DisneyWorld Advice

My folks are indeed DVC owners. It's really awesome for family get togethers. Their home resort is Saratoga Springs, but they've never had a problem getting the DVC resort they want at the normal 180 day window. As far as DVC, I've stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Old Key West, and Boardwalk. If I had an endless supply of money, I would buy into Grand Floridian right now.

 

Great stuff, because I never have to pay for a hotel room when I'm there Though, we usually stay a few days after everyone else leaves and stay at a hotel we haven't stayed at before on our own.

Back in the 90's, when they bought in (I think it was 1991) there were 4 free parkhoppers for every night you stayed...that lasted until 2000. Amazing value. And with as much as my family has gone over the past 20 years, the investment has paid off big time.

Trip before last we stayed at Animal Kingdom...nice place. Very far away from all the parks but AK though. Not a fan of waiting on the buses there.

My favorite hotels are the ones that back up to EPCOT. Being able to walk to EPCOT..take a boat to the Studios...the pool at the Yacht & Beach Club. Those are my favorite. Eventually, I'll buy some points...likely at the Beach Club or at OKW.

Going next June...staying at OKW first..then spending the last few nights at the Yacht Club, where I've never stayed before. We'll be there during the World Cup, which will be fun..and presumably while the Rockets are in the Western Conference Finals!

 

AKL was a little far, but for me the resort was so spectacular that it more than made up for that. I was there during the first week of May and we never had to wait more than 7 or so minutes for a bus.

My family bought in at Saratoga Springs because the annual maintenance fees were much lower than some of the higher end resorts, and they've still had no problem booking any of the other resorts with their points.

For me, one of the resorts around Magic Kingdom would be ideal. We love staying late at Magic Kingdom, and being able to have a short walk/boat ride back to the resort after the fireworks would be awesome.

 

Have you stayed at Saratoga yet? How is it?

I'm with you...probably best to make it or OKW the home resort, as they're cheaper options per point and with maintenance fees.

 

I haven't personally, but I have family who has. From what I understand, its strengths are that it has a great spa, a nice pool, and you can walk to downtown disney (which is facing significant upgrades in the near future). It doesn't have the extra "Wow" features that a place like AKL or Beach Club, or Grand Floridian etc have, but there are still some perks. A little bit on the far side from some of the parks as well.

 

Great info in this thread, I doubt Ill be taking advantage of any of it since my youngest is 20 now, and I dont see grandkids on the way anytime soon.....but this *is* going to become my go-to linkage the next time someone posts a thread asking for Disney advice.

In a way, the kid in me envies the amount of Disney vacations you guys get to go on...but the adult in me recognizes that my money would be better spent going somewhere more adult.

 

I do know this:

With the exception of long lines at the parks and such:

I went to one of the Orlando parks a few years ago. I thought the price of the ticket was steep (and I'm not cheap; for that, let me introduce you to my father).

At the end of the day I thought it was worth every penny. Mickey makes his buck, to be sure, but I didn't feel robbed.

 

My family (me, my wife and 3 boys aged 10, 8 and 3) has been to WDW 5 times over the past 7 years and we've refined the process down pretty tightly. Always remember the obvious, though - what works for me or someone else may not work for you. It ultimately comes down to what your priorities and expectations are for the trip.

This is what we do:

1.) Go the first week of December. This is the perfect combination of weather, park attendance and value, as it is an off-peak time in Disney terms, plus it's decorated for Christmas and you can attend the Christmas party if you want (we did once, which was enough for us). The downside is that we've pulled our kids of of school for a week and gotten the requisite nastygram from the sheriff's office for unexcused absences, but you don't have to worry about that.

2.) Stay on-site in a value resort. I would love to stay in one of the nicer resorts but frankly, we spend about an hour a day in our hotel getting ready for bed and planning the next day and the remainder is spent in the parks. The nice places are nice, but really, really expensive (while the value resorts are only really expensive). There are certainly negatives to the value resorts, primarily the sheer number of people trying to get on and off the shuttles. Again, it's where your priorities lie - if you plan on spending a lot of time at the hotel, you may want to spring for a better one.

3.) Get the meal plan. You can almost certainly get it for free if you keep your eyes open. My wife is like a hawk and we've not paid a penny for it the past 3 or 4 times we've gone. If you plan on doing character meals, get your reservations early (I think you can book 90 days in advance, but don't quote me on that as my wife handles these arrangements).

4.) HAVE A PLAN!!! I cannot stress this enough. Many people go to WDW with the intent of playing it by ear, and those people are the ones that end up spending hours in lines. I would recommend forking over the 10 or 20 bucks that it costs to join touringplans.com or TourGuide Mike. You don't have to have things scheduled to the minute, but have a general plan that everybody sticks to.

5.) Get there early. Even at the Magic Kingdom, if you arrive 30 minutes before opening, you'll feel like you're all alone for the first 2 hours the park is open.

6.) Understand the FastPass system. Always make sure you have the maximum possible FastPasses in your hand that you can. As soon as your FP window comes up, check your schedule and grab the next available FP ride, even if it means splitting up and meeting back again.

7.) HAVE A PLAN!!! Did I mention that? For example, the Toy Story Mania is the most popular ride at Hollywood Studios by far. If everything breaks just right, you can ride it 4 times in a day. If you do it wrong, you can stand in line for 60 minutes and ride it just once. What we do is get there before opening (See #5), then go with the crowd to the ride when the gates open (and there will be a crowd). Get a FastPass (See #6), but don't use it yet. Go through the standby line, as it is as short as it will be all day. Then use your FP to ride a second time. If you're lucky, by then there will be another FP available for the ride. If everything works out perfectly, you may be able to snag one more FP (they typically are out for the day by 11 am), and will have ridden 4 times without standing in a ridiculous line even once.

This same strategy can be used for Soarin' at Epcot, which is far and away the most popular ride at that park.

8.) Don't be afraid to split up briefly, it will help you and your kids in the long run. As I mentioned, I would often run ahead to get a new FastPass when available. Also, prime seating for parades are at a premium, so one of you can scope out a place with the baby 30-45 minutes beforehand (this can also be used for a break/snack time) while the other does something with your older kid.

9.) Don't get the Park Hopper pass. We find plenty to keep us busy in a single park on any given day without paying extra to go to another that day. We typically do 7 days at the park, so you may consider the PH if it's a shorter trip and you want to see each of the parks. Even then, it would be a tough sell for me.

 

Forgot one.

10.) Use the baby swap. The baby swap is a beautiful thing and your 4-year old will be the winner. When you ride, tell the attendant you're doing a baby swap and show them said baby. They will give you a free FastPass for that ride that is good all day long and doesn't count against your FP quota. The theory is that it gives both parents a chance to ride without waiting in line twice.

 

D'oh. I also meant to add that the baby swap is good for multiple people, so your child(ren) can go along with the other parent through the FastPass line, meaning they get a 2-for-1 special thanks to baby. Win-Win-Win!

 

Another good tip for Magic Kingdom...when the day gets really hot, and the family starts to get tired, head over to Hall of Presidents (virtually no wait) and take a nap indoors in the AC. Carousel of Progress works too. We ended up there by accident but took advantage of it anyway.

 

Or the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. Nice little nap
And Spaceship Earth (otherwise known as the giant golf ball) at Epcot.

 

You can get good deals on staying at Disney resorts here: http://www.dvcrequest.com/

Also you can get a discount on park tickets here: http://www.undercovertourist.com/

 

Wanted to give a heads up to all thinking of going....

They are starting to slowly roll out a new Fast Pass system (called FastPass+) where, if you're staying at a Disney Resort, you can "book" rides and attractions ahead of time... even weeks before your trip. The Staff member online told me it should be all up and running by the end of the year.

Not implemented for my trip in two weeks.... but seems very cool.

 

Lots of good info, but want to re-state what I've only seen mentioned once: your kids might be too young to fully enjoy it yet. I don't want to be a downer, but the baby will require that at least one parent is always babysitting and the 4 year old may be exhausted by noon and cranky.

 

I probably wouldn't stay at a value resort again. Nothing really wrong with the 'resort' itself, but especially during a crowded time it wasn't worth the travel. They are so far from everything. Spent way too much time in line for or on a bus. I will likely spring for a better resort next time we go.

For those of you with a lot of experience, which is the best resort for proximity to, say, Magic Kingdom?


I also enjoyed the meal plan, but if I did it again I'd just get the quick service one. Every single sit down meal was a 2+ hour experience. Ridiculous, and not worth the amount of time it cuts into your day.

 

And it's all stored on a wristband.

Honestly, I have mixed feelings on this. I'm all for progress...but I've seen Disney try to force this stuff before. I want the flexibility in the parks on the day I'm there...so I can make changes as I go if I want.

They're run it in tests so far...and the tests haven't gone great. We'll see if they ever fully implement it for everyone.

By the way...the plan is for this to be voluntary...as of now.

 

Love it!

 

Best resort for proximity to MK is Contemporary. There's a walkway to walk there..or you can just hop the monorail. But at night, sometimes the line for the monorail gets long as people pour out of the park...nice to have the option of the short walk to your hotel.

I'm with you on the meal plan. There are counter service places we really like eating...because of that and the time you mention, I don't find the value in it for my family.