orangearrow Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 Just wanted to add - definitely consider the Ft Wilderness - and take the popup along for the drive. We are around a 20-23 hour drive from Disney and always drive it. Also - you don't have to spend a full 7 days at the parks to get the full experience. There is a LOT to do in the Disney area - you could just do 3 days at the parks and spend the rest of the days moseying around the Disney area and Ft Wilderness itself! We have ALWAYS stayed off site anyway. I LOVE Disney, but don't agree with those who say you have to stay on site to enjoy the experience. We've always found great rates at great hotels right outside Disney's gates, it's a short drive to the parks, less crowded. The value resorts can be loud (LOTS of kids who aren't yours to tell to be quiet because it's midnight! lol). The off-site hotels often can accomodate large families much better than the Disney hotels (those suites at Disney are pricey!!) You can even rent a home that is about a 15 minute drive from Disney World. That's what we plan to do next trip - rent a home, spend 2 or 3 days at the park and the rest of the time enjoying the all-to-ourselves pool and hot tub at the rental home & Downtown Disney, Disney area, etc! we're approx. 1600 miles north of Orlando, FL. That would be about 2.5 days to drive there, X number days at Disney, and 2.5 days to drive home. We did talk about doing a hybrid vacation. The size of our family limits our resort options to a value suite at $3600 or a Cabin at the Wilderness Resort for $3900. (park tickets, meal plan, magic express to/from airport, insurance, and resort fees) + we still have to buy 4 airline tickets even though we have air miles for at least 3 tickets. Last night I found used popups (2008, and 2003) that sleep 8 for $3500 - $4000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 Please elaborate on how disney helped with the food allergy meal planning piece. This is a concern. I totally undid my ADAH-sa kid over New Year by allowing juice boxes (100% Juice) for the weekend as a treat. It's taken 2 weeks to get her back under control again in many ways. This is a concern and does play a part in our decision. Not original poster but check out this link. It will answer som questions. I don't have personal experience in this, but I know many have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted January 18, 2009 Author Share Posted January 18, 2009 We are 1300 miles from Orlando (we have family in FL) & it only takes us 23 hours to get there. I am thinking get the camper and do WDW on the cheap, in the camper, when you feel like it, if you ever feel like it. The value resorts, with AAA are like 89/night. And it will be even cheaper in the pop up to camp there. The Wilderness area is very relaxing. Don't forget to tack on insurance for the pop up as well. We've gone to Disney, and camped various places, and I don't know that a creative family *has* to choose one over the other--unless they hate one over the other...of course. :) we've got little people so we kinda figured we'd have to more often then if we had all bigger kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted January 18, 2009 Author Share Posted January 18, 2009 Not original poster but check out this link. It will answer som questions. I don't have personal experience in this, but I know many have. VERY interesting and encouraging. I follow a low-carb diet (diabetic but not insulin using) and we recently found that a low-carb diet works well with ADHD dd too. Ah well, still having made a decision about it all yet. Camping, Disney, Disney, Camping, Disney, Camping. . .. . DISNEY, no wait Camping! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 VERY interesting and encouraging. I follow a low-carb diet (diabetic but not insulin using) and we recently found that a low-carb diet works well with ADHD dd too. Ah well, still having made a decision about it all yet. Camping, Disney, Disney, Camping, Disney, Camping. . .. . DISNEY, no wait Camping! The first time we went to Disney, I was *so* worried about this. People assured me it would be okay -- that WDW does a fantastic job of dealing with dietary restrictions -- but still, I was worried. And that first night, the chef came to our table and took careful notes on ds' allergies, then asked which foods he liked, made suggestions based on what he had available, and came out shortly after with freshly made food from dedicated equipment just for my kid. It was the first night ds had had "kid food" in *years*, and I actually cried to see him eating chicken fingers (fresh made with a rice-based batter), steamed veggies (okay, he ate those all the time, but the chef asked what vegetables he liked and I could feel good that ds was eating healthy food too), rolls (gluten, egg, dairy, nut-free), and even a brownie! :D ... And I didn't have to *worry* on that trip. I didn't cook for a week and I also didn't panic every time we sat down to a meal someone else prepared. The table service restaurants are the very best for this. Their chefs are all specially trained to deal with food allergies and dietary restrictions, and they keep certain basic alternative foods on hand. When you call to make your reservations, they will give you a number to call a couple of days before your reservation, if you want to explain your situation and talk to the food buyer for that particular restaurant to make sure they have what you need on hand. I have *not* found that to be necessary (except at Hoop Dee Doo, where they called *me* to double check that they had alternatives for ds for everything on the menu) -- just meeting with the chef is plenty. The very best are the table service restaurants run by Disney directly. A few places (some of the restaurants in World Showcase in Epcot, for instance) are actually contracted out to other companies. Those chefs still worked with us and did a great job, but the directly Disney-run restaurants were the most amazingly accommodating. Counter service places and snacks can be a little tougher. But you can get files from Disney before your visit with a breakdown of allergens and typical problem ingredients for all kinds of foods all over the parks before you go. And they'll let you know where alternatives are available that aren't advertised and you might not think to ask about. (For example, the pizza places all have Amy's Rice Crust pizza on hand and they will bake it in a dedicated oven. It takes a little longer than a standard pizza, but it costs the same.) Really, the availability of specialty food choices at Disney was a *huge* factor in our returning several times. Ds eats better there than anywhere. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 That's a hard choice. Our family likes both camping and Disney. However, if I had to choose one or the other for a big vacation, I would choose Disney. In my experience, it's pretty easy to work a weekend camping trip into the schedule and budget, but Disney is a bigger commitment of both time and money. If you have the time and money, I'd do Disney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 we've got little people so we kinda figured we'd have to more often then if we had all bigger kids. Of course, we used to take longer, but at the most it was a few extra hours, not a whole day. But honestly, while we have enjoyed Disney vacays, we enjoy plenty of other kinds of getaways. Time together is time together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 (edited) When I first went to WDW, I was sure I going to hate every single thing about it. But the people there are so amazingly helpful, it's not even funny. They rock. Everyone tries to be so accomodating. I don't know if I've mentioned here the time I was with my hsers at WDW without dh for 10 days and we got sick. The kids were puking. You would think that would totally break a vacation. But I can't think of a better place to get sick. The housekeeping staff kept checking in on us, brought us videos, clean sheets and clean towels daily, and more often when needed. Can you imagine 3 children throwing up for two days and not having to do any laundry at all, but having clean laundry delivered each day? My youngest also had a b'day there, and they were awesome. In the caf, they brought balloons, made a cake for her, let the kids decorate cookies with candies and frosting (yeas, health food! lol) etc. Free. Free. But as for healthier foods-- most places don't have it on the menu, but you can get Annie's Mac instead of Kraft if you ask for it. You can also get organic milk and organic yogurt etc You just have to ask for it. They are also fantastic about relgious dietary needs. If it's nto on the menu, it doesn't mean they don't have it. I can't say enough about how much they try. That time, we didn't even go to Magic Kingdom. We pool -hopped, we went to a water park. We hung around in the sun, played in heated pools, and it was safe, and easy, and free parking and at $79/night you couldn't beat it. The first time we went to Disney, I was *so* worried about this. People assured me it would be okay -- that WDW does a fantastic job of dealing with dietary restrictions -- but still, I was worried. And that first night, the chef came to our table and took careful notes on ds' allergies, then asked which foods he liked, made suggestions based on what he had available, and came out shortly after with freshly made food from dedicated equipment just for my kid. It was the first night ds had had "kid food" in *years*, and I actually cried to see him eating chicken fingers (fresh made with a rice-based batter), steamed veggies (okay, he ate those all the time, but the chef asked what vegetables he liked and I could feel good that ds was eating healthy food too), rolls (gluten, egg, dairy, nut-free), and even a brownie! :D ... And I didn't have to *worry* on that trip. I didn't cook for a week and I also didn't panic every time we sat down to a meal someone else prepared. The table service restaurants are the very best for this. Their chefs are all specially trained to deal with food allergies and dietary restrictions, and they keep certain basic alternative foods on hand. When you call to make your reservations, they will give you a number to call a couple of days before your reservation, if you want to explain your situation and talk to the food buyer for that particular restaurant to make sure they have what you need on hand. I have *not* found that to be necessary (except at Hoop Dee Doo, where they called *me* to double check that they had alternatives for ds for everything on the menu) -- just meeting with the chef is plenty. The very best are the table service restaurants run by Disney directly. A few places (some of the restaurants in World Showcase in Epcot, for instance) are actually contracted out to other companies. Those chefs still worked with us and did a great job, but the directly Disney-run restaurants were the most amazingly accommodating. Counter service places and snacks can be a little tougher. But you can get files from Disney before your visit with a breakdown of allergens and typical problem ingredients for all kinds of foods all over the parks before you go. And they'll let you know where alternatives are available that aren't advertised and you might not think to ask about. (For example, the pizza places all have Amy's Rice Crust pizza on hand and they will bake it in a dedicated oven. It takes a little longer than a standard pizza, but it costs the same.) Really, the availability of specialty food choices at Disney was a *huge* factor in our returning several times. Ds eats better there than anywhere. ;) Edited January 18, 2009 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenpatty Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 Definitely #2! I *love* camping! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted January 19, 2009 Author Share Posted January 19, 2009 Of course, we used to take longer, but at the most it was a few extra hours, not a whole day. But honestly, while we have enjoyed Disney vacays, we enjoy plenty of other kinds of getaways. Time together is time together. That's the problem here, dh hates vacations. He'd rather stay home and work on his to do list. :glare: And we homeschoolers would like to get away from home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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