your days.
*There are certain times of year that are very busy, others that are lighter; if you have flexibility with your dates, do some research into this. [EX: the week between Christmas and New years is historically the busiest week of the year]

Maximize savings:
*You can certainly sign up for a Disney credit card if you want; up to you if you choose to save in that manner. Some people love it. Others use their standard credit card and just use those rewards towards their trips however possible. [I don't use credit cards, so I can't personally speak to this.]
*You should start paying attention to the different promotions Disney offers, and seeing which one might work best for you. The two main promotions they do are: room discounts (for example 20-30% off your room rate), or dining discount (the main one being "free dining"). Depending upon MANY different factors, different discounts work better for some people than others. We love going during the free dining promotion. Based on your party size, it sounds like you might need 2 rooms, in which case a "room discount" might work better for you. You have to play with the numbers.


Here is a really helpful thread where people post how much their vacations are costing them:
http://www.disboards.com/showthre...?t=2929268
My situation may not be similar to yours, but for me and my husband, 7 nights in a moderate hotel, plus the disney dining plan (with the free dining package), it's about $2000. That includes hotel, park tickets, and food.
Depending on the ages of your children and how many rooms you need, it obviously will increase.

I'm trying not to overload you with too much information at once! But seriously, I love this stuff, so ask any questions you have!

Quote from mswift : We stayed at All Star Movies and every morning we were waiting at least 30 minutes for a bus (at least it seemed like that).

I go once or 2xs a year with the wife & kids to Disney (we live in Ft Lauderdale).

We also stay at a Disney resort, exceot its All Star Sports.
The reason you waited so long for busses is because your resort is way in the back.
We always stay at All Star Sports because its the 1st resort when the busses come in
The longest we ever waited for a bus was MAYBE 10 minutes.
Bus gets filled at All Star Sports and it goes to the there park, not to your resort in the back.
Gotta know the tricks.

YES - get a eal plan. It will save you some good coin.

Only discount we get is a Florida resident discount. It is what it is.
Disney world is meant for kids to have fun which = mula money spent for adults

WOW. This all good advise.
My family and I have been able to travel to Disney World 7 times since 2003.
I love to plan the trips. I use the Passporter book from Passporter.com to plan everything.
The couple that wrote the book reviews EVERYTHING at disney from hotels, food, rides and even the bathrooms. They give you tips to get the most out of your trip and time.
There are so many things to consider when you travel to Disney World. It can be overwelming. But just take the time to plan it out and it becomes much easier.

I work in a travel agency, and I would tell you not to be afraid to use a travel agent. It will cost you the same as if you book it yourself through Disney, and they can offer you their expertise and knowledge and do the busy work for you. Find someone who has a good Disney knowledge and is excited about Disney when you talk to them.

I am going in October. So, this post is very helpful. Thanks!

Quote from SugarNuts : I am going in October. So, this post is very helpful. Thanks!

During off seasons (like October), Disney occasionally runs specials like free dining plans if you stay onsite.I agree that disboards.com and mousesavers.com are great websites to get information. I also like allears.net

We recently went to Disney and stayed at Pop Century (value resort). The upside is the Magic Hours for the parks - you get in early and/or late at various parks. Each day a different park opens early and another stays open late for people staying onsite at a Disney hotel. We liked Pop - it's colorful and definitely had the kids in mind when it was designed. The downside is it had full beds instead of queens. The room is on the small side but it was clean and comfortable. We had a small frig, mini sized that would fit drinks.

The Art of Animation is their newest resort that is made up of family suites. You can fit 6 people in a room. It also has its own bus line to and from the parks. Pop Century has the same - but it has standard sized rooms, no family suites. If you wanted to save some money, I might consider staying off site. I would look at either renting a house or a condo that would fit the entire family. Bonnet Creek Resort is less than a mile away from Epcot. The upside is more room and saving money. The downside is you don't get the extra perks of staying onsite.

I would recommend a book (you can find it at the library) The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids 2012. It gives you a breakdown of all your options at Disney - like comparing all the onsite Disney hotels and some of the off site options. It also lists the Disney attractions and restaurants (rating them). I would start by getting some books at the library and reviewing disboards.com. You can get views and tours of various hotels on Youtube. Here's an example. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ...re=related

Quote from StarNova : During off seasons (like October), Disney occasionally runs specials like free dining plans if you stay onsite.I agree that disboards.com and mousesavers.com are great websites to get information. I also like allears.net We recently went to Disney and stayed at Pop Century (value resort). The upside is the Magic Hours for the parks - you get in early and/or late at various parks. Each day a different park opens early and another stays open late for people staying onsite at a Disney hotel. We liked Pop - it's colorful and definitely had the kids in mind when it was designed. The downside is it had full beds instead of queens. The room is on the small side but it was clean and comfortable. We had a small frig, mini sized that would fit drinks. The Art of Animation is their newest resort that is made up of family suites. You can fit 6 people in a room. It also has its own bus line to and from the parks. Pop Century has the same - but it has standard sized rooms, no family suites. If you wanted to save some money, I might consider staying off site. I would look at either renting a house or a condo that would fit the entire family. Bonnet Creek Resort is less than a mile away from Epcot. The upside is more room and saving money. The downside is you don't get the extra perks of staying onsite. I would recommend a book (you can find it at the library) The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids 2012. It gives you a breakdown of all your options at Disney - like comparing all the onsite Disney hotels and some of the off site options. It also lists the Disney attractions and restaurants (rating them). I would start by getting some books at the library and reviewing disboards.com. You can get views and tours of various hotels on Youtube. Here's an example. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ...re=related

I have had great experience staying off property. We have gone 4 times so far.. leaving tomorrow for #5. Stayed the first time on property.. next trip was a condo.. the next 2 times we rented a house and it was the best! I loved having our own place. We used vrbo last time.. Great experience. We had a pool home for 8 nights and paid around 700.00 total Slept 8 of us!

Quote from love2beeamom : I have had great experience staying off property. We have gone 4 times so far.. leaving tomorrow for #5. Stayed the first time on property.. next trip was a condo.. the next 2 times we rented a house and it was the best! I loved having our own place. We used vrbo last time.. Great experience. We had a pool home for 8 nights and paid around 700.00 total Slept 8 of us!

Nice find. I will definitely look into an off site condo or house for next time. I will run the prices for staying onsite vs. offsite.

Quote from StarNova : Nice find. I will definitely look into an off site condo or house for next time. I will run the prices for staying onsite vs. offsite.

I just emailed about 15-20 owners and asked about a price. Then I asked if they would take less, and it worked. Did the same thing for a beach house this summer

Quote from love2beeamom : I just emailed about 15-20 owners and asked about a price. Then I asked if they would take less, and it worked. Did the same thing for a beach house this summer

You really are a SDer!

Quote from kdka421 : *There are certain times of year that are very busy, others that are lighter; if you have flexibility with your dates, do some research into this. [EX: the week between Christmas and New years is historically the busiest week of the year]

I know. We're thinking going that week.

Of course, I've been to WDW about a dozen times, and the kids have been 3-4 times, so we will probably go to Sea World and only 1 or 2 WDW parks.

LOVE Disney at Christmas. We went to SW for Christmas several years ago. Awesome awesome show.