Confused and overwhelmed

[mom2smjn]

We are a family of 6..2 adults kids ages(12,10,7,4) and we just returned from an amazing but expensive trip to Wdw in Dec/2001. We loved every second and except for the price it was perfect!!! We ALL(ok huby and I mostly) would love to be able to afford to go again this dec/02....but we could never save enough again..then I found you guys! Now I am thinking with alot of planning it may be possible...but I have a ton of questions!
First...if we plan to go 1x per year is it worth the Annual Pass(if we time it so we go 2x per AP year?example Dec this year Nov next year?) Also what other benefits do you get with an AP?
Do the benefits apply to the whole party if only the adults get the AP instead of the whole party?
I just joined DC(also a member of AAA)...can you use these discounts w/ a AP? Which is better?
We flew this time(we are from upstate NY) but I am tossing around driving to save $$$$....is this insane? Does anyone know how long it would take to drive?

Is it better to get rooms and tickets seperatly or a Ultimate Hopper for the length of stay? We really only do the 4 parks but hate to sit around the day we arrive but also hate to "waste" a full days ticket....

Lastly is it necessary to get 2 rooms(we did this year)?? Couldn't we put the kids in sleeping bags in 1 room?

Sorry this is so long but I feel like I wayyyyyyyy over spent money we did not really have...

Thank you so much for any and all help!!!!!!!

 

[susy]

Whew!!!! Okay, let's see.....
1. AP's- you get free parking at the parks and AP rates at Disney Resorts. Only one adult in your party needs the AP to get the rate. You have to figure out how much the hoppers would cost vs. the AP's (with the DC discount). You can't combine discounts, but if you book early , you can still keep calling back when you find out about the better rate. Also, if you plan next year's vacation even a week earlier than this year's , you get two vacations for the price of one!
2. I think it will take 2 days to drive down, so you have to figure in taking those days off of work, plus a hotel overnight-gas, tolls-wear and tear on your car-your nerves. I don't fly, so I don't really know how to compare(I live 3 hrs from WDW).
3. If you do have your car or rent a car, you might save by staying off-site. There is the Downtown Disney resorts and nice places just outside of DD. Going in December (2nd week) will be less crowded/hot than summer, so I'm definitely in favor of winter vacations!!
4. My sister's family did stay quite a few people in the room, by having 2 kids sleep in sleeping bags. You could also try HIFS or doubletree suites or some places that sleep six and don't cost much more than a hotel room. I believe the doubletree in DD could sleep six. Am I right??? You will be able to get good rates anyway in Dec, being value season.

Welcome to the DIS-so glad you found these boards. I'm sure you will be on here at least an hour a day, like the rest of us!!!

 

[robinb]

I'll take a crack at this ...

First...if we plan to go 1x per year is it worth the Annual Pass(if we time it so we go 2x per AP year?example Dec this year Nov next year?)

Yes! Since you say that you only do the 4 parks (no water parks, DisneyQuest or PI) your break even point to get regular 4 park APs would be about 8 days total. This is the pass that my family has.

Also what other benefits do you get with an AP?
Do the benefits apply to the whole party if only the adults get the AP instead of the whole party?

Deb's great site includes info on annual pass benefits: http://www.wdwig.com/apass.htm
I have used the free parking and the AP rates on Disney hotels. I also received a free lanyard and pin at Animal Kingdom. Only 1 AP holder is needed for most bennies.

I just joined DC(also a member of AAA)...can you use these discounts w/ a AP? Which is better?

I also have a DC card ... it paid for itself in savings on our annual passes alone. I also saved a ton of money using it at National rental car. I think that the DC card is better for discounts themselves, but you should buy the AP because it's cheaper to go to the parks and not because of possible benefits.

We flew this time(we are from upstate NY) but I am tossing around driving to save $$$$....is this insane? Does anyone know how long it would take to drive?

We drove to Orlando from my in-law's house in Syracuse. It took 2 days with an overnight stop in NC. We arrived in Orlando at about 6:00 pm and were able to duck into Epcot for IllumiNations because we had our annual pass. I would have never "burned" a day on a ticket like that, but with the AP it was "free".

Is it better to get rooms and tickets seperatly or a Ultimate Hopper for the length of stay?

Yes, yes, yes! You always pay more at WDW when you get a package.

Lastly is it necessary to get 2 rooms(we did this year)?? Couldn't we put the kids in sleeping bags in 1 room?

With 6 people you would need to get 2 rooms or stay in a 2 bedroom "home away from home" resort if you want to stay on property. Fire codes restrict the number of people in a room and it's not safe to put kids on the floor. I'm sure it's been done before, but a better choice would be 2 rooms at the All Stars or stay in a suite or a house off-site.

Sorry this is so long but I feel like I wayyyyyyyy over spent money we did not really have...

That's what happens when you plan a "once in a lifetime" trip . Then, you realize that it was just a "once this quarter" trip once you have those annual passes burning a hole in your pocket.

 

[scanmom]

We are also a family of 2 ad/4 ch (17, 14, 12 & 7)! We save ALOT of $$$ by staying in a suite OFFSITE that offers a FULL breakfast. There are lots of them in the area, and the drive to the parks was only about 10 min. ! We love having the x-tra room in the suite and we just go down to the lobby for b-fast. We don't have to even think about it, and if someone isn't dressed yet, they can finish up while the rest of us go to start eating! B-fast can cost us around $40.00 each day, so we save TONS by doing this! We stayed at Hawthorne Suites Orlando last March and got an internet rate of $63.00!!!! With the free b-fast, tis was a SUPER deal!!! We also eat easy food in our room a couple of times. Just soup and sandwiches, but it's nice just relaxing and not having to "go out" every nite when we are tired from walking all day!

 

[tar heel]

Did you know that the day you would have "burned" on a park hopper ticket would have cost less than the day you paid for on you Ultimate Park Hopper? You may not have used a full day but you paid for it, plus you paid for the water parks, pleasure island and disney quest. I didn't know that either the first time we stayed on site -- thought I was getting something really good b/c we could do parks check-in to check-out, and we didn't go near a water park either.

If you're trying to save $, definitely do NOT buy a package. Also, if you can schedule your trips less than a year apart, you'll save lots by getting APs. If just adults get them, you can save on the rooms (if you're lucky and there's discounts then), but the kids will only have whatever kind of pass you buy them.

Have a great time planning your trip. I know what you mean about wanting to plan another trip the minute you get home. We've been the past three years the first week school is out in the summer. We had not planned to go this year, but now we're starting to talk about it . . .

 

[scanmom]

I really don't see why anyone would want the LOS pass. I think if I had one, I would feel like if I took a day to enjoy the resort, I would be wasting money. And these days, why stay in a Disney resort if you don't spend some time there, enjoying the themed pool, etc.? It sure isn't for EE!!! If you take a day for the resort and you have hopper passes, at least the day on your pass never expires!

 

[susy]

How much are the AP's????? I live in FL and we have season passes (with black out dates the weeks of Christams and Easter and about 8 weeks in the summer). My pass with my Dc disnoutnwas about 179.00 . For my DH, myself, and DS (age 4) our passes were about 500.00. We also took advantage of a promo that TDS had where they gave you a 50.00 gift card with each adult pass and free t-shirt with each pass. So..., when we bought the passes we go 100.00 at TDS , plus 3 t-shirts (which we all wore up there. sooo cute). we also saved by staying at the courtyard in DD for 25.00 a night (for three night it came to 83.25, tax included). We really got good deals!!!! Just keep your eyes open!!!! Keep reading these boards-that 's how I knew about these deals! going back in two weeks and staying at ASMo for 49.00!

 

[kandj2]

Okay my turn...



Stand back everyone - look out for the smoke...

inkbounc

Annual Pass: I don't believe in them - why you ask - well because what if:
1. You can't get the time off next year before you did this year (flushing sounds)
2. You have a family emergency and you have to cancel your trip (flushing sounds)
3. God forbid - Disney goes under - hey its possible - look at the travel industry (flushing sounds)
4. You just simply can't afford it next year - in this economy anything is possible (flushing sounds)
SO in my never to be humble and always to be cheap opinion - unless you live close to Disney or are staying a loonngg time - AP's are too much of a risk.
Now parkhoppers never expire so if you bought one of those and used it in different trips... still... a big investment. I personally prefer the one day/one park - no commitments and who can do more than that with 4 kids anyway??? Tour a couple of timeshares and get FREE tickets to disney - THAT will save you some money. PLUS they feed you - I have 3 kids and food is what kills me! Plus I want to go other places on vaca. I want to do Universal and some of the Outlet malls. Disney is fun but EXPAND and little! Orlando has TONS of stuff to do!

Rooms: Go on ebay and get someones timeshare week they are not using. I got a 3 bedroom/ 3 bath - 1985 sq foot room with a full kitchen and washer dryer at a resort (off-site) for $400 for one week! It sleeps 12 - imagine privacy! For ebay that was sort of expensive too. You can also stay on site at Old Key West. Just look! Plus with a kitchen in your room you'll save hundreds on food AND with a washer dryer you can pack lighter!


Listen daaarrrllling... you CAN go to Disney cheap BUT it takes tons of planning and hours searching on the net. We are going in 16 DAYS for under $1000 - 5 of us for 11 days! 2 of those days consist of taking timeshare tours to get free or cheap tickets but we have another 9 to do what we want. It is torture but I look at it as we are working for those 2 days. We make $100 in tickets for every 90 minutes we sit through the presentation. That is worth it to me only because we couldnt afford to go otherwise. It is work. If you have the money to buy the tickets for gods sake DON'T sit through the timeshare presentations! You can still get great rates on rooms through ebay and save money that way. Do you want to save 2 days in the car or spend the extra $700 to fly? You just have to decide what your prioritys are.

Good luck on the next trip and keep reading the boards! These people are FULL of great money saving ideas!

Kerry

 

[BethR]

Kerry dahhhhling, thanks for sharing your ways of saving! It is always interesting to see how "other people do it." And you have shared ways that many have never thought of.

THANKS dahhhhhling! hehehehe

 

[susy]

robin,
I've never heard of getting a free lanyard and pin with an AP. Where in AK did you get it?

 

[kadcole]

Some more ideas.......

If you really want to stay on-property, check on these boards for DVC point rentals. You can rent DVC member points for cheap & stay in a Disney property, & get all the perks that go with that (EE if it exists, free transport, free parking, etc). We did this for an upcoming trip & got even better rates than the 45% AP discounts provide! And I planned this trip only 4 wks in advance! Often, DVC member points are expiring and they need to get rid of them. Some are wary of the trust involved in the purchase, but we had no problems, and according to the DVC rental board, they haven't had problems in the 5 yrs they've been doing this.

Also, there is another great site: www.mousesavers.com (that's how I found these boards). It lists GREAT money saving ideas & is VERY up-to-date on the best rates for cars, airfare, hotels. TRULY worth a look!

Finally, I got an unbelievable deal on 7-day parkhopper plus passes via a reference from that site. I think the deal expires in May, but you never know, maybe it'll be back on for your next trip.

Thankfully, I found this site and mousesavers BEFORE I brought my 5,3, and 1 yr old sons to WDW for the 1st time (arriving 1/27)!

Good luck!

 

[josierac]

mom2smjn
where did you stay on this trip? You can stay offsite renting a 3 or 4 bedroom house for about $100 per night. This will give you a full kitchen, washer and dryer, pool, etc. This will save you money by eating bkfst in your room and also having snacks for later in the day. Having a fridge and bringing along the water will help too.

Embassy Suites, Caribe Royale, etc - have seperate rooms, living/bedroom, full breakfast in the mornings,

Buying AP's, yes if you are planning on going again it is worth it. The break even point on AP's is 8 days. Now remember that AP's do not include water parks (if this is important to you), unless you buy a PAP and those are expensive.

Purchase whatever type of ticket you want a little at a time, say every month, every 2 or 3 months, etc. This will be one less expense at the time of your trip. Hopper and their plus options never expire. If you are going for 7 days - I say buy a 5 day hopper plus, This will give you 5 days at the park, one day at a water park if you want and 1 down day. Or you can buy a regular 5 day hopper without the plus option. This will give you a couple of days down time at your resort.

Here is a website that lists all the prices for all the tickets. this will help with costs http://www.wdwig.com/ticket.htm

You can fit all six of you in a Fort Wilderness Cabin but it may be tight. It has 1 double bed in the bedroom along with bunk beds. There is a pull out murphy bed in the living room and also has a full kitchen.

Lastly - plan your trips during value season so that the resort prices are cheaper.
Also look at the value resorts - Sometimes you can get 2 connecting rooms for $59 per night when they are running specials

Hope this helps

 

[mom2smjn]

I did very well on the room because I got a postcard in the mail for $49 a night at ASMov so we got 2 connecting rooms....THAT was a great deal! I was so proud! Our money went bye bye with the(flushing) LOS passes that we total lost the last day as our flight was at 7am(ugh) but had already paid for. Then food was $$$$ my kids eat like horses! (we did bring ceral,bread,pb,juiceboxes,englishmufins and a toaster for quick breakfasts in the room)
hmmmmmmmm I think I am gonna fit in here at least alittle. LOL

We did splurge a bit(we had never gone away for a whole week in the 13 years we have been marrie..the one down fall to farmlife...no vacations!) with 2 character breakfasts and the MVMCP. But ouch! That finally tally almost sent DH and I into cardiac arrest!!

We did not want to stay off site because we did not want to rent a car **and my ToyStory Freak kids loved the ASMov and I loved the $49 deal**(we used Meers this last time so no rental$$ no parking$$ no frustration factor of getting lost!) We would like to stay onsite again for that feature alone! It was nice to vegetate on the trip back to the room at night instead of stressing over that mess they call roads downthere!
Of course if we decide to drive it would not matter if we stayed on or off site huh??


Dh told me if I could figure it to cost less than $2,500-3000 he would put in for time off...........so the pressure is on! He prefers to stay on site so that adds even more pressure...How much are those cabins at Fort Wilderness per night? anyone know? We can squeeze into anywhere..our house is really small!
I also found out JetBlue has really cheap rates if we drive up to Syracuse. Another possiblity....
You guys are great with all your ideas...keep them coming!!!

I made a webpage of our Dec trip and all the tips I had picked up and tips I used with my own family...and of course lots of pictures!http://pages.ivillage.com/udderlyfantastic/Disneytrips_tips.html

 

[Traveliz]

I would recommend two rooms at All Stars - even with an offsite hotel with a shuttle service - with the ages of your children - I can imagine there will be some splitting up and going of different ways - this way you can all still end up back at the hotel more easily than having to coordinate the driver coming back or taking people back to the offsite hotel.

Just my opinion but I know we just got back with a group of kids 14,8,8 and adults of different interests and energy and it was wonderful having the regular bus service to count on as well as our vehicle.

Liz

 

[cinlee3]

Kelly, your website is great. My DD3 is sitting on my lap and going crazy over the pictures. Next time we will have to eat at the Castle.

Anyway - we went to WDW for the first time 12/25-1/1/02. We had 3-day hoppers through a sporting event and my Dad bought those for our us for a Christmas present.

We are a family of 5 - me, DH, DS16, DS11 and DD3. Although I haven't completly totalled everything. I think the entire trip cost us about 2,200 (could be less because we also spent 2 nights in Ft. Myers before heading to WDW on the 25th). And that included driving from Texas. We stayed overnight one night on the way, but a friend had given me a Marriott gift cert that I was able to use that night.

We stayed at Courtyard by Marriott at Little Lake Bryan - $125 total for five nights through Priceline (also saved about $37 when they didn't charge the resort fee) moved to CBR for two nights $163/night. We ended up getting 20% off the CBR room at check out because of problems w/ hot water. Saved another $65.00.

We averaged about $100/day for food including snacks. Ate breakfast in the room usually and counter service in the parks (averaged about $34.00 for our family of 5). We did one character meal for the trip (me, DH, DS11 and DD3 only). Rented a water mouse, did Downtown Disney and the outlet stores.

The only mistake I made was buying a length of event pass for my son's soccer tournament. I spent $86 and then found out he only played one game at the Wide World of Sports Complex. The rest of the games were way out of town (at least $6.00 in tolls). This really got me burning.

I think I can get this total down for next trip. We really saved on the park tickets and the priceline hotel though. I am already planning our next trip. Don't know when that will be since DH lost his job two days after we got back with no prospects yet. (Please say a prayer for us).

Happy planning

 

[Mickey Mom]

Hi Mom2smjn!
I just read your post. We live in eastern PA and it takes us 16 + 1/2 hours (plus stops) to drive to Disney. It usually takes us 2 days to get there. We will drive 12 hours (plus stops) the first day, and have 4 + 1/2 hours to drive the second day. When we stop overnight, we get the cheapest, nicest room that we can that also has a continental breakfast. We figure that we are there to just sleep. We pack an overnight bag to take into the hotel room for the night. That way we don't have to unpack the whole car for an overnight stop. We get up, eat breakfast and leave as soon as we can. We usually pull into the Disney area around noon or 1pm. We then go to Downtown Disney and have lunch (or eat lunch along the way). Since you have the Disney Club card, you are eligible to get a discount at the Disney store in Downtown Disney. That store has most of the souvenours that are at the parks. We do most of our shopping there, so we don't have to carry bags and packages around the parks. That way we really enjoy the parks when we are there. By the time we are done shopping, it is time to check into our hotel room. We will usually use the pool or go to dinner at one of the other resort restaurants. One big advantage to driving is that we bring our own breakfast food and snacks for the week. We bring a toaster and a cooler from home. This way we don't waste time going to a food court to get breakfast. There usually is a coffee pot in the room that we use. The cooler is to keep cream and beverages cool. (We usually take a very small cooler because we only put the amount of pop/drinks that we will use for one day in it.) I hope that some of these ideas help you.

 

[tresey]

Hello, out there I booked a 5 dy stay at the BC last August for May 2002...bought a DC mbrship, planning on buying an AP....well of course the package is way too much $$$..but she was gonna help me get a bargain or too....well guess what???...she no longer works for the travel agency & didn't help me one bit...So, here's where i need help...I'm gonna cancel the package & of course lose some of the deposit i guess (booked thru WDTC)..I want to book the rooms, who do I call CRO or WDTC...I want hopper passes for length of trip bacause we run around every day we're there...Last time I went we didn't even go to the water parks (toooooo crowded), so will the park passes be cheaper w/out the water parks (DS must do Disney Quest, however)....Also, if I book my own flights, how does the airport transfer thing w/mears go...I need all the help I can get, this will be my first vacation planned w/out travel agent.............SIGNED TRIP PLANNING ROOKIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[BethR]

Hi Tresey! (aka TRIP PLANNING ROOKIE!!! AND Fellow Pittsburgher! )

Well, it looks like you have some work to do - but it definately IS doABLE!!! First you need to cancel your package. You cannot do this yourself though - you must do this through your travel agent - or their agency. Now I am not sure about getting back your deposit. It seems hard to believe that you cannot get a deposit back when you are cancelling 8 months in advance!!! So please inquire as to the cancellation policy.
Then you need to visit our new page - the DIScount Code Page . There you will find codes that are currently running. Hopefully you will find one that applies to you during the time of your vacation. Then you will call CRO. If you call WDW Travel - they will book a package. Even when you call CRO they may try to book you a package. Make sure to tell them that you want to book ROOM ONLY!
Then you will want to get your passes. If you do not want to get Length of Stays (or Unlimited Magic Passes as they are called now and which I RARELY recommend), you will want to get Hopper Passes (hopping priviledges between the 4 main parks - unused days never expire) or Hopper PLUS Passes (hopping priviledges as above PLUS single admissions to the water parks, Pleasure Island, or Disney's Wide World of Sports.) You cannot get Disney Quest except as a separate admission OR with the UMPs. You can get about 5% ( including your AP )off of any admission with your DC card.
If you book your own flights (watch these boards for some discounts) you can rent a car, book a transfer like Mears, or book a Town Car Service. Many people find that a Town Car Service saves them money over Mears.
I hope that this has helped SOME! Be sure to read the boards and get lots of info. Ask questions. We are here to help!

 

[Gabrielle]

Hi,

I've planned my cheapest trips around checking the US Airways home page. I fly out of Phila and there are rates available right now for $110 to Orlando. Once I've found a cheap air fare, I've gone to Mousesavers to find a resort code - and, then I've gone. I've found the least expensive trips I've made are the ones I've planned around these 2 conditions - which, generally means I go to WDW within a 2 to 3 month time span of finding the air rate and the resort code.

I agree about not buying LOS. And, I think with 4 kids, the advice of staying off-site at a place that offers free breakfast with more space, is good advice. Thinking about doing that myself, next time I go.

I've also found that AAA offers the cheapest car rentals. But, I check National's page for their codes, also.

Good luck!

 

[Daisies500]

If you really do want to stay onsite, I second the Ft. Wilderness cabin idea. Depending on the time of year, I think they usually run from $200- $270 or so, but it doesn't seem difficult to find a code that reduces the price. We just returned from a trip and I had used a code for a rate of $149.00/nt. This would probably be similar in price to two rooms at All Stars (unless you got another $49 rate) but you would save a LOT in food. The full kitchen is GREAT. My mother had a cabin next to ours and she stopped at a local Wal-Mart coming from the airport in Orlando. She bought milk, soda
, bread, eggs, cold cuts, etc, super cheap and they ate many meals right in the cabin. The cabins are very spacious and have vaulted celings- they are like mini-houses, really. And the campground has so much to do, too. You could save money just by using their pools, hiking trails, petting zoo, etc. instead of going to a park every day. It is beautiful there, very wooded and serene. Every night they also do a campfire sing-a-long with Chip and Dale. You can roast marshmallows and they have cocoa, soda, beer,etc. Then they show a Disney movie on a big screen under the stars. This is free for all resort guests and kids love it. Anyway, I highly recommend Ft. Wilderness. If you can get a sale rate, it's a great bargain for what you get.