having second thoughts...

[2Tiggies]

sounds a wee bit pricey....but i really want to do it...this might be the last opportunity for all 6 of us to be together...

This ^^^ is what would make my mind up. Obviously it's not sensible if it is going to put you into financial hardship on your return. As I said before, we all have our own unique breaking points where we have to draw the line. For some, foregoing a family holiday for a whole year to have one specific one the following year is a no-go. For me, it's a yes. Not because it's right or wrong in principle, but because, according to my values and priorites, as I sit here right now at this time in my life, it is right for me ... meaning that is where my value lies.

 

[disneyholic family]

This ^^^ is what would make my mind up. Obviously it's not sensible if it is going to put you into financial hardship on your return. As I said before, we all have our own unique breaking points where we have to draw the line. For some, foregoing a family holiday for a whole year to have one specific one the following year is a no-go. For me, it's a yes. Not because it's right or wrong in principle, but because, according to my values and priorites, as I sit here right now at this time in my life, it is right for me ... meaning that is where my value lies.

i agree - which is why i'm trying to find a way to make this work..
too bad i don't work for an airline...that's got to be the best job to have right now - what with the perk of free or greatly discounted flights...

i was trying to figure out how many tickets i might be able to get with frequent flyer miles...but even that has gone through the roof...
and i just noticed they've added on a fuel surcharge to the bonus tickets...
so a "free" round trip ticket will still cost me almost £400 for the taxes and fuel surcharge .

 

[london75]

Is onsite a definite must?

We've just booked a 4 bed villa literally 5 minutes from the Disney gates (further to MK obviously) for 4 weeks in August for £1400. What's left over from your quoted £4746 buys a hell of a lot of food and that's a four week rental not two

I don't want to be funny and fair play to Disney for coming up with "Free dining" but it's far from free dining and it just never stacks up for us.

 

[wayneg]

so a "free" round trip ticket will still cost me almost £400 for the taxes and fuel surcharge .

Not quite so bad here but its upto about £250 for us, I looked at using some miles for a "free" trip to NYC in Oct, it just wasn't worth using the miles.
Looks like you get hammered more than us.

I don't want to be funny and fair play to Disney for coming up with "Free dining" but it's far from free dining and it just never stacks up for us.

Free dining depends on the deal you get, pay rack rate then its not free because Disney will discount the room without dining so they are really charging for the dining. For past few years the best deal has to be OKW or SSR that is genuine free dining as they also discount the room by 42% as well. You can get a studio from £108/night with DDP for 4 people, anyone would struggle to stay & eat offsite for £27pppn
Saying that in Beth's case I am not sure its great value being 3 couples in a 2 bed and a studio, if all 6 could share the 2 bed at £3108 then it would be a far better deal but adding the extra studio puts the price up a lot for only 6 people.
So much to take into consideration, if Beth wants to eat onsite every meal for 14 days it might be worth it, do they want a villa? its the last thing I would want, wouldn't mind a hotel at LBV but don't enjoy villas.
Glad we are a small family and its nice and easy

 

[T16GEM]

Is onsite a definite must?

We've just booked a 4 bed villa literally 5 minutes from the Disney gates (further to MK obviously) for 4 weeks in August for £1400. What's left over from your quoted £4746 buys a hell of a lot of food and that's a four week rental not two.

That's exactly my sentiments, I just can't justify that extra money for the onsite experience. But it's different strokes for different folks I guess!

I don't want to be funny and fair play to Disney for coming up with "Free dining" but it's far from free dining and it just never stacks up for us.

It never does for us either, I sat and worked out what we would spend on a normal trip and then what the DDP worked out to and I just couldn't get the figures to actually make sense at all! I guess it depends like Wayne said on what time of year and where you stay, we are really tied to when our business operates so we can't go at certain times, and that's usually where the offers end!

At the end of the day it's not really free, infact I'm not entirley sure that anything at Disney is ever "free"

 

[dixonsontour]

That is the good thing about boards like this - lots of people with different preferences so you can weigh up what is best for your family.

Since having DD we've stayed in a villa once, onsite twice - okw and all star movies with free ddp and have booked the stay offsite at floridays this October.

 

[london75]

That is the good thing about boards like this - lots of people with different preferences so you can weigh up what is best for your family.

Since having DD we've stayed in a villa once, onsite twice - okw and all star movies with free ddp and have booked the stay offsite at floridays this October.

I'll have to remember to ask you what Floridays is like when you get back, we nearly stayed there last year as it looked nice and convenient but went for a villa in the end due to taking MIL and needing extra bedrooms. It always seems a very reasonable price but gets good reviews.

 

[disneyholic family]

Is onsite a definite must?

We've just booked a 4 bed villa literally 5 minutes from the Disney gates (further to MK obviously) for 4 weeks in August for £1400. What's left over from your quoted £4746 buys a hell of a lot of food and that's a four week rental not two

I don't want to be funny and fair play to Disney for coming up with "Free dining" but it's far from free dining and it just never stacks up for us.

i have considered it, but then i think about the freedom the two young couples would have if we stay onsite....though we'll be renting a car, they won't have access to it (too young to drive it)....so if we're in a villa, they'll be stuck only doing stuff with the old folks (us)....whereas, if we stay onsite, they'll have the freedom to go wherever they want onsite....whether they'll ever go off without us, i don't know, but onsite they'll be able to....

Not quite so bad here but its upto about £250 for us, I looked at using some miles for a "free" trip to NYC in Oct, it just wasn't worth using the miles.
Looks like you get hammered more than us.

yes, the airfares are really bad for us.....it makes sense of course....after all, i'm 5 hours further away (i think it's about 5 hours from us to the UK)..
non-stop to new york for us is about 13 hours.....a non-stop economy flight to NYC goes for about £800 and then you have to get to MCO....
although i found an iberia flight via madrid, where you fly directly to miami, for £650.....
i just heard on sky news this morning that BA is merging with iberia....is that true? or did i not hear correctly?

Free dining depends on the deal you get, pay rack rate then its not free because Disney will discount the room without dining so they are really charging for the dining. For past few years the best deal has to be OKW or SSR that is genuine free dining as they also discount the room by 42% as well. You can get a studio from £108/night with DDP for 4 people, anyone would struggle to stay & eat offsite for £27pppn
Saying that in Beth's case I am not sure its great value being 3 couples in a 2 bed and a studio, if all 6 could share the 2 bed at £3108 then it would be a far better deal but adding the extra studio puts the price up a lot for only 6 people.
So much to take into consideration, if Beth wants to eat onsite every meal for 14 days it might be worth it, do they want a villa? its the last thing I would want, wouldn't mind a hotel at LBV but don't enjoy villas.
Glad we are a small family and its nice and easy

we used to be a small family....just the 4 of us...and we always managed to fit into one room.....but now they're married, making it 6 people, including 2 young couples for whom this trip will be their first real honeymoon...
but i suppose DH and i could sleep in the living room and the youngins could have the bedrooms...that would save £1600.....which would pay for two plane tickets.....i told DH we're going to have to go economy....he hasn't flown across the ocean economy in about 12 years.....he's 6'7" tall and fitting into an economy seat with his VERY long legs isn't as easy as it sounds
he'll probably need to be surgically removed from the seat after 13 hours

 

[london75]

You can get a studio from £108/night with DDP for 4 people, anyone would struggle to stay & eat offsite for £27pppn

Yes, I should probably add the caveat that there is not a chance in hell we'd share a room with our two daughters as they are a nightmare at night and would not sleep......ever. Plus in an ideal world they'd have a bedroom each so we'd need a 2 bed villa really and then prices get crazy onsite.

So I'm comparing a 4-6 bed villa with a 1 or 2 bed onsite location rather than a room or studio.

 

[disney_princess_85]

For past few years the best deal has to be OKW or SSR that is genuine free dining as they also discount the room by 42% as well. You can get a studio from £108/night with DDP for 4 people, anyone would struggle to stay & eat offsite for £27pppn.

For our upcoming trip, it's costing £75pppn for DBF and me to stay at SSR with (free) DDP and 14-day tickets. I personally don't think that's too bad, although it would obviously be much better value if we had two more people in our studio, which would work out as £37.50pppn.

 

[T16GEM]

For our upcoming trip, it's costing £75pppn for DBF and me to stay at SSR with (free) DDP and 14-day tickets. I personally don't think that's too bad, although it would obviously be much better value if we had two more people in our studio, which would work out as £37.50pppn.

That's the trouble - when you are a couple you get the underoccupancy supplements put onto your cost, so that bumps it up, then whe you are a family there isn't enough space in the room for you! Can't win!

 

[disney_princess_85]

That's the trouble - when you are a couple you get the underoccupancy supplements put onto your cost, so that bumps it up, then whe you are a family there isn't enough space in the room for you! Can't win!

Underoccupancy supplements? I wasn't even aware of such a thing!

Oh well. As you said, you can't win either way.

 

[wayneg]

Under occupancy supplements only apply to package holidays.
Buying room only its the same price if 1 in the room or 4 in a room so no supplemements as such, just far better value if 4 can share the room cost.

 

[T16GEM]

Under occupancy supplements only apply to package holidays.
Buying room only its the same price if 1 in the room or 4 in a room so no supplemements as such, just far better value if 4 can share the room cost.

Yes I should of said that!

 

[disney_princess_85]

Under occupancy supplements only apply to package holidays.
Buying room only its the same price if 1 in the room or 4 in a room so no supplemements as such, just far better value if 4 can share the room cost.

Yes I should of said that!

Ah, ok. We've not booked a package so the supplements do not apply to us.

Anyway, we're happy with what we've paid and we feel it's good value.

 

[wideeyes]

Under occupancy supplements only apply to package holidays.
Buying room only its the same price if 1 in the room or 4 in a room so no supplemements as such, just far better value if 4 can share the room cost.

One of the reasons I book DIY is that my daughter gets charged adult prices with Virgin Holidays.

 

[ford family]

i just heard on sky news this morning that BA is merging with iberia....is that true? or did i not hear correctly?

You heard correxctly, BA and Iberia have merged. There is a new holding company beneath which the two airlines retain their existing identities, just like KLM and Air France did. I understand that the game plan is to merge BA/Iberia with American Airlines as the next step.

ford family

 

[disneyholic family]

Under occupancy supplements only apply to package holidays.
Buying room only its the same price if 1 in the room or 4 in a room so no supplemements as such, just far better value if 4 can share the room cost.

yes, 4 people in a studio at OKW with free dining is fantastic value for money...
perhaps i could leave the SIL/DIL at home?

You heard correxctly, BA and Iberia have merged. There is a new holding company beneath which the two airlines retain their existing identities, just like KLM and Air France did. I understand that the game plan is to merge BA/Iberia with American Airlines as the next step.

ford family

that can't be good - i would think that fewer airlines, means less competition, means higher prices....right?

 

[2Tiggies]

that can't be good - i would think that fewer airlines, means less competition, means higher prices....right?

I would expect so. Grrr! Should we start our own airline? I don't suppose you have a few billion £££ capital knocking about do you? I spent mine on Florida trips

 

[disneyholic family]

I would expect so. Grrr! Should we start our own airline? I don't suppose you have a few billion £££ capital knocking about do you? I spent mine on Florida trips

we could have really cute airplanes with mouse ears for wings!!
and mouse ear headphones.....