Scarlett Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 My dh wants to go. Now. I have this promotion from DW in my hand that says Kids 3-9, stay play and dine for free. Each Adult is $794. It includes 5 nights/6 days at a Value Resort Theme Park tickets Disney Dining Plan Transportation to and from Orlando International Airport Transportation throughout the WDW Resort, including all 4 Theme Parks (is that the same thing as a Park Hopper I've heard about?) Does that cover all the costs (except for plane tickets)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5kidsforME Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 My dh wants to go. Now. I have this promotion from DW in my hand that says Kids 3-9, stay play and dine for free. Each Adult is $794. It includes5 nights/6 days at a Value Resort Theme Park tickets Disney Dining Plan Transportation to and from Orlando International Airport Transportation throughout the WDW Resort, including all 4 Theme Parks (is that the same thing as a Park Hopper I've heard about?) Does that cover all the costs (except for plane tickets)? A hopper ticket is a special ticket that lets you hop to as many parks in one day that you want to go to. Has nothing to do with transportation. When you stay in Disney they provide buses everywhere for there guests. I would call and make sure you know any (possible) hidden fees up front. We (I) love Disney!!! If you can go I say go. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracey in TX Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 We've gone for much less than that. Our family of 7 spent $3000--parks, spending money, driving, etc--for a full week, but opted to stay in a rental home (2500 sq ft w/ pool) nearby, several years ago. We looked at this a few months ago, but kept coming back to it not being that good a deal, so opted to go to WDW another time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Which dining plan is it? I think it's probably not three meals/day. It sounds like the two meals/day plan. So, you would have to come up with one other meal (probably breakfast - you can do that quite easily in your room!). You don't need the park hopper tickets if you plan well. We never get them. But, it means if we have dinner reservations at a restaurant in Epcot, we need to make sure we spend our day there as it takes entry to the park to get to the restaurants. Don't underestimate the cost of souvenirs!! I'm not easily taken in by trinkets and all, but we still spent a bit of money on them!! You'll have a GREAT time!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Don't underestimate the cost of souvenirs!! I'm not easily taken in by trinkets and all, but we still spent a bit of money on them!! We might be weird, but we just don't buy souvenirs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 We have done the inclusive deals 3 times; there are no hidden costs. Depending on how much you guys eat, you may need to buy some additional food; the meal plan is 2 meals plus one snack per day. We found that this was way more than enough (we ate 3x daily, just shared meals sometimes). You may need to buy additional water/drinks, especially if it's hot; generally $2.50 to $3 per bottle. Your snack credits can be used for drinks, but it's not enough if you eat Mickey Ears ice cream every day! We bought one refillable mug at our hotel for $12 (NOT refillable at the parks, but you can take it with you). We've never had any problem taking in water and snacks in our bags (they check the bags, but don't care if you have food). You'll want some money for souvenirs. There are additional parks you can visit for an additional fee. Park hopper is also extra (lets you go from park to park on the same day; we never get it). Oh, almost forgot, you do have to pay the tip for table service meals (they bill you, it's not a choice!). You can do all counter service if you prefer (there's some good table service, not just burgers & pizza). We enjoyed table service several times. Just don't make reservations with no idea of meal prices, because a $200 meal is a $40 tip (something you want to plan on, rather than zero). The Disney reservation agents are generally very helpful, and will help you work through the best choices for your vacation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 We've gone probably a dozen times and I would never go and stay outside of Disney, it's just too convenient. I agree with the above posts, except we really utilized our park hopper passes - going from park to park. Also my two 9yo children were very disappointed with the kid's meals on the dining plan. If I had realized that, I would have bought them adult tickets and let them eat what the rest of the family was eating. The kid's meals were skimpy and awful - and ours were great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 We've gone probably a dozen times and I would never go and stay outside of Disney, it's just too convenient. I agree with the above posts, except we really utilized our park hopper passes - going from park to park. Also my two 9yo children were very disappointed with the kid's meals on the dining plan. If I had realized that, I would have bought them adult tickets and let them eat what the rest of the family was eating. The kid's meals were skimpy and awful - and ours were great! We never ordered kid's meals at counter service, just at table service (and those were generally fine). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted March 4, 2009 Author Share Posted March 4, 2009 A hopper ticket is a special ticket that lets you hop to as many parks in one day that you want to go to. Has nothing to do with transportation. When you stay in Disney they provide buses everywhere for there guests. I would call and make sure you know any (possible) hidden fees up front. We (I) love Disney!!! If you can go I say go. :001_smile: So let me understand this....There are different parks? Does 'Theme Park' Tickets get you into all the parks? Without the Park Hopper you get to only go to one per day? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 There are 4 different parks (plus water parks), and, yes, without park hoppers you can go to one per day (but you can enter and leave the same park as often as you want). We've done it with and without park hoppers, and have found it's not really inconvenient to go without the park hoppers as long as you plan carefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 So let me understand this....There are different parks? Does 'Theme Park' Tickets get you into all the parks? Without the Park Hopper you get to only go to one per day? Yes - there are four different parks - Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. Yes - the tickets will get you into all the parks. There are also water parks and those would be extra. You can get your theme park tickets to include that option, but, again, it's extra. Without the park hopper - you only get into one park per day. There is PLENTY to keep you busy in one park for a few days. So, don't worry about getting bored and needing to leave!! I highly recommend the Unofficial Guide to WDW with children!! It will give you all of this information! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted March 4, 2009 Author Share Posted March 4, 2009 Yes - there are four different parks - Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. Yes - the tickets will get you into all the parks. There are also water parks and those would be extra. You can get your theme park tickets to include that option, but, again, it's extra. Without the park hopper - you only get into one park per day. There is PLENTY to keep you busy in one park for a few days. So, don't worry about getting bored and needing to leave!! I highly recommend the Unofficial Guide to WDW with children!! It will give you all of this information! So in your opinion the park hopper is not necessary? I will get that guide! Maybe tonight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted March 4, 2009 Author Share Posted March 4, 2009 More questions Is March a good month to go in? Warm enough? I don't like being cold... Will our only still have fun with just us 3--him, dh and me? Or should we try to find a friend he can take that we can tolerate? :) I think dh is leaning toward making it a family trip only....but I don't know. I already feel so sorry for ds because he so much wants siblings. He heard me talking on the phone to his dad about WDW and the first thing he asked was could he take a friend. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Yes - there are four different parks - Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. Yes - the tickets will get you into all the parks. There are also water parks and those would be extra. You can get your theme park tickets to include that option, but, again, it's extra. Without the park hopper - you only get into one park per day. There is PLENTY to keep you busy in one park for a few days. So, don't worry about getting bored and needing to leave!! I highly recommend the Unofficial Guide to WDW with children!! It will give you all of this information! Yes, the Unofficial Guide is mandatory.:lol: Or should be. In the meantime: Magic Kingdom--If you've been to Disneyland, this is probably what you think of when you think "Disney," although it is missing some of my favorites from Disneyland. Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lightyear, and Pirates of the Caribbean are the biggest attractions here. Animal Kingdom--a mix of zoo and theme park. Our favorite animal parts are the Safari and the two trails where you walk through and see animals in natural-looking settings. (The tiger exhibit is always a favorite of ours.) In terms of rides, they have Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids, and Dinosaur. There are also shows--Nemo and the Lion King. We've never managed to make it to Nemo, but the Lion King show is great. Disney Studios--this is our least favorite park, but it has some of our favorite rides: Toy Story Mania, Rock-n-Rollercoaster, and the Tower of Terror. Epcot--our family's favorite park. Rides in front (Test Track, Soarin', MissionSpace) and "countries" in the back. We like to ride the rides and then snack our way through the countries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 My thoughts... I couldn't do without Park Hoppers. I'm spoiled, I know. But we really do make use of the chance to do different parks all in one day. I looooove having the Park Hopper option. We find the regular dining plan to be *plenty* of food for our family, even though it "sounds" like only two meals a day. We've always had a counterservice meal or two left at the end of the trip. No hidden costs, in our experience, in you go with Magic Your Way + Dining. Whether you buy souvenirs is, of course, entirely up to you. We usually let each child pick *one* (reasonably priced) item per trip. For kids' dining plan, it depends on how you plan. Table service meals with buffet or family style dining mean the child gets exactly what the adults get and as much as he wants. There are a few menu-based places with more limited options. For counter services, there's no real accounting for adults vs kids meals. We found two full adult meals often fed our whole family, then we might use the additional counterservices for a light meal/snack some other time during the day. Most of our snack credits went for bottles of water (and a few Mickey ice creams to share)!... We've been in early March, and the weather was lovely. A little too cold for dh and me to swim, but the kids didn't mind. My only concern would be if you're going in the second half of March, you'd want to be wary of spring break crowds. And yes, you absolutely need The Unofficial Guide to WDW! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 More questions Is March a good month to go in? Warm enough? I don't like being cold... Will our only still have fun with just us 3--him, dh and me? Or should we try to find a friend he can take that we can tolerate? :) I think dh is leaning toward making it a family trip only....but I don't know. I already feel so sorry for ds because he so much wants siblings. He heard me talking on the phone to his dad about WDW and the first thing he asked was could he take a friend. :tongue_smilie: No way on earth would I take somebody else's kid to Disney World for nearly a week. There isn't enough tolerance in the WORLD. Plus, you'll appreciate not having a 4th person in the room; they're not huge. My two were split up more often than not, anyway, because the oldest can and does ride every single ride, while the younger is too short and timid to venture on anything too fast, too dark, too high, too noisy . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 So in your opinion the park hopper is not necessary? I will get that guide! Maybe tonight! We had them once when we went (it was a free upgrade) and only used them once. The next time we went, we didn't buy them and just planned accordingly. See how much the difference is and decide from there. It was nice to have the option the first time we were there. I did stress a little about not having it the second time. But, it wasn't an issue. Next time, I won't worry about it at all! More questions Is March a good month to go in? Warm enough? I don't like being cold... Will our only still have fun with just us 3--him, dh and me? Or should we try to find a friend he can take that we can tolerate? :) I think dh is leaning toward making it a family trip only....but I don't know. I already feel so sorry for ds because he so much wants siblings. He heard me talking on the phone to his dad about WDW and the first thing he asked was could he take a friend. :tongue_smilie: We've only been in January. Last year when we went one week it was in the 80s and the second week it was in the 60s. This year we took a Disney Cruise and the weather when we left port (near Disney) was very warm - 80s. When we returned, it was in the 50s! So, it really can vary. I don't know about your ds and a friend question. That's a toughie. Personally, I wouldn't want the stress and responsibility of a non-family member on my vacation. But, I'm coming at it as a mom of 4!! We did split up quite a bit so that each child got alone time with a parent. But that's so different than being an only and not really having the option. So, that's a long winded way of saying, I don't know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted March 5, 2009 Author Share Posted March 5, 2009 No way on earth would I take somebody else's kid to Disney World for nearly a week. There isn't enough tolerance in the WORLD. Plus, you'll appreciate not having a 4th person in the room; they're not huge. My two were split up more often than not, anyway, because the oldest can and does ride every single ride, while the younger is too short and timid to venture on anything too fast, too dark, too high, too noisy . . . The more I think about this the more I think you (and dh are right). It isn't so much ME tolerating the child....but 5 nights is a long time for a 9 year old to be so far from home. It is a loooooong way from AR to Orlando...when I put it to ds that way...how HE wouldn't want to be away from me for that long...he reluctantly saw my point. We regularly go to a nearby theme park and take a friend...so he has that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Without the park hopper - you only get into one park per day. There is PLENTY to keep you busy in one park for a few days. So, don't worry about getting bored and needing to leave!! If they still allow it, you can just buy extra days instead of the park hopper option. Much, much cheaper. (But I agree there is plenty to do without hopping parks.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 If they still allow it, you can just buy extra days instead of the park hopper option. Much, much cheaper. (But I agree there is plenty to do without hopping parks.) They don't allow this. You can only use one day of your park ticket per calendar day. We had park hoppers on our first trip. It was nice. But now that we buy admission tickets for 6 people, and the difference between a park hopper and a non-hopper ticket is about $40 per person . . . we'd rather spend the money somewhere else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted March 5, 2009 Author Share Posted March 5, 2009 They don't allow this. You can only use one day of your park ticket per calendar day. We had park hoppers on our first trip. It was nice. But now that we buy admission tickets for 6 people, and the difference between a park hopper and a non-hopper ticket is about $40 per person . . . we'd rather spend the money somewhere else. Thanks everyone for your help. I don't think we are going to be able to fit it in until after mandated testing the week of April 13...So I'm thinking the week after that would be a good week to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Another vote for the Unofficial Guide! We went last year, with the help of that book, we had no need for park hoppers! Plus with 3 little ones, I didn't want o be hopping anywhere. I know you will have tons of fun!!! I want to go back soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted March 5, 2009 Author Share Posted March 5, 2009 More questions... I'm pricing it out with a package that includes what Abbey mentioned..the 6 day Magic Your Way with Park Hopper/Water Park and Dining Plan. I found a Value Resort with that package for $2052. And a Moderate (Port Orleans Resort) for 2556. A friend who is going next week says she has read that the Value Resorts are much more crowded, noisy and more issues with transportation....so she decided to go with the moderate. I'd love to hear opinions about the Tiers of Resorts. Anyone, think the Moderate is worth $500 more? And has anyone stayed at the Port Orleans Resort specifically? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 More questions... I'm pricing it out with a package that includes what Abbey mentioned..the 6 day Magic Your Way with Park Hopper/Water Park and Dining Plan. I found a Value Resort with that package for $2052. And a Moderate (Port Orleans Resort) for 2556. A friend who is going next week says she has read that the Value Resorts are much more crowded, noisy and more issues with transportation....so she decided to go with the moderate. I'd love to hear opinions about the Tiers of Resorts. Anyone, think the Moderate is worth $500 more? And has anyone stayed at the Port Orleans Resort specifically? Make sure you do all the permutations on your package to get the price you want - different dining plans, different types of tickets, resort, etc, etc. When I price out a Disney vacation, I keep a notebook with a chart with all the prices and we base our decision on that. Is the Port Orleans Resort the Riverside one or the French Quarter? There are two of them. We stayed at the Riverside resort (it was actually cheaper for our family there because we were officially a family of 5 (babe was under 3) and would've needed two rooms at the value resort, but at POR, they have some rooms that sleep 5.). Anyway, we LOVED how quiet it was there. I felt like I was at a luxurious summer camp. There are nice wooded paths where you walk along the river. There's fishing, boat rentals, surrey rentals, etc. The pools are tucked away between the trees. (Some of my favorite memories are at night at the resort watching the kids swim with dh while I got a drink from the pool-side bar and read a book. Ahhhhhh . . . )There is a boat that will take you to Downtown Disney very easily too. Some of the houses at POR are quite a walk from the bus stops and the lobby/restaurants, so you might want to take that into consideration. I have a BIL who swears by the cheaper resorts though. He says that you spend so little time in the room, it's not worth it to get anything more. Yes, they are busier and louder, but he'll put up with that for the cheaper price so they can go more often (they go 2 -3 times/year!). I've never stayed at one, so I can't compare directly for you! We do, however, prefer a quiet, relaxing atmosphere when we're on vacation. I liked the option of a sit-down dinner or a quick meal and I could get that at POR. Next January, we're renting our own house and staying off property. It will be a very different experience, but we wanted to see if we liked it better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted March 5, 2009 Author Share Posted March 5, 2009 Make sure you do all the permutations on your package to get the price you want - different dining plans, different types of tickets, resort, etc, etc. When I price out a Disney vacation, I keep a notebook with a chart with all the prices and we base our decision on that. Is the Port Orleans Resort the Riverside one or the French Quarter? There are two of them. We stayed at the Riverside resort (it was actually cheaper for our family there because we were officially a family of 5 (babe was under 3) and would've needed two rooms at the value resort, but at POR, they have some rooms that sleep 5.). Anyway, we LOVED how quiet it was there. I felt like I was at a luxurious summer camp. There are nice wooded paths where you walk along the river. There's fishing, boat rentals, surrey rentals, etc. The pools are tucked away between the trees. (Some of my favorite memories are at night at the resort watching the kids swim with dh while I got a drink from the pool-side bar and read a book. Ahhhhhh . . . )There is a boat that will take you to Downtown Disney very easily too. Some of the houses at POR are quite a walk from the bus stops and the lobby/restaurants, so you might want to take that into consideration. I have a BIL who swears by the cheaper resorts though. He says that you spend so little time in the room, it's not worth it to get anything more. Yes, they are busier and louder, but he'll put up with that for the cheaper price so they can go more often (they go 2 -3 times/year!). I've never stayed at one, so I can't compare directly for you! We do, however, prefer a quiet, relaxing atmosphere when we're on vacation. I liked the option of a sit-down dinner or a quick meal and I could get that at POR. Next January, we're renting our own house and staying off property. It will be a very different experience, but we wanted to see if we liked it better! The one I priced at 2550 is the POR Riverside...Glad to hear you like it...I'm really torn, because $500 is $500, but I am like you in that I prefer quiet and relaxing...I will just have to hash that out with dh I guess. Thanks for you help. I could not find an option, pricing it out on line, to take off the water park....and the dining plan I priced is for 2 meals plus snacks a day which I feel (and others have said) is plenty. The price I got does include the Park Hopper....and I'm thinking I do want that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 A couple of things I thought of: Are you a AAA member? We joined last year before our trip for $90 and ended up saving about $500 for booking through AAA vacations. We stayed at the Pop Century resort. There were five of us in one room. The room was small, but very nice. I think for the three of you it would be plenty of room. I don't think it was that crowded, but it is spread out over several acres and about 10 buildings. We did pay about $10 extra per night to have a room that was close to the main building/bus stop. With three kids, I thought that was money well spent! The pools were awesome, and there was a counter service type restaurant and souvenir shop in the main building. We had absolutely no issues with the bus transportation. We had no car so we relied fully on the buses. I thought it was great!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted March 9, 2009 Author Share Posted March 9, 2009 Still reading and trying to figure this out. I think we've settled on the Caribbean Resort. It is a Moderate priced one and once I took off the water park option it brought the price down to 2396. 5 nights/6 days Magic Your Way with the Dining Option. Now my problem is WHICH village inside the Caribbean should I pick? I've already read and read and read on it but I'm hoping someone here has stayed at the Caribbean and could offer an opinion on which one might be best. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lux Et Veritas Academy Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Email me- and I will give you my phone number. I own a travel agency- we don't have any fees or anything, so it is simply advice. I would be happy to talk to you about the pros and cons of using WDW vs. a hotel etc. Angela Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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