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Just a couple miscellaneous tips, since everything's been so well-covered here:
- I really liked character dining because while they're pricey, they're a way to meet characters without standing in a sweltering line in the parks. My DD was three when we went and loved Crystal Palace (we went for breakfast and got a nice head start in Magic Kingdom afterwards), Akershus at Epcot (they do a parade with the princesses!) and the Disney Jr. Play & Dine at Hollywood Studios. We also did the Cinderella dinner at 1900 Park Fare and the stepmother and stepsisters were hilarious. I was warned the food would be bad at these restaurants, so I had low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. I've never met a cheesy potato casserole I didn't like!
- Bring something to stick on the handle of your stroller so you can identify it more easily, especially if you have a City Mini. We strung a pink plastic lei on ours, and on the last day at Hollywood Studios, DD traded it to a Jawa for a Finding Dory Pez dispenser. So fun!
- You can have gift shop purchases sent to the front gate so you pick them up on the way out of the parks and don't have to lug them around. If you stay in a Disney property, they'll even send them all the way to your hotel gift shop.
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@StrawberryBee: that's what I thought! I remember being pleasantly surprised at the character lunches when LO was free! Score!
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Oh, and if you have the Disney visa, you get some special perks and discounts. You can go to an exclusive photo shoot with the fab 4 (Mickey, Minnie, goofy and Pluto I think) at Epcot, or Kylo ren at Hollywood studios (characters subject to change). 10% off merchandise over $50 in a single transaction in select locations. 10% off food at certain restaurants. 15% off some guided tours, and 10% off some recreational activities. Full list here: https://disneyrewards.com/walt-disney-world-perks/
If you have an LO who likes to dress up, buy their costumes ahead of time (I like momapprovedcostumes). The ones in park are insanely expensive. I also buy some things from the disney store ahead of time when they go on sale, to avoid park pricing.
If you have an LO who's having their first haircut, you can have this done in the barber shop in Main Street :). They have a package that includes a certificate, clip of their hair, and ears with "my first haircut" embroidered. So stinking cute! Make reservations ahead of time, since it's very small and they tend to get booked up.
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@Anagram: Have you ruled out a standard (up to 4 adults) Little Mermaid room at A of A? It's about $160per night with taxes and you could rent a car to get easy access back and forth to the parks? That's what we did.
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@808love: I would rather not deal with a car--just because I have memories of a trip my my family to WDW when I was a teenager, and I remember thinking the parking was such a pain. I remember parking super far away, then taking a tram, and then possibly even taking the monorail after that? It was a million years ago, so I'm not sure if I'm remembering right.
Also, by the summer our oldest will be 4 and the youngest will be 2 or almost 2. So the oldest might have fully dropped her nap by then and the youngest (who is high sleep needs) definitely will not have, so we will probably end up splitting up quite a bit--one parent staying out with the oldest and 1 parent going back to nap with the youngest. The car seems less convenient to me than bus transportation might be---but also, I haven't been in years and am not sure.
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@Anagram: You could aways do that and take the disney bus! They drop you off right at the monorail. The nice thing about the monorail is you dont have to fold strollers. But for the bus and the parking lot tram you have to fold strollers up.
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To all the experts on this thread, I'm having some trouble prioritizing our needs as a family, so I'm stuck on certain decisions.
If prices are similar, keeping in mind that we will have 1 toddler DEFINITELY still napping, and 1 pre-schooler than may or may not be napping, and both have fairly early bed times, what should I prioritize?
-having a suite like room, where DH and I can stay up at night without creeping around like silent mice while the kids sleep (a "compromise" might be having a balcony standard room where we can sit on the balcony), but being in one of the bus-only resorts
-being super close to either MK or Epcot (I anticipate these being the most popular with LO1), so staying in the contemporary or beach club or something, but being in a standard "we're all in one space" room.
-potentially getting a suite AND being walking distance (by booking DVC points), BUT it not being refundable if something terrible happens like an illness
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@anagram - As @T.H.O.U. said, you do have to fold up the strollers on the buses. We personally find a car much easier than a bus when not staying at a monorail resort. Folding strollers and then managing strollers + kids + bags on the bus is a hassle, especially if it's crowded! The parking lot walk seems further than it actually is, we always end up walking vs. taking the tram from the parking lot to the monorail, even from the way back, just so we don't have to deal with folding the stroller!
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Having a car is way more convenient for me than dealing with the bus and strollers!
Do you plan on going to Animal Kingdom? It's kind of far away (bus wise) but the parking is pretty decent there and it's not a huge long walk.
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-What are some of your favorite on and off property places to stay?
AOA but stay in a suite. The Little Mermaid rooms are too far after a long day out in the sun.-What kind of pass is best for families with kids? 1 park a day or park hopper?
Park hopper 100%! There are times where you may finish the park early and want to continue the fun. Park hopper is the perfect way to do this.-What are add ons that are worth it, and add ons you would skip?
Meal plan!! Life saver for us. I would skip the photopass only because the quality wasn't as great as I expected and you can get their photographers to take pictures for you for FREE. Nothing beats free.-What are your favorite restaurants in every price range?
Cheap eats- honestly anywhere the food is mainly the same in all the cheap eat placesTable service- Hands down Be Our Guest. AMAZING
-What are your favorite budget tips/tricks?
I like to get Garden Grocer to deliver snacks and water to our hotel when we arrive in. This helps on saving our money when in the parks.-What are the best attractions/rides/shows/restaurants for toddlers?
Best ride: Depends on the kid but my DS loves people mover so he can see the park
Best show: Disney Junior Live!!
Best restaurant: Hollywood & Vine! The Disney junior characters come and play with your kids and take great pictures.-how do you plan to deal with nap time?
IF DS falls asleep we put him in his stroller and go to a nice AC area. Let him refuel then continue more fun!Let's discuss!
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@fmmtk: yes! We've even splitter up with DH pushing stroller quickly through the lot and me riding tram with kids. He always beats us!!
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@Anagram: I understand your situation better. I think I would do the points in a walkable suite. Non refundable.
As for the car, I understand your parking concerns. We have gone off peak so that's why parking was close but during peak season it would probably be very far at epcot and MK. I think you are remembering the trek to Magic Kingdom. It is the farthest and requires multiple transport when going in a car. The journey builds the excitement on the way there but On the way home it is just a pain in the xxx.
Start early, get that nap in...a few hours back at the hotel is refreshing...and then start again. I would do a monorail hotel if possible in an ideal nonbudgeted world. I have never done the buses (except to ride from the airport to the hotel and in Disneyland) so I can only speak from that experience. The A of A Ariel room is a far walk if not driving a car. -
@Anagram: hmmm... that's tough! My DD last year actually didn't nap all that much in the room, she would take stroller naps at random times throughout the day and when we went back to the hotel for a mid day break she would swim or go to the playground. In the evenings we would get back to the hotel after dinner and fireworks around 9/9:30 and we would all crash. So in our case a standard room works fine.
It would be awesome to stay on the monorail line (my dream haha). I think if you can get a monorail hotel with a balcony that would be best of both worlds!
I also agree with you - I know some people swear on driving to the parks but I find it 10000x more relaxing to take the buses. They drop you right off at the gates, and the few extra minutes it takes is worth not having to deal with directions or parking or traffic. Plus you have to fold your stroller either way, so I don't find it a big deal. Driving back from MK in the evenings is especially a pain.
I'm looking in to renting DVC for our next trip... the site I'm looking at has optional cancel for any reason insurance you can purchase. Not sure how much it is but it might allow you to check all the items off you wish list and still have peace of mind
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One more thing. Your little ones may sleep like logs while they are there because of all of the excitement. Might not be easy to wake.
Also I am not too familiar with DVC points and the drawbacks. I do know about the sites that offer them. As long as you get Magic Bands and can reserve FP at the sixty day mark like regular reservations that would be comparable. -
@Anagram: I would do a resort close to mk. With kids that age range, mk will almost certainly be your #1 park. One parent can easily take lo2 back for a nap without wasting as much time as going to aoa. Plus you can see fireworks from your resort :). I don't personally do non refundable, because you never know.
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@StrawberryBee: True, true!
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@808love: I agree on the sleeping like logs part! My son and husband are so wiped out, but would never admit it and literally fall asleep before I even get the lights turned out!
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@Charm54: What is the DVC website you are looking to use? I've only done beginning research and have been looking at the Dave's website. But I just found out that it's based in Canada (good for you, not so good for me), so we might get charged a foreign transaction fee if we book the points by credit card.
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@Anagram: I will probably book through Daves because it's Canadian but I was also looking at dvcrentalstore.com - that's the one that doesn't require deposit for searching and you can buy extra cancellation protection. I've heard good things about both companies , though have never rented myself before. We can get Animal Kingdom Lodge next year for the same price we are paying this year at Caribbean Beach so it seems like a great deal.
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@Charm54: hmm...I'll into the other option you mentioned, thanks! I didn't know about dvcrentalstore, so I was going to look into having DH transfer money to his dad to buy for us through Dave's, if we have to (they still have 1 shared bank account, so DH's dad could theoretically buy for us from Canada). But it would be easier to just book ourselves.
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@808love: I would LOVE if they would sleep like logs, haha. It seems I don't make good sleepers and typically when we travel and they are off routine, their sleep gets even worse. Like...they will stay up later but somehow wake earlier. Which sucks on vacation.
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@Anagram: Yes! I feel you! My daughter just turned 6 and just recently falls asleep on her own consistently.
BTW, I thought of another reason to NOT rent a car in your situation. Car seats!! It is a pain to buckle/unbuckle 2 when you are tired. It is a nice change of pace/break to rely on park transportation. -
@Anagram: I want to know more about the DVC points, did you read up on them somewhere?
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@looch: I'd heard about them on here, back on some other thread. And then I googled and found the Dave's website (just google Dave's Disney world points), and there is a wealth of information on his site. It's a site that sells DVC member's points when they don't use them--and there's a cost estimator/calculator there so you can compare the cost of buying points vs. buying a standard room via Disney World website or anywhere else.
So, I randomly looked up the last week of August, for example, and compared buying points using the calculator to booking a studio through the Disney website, and buying the points is $600 cheaper for the week. BUT, the calculator is just an estimate and the points website don't actually tell you which rooms are available. On the Dave's website, you have to go ahead and pay a $100 deposit and list your top resort/room choices and they either match you with a seller selling the points for the room you want or they refund the money. ON the DVC website Charm posted, you can email them without paying a deposit, and tell them your dates and your preferred resorts/room type and they will email you back if it's available.
So the cons of the process are that you have to go through an intermediary, and you can't easily compare dates/prices/room choices yourself--you have to kind of ask them to do it. Since I'm a teacher and have the whole summer off, and could go just about any time in July or August, it's kind of annoying that I can't search different weeks myself to compare prices.
You know, if I could look myself, I might see that the Contemporary is not available/out of our price range for all of July, but is available or cheaper and in our price range the last week of August--so then I would plan it for the last week of August. Whereas if I have to email them, it's a standard form and you only get to choose 1 date with arrival and departure days...so if they don't have the room I want, I will have to start another email process with different dates, etc. It seems like it will take a lot longer for me to research going through them. Although the potential $ saving is a motivator, I guess.
And finally, on the Dave's website, your trip is totally nonrefundable. On the DVC website, you can buy trip protection (basically), but it looks a little pricey--maybe $300 (it depends on the cost of your trip),, but then you can cancel up to 3 days before your trip. But that $300 would cut into the savings significantly.
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Fyi, ticket prices are going up tomorrow!
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Undercover Tourist will have the current cheaper tickets for a little longer as they keep them in stock past the increase date until they run out. I've used them for three years straight and they are legit.
ETA:
*check the expiration date on some of the deals
*get e-tickets so you can add to magic bands ahead of time to book fast passes
*ebates for an extra 1% back -
@Anagram: pm'ed you about dvc points!
@StrawberryBee: thanks for the heads up, went ahead and purchased our tickets tonight!
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@Anagram: I'm by no means an expert... but we just went in November with our almost 3 yo DS and 10 mo DD. We stayed at AoA in a suite for $400/night. I had the same logic you do re: early bedtimes and the suite. But 1- the kids will likely stay up a little late and 2- you will be tired! Anyway, I don't recommend AoA. The food court is horrendous. Really, couldn't be worse - bad food, so loud.
The concierge told us that it's the same time to drive to MK vs the bus, so we decided to drive. We assumed that folding the stroller for the Disney bus would be a pain, but wow, was that the wrong decision. If you choose to drive to MK, plan to park far and either walk for 10-15 mins to the monorail or need to take a tram (which requires folding the stroller anyway). Then you have to wait in a masssssive line to board the monorail to MK. And then the massssive bag check/security lines to get in. We left the hotel at 8:45 and I was finally on Main St at 11am. It was bruuuuutal.
In the future, I plan to stay at the Contemporary. I heard you can walk to MK and don't even have to take the monorail. So then you only have to deal with the securiy lines
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@Anagram: Thank you for that. I have to do a little more research next time around. This year we're doing Universal Studios instead and are staying onsite with no car. But, we're also not bringing a stroller (I hope that's the right call)!
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@808love: true true, another plug for undercover tourist!
@ChitownRo: agree with you that the food court is loud. I don't know what it is about that room; acoustics? It echoes terribly.
I've never driven from the resort to the park; sorry to hear it took you so long to get through
. Do you remember what time the park opened that day? And was it a busy time of year?@looch: are you doing volcano bay?? As much as I love Disney, universal definitely does things right
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@StrawberryBee: We are going to the brand new Sapphire Falls. We asked our son if he wanted to go back to WDW and he said no (age 6). We did Atlantis last year and I was certain he would want to go to WDW this year, but he wasn't having it, lol.
@ChitownRo: That sounds terrible! We've never had that issue, taking that long to get into Magic Kingdom. We like to go in via the monorail as opposed to the boat, but we'll take whichever one is closest to departing.
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@ChitownRo: yes. We had something similar happen in the spring. We missed rope drop and so we took our time. I think we got to park at 8 for an 8 am opening. By the time we got through the parking lot (didn't take too long because we walked instead of the tram) then the monorail and then security it was late!! We almost missed our first fast pass
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My big tip off of that topic is to try to make rope drop arbitrary MK at least once. It's fun! I think we left our value Disney resort at like 7, parked at 7:15, got through the monorail and security right by 7:45 for rope drop!!
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Yes the trick is to go half hour before the park opens. Can't be a hair late or the crowds come in droves. Kind of like rush hour.
A of A food is not amazing, it is just better than the other value hotels. Also we did primarily breakfast and only one dinner there. It was prettier there than the other value and just as cheap. -
Bumping this again. I'm waffling and being indecisive. Please indulge my craziness here.
So a lot of my top options are similarish in price for a 1 week stay, and I'm starting to feel like there are so many options and variables that I will make the "wrong" choice.
Similar in price:
-Using DVC points (they have said there is availability), getting a 1 bedroom at Bay Lake Tower. pros: space and location; full kitchen for eating some meals in room; extra beds in living room so could invite my mom along for an extra babysitter. cons: nonrefundable
or:
Booking through the WDW website:-Ever so slightly cheaper (like only $200 cheaper for the whole week) is getting a studio at the Contemporary or a studio at Beach club. Pros: location is still great for both resorts (each are walking distance to a park). Booking is refundable! cons: we're all in 1 room. no microwave in room, so no eating real meals in the room to save money that way (also my kids don't eat dairy and we avoid soy, so sometimes it's just easier to make them meals rather than deal with restaurants).
Slightly cheaper again (but not by much, like another $100 cheaper for the whole week) is a family suite at Art of Animation. pros: whole suite for us and fun kid theming for the LOs. Refundable! Cons: bus to everywhere. I keep hearing mixed reviews about transportion and about the resort itself at AOA. Some people love it, some people don't.
Cheapest option: A Tiana room at Port Orleans Riverside. Pros: This is the cheapest option but the rooms are still really cute. LO1 would love the princess theming. Room booking is refundable. Cons: we are all in 1 room, so we have to be silent while kids sleep. No Microwave, so no cooking in the room, although the savings on room would balance out extra costs on 3 restaurant meals a day. I also hear mixed reviews about transportation from this hotel. Apparently there is an internal bus system on top of the bus to get to all the parks. There is a boat to Disney Springs, but I'm not even sure we are interested in DS at this point. Seems like just a large outdoor mall?
Wild Card: There is rumor (I think Charm posted about it here?) that there *could* be the Free Dining promotion at the end of August. So, booking a Disney room rather than a DVC points room would make us eligible for that if we do a park hopper ticket. But, we might miss the Free Dining window entirely and we need to book now.
Please someone make this decision for me. Or at least assure me that none of these options would be "bad", and we'll have fun regardless? For once, my husband doesn't have strong opinions about any option and has kind of said it's up to me.
We won't have a car...we did agree on that much. We don't want to deal with car seats and other stuff.
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I can't remember if I said this previously, but we are not super picky about food, BUT we do like healthier foods especially for our kids. Not sure what menus are like in the various food courts, but kid menus that are all pizza/chicken fingers and fries don't make us happy. But like, the Ikea salmon platter does make us happy, so we don't even really need expensive food, just less processed food.
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@Anagram: super interested in any answers you get, I'm going back and forth between a lot of the options you've listed too!
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@kpc324: My husband is the king of analyzing and over-analyzing and even he told me to quit researching and just make a choice. But I'm like....what if I choose wrooooongggg?
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I vote get a studio at the Contemporary or a studio at Beach club so you can walk. You can possibly take advantage of dining plan and by walking you don't have to be dependent on transportation. You might want to sleep early too and you can figure out meal solutions with time to plan.
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Some questions for Disney veterans-
Where do you book Disney resorts? Right on the Disney website, Expedia, or someplace else?
Does anyone have a positive story about parking at the magic kingdom? Does it really take 1-2 hours to get from your hotel to Main Street if you drive?? What about the other parks?
. Do you remember what time the park opened that day? And was it a busy time of year?
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