knittingmomof3 Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 We have not done Disney yet. We are considering planning a trip for February of 2014 so that we have plenty of time to save. We are trying to get an idea of what we can expect to spend so that we can decide if saving by that date is doable... So here are the specs: Family of 5. Nice Disney Resort. Meal plan. We would drive so we wouldn't need airfare. Stay for 5-7 days and would need tickets that allowed access to multiple parks. Anyone want to venture a guess as to how much money we are talking here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 you can go to the disney website and enter all that info and it will give you the cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murmer Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 We are going in sept with free dining 3 adults 2 kids 8 nights Polynesian 9 days park hopper 5,000 total not counting gas to drive down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knittingmomof3 Posted July 12, 2012 Author Share Posted July 12, 2012 Wow! Was the free dining a special promotion that you heard about? $5k isn't bad. I was worried it was going to be $10K+. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kricau Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 No, you can't get an accurate price right now. You will have to wait till they have released the Free Meal Plan deal for 2013. We are a family of 4, moderate resort, meal plan, no park hopper and it was $2300. you can go to the disney website and enter all that info and it will give you the cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kricau Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Oh and that was the first week in March when we went. They usually release the meal plan deal in August for the next year. That gives you plenty of time to figure out your options. Then you can make your reservations 180 days from your arrival date. I would LOVE to help you plan. Incase you can't tell, I am a Disney fanatic LOL :) We have been three times in three years LOL Let me know if you have any more questions or want some advice/suggestions????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 We just booked an October trip to WDW. We have been to WDW many times, but this is our first time staying at a WDW resort and using the free dining plan. So......I'll be a lot more help in a few months. :tongue_smilie: We are *so* excited. We are staying in the Little Mermaid rooms at AoA. You will get a lot of helpful advice here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixjen Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I'm still planning part of our trip....just found out they released prices for the dining plans for 2013: http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneypackages.htm#prices2013 This can help you plan in the event you choose a room discount over the free dining plan, or if you go during an undiscounted time period. The reservations page on the WDW site is super easy to use for ideas of prices on different resorts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 What do you mean by "nice Disney resort"? Are you speaking of a deluxe resort, like the Polynesian, or would you be happy with a suite in a value resort like Art of Animation? Since you are a family of five, you will be spending more on your accomodations. You won't be able to book anything for 2014 for quite awhile. The package prices for 2013 just came out today, but you could plug your info in at the Disney website and get an idea of a price range. I just priced a package for my family of five for April/May of 2013. 12 nights, 13 days, Art of Animation "Finding Nemo" suite, regular dining plan, Magic Your Way tickets with Park Hopper and Water Parks and more option...$9712.38. Let me know how old your kids are and the dates you want to stay and I'll get you a quote. When I'm done with homeschooling, I'm going to plan people's Disney vacations. Just because I love it so much! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabrizia Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 We're actually planning on going in January or February of 2014 as well. We're going for a moderate resort if there is free dining (get the meal plan with sit down meals rather then the quick service plan). If not we will likely go for 2 value rooms (cheaper then a suite room at a value) and hopefully be able to get a room discount. Cost wise it shouldn't be more then $5000 or so for room, tickets and food, we'll be staying for 10 to 12 days though, since we like to relax while at Disney and find a longer stay helps us do so. As you go up in resorts prices increase though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Dup. Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 What do you mean by "nice Disney resort"? Are you speaking of a deluxe resort, like the Polynesian, or would you be happy with a suite in a value resort like Art of Animation? Since you are a family of five, you will be spending more on your accomodations. You won't be able to book anything for 2014 for quite awhile. The package prices for 2013 just came out today, but you could plug your info in at the Disney website and get an idea of a price range. I just priced a package for my family of five for April/May of 2013. 12 nights, 13 days, Art of Animation "Finding Nemo" suite, regular dining plan, Magic Your Way tickets with Park Hopper and Water Parks and more option...$9712.38. Let me know how old your kids are and the dates you want to stay and I'll get you a quote. When I'm done with homeschooling, I'm going to plan people's Disney vacations. Just because I love it so much! :D I was going to pm you with some Disney questions but now that you say you love planning Disney vacations I will definitely pm you :D:D I am trying to figure out how to make this a yearly thing, and I know you do with your family...so be watching for a pm from me sometime tomorrow, please :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samiam Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I would recommend NOT getting park hopper tickets that cover your ENTIRE stay. I see the OP mentioned 5-7 days. Some one else mentioned they were getting a 9 day park hopper ticket...kinda crazy, lol. You don't need a ticket for 5-7 days. Your children will still be quite young in 2014. Disney has four main parks, and if you did all four, that's ALOT of walking in one week. Disney parks are fun but EXHAUSTING even in the off season. Plan for days OFF where you can hang out at the hotel, or do some of the other fun Orlando things (they have an amazing Science center). IMHO, a 4 day hopper pass is enough for a week in Orlando...gives you off-days, and time to do other stuff, without feeling pressured that you MUST go to Disney because you paid for those days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Dh and I are planning for 2014, too. :DRight now our budget includes full price for each component of our trip and then whatever discounts we get will be our bonus/fun money. I'd suggest getting the planning dvd and considering options like renting DVC points to max your dollars. Dh and I considered the dining plans, but ultimately decided against it and just putting the money directly in the vacation budget. We want a little more flexibility - at least one sit down each day but sometimes two, and some restaurants I want to try maybe just an appetizer. This is a great site to help you navigate the offerings - http://yourfirstvisit.net/ Along with the Disboards, we've pretty much been able to make up our minds on everything from hotel to Photopass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Dup. Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I would recommend NOT getting park hopper tickets that cover your ENTIRE stay. I see the OP mentioned 5-7 days. Some one else mentioned they were getting a 9 day park hopper ticket...kinda crazy, lol. You don't need a ticket for 5-7 days. Your children will still be quite young in 2014. Disney has four main parks, and if you did all four, that's ALOT of walking in one week. Disney parks are fun but EXHAUSTING even in the off season. Plan for days OFF where you can hang out at the hotel, or do some of the other fun Orlando things (they have an amazing Science center). IMHO, a 4 day hopper pass is enough for a week in Orlando...gives you off-days, and time to do other stuff, without feeling pressured that you MUST go to Disney because you paid for those days. I disagree and my biggest regret for previous visits is that we didn't do MORE days in the parks (the first visit we did 3 park days and I was pregnant with 5 young children and the 2nd visit was with my 10yo and infant and we did 4 days in the parks...still wish we had done more days in the parks!) Yes, it is exhausting, if you have little ones you will need to do some managing and probably won't be able to make it ALL day through the evening parades without taking a break. But if we're paying thousands of dollars to fly across country and go to Orlando, I definitely don't want to spend my time doing something I could do here in town. And it is SO WORTH IT. The memories we've made are priceless. Not once did anyone fall apart (except when it was time to leave MK and we weren't able to stay for the parade- too many little, little ones). ETA: In fact, the more days in the parks you have, the less you try to see each day. You can spend half a day in the parks and go back to the pool or to a water park, and know that you can come back to that same park another day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samiam Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 ETA: In fact, the more days in the parks you have, the less you try to see each day. You can spend half a day in the parks and go back to the pool or to a water park, and know that you can come back to that same park another day. Won't be much pool time (unless it's an indoor pool) or water park time in Feb, when OP mentioned she was going. It's a rare day in Feb in Orlando that it's past the 60's in temp. And some years, it's actually really cold in Feb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Dup. Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 ETA: In fact, the more days in the parks you have, the less you try to see each day. You can spend half a day in the parks and go back to the pool or to a water park, and know that you can come back to that same park another day. Won't be much pool time (unless it's an indoor pool) or water park time in Feb, when OP mentioned she was going. It's a rare day in Feb in Orlando that it's past the 60's in temp. And some years, it's actually really cold in Feb. We went in January and swam in our heated pool (we had a vacation home)...but I agree it's not something at that time of year you would want to spend hours doing. We did spend some time walking around the resorts, that was nice. Either way, I'd choose more days in the parks over less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I disagree and my biggest regret for previous visits is that we didn't do MORE days in the parks (the first visit we did 3 park days and I was pregnant with 5 young children and the 2nd visit was with my 10yo and infant and we did 4 days in the parks...still wish we had done more days in the parks!) Yes, it is exhausting, if you have little ones you will need to do some managing and probably won't be able to make it ALL day through the evening parades without taking a break. But if we're paying thousands of dollars to fly across country and go to Orlando, I definitely don't want to spend my time doing something I could do here in town. And it is SO WORTH IT. The memories we've made are priceless. Not once did anyone fall apart (except when it was time to leave MK and we weren't able to stay for the parade- too many little, little ones). ETA: In fact, the more days in the parks you have, the less you try to see each day. You can spend half a day in the parks and go back to the pool or to a water park, and know that you can come back to that same park another day. I agree wholeheartedly. Our last trip was a week and we felt it was too short. This time around we're planning for 10 days, building in the off-days and slower pace so that we can see/do more. We loved the resort (Wilderness Lodge) but were too tired to take advantage of any of its offerings. This time we're looking at the Beach Club/Yacht Club so that we can stroll along the boardwalk at night, let the kids watch the movies on the beach, stop over at Epcot for a bite..the pool is only a small part of the resort amenities and not one that we're into much, but we do like the rest - even the tours! Our favorite times in the park are opening and early evening/night, so we're building in our afternoon downtime to regroup and rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I ETA: In fact, the more days in the parks you have, the less you try to see each day. You can spend half a day in the parks and go back to the pool or to a water park, and know that you can come back to that same park another day. :iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree: I couldn't agree more. We love to have "extra" days on our park passes. Last time we went, we had 7 days. We have been to Disney a lot. So, when the park got REALLY full one afternoon, we felt no guilt in leaving that park for that day. We knew we'd be coming back that trip. And, the last two years we've gone in Jan/Feb it's been warm enough to swim. It was in the high 70s. OP - you can all stay in one room at Port Orleans Riverside. We did that (we officially put one of our kids in my sister's room) in February. We did a short trip that time. POR, 5 nights, 5 day park passes, free dining - around $2000. We are going in September again for free dining, same resort four nights, 2 day tickets to the parks (we're doing some other stuff in Orlando this time!): $1600. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 (edited) I would recommend NOT getting park hopper tickets that cover your ENTIRE stay. I see the OP mentioned 5-7 days. Some one else mentioned they were getting a 9 day park hopper ticket...kinda crazy, lol. You don't need a ticket for 5-7 days. Your children will still be quite young in 2014. Disney has four main parks, and if you did all four, that's ALOT of walking in one week. Disney parks are fun but EXHAUSTING even in the off season. Plan for days OFF where you can hang out at the hotel, or do some of the other fun Orlando things (they have an amazing Science center). IMHO, a 4 day hopper pass is enough for a week in Orlando...gives you off-days, and time to do other stuff, without feeling pressured that you MUST go to Disney because you paid for those days. I totally disagree. We love our 10 day Park Hoppers! We go every year and we are Disney commandos. We're there at rope drop, and most days we stay in the parks until they close. We have Park Hoppers because my kids are older (oldest two are almost 22 and 19 and our youngest is 11). They go from one park to the other on their own while DH and I have a romantic dinner on our own for a couple nights. We love being able to spend the morning at MK, then go swim at the hotel, then go back to Epcot for dinner at the Rose & Crown and watch Illuminations from their patio. Park Hoppers give us the flexibility we love in our vacation. Not to mention, it's only $57 per ticket whether you add it for one day or ten. Since I'm already paying $9,000 for two weeks there, that's a drop in the bucket. And yes, it is a lot of walking! I wore a pedometer the last trip and we walked an average of 13 miles per day!! Woo hoo!! That's how I manage to eat enough food for three people when I'm there and not gain any weight. Walking at Disney is the counteractant to the Dining Plan's desert at every meal! :D Edited July 12, 2012 by DianeW88 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knittingmomof3 Posted July 12, 2012 Author Share Posted July 12, 2012 What do you mean by "nice Disney resort"? Are you speaking of a deluxe resort, like the Polynesian, or would you be happy with a suite in a value resort like Art of Animation? Since you are a family of five, you will be spending more on your accomodations. You won't be able to book anything for 2014 for quite awhile. The package prices for 2013 just came out today, but you could plug your info in at the Disney website and get an idea of a price range. I just priced a package for my family of five for April/May of 2013. 12 nights, 13 days, Art of Animation "Finding Nemo" suite, regular dining plan, Magic Your Way tickets with Park Hopper and Water Parks and more option...$9712.38. Let me know how old your kids are and the dates you want to stay and I'll get you a quote. When I'm done with homeschooling, I'm going to plan people's Disney vacations. Just because I love it so much! :D Thank you to everyone for the replies. I'm super busy today so I don't have the ability to respond to everyone so I picked this one. We have limited vacation time so I see this being a once-in-a-childhood vacation. So we would like to make it really special as we don't anticipate being able to return on a regular basis. So I would like a really special resort, maybe even a villa? Ideally the resort would have an awesome pool setup. When I try to research on my own I am overwhelmed by all the options and with no insider knowledge it's hard to know what the best choice is for us. I have 3 kids with HUGE appetites and a husband who enjoys fine food so we would need a meal option that supports that. My kids will be 9, 7, and 5 in Feb of 2014. We can only stay one week. DH can't take more than 1 week off at a time. Is there a week in Feb that is less crowded than others? I had heard Feb was a good time to go. We would need a 6 day hopper pass then, right? Thanks for your input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Avoid Presidents' Day weekend. I will get back to you momentarily with some quotes and package options. Because doing this sort of thing makes me giddy! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 If you want an awesome pool, go for one of the deluxe or even moderates. The Beach & Yacht Clubs share a sandbottom pool and lazy river complex, though all of the pools in both categories seem to have fun slides or views. The DVC plan would probably work for you, with large appetites. I will say that dh and I were both disappointed in the food at the Magic Kingdom but loved Epcot and Animal Kingdom's offerings. The one plus about the dining plan is that you can relax, knowing everything except tips are paid for ahead of time. And if you sign up for the Mousesavers newsletter or hang out on the Disboards you can find out when there'll be free dining (usually the quick-service plan, but you can upgrade). Check out the first timers' link that I posted! It has everything from calendars showing the busy/slow days and months to how to get the most for your money there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Dup. Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 If you want an awesome pool, go for one of the deluxe or even moderates. The Beach & Yacht Clubs share a sandbottom pool and lazy river complex, though all of the pools in both categories seem to have fun slides or views. The DVC plan would probably work for you, with large appetites. I will say that dh and I were both disappointed in the food at the Magic Kingdom but loved Epcot and Animal Kingdom's offerings. The one plus about the dining plan is that you can relax, knowing everything except tips are paid for ahead of time. And if you sign up for the Mousesavers newsletter or hang out on the Disboards you can find out when there'll be free dining (usually the quick-service plan, but you can upgrade). Check out the first timers' link that I posted! It has everything from calendars showing the busy/slow days and months to how to get the most for your money there! I think she means DDP or Disney Dining Plan. They might offer this for free in February if you stay on-site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_Grace Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I think she means DDP or Disney Dining Plan. They might offer this for free in February if you stay on-site. Ack! Thank you! The DDP! I'd love to make the Vacation Club part of our lives, but alas, distance and pocketbook make it a pipe dream! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Ok, here are some quotes at Deluxe resorts with the regular dining plan (1 table service meal, 1 counter service meal and 1 snack per day), and a 7 day park ticket (no park hopper or water park option added). I'll also give quotes for a vacation with more "perks". Animal Kingdom Lodge...1 bedroom suite, Club level, Standard view: $8008.85 Polynesian...regular room, lagoon view: $5374.09 With Deluxe Dining package: $6080.89 (3 meals and 2 snacks, can use TS or CS for the meals) Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary Resort (lake view): $6278.71 With Deluxe Dining: $6985.41 Grand Floridian...regular room, outer building, theme park view: $6501.29 Club level, theme park view: $8251.85 Both with regular dining plan. Beach Club...lagoon or pool view, regular room: $5740.81 Deluxe room, club level with regular dining (because with club level, I don't think you need Deluxe dining): $6328.05 Wilderness Lodge...deluxe room, club level (only thing you can get with 5 people): $6618.29 Those would be my choices for a VERY nice stay in resorts with great pools, with plenty of food and amenities. Club level provides a breakfast and then snacks/refreshments periodically throughout the day. With that, you could certainly have plenty of food on the regular dining plan. Keep in mind that your 9 year old is considered a Disney adult, and will be able to order off the adult menu on restaurants, but your littles will be limited to the children's menu if you get the dining plan. If they eat more than a child's serving, or they don't particularly love chicken nuggets and pizza, you might want to look into paying out of pocket for some meals, or paying the difference at the restaurants (some are good about this, some aren't...it just depends). Go to Disney's website and "tour" each of the resorts to get a feel for what they're like. They have lots of photos and you can really see which one would be most appealing to your family. http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/hotels/?sortBy=nG:hasResortCategoryFacet&fv_78513=on Note that all of these prices are for Feb., 2013, because 2014 pricing won't be available for a long time. Expect the prices to go up for 2014. HTH!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I'm not a fan of park hoppers as it seems a waste of money. We park hopped once on a 10 day vacay. By the time we got from one park to the other, we'd wasted a ton of time. We do either Disney, Disneyland Paris or a Disney Cruise every year. We ♥ Disney. If it's a once in a life time vacay for you, try for a deluxe resort if you can swing it. If not, the moderates are quite nice. I priced a week in Feb for 2013 (Sun-Sat) with the Magic Your Way Plus Dining, with regular tickets, not park hopper, and for the Polynesian resort it is $5340. With park hoppers it goes up to $5644. With deluxe dining and no park hoppers it's $6047 and with park hoppers $6350. The Grand Floridian (which is the one I'd choose) with no park hoppers, and dining plan is $5737. If you add park hoppers it's $6040. If you do the GF with the deluxe dining plan it's $6444 without park hoppers and $6707 with park hoppers. For 2014, you can probably expect that the prices will go up anywhere from $500-1000. We were just there in April and I'm dying to go back! We may try and do a Disney cruise again when James Bond gets home from Afghanistan. I actually think I almost like the cruise better than WDW. Blasphemy! ETA: DianeW88, we must have been posting at the same time. We must have used different dates in Feb, because our prices are slightly different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 ETA: DianeW88, we must have been posting at the same time. We must have used different dates in Feb, because our prices are slightly different. I chose Feb 4-11...just to be sure I avoided President's Day weekend. Plus, some of my rooms were either an upgraded view or Club Level. Since the OP said she really didn't want to spare any expense, I ran with it. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 I chose Feb 4-11...just to be sure I avoided President's Day weekend. Plus, some of my rooms were either an upgraded view or Club Level. Since the OP said she really didn't want to spare any expense, I ran with it. :lol: Ha, I did Feb 3-10! I didn't add any upgraded or club views. On our next trip we're staying at the GF. Darn it. We usually go for a moderate resort (we like the Caribbean Beach Resort), but have stayed at the Poly and Yacht Club (♥♥♥). James Bond has never let me spring for the GF even though it's not much more than what we usually spend. Boo him. The next time though, GF!!! We went to WDW for our honeymoon 17 years ago and stayed at the CBR, which is one of the reasons we like it so much. Good memories. ;) It was JB's first trip to WDW (not mine!). We've talked about doing a vow renewal for our 25th (which is really my excuse for a lavish vacation) and I told him I want to stay in concierge level at the GF for no fewer than 10 days, just the 2 of us. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 Ha, I did Feb 3-10! I didn't add any upgraded or club views. On our next trip we're staying at the GF. Darn it. We usually go for a moderate resort (we like the Caribbean Beach Resort), but have stayed at the Poly and Yacht Club (♥♥♥). James Bond has never let me spring for the GF even though it's not much more than what we usually spend. Boo him. The next time though, GF!!! We went to WDW for our honeymoon 17 years ago and stayed at the CBR, which is one of the reasons we like it so much. Good memories. ;) It was JB's first trip to WDW (not mine!). We've talked about doing a vow renewal for our 25th (which is really my excuse for a lavish vacation) and I told him I want to stay in concierge level at the GF for no fewer than 10 days, just the 2 of us. :D We stayed at CBR for our first anniversary in 1989!! (My dh's 2nd trip, my 4th) We loved it! It had just opened...along with Hollywood Studios. Really fun trip and we've been going ever since! We're staying at Art of Animation next year. My dd (19...lol) really wants to stay in the Nemo suite and swim in the Big Blue pool. I kinda do, too. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
besroma Posted July 13, 2012 Share Posted July 13, 2012 We're staying at Art of Animation next year. My dd (19...lol) really wants to stay in the Nemo suite and swim in the Big Blue pool. I kinda do, too. :D They say that there are speakers under the water, and that Nemo talks to you when you swim! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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