Diane88 and other Disneyphiles--need help (long)

[whitestavern]

A bit of a background: we've been to the World 3 times. After 2 trips, dh said enough. However, I managed to talk him into another trip in 2012 because some friends of ours wanted us to go with them and play tour guide. I thought for sure it was our last trip, at least for a long time...but I think we may have talked him into going back in 2014!!!

 

More background: we have always stayed offsite, mostly due to budgetary constraints, because I like having a separate bedroom from my kids, a living area for hanging out, and a kitchen for breakfast and snacks and adult beverages. I've enjoyed all our offsite stays, and anytime there's been an onsite vs. offsite thread, I'll list all the bennies of offsite. However, I think all you diehard onsiters are weakening me...I'd like to try onsite this time...especially because I really truly think this WILL be our last visit. (Diane...we started a Disney fund jar and collected about $80 our first day between allowance, babysitting money and some I'd put aside already...my ds even talked my dh out of buying a bar of dark chocolate last night so he could put the $3 into our fund!)

 

Soooooo, I need some help. We will probably have to stay in one room, and I'm okay with that. My dc are getting older, they can stay up later, and it's only for a week so I think it'll be fine. I need to know every trick and tip there is for getting discounts though because I'll likely have to talk my dh into onsite. I want to be able to get to the parks quick, although we will have a car. One of the resorts that are walking distance to Epcot would be nice as that is our favorite park. But I'd love to hear where everyone likes to stay and why; there are just so many options! Since we have been several times already, we will probably spend more time sitting around the pool and enjoying the resort so that will also factor into our decision. Maybe a smaller resort would be nice, less quiet.

 

We are tentatively looking at the week of 3/1-3/8...which is considered "regular season". What is the best way to get the lowest price? Should I deal with a Disney travel agent? Try to get a pin? Go through AAA? Is Disney's deal (30% off usually) the best bet? And what about the dining plan? We've never been eligible so I've never given it any thought. We won't take time in the mornings to eat "out" but will probably grab yogurt or granola bars in our room (are there any rooms that have mini fridges?) We usually do a sit down meal a day, whether it be lunch or dinner...usually dinner. We like a lot of the signatures, but there are still quite a few places we haven't tried, like 'Ohana. Do you save any $$ with the dining plan? What about free dining? Is that a better deal than a discounted room?

 

Oh, and does anyone know anything about this new system they're rolling out? I've heard bits and pieces but nothing specific...not even sure when it's supposed to debut.

 

This onsite stuff is all new territory for me so any info you experts can provide will be very appreciated!!

[Brenda in FL]

I'm going to let others answer most of your questions, but I wanted to address getting to the parks quickly. We almost always drive our own car to the parks when we stay onsite. No waiting for the bus - no potential long walks from bus to room with tired children. Unless their policies have changed, if you are an on-site guess, parking is free at the parks.

[DianeW88]

I'll answer your questions in chunks, because I have to run errands and fix something for dinner. LOL But first....your resort. Disney almost always has deals, and the 30% off thing they have going now is actually pretty good. Their deals aren't as great as they were in the past, but 30% is still decent. If you want a resort within walking distance of Epcot, then you're looking at the deluxe resorts. Yacht Club is my personal favorite (awesome pool with a sandy bottom!), Beach Club is second, and Boardwalk is third (they have a scary clown pool, 'nuff said). The rooms are a decent size and very pretty. The food is good, and Beaches & Cream is one of my favorite places for a burger and a sundae at WDW.

[DianeW88]

I can't paragraph with Windows 8 (does anyone know how to fix that? It only seems to be this site), so here's your next question. Food. I personally love the dining plan because I don't have to worry about how much we're spending for any meal (I've already paid for it) and I never have to look at the prices on the menus. I don't know if it actually saves us money....I think it may, but just a minimal amount...but eating at the WDW restaurants is an enjoyable part of our vacation and forces us to take a break and relax at a sit-down meal. We do have breakfast in our room quite a bit (there are mini-fridges), but we also use our snack credits for breakfast. We can usually split a counter service meal breakfast between two people as well. So I always vote "yes" on the dining plan, but I know others will feel differently.

[Mom0012]

I've been to Disney many times and had never stayed on-site until our trip last November. We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside. It was nice, but I did not feel like I was at Disney any more than when we've stayed in an offsite location. We ate breakfast at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and I could see where staying in one of the higher end resorts like that with a lobby and other amenities right in the building would make it feel more like we were at Disney.

 

I'm not complaining about POR. We stayed in one of the "royal rooms" and it had just been redone, so it was very clean and nice. If our children were younger, they would have appreciated some of the theming in the room. But, since the entrance to the room was from the outside, it was like entering an apartment building. It was pretty, but we never saw anyone and it didn't add to our experience. We did have the dining plan, which was a big deal to me because I have a child with multiple allergies and I wanted to feel like all our food was taken care of. (Disney is wonderful about accommodating allergies.) I have mixed feelings about that because there was sooo much food, some of us were sick (my husband, in particular) every day. On the other hand, I was able to let my son use a lot of our snack points at Babycakes bakery where everything is gluten free and it was fun to eat out so often.

 

Anyway, I would stay at one of the higher end resorts or I wouldn't stay on-site again without really crunching some numbers and comparing costs.

[whitestavern]

Thanks for the info so far. Diane and Pastel, do you purchase the regular dining plan? My family can eat so I'm thinking it probably wouldn't be too much food, especially if we use 2 credits on a signature meal along the way.

 

Can anyone give me a realistic idea of what I'm looking at to stay onsite at a deluxe resort? I really think it's going to have to come in at less than 5K to make it happen (including lodging, tix, meals and transportation, which is usually around $800 although we may drive to save $$). Is this at all realistic? Could I do better purchasing DVC points?

[Mom in High Heels]

We've never had a problem getting busses to the park. If you stay until a park closes, you are potentially looking at a long wait to get back, but since your kids are older, that shouldn't be a huge deal. We always get the dining plan. It is totally worth it. It used to be better, but it's still a great deal. We usually stay at moderate resorts and really love the Caribbean Beach Resort. It's so much fun. Each area is named after an Island and each has its own beach and pool. There is a huge pool and 2 hot tubs at the main area, along with shopping, a bar and counter service foods. You can rent boats, jet skis and those little paddle boat things that hold one or two people to tool around the lake if you like. We did that once and it was fun. The rooms aren't huge, but they're decent. For deluxe, we like the Poly and the Yacht Club. They are a good bit more than the moderate, but it all depends on what you want. You can go to the Disney site and price out your vacation. I don't know that they have the 2014 up yet, but at least you can get a rough idea. BTW, we never get the park hopper option, as we never park hop, and that saves a little bit.

[Mom0012]

Thanks for the info so far. Diane and Pastel, do you purchase the regular dining plan? My family can eat so I'm thinking it probably wouldn't be too much food, especially if we use 2 credits on a signature meal along the way.

 

Can anyone give me a realistic idea of what I'm looking at to stay onsite at a deluxe resort? I really think it's going to have to come in at less than 5K to make it happen (including lodging, tix, meals and transportation, which is usually around $800 although we may drive to save $$). Is this at all realistic? Could I do better purchasing DVC points?

 

 

I went when the dining plan was free and it was the regular dining plan. I can't answer your other questions. I just know it was enough more to stay at a deluxe resort that I decided a moderate resort was more within our budget. My memory is terrible, but I think we paid about $2400 for a family of 4 to stay 5 nights at a moderate resort. which included our tickets and the dining plan. A lot will probably depend on when you go and what kind of deals you can get. Try plugging the information in on the Disney website for the dates you are considering to get an estimate.

[DianeW88]

You'll have to price it out, but generally, one week at a Deluxe with a regular meal plan and park tickets will run you $7,000- 8,000. Depends on the discount, the week you're choosing, etc., etc. It's so variable, you'll just have to price it out on Disney's website. If you want to save money on accommodations, you could try a moderate. The cabins at Ft. Wilderness have a full-sized kitchen, and I really like them, but the transportation system there stinks. You might want to bring your own car if you stay there. You could also look into a suite at Art of Animation. That has "Big Blue", the biggest resort pool on Disney property, and the theming is amazing!! We loved it there! The Nemo suites were so fun...and the food court was yummy. Transportation was very efficient as well. Go to the WDW official site and click on parks, then "places to stay". You can then take a virtual tour through each resort and then compare.

[nono]

Could I do better purchasing DVC points?

 

Well you wouldn't be purchasing the points, just renting from an owner. A 1 bedroom in the week you mention would translate into dollar from rental points to be about $3500. Before tickets, transportation and meals. You would have a full kitchen at your disposal and a living room with pull out couch and possibly a chair that converts to a bed as well. You could get this price down by renting a studio, which is a glorified hotel room. I would think you'd do better with a regular cash room with discount.

 

Given when you are going, renting DVC points makes sense if you are planning to use the room a lot, esp. for making at least 1/3 of your meals. Otherwise, it's probably not the best idea. JMHO.

 

Oh and the other time renting DVC makes sense is when you are looking to have a 1 or 2 bedroom villa no matter what. At that point, renting points for the villa v. paying Disney's going cash rate is almost always a better deal.