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We stayed in a condo at Saratoga Springs and it was fine. FIL and MIL stayed at the Grand Floridian and it was gorgeous. I'd want to stay there next time! Definitely stay on the property- the transportation makes it SO worth it.
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@winniebee: I've never done a deluxe resort but we've done Coronado Springs and Caribbean Beach (both mods) and we prefer Coronado of those 2. Our recent trip in October we did All Star Sports and I had nothing bad to say about it and would stay again. We had no issue with the busses, room was clean, nice pool, great theming for kids. Yea, staying on the monorail line would be nice but you can mange just fine without it. They recently added monitors at the bus stops that show the expected times of the next park bus. That was helpful.
You don't pay for magic bands if you're staying on site (you CAN buy fancy ones with characters on them). They are your room key, park tickets, Photopass card and debit card all in one. Super convenient. Weird at first to wear bc I'm not used to wearing anything around my wrist but it didn't bother me. You can reuse them or get new ones next time around if you wanted a different color or something.
Definitely book your dining close to 180 days out if you can. It can be stressful but worth it to not have to worry about getting good ressies later. Allears.net & disboards.com have a ton of info and lots of good dining reviews and food pictures.
I'm kind of a Disney fanatic and crazy trip planner person if you have any questions or need help.
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@Phillybaby2013: Thanks! I'm a little worried about meals because we are going in 2 months (just decided to do this!!)
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@winniebee: when we went in July, it's a HUGE high season over the 4th, and we were able to always get dinner reservations the day before. One thing we couldn't get while we were there, that you do need to get in advance, are fast passes.
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@winniebee: I didn't see when you were going. Don't stress too much. Get what you can now and then the last 2 weeks before stuff opens up. I had to adjust a bunch of ours for our group of 8 and got everything we wanted. Even hard to get ones like Be Our Guest and Chef Mickey's will pop up. Download the My Disney Experience app. It is really easy to search reservations and it will give you wait times, park hours, maps, and more for while you're there.
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@808love: Just to clarify, do you have to purchase one magic band per trip, or can you buy one and use it for multiple trips? I understand you need one per person.
Oh, and get the photopass. It's great for some family photos, they have special areas where you'll get shots free of other people walking in them, which is awesome!
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@looch: I confirmed with a friend they are good for multiple trips but once activated only have like a two year life span.
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@T.H.O.U.: Ha, figures!
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I've stayed at Saratoga Springs, the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian, and they were all fantastic. If money is no issue, I'd stay at the GF or the Polynesian on the concierge level - the rooms are more expensive but they have snacks and drinks there all day so you can eat a free breakfast, take a few bottles of water along for the day, and if you come back for pool time in the afternoon, there's enough food for a light lunch. Then if your kids sack out early, you or your spouse can run to the lounge and bring back a glass of wine or some dessert. And being so close to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot is unbeatable!
I also loved the kitchen part of Saratoga Springs - so much easier and cheaper to make breakfast and coffee yourself before heading out for the day. If your kids are bike riding age, you can rent bikes and ride to Disney Springs on protected (walking and biking) paths. It takes a longer time to get to the parks, but it may be worth it!
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@looch: you can buy one ahead of time through the online Disney store (if staying in a non-band hotel) and use the same one for multiple trips. Each time you stay at a Disney resort, you can opt to get a new free one with your stay. My husband used his ticket card last year. My daughter and I used bands. This year we are staying at a D resort so I requested everyone get a band from the hotel this year.
-Once you make Disney hotel reservations, you can go to magic bands on My Disney Experience and pick out your colors.
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