Parking question

[MousekeMom]

Hi Everyone,
I'm a newbie to both these boards and to WDW as well. I was born and raised in S. Cal. So am VERY familiar with Disneyland, and I'm a HUGE Disney fan. Anyway, we are planning a trip to WDW in Summer of 2003. (I know...not a good time, but with kids in school, it's our only choice.) I'm not really sure if we will go for 7 or 10 days. We will be driving from Connecticut, so we will have our van. I have a few questions. First, how much does it cost to park at WDW, and can you get a discounted rate if you are going to be there everyday? Also, we aren't really sure what we are going to be doing about lodging. We can't decide what avenue to choose. It would be great if we could stay in a Disney resort, One of the All Star resorts would be the only one we could afford....unless we manage to find and AWESOME deal in one of the others. LOL! We really will have budget concerns, so I don't know if it would be better for us to stay off site. Our two boys will be 8yrs. and 5yrs. by that time, and I was hoping to take advantage of the idea to go back to our room and chill at some point in the afternoon. Is it worth the cost of staying at a resort to be able to just hop on a shuttle and go back and forth, or will we feel limited in our transportation? It would be cool to just experience the whole thing....I'm just nervous that it won't be worth the money we have to spend to do it.....any opinions, suggestions, etc...would be appreciated. =) Sorry I just rambled on...typical for me! LOL!

 

[buzz2400]

I am not sure how much parking is if you are not staying on-site. However, if you are staying on-site parking is free. You might consider staying on-site. You can come and go as you please, you can get length of stay passes which you can then go to the water parks and disney quest as much as you want. The 8 year olds will love disney quest. Also in the summer the water parks are worth going to. The only set back with the All Stars is that you can only fit 4 people comfortably in the room. You probably won't get any good deals on any of the other disney hotels in the summer. Another thing is that when you book at a disney hotel you get one flex option where we usually get a character breakfast.

 

[MousekeMom]

Thanks buzz2400!
I have a notebook that I am keeping and I'm writing down all the tips and ideas that I find helpful in it. I set it up under catagories, such as lodging, MK,AK..etc....I will definitely be adding your suggestion. I didn't realize that parking is free if you stay on-site. That's good to know! LOL! I am such an overplanner! LOL!

 

[mrsdiznee]

Parking is $6 per day.

 

[Rpsemont]

If you're there for 7-10 days, why not split your stay? Last year we used priceline and ended up with the Hyatt for $35 night bid translating to about $42 night total cost. While the Hyatt is little worn around the edges, we went from hotel to park in less than 10 minutes. Then we did a couple nights on site for $74 at the all stars. The nights we were on site we were sure to do an e-night and have in room child care. whiel offsite we did WDW and Universal. Of course with Priceline, you can't guarantee where you'll end up. But with parking $6, you've got a place for under $50. Be sure to check out biddforfortravel.com for insite on priceline.

 

[Disneydenise]

I have done the driving thing several times with our children when they were younger. I think they some of our best trips. During the summer you can get some good prices. I would deffinitely stay on site because it is wonderful to be able to hop back to the resort. we always took our van instead of the buses. We also got a room that was near the parking lot it was easier to be able to hop right out to the car. When you are in a value or moderate you aren't getting any kind of place to actual enjoy the view. I think it is a waste of money. Your boys will be a good age to go to one of the ASmovies or sports i think. I think it may be agood idea to stay a few nights off site and catch some of the off site things like Universal. Our kids loved the studios when they were younger. MIB is great I love going on that ride with my son. He kills me in the game but we really have fun and he makes me laugh so hard. That is a rarity when you are dealing with a 16 YO. Have a wonderful trip. pack lots of cool clothes and get water to bring to the park. we always keep a cooler in our room to save $$$ on all the drinks. Check out the Universal board too. Keep checking our code board as well.

 

[Jordan's MOM]

My advise is to try to cut cost somewhere else and stay onsite at the Allstars the whole trip. With two boys that age and being a first trip, you can be at WDW 10 days and still not see it all. SAve the offsite stuff for the next trip. We like ASMo and I know your boys would. The price is not bad and the little extras are worth it. The bus service is very good. We took it everywhere with no problems.This transportation runs throughout the day where as off site shuttles run more on a set time table. The pool is huge and very kid friendly. The kids will love a Mickey wake-up call and you will like the resonable priced(by Disney stardards) food choices at the food court. We kept a cooler in our room & brought food from home for breakfast to cut food cost.
Just to let you know, we have always taken our DS out of school for trips. Some parents do not agree and that is fine but we have never had a problem. He is in third grade this year. Off season is very much cheaper and a lot easier on the whole family. I know this will be great trip.Have fun.

Jordan's mom

 

[Debbie]

<marquee>W E L C O M E, M O U SE K E M O M </MARQUEE>

Parking is $6.00 a day, but once paid, can be transferred to the any park that same day. So for a 7 day stay, that is $35. (unless one of you has an Annual Pass~then parking is free). If you can stay onsite, all the better, but whatever, being at Disney with you three guys will be awesome.