I am in the very infancy of planning a vacation for Disney World for this fall with my daughter who will be 8 when we go.

I need your advice to have the best trip. I want to be able to save money where I can but I don't mind splurging when appropriate.


I know there are a ton of questions I don't even know to ask.

We would fly out on a Friday evening and fly back on a Wednesday morning.

Is it better to stay on campus or off?
Are the meals plans worth it?

What other things should I consider? How can she have a fabulous time at the most efficient cost?

IMO the biggest decision will be to stay on the property or off the property

staying on is a HUGE advantage in terms of overall maximizing your time 'in-park' and convenience. but its going to be more expensive.

the thing i loved about staying on the property is the ability to make a 'quick' trip back to the room for a mid-day nap and then hitting the park again in the evening until close. the heat / walking can wear you out more than you think.

we stayed Animal Kingdom -- it was pretty cool

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Disney has made such a concerted effort to add exclusive conveniences to visitors staying on-property that I'm not sure you can even have a decent experience staying outside the park anymore.

I've never paid for a meal plan, but we've managed to go several times when they were free. I'm not a fan of the full plan unless you prioritize food over everything else. It's annoying to have to halt your activities to go catch a dinner reservation. Your entire trip ends up being driven by food reservations, and you don't get to do half as much fun stuff. I much prefer the freedom of the quick dining plan.

You’ll enjoy your shorter stay if you stay on premise. I’m not a fan of the Disney Dining Plan which does not cover tips, nor does it cover some other things that can ordered, like alcohol and appetizers.

Things are messed up do to covid.

If you stay off property you will need reservations to enter the parks.

Some of the rides are booked weeks in advance.

Try very hard not to go school vacation weeks.

They were planning to stay at 35% capacity until 2022. Those plans could change or be extended.

It is more expensive to stay in the park, if you are not planning on doing it often and can afford it stay on site.

There are dozens of Disney trip tips websites read a few for tips and tricks.

Another advantage of being on site if you 8 year old gets tired, you can go back to the room and take a break or nap.

Learn how to use the app and the fast pass system before you go.

It is a must to get on a reasonable number of the rides you want.

AAA has had discount tickets and trips.

It was enough to cover the cost of AAA.

Not sure now during covid

If you are Retired military, consider Shades of Green Hotel on Disney world.

It’s been a while since we stayed off property. We used my cousin’s Disney time share which saved us a lot of money. We’ve also stayed at the budget Disney reports. We had just as much fun staying at the budget resorts. We rarely ate at the hotel and were in the parks first thing. Transportation to/from the parks is a nice convenience at the Disney resorts. It’s my understanding that the Magic express was ending this year. It was a nice perk not to have to check bags at the airport. When you stay at a Disney resort you can make earlier reservations to restaurants and fast passes. The meal plan is worth it if you plan on doing character meals. It’s also nice not getting large bill every meal as meals are pricey.

I definitely would not go until they lift all mask restrictions. It’s just not that same right now.

Another option to save money is to rent DVC timeshare points. You can find some great deals if you look around.

We didn’t do a meal plan. We stayed at the contemporary resort. We had a great time with our little guy, and it worked out fine for us.

Another layer to the on-property question...

Some hotels are attached to or within very easy walking distance of one of the parks.

Some hotels are not that close, but are connected to the monorail for easy getting around.

Some hotels are not close AND not connected to the monorail, so you have to take a shuttle, which can take a while.

And then sometimes the monorail is shut down.

Do not spend your money on people who hate you.

Do not get your daughter hooked up on an org who hates you and her.

Here is a link worth reading :

https://magicguides.com/disney...d-planning-timeline/

This message has been edited. Last edited by: old dino,

quote:

Originally posted by sig2392:
Things are messed up do to covid.

If you stay off property you will need reservations to enter the parks.

While true that things are VERY messed up due to COVID, EVERYONE needs a reservation to get into the parks. It does not matter if you are staying on Disney property. You first have to get a park ticket, and then link it to a reservation to the specific park you want to attend that day. Park hopping is limited to after 2:00PM and the second park still requires you to get a reservation.
We just went during Easter week. First of all, the 35% capacity may be their tagline, but no way it's correct. The parks were mobbed. Everyone from bus drivers to workers agreed it was way higher than 35% attendance.
Read the reviews, fastpass is gone, food is bought via your phone, a lot of things are closed.
Many people now say it is the "Unhappiest place on Earth" The service is way down for sure.

We still had fun, but had much lower expectations than previous trips. It's currently not the same place as we've been many times before.

Unless your daughter has her heart absolutely set on Disneyworld, go the Universal instead....Trust me on this!

Granted this was a while ago but, we went to Disneyworld in the fall of 2010 as part of a two week vacation w/ my 7 YO son. The main purpose/event of the trip was to view the final launch of Space Shuttle Discovery. Disney was nice, and really expensive! We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge, again really nice, and really expensive! We all liked Epcot the best, and it just so happened that the International Food & Wine Festival coincided w/ our visit, which was REALLY Awesome, and probably the ONLY reason I'd go back there. One of the main problems with Disney, especially on a short vacation, is too many parks....Way too many choices!

The Shuttle Launch was scrubbed due to a major problem with the External Fuel Tank, which required the 'Vehicle Stack' to be removed from the Launch Pad and disassembled back at the Vehicle Ass'y Building. It was actually a small component issue, but NO way to fix it at the Launch Pad.

We had Shuttle Launch tickets (on the Causeway), and I was NOT going to miss it, so we came back three months later for the rescheduled launch....IT WAS SOOO AWESOME!

Anyway, on short notice (like two weeks) we booked our second trip (10 days) for Universal, and stayed at the Hard Rock! Bottom line....I spent five years of vacation money in three months (two five-digit vacations!), and without a doubt Universal was a better experience, MUCH Better! Everything about it was better, the food, the rides, the hotel....It was the vacation of a lifetime for my 7 YO!

For your planned duration, Universal is a NO Brainer decision....Now you just need to talk your daughter into it!

quote:

For your planned duration, Universal is a NO Brainer decision....Now you just need to talk your daughter into it!

Probably not gonna happen she is quite enamored with Disneyworld and the Disney Princesses.

^^^Well, Nevermind...

No meal plans at the moment.

We prefer staying on property. What month and year?

We watch tons of videos on YouTube. DFBguide is a good one.

quote:

Originally posted by Oz_Shadow:
No meal plans at the moment.

We prefer staying on property. What month and year?

We watch tons of videos on YouTube. DFBguide is a good one.

I am hoping for Nov of 2021.

I have a friend who is a travel agent that just got back last week so I am going to pick her brain.

Expect it to be busy. October is the official start of the 50th Anniversary.

Hollywood Studios is extremely popular right now due to Star Wars land with Rise of the Resistance plus Toy Story Land.

Magic Kingdom is the favorite of little kids (and grownups too).

Epcot is a bit off right now - lots of construction but a new ride opens there in October.

Book now if you want to go. Disney is refundable. I think $200 will lock you in on their website. Meal reservations can be made 60 days out from the first day of your arriaval to something like Be of Guest with the Beauty and the Beast setting. It goes super fast.

Art of Animation is mid-range for hotel pricing but neat for kids. The value resorts overall are themed perfectly for kids though. Port Orleans Riverside has princess hotel rooms but it does not have a reopening date

Not sure what the ticket costs are these days but, with the current cost of gas, hope you've budgeted enough for the sticker-shock.

In the past, I've been able to piggyback a business trip with a visit to 1-2 parks and have the g/f join me. Picking up Unofficial Guide book is a great go-to reference and a solid first-start, not to mention their assortment of ride itineraries have been stellar to avoiding painfully long lines and gearing-it for your 8-yr old vs teenagers or, adults. This book is also a great reference for most of the hotels/motels and various places to eat.

Stay on property. Don't bother with the food plan unless you always eat the most expensive stuff. Check out DFBGuide on YouTube.