Help with Disney Florida Vacation?
 

Five of us total. 2 adults. 3 Kids between 3 and 10. We're looking to go for a week. We would like to go to Disney primarily but are thinking of maybe 3 to 5 days in Disney and another 2 days doing other stuff. We don't need to go the absolute cheapest route but we can't go the high-end route either.

I've been trying to plan this for a few days but there are too many options for my little brain to handle. :-(

Anyone have any advice as far as things we have to hit, things to avoid, buy the "hopper" tix at Disney? No? Meal packages?

Other things in that area that are fun to do?

I know this is a porn forum but I saw another thread about Disney on here and thought maybe you gents could help us out.

Thanks.

don't buy your tickets at the gate prices, hit up any retailer that sells leftover group tickets. theyre at every gas station/7-11 corner near disney

I have only been to Disney World once, but here is what we did. We stayed at a hotel that was about 10 miles from the park and cost about half as much as staying onsite. We got the five day park hopper tickets. We went during October when they have the international food and wine festival at Epcot Center so you can get a ton of samples cheap. We also ate dinner a couple of nights in Epcot and another night at downtown disney which is where all the shops and stuff are.

You can hit all the parks in Disney world in 4 or 5 days. We also went Universal studios which was well worth the money. They had great rides and some very cool stuff.

I was only there for six days, but wished I had gone for at least 1 more so that we could have hit Seaworld while we were there.

If you eat away from Disney there are plenty of great deals. One place right down the street from where we stayed had an all you can eat seafood buffet including lobster for $20 per person. There was another place near us that had great breakfasts for a really good price as well.

You will need to rent a car, but they have some cool central parking lots then you can take different transports to the different parks from there.

Also, buy your park tickets in advance you can often get better deals than if you buy at the gate.

Take lots of airline bottles of liquor to discreetly dump in your drinks. You'll thank me later.

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how do you buy a leftover group ticket when they associate a fingerprint with the group tickets?

Instead of a hotel, hit Sue up here: http://www.disneyvilla2rent.com

Yeah buying tickets from resellers is risky shit. You may get to the gate and they tell you that ticket has already been used.

I've got a family of Disney fanatics. We're down there 1-2 times a year. So I can help you out.

The best piece of advice I can give you is to pick up The Official Guide To Walt Disney World 2012 by Bob Sehlinger & Len Testa. This is considered the bible by Disney vacationers. It's about $12 at Amazon. When you're spending hundreds of dollars on a trip, a good guide book is the best investment you can make.

When planning your vacation, check out the Crowd Calendar at TouringPlans. Try to pick a week when the crowds will be light. This site is run by the same guys what write the Unofficial Guide book.

Probably the best time of year is the last two weeks of January. Crowd levels are at their lowest point. Hotel rates are cheapest. And the weather is nice and cool, although last year it was really cold.

I would never buy tickets at a gas station or roadside vender. You run a big risk of getting screwed. There are legitimate discounts for Military, AAA and a few other groups. Check out Mousesavers for more info.

I don't recommend the Disney Dining Plan unless it's free. Sometimes they'll give you Free Dining with a Hotel + Tickets package. But you're really limited with the Dining Plan. It only works at certain restaurants and for certain items on the menu. And the Kids Menu choices are extremely limited.

When booking your hotel, never pay the full rate you see at the WDW website. Check out Mousesavers. They have Discount Codes that can save you 25%-40%. And even after you book the hotel, keep checking the site for new codes. You can call Disney Reservations and change the discount.

If anyone in your group is Military (active or retired) or DOD employees, stay at Shades Of Green. It's a prime location right in the middle of Disney World. Cheap rooms and cheap tickets.

If you want to eat at sit-down restaurants or Character Meal restaurants, you have to make reservations ASAP. The most popular places are booked 6 months in advance.

If you have young kids, don't go non-stop. Get to the park at opening and stay until lunch. Then head back to your hotel and take a nap, play in the pool. Head back to the parks for dinner, parade and fireworks.

I really like the Park Hopper passes. Especially if you're going back to the hotel mid-day for a rest. Then at night you can go to a different park. Don't buy the Water Park & More tickets unless you're going to the waterparks.

If you plan to use the hotel buses, then stay at one of the official Disney hotels. The off-site hotels have awful bus schedules. The Disney buses are much better.

If you're driving yourself and you want to stay off-site, consider a vacation home. Check out All Star Vacation Homes. Lots of great locations within 5 minutes of WDW. Cheaper than many hotels, better amenities, private pool, etc.

If you have little girls, make a reservation at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.

You can do some additional research at these Disney sites:

Mousesavers - The best site for Disney travel discounts
DISboards - The biggest Disney fanatic forum. The best place to ask questions and get advice from experienced WDW vacationers.
AllEars.Net - A great site for Disney Park info. Hotel Pics & Reviews. Restaurant Menus.
Mouse Planet - Weekly resort updates that list Scheduled Refurbishments, Ride Closures and other useful info.

Go to Universal too, then Gatorland Zoo, hit up some of the beaches (Daytona or Flagler if you like the waves/atlantic side, Gulf side if you like shallower waters), St. Augustine, Kennedy Space Center, Sea World. We always take the kids to educational places as well as fun when we go on vacation =)

Oh yeah, hit up the OBT at night, saw my first pair of tits ever there (I grew up in Orlando, and back in the 80's the girls would stand outside of the strip clubs topless until the cops came along and chased them back in)

Sorry, that should say The Unofficial Guide To Walt Disney World.

The 2nd best guide book is The Complete Walt Disney World 2011 by Julie & Mike Neal. It has less trip-planning info. But more info about inside the parks and attractions. Also, it's full-color with 500+ photos.

I'd recommend getting both. The Unofficial Guide to plan your trip. And the Complete WDW book to plan each day's activites.

when i whent with a mate we got are tickets from a shop on the free-way very cheap compared to gate prices also food and drink is very expensive around Disney land we stayed in a hotel fairly near the entrance to Disney land about a 5min walk saves on taxies your better off getting the tickets that let you in to all 3 parks better value and you see a lot more
have fun

Also check out Disney's PhotoPass. Disney has photographers all over the parks and hotels at prime photo spots. They'll give you a card which becomes your Photo Pass id. You can access all your photos online. Check out this site for more info.

http://allears.net/tp/ppass.htm

Ordering prints is expensive. I'm talking $12.95 for a 5x7. But you can buy a CD with all your photos on it, then get them printed at Wal-Mart or anywhere else. And if you buy it in advance, you save $50.

http://www.disneyphotopass.com/previsitoffer.aspx

You guys are awesome. Thank you so much. I've already ordered the book that Buncha recommended. I've checked out the house rental website. Gonna keep checking it all out. Who knew going to Disney for under $8000 would require this much work.

Thanks again guys.

It can be overwhelming. You might want to consider using a travel agent. There are many that specialize in Disney vacations. They can get you the best deals and help with all your decisions. Here's a couple that are frequently recommended by the Disney fanatics:

Small World Vacations
Dreams Unlimited
Mouse Fan Travel

If you have any other questions, fire away. Although you're probably better off heading over to the DISboards. Those people live for Disney vacations.

This is a great thread! I am going to buy those books and study up before we go. I hate Disney but I have to take my kids there at least once before they are grown, I live only 1.5 hr drive away so I want to make the best of it and never go again :)

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Have a nice vacation - take lots of pictures... :thumbsup

ADG

Do this:

Buy 2-3 days worth of hopper passes for Disney, and 2-3 day date hopper passes for Universal studios. These let you see ALL of the parks and move between them as often as you want, and save you a lot of money at the same time.

Don't buy the built-in food passes. They limit you to certain restaurants and while they may save you a little, its not really worth it.

There are lots of great Hotels in the area. Disney owned Hotels are more expensive but usually worth the price. My favourite Disney Hotel is the Grand Floridian. I haven't been there in years but it was by far really worth the money.

One of the nicest off-property Hotels is the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress: http://grandcypress.hyatt.com/hyatt/...index.jsp?null. It has 2 huge pools, lake, golfing etc. It will keep your kids busy but is quiet enough for adults to enjoy. It is also near all Disney properties and is a 10 minute drive to Universal. Best of all, its CHEAP. It's my favourite Orlando area Hotel.

Have a great trip!

By the way, if you are going in October, bring your kids to Universal for Halloween horror nights. Each day at 5pm Universal closes for 1 hour and re opens at 6pm after a full on full park halloween makeover with dozens of haunted houses and other spooky things designed by the man himself, Rob Zombie.

http://www.halloweenhorrornights.com/orlando/

Check online for resident specials. I always hear radio spots for off peak Florida resident specials good at Disney, Sea World, and whatever Bush Gardens is now.

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I forgot you're going with kids. Check out the Nickelodeon Suites Hotel. It's about 1 mile from WDW. Kids get their own room with bunk beds. There's a waterpark, shows, character meals, huge arcade, scheduled activities, etc. I haven't stayed there, but I've heard a lot of good stuff.

http://www.nickhotel.com/
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Nfc7WJrN000

Thanks for the tip!

stay off property (vacation rentals are the way to go so you can utilize the kitchen to help save $$ and they are a dime a dozen and just as cheap!) If at all possible plan other things for your off days OUTSIDE the orlando area; that whole area around the parks are a big tourist trap and will bleed your wallet dry.

One thing I do enjoy is the alligator parks they are cool to watch when you feed them and take cool pictures.

Been to Disney numerous times ... **********'s points on spot on.

Also, the time of year is going to greatly influence rates - it's very possible you may potentially save more staying on property than off depending on schedule and hotel / resort selected.

A big advantage of on-property is less driving and less parking hassles. It really depends on what you and family want the highlights of the vacation to be - what I mean is some prefer to do Disney only as part of a larger vacation while others seek to have Disney be the main focus.

Lastly, imho, vacation is one of those times where spending a little more freely is ok ... life is short and one can't take it with them. Sure one should search deals and not get gouged, but often I see people who are traveling super-cheap being miserable and/or stressed much of the time - worrying about this and that; excessive things going wrong.

Ron

I can honestly tell you to rest up for the trip. You could be there two weeks and still not see everything there is to see. I am heading back there this year for a family Disney wedding, and I can say I am not looking forward to it. I find the experience fucking exhausting compared to most other vacations.

I do not know how people who have children keep up for a week or two. Many we've met before while down there come in and stay for literally two weeks. I guess that actually does give them some days in the middle so they are not rushing here, and rushing there. Maybe that helps.

:Oh crap

I've always stayed on property, and it's frankly worth it. I can only imagine the hassles of being off property. Going to Disney World versus Disney Land (Ca.) are two different monsters. The World will kick your fucking ass.