And just don't look in your bank account while you're there.

We've stayed off site both times for Disney and Universal - enjoyed the break from the Disney immersion at a regular hotel / resort. Of course I was using rewards points for the free hotel, so that likely had something to do with it.

Some people go wild for Disney - I have a BIL who goes multiple times with his wife, sometimes with his kids. We enjoyed the experience but would prefer another ski trip in the end.

We've driven there for the day, stayed on property, and stayed off property. Our enjoyment of the parks was unrelated to where we stayed or how we got there, but rather how crowded the parks were.

The time we drove happened to be the single busiest day of the year at Magic Kingdom. It was a miserable experience. We got there 9:30am and waited in line to park then waited in line for the tram. When we got to the ticket area, there was one window open to pickup the tickets we had purchased online and the line was 40 deep. There was no waiting at the 15 windows and 15 kiosks if you wanted purchase your tickets that day. Having finally received our tickets, we waited in line for the ferry. Upon arrival at Magic Kingdom, we waited in line to go through security, then in line to get into tbe park. We waited in line for the carousel, our first ride, and rode it at 12:15pm. Then we waited in line for a restaurant, got our food in line, waited in line to pay for the food, and waited in line to for a table to clear. We left the restaurant at 1:30pm.

As review, we got there at 9:30am and by 1:30pm we had had lunch, rode one ride, and spent the rest of our time waiting in line. The day went downhill from there.

Our next trip, some friends who own a timeshare arranged a 2 bedroom condo for us for $300 for 7 nights. Not $300 a night, but $300 for all 7 nights. This trip was better. We did Hollywood Studios first, then Epcot the next day. The third day was drizzly, so we went to downtown Disney. That evening, my 6 year old at the time son broke his arm, so we spent the next day at the Walt Disney Pavilion at Florida Hospital for Children while he had three pins placed in his elbow. While waiting in the waiting area during the surgery, a woman introduced her self as a "cast member" at Disney and suggested we get a guest assistance pass when we went back. The next day we did that at Magic Kingdom and what a difference that made. Fast Pass for almost everything. A few years later, they clamped down on the guest assistance passes because people were hiring handicapped people to go to the parks with them just to get the passes.

Our last Disney experience, was our first time "camping" in our new travel trailer. We stayed at Fort Wilderness. We rode both the bus and water taxi to get around. The parks we went to were not busy, we did one of the waterparks as well, and we had fun. We were fairly far from the parks even though we were on property. I'd want to be closer if we stayed on property again. Preferably somewhere serviced by the monorail.

Being able to go back to your room mid-day is nice, but unless the property is close it's going to be time consuming.

Staying on property is also nice because you can get up and into the park earlier than the guests staying off property.

I may be mixing up my resorts though, I know we were able to get into Universal an hour or so early to go see Harry Potter with the kids.

Staying on property is really quite nice though. Read some of the Disney forums to really get the inside scoop. There are people right here in Central FL who go to the parks and post all sorts of up to date info. I haven't been to the Parks in over a year.

quote:

Originally posted by Sgt Neutron:
For food, I recommend the "Restaurant Marrakesh" in the Moroccan pavilion at EPCOT. Lamb shanks & kebobs with mint tea. A little out of the way (at the very back of the pavilion). Tends not to be too crowded. Bonus: Belly Dancer.

I agree! The belly dancer was a bonus and the food was tasty.

I also recommend staying on property. I’ve stayed at wilderness and the one with the swan on top (?). Really enjoyed wilderness. Just too easy. The mid-tier meal plan made everything easier too.

Went there 15 years straight. Every year, except 1 year, we stayed inside the park.

Definitely stay in the park.

We stay there. We stayed at Coronado the first time, and Port Orleans last time. Saving on a car rental and parking costs was certainly worth it to us, on top of the other advantages already mentioned.

Not in a million years

We stayed at the Magic Village Resort condos off site last fall and enjoyed the experience. Traveled with a 7 and 9 year old. Fully furnished with a washer and dryer. We got a 3 bed/3 bath place with a full private patio and gas grilling area. I require a king size bed as I'm tall and wide. Check. Pool? Check.
Close to everything! Check. A lot cheaper and nearly brand new. Check. Giordano's Pizza! Check. My kids said they could live there, lol.

Ok, so we liked it. I'd say check it out if you have a second. It was definitely less than on-park but I didn't feel we had to jump through a lot of hoops to get around. We had a rental and did Animal Kingdom, Epcot, LEGOLand and Kennedy Space Center (about an hour or so drive each way).

quote:

agree - unless money is a HUGE issue - staying 'on property' offers many advantages that IMO are worth the added expense.

I agree with this. Also the even remotely convenient off-property but nearby options have gotten much closer in price I believe. Once you get outside that, you're just an Orlando resident driving/shuttling over each day.

The trip and time in the park is already enough work along with the fun. I'd not make it more work to get to and from the attractions.

You also don't mention your planned dates, but be aware that Gay Days is in late May/early June. It is very busy that time of the season.....

I took my girl when she was 5 and we stayed at the Grand Floridian right next to to park with monorail station at the hotel. Totally worth the extra money to create one of those lifetime memories she still talks about at 34.

Look into their gun policy.

If you feel comfortable with masses of people Disney is for you.

On property.

We always stay at a value resort and love it. The first time we went we stayed at The Polynesian and it was really cool but we barely spent any time in the hotel so it seemed like a waste of money. The second time we went we stayed in a value resort and it was still very nice and only a fraction of the cost.

Also you get the “extra magic hours” if you stay on property which are two extra hours in either the morning or evening where the park is only open to guests staying at their resorts. It’s not every park every day so check in advance what parks offer them and when during your stay and plan your park visits accordingly. That’s a great time to hit some of the more popular rides as the crowds are way thinner.

Also look into and use the fast pass during the regular hours.

If you're going for more than 3 days I'd stay on site and take advantage of meal plan.

I recommend a reservation at Boma for breakfast one day. It's in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. The lodge itself is very impressive when you walk in. The buffet was pretty damn good with a large selection. The food was hot and tasted good. Also down load the Disney app so you can see wait times and ride locations. Use your fast passes. My wife did a great job setting these up as she knew I wasn't waiting over an hour for anything.

The Avatar ride is the latest and greatest and therefore the longest, most ridiculous wait times. We went in March and got to the park at opening. By the time we got to that section the wait time was 2hrs. The hell with that. We did everything else including riding the Everest roller coaster twice. We kept checking on Avatar and never saw it get below 3hrs.

We did not stay onsite as I had Marriot points to use. We stayed here which is a brand new hotel. They provided a shuttle service and they enter the parks through separate entrances then Joe Public so you are not waiting on getting through the parking lines. The hotel had a nice restaurant and bar there along with decent complimentary breakfast.

Based on my observations there, you're going to be in a better situation going with your wife and older teen. The families that go there with younger children and try to do everything are the ones who end up miserable. The husband and wife are arguing and the kids crying. Those families who just relax and do what is manageable have a much better time. The wife and I enjoy the parks as we don't have children to deal with. We hit Epcot up and drink around the world and usually eat dinner at the Japanese hibachi place Teppan Edo.

Definitely stay on property.

Disney is all about planning. If it were up to me, I'd hardly ever go. But my wife became a Disney freak and my 7 year old son has been to Disney (land or world) at least 9 times. Therefore, I've become a Disney expert. My wife plans trips over a year in advance and makes reservations 11 months in advance.

The farther out in advance you plan your trip the better.

Travel:
If Disney sends you luggage tags, you can check in your luggage at your local airport on the day of your flight and they will be delivered to your room in Orlando. You don't even have to get your bags when you arrive, they just show up at your room but they may arrive in the middle of the night so if you pick this option, pack an extra day of clothes in your carry-on. The airport shuttle will take you directly to your hotel and its a comfortable bus ride.

When you depart, you can get your boarding passes and check your bags at your resort and you get your bags when you land back home.

Dining:
Disney resort guests can reserve 180 days in advance of their day of arrival and make up to 10 days of Advance Dining Reservations that same day, either online or by calling (407) WDW-DINE (939-3463).

You can order food at a quick service restaurant through the My Disney Experience app. We used this at The Flame Tree restaurant in Animal kingdom. You order your food ahead of time and when you find an open table, you click "Im here, prepare my order" and they will process your order and let you know when your food is ready

Fast Passes:
If you also have a reservation at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel, you can start making your FastPass+ selections as early as 60 days prior to your check-in date. For a single theme park per day, you can reserve up to 3 FastPass+ experiences.

Magic hours:
Extra Magic Hours are only available to registered Guests staying at Disney Resort hotels, Walt Disney World Swan Hotel, Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel and Shades of Green® Resort—plus Disney Golden Oak Residents or Guests of Disney Golden Oak Residents.

When planning your schedule, please remember that to visit more than one theme park per day, you’ll need to purchase the Park Hopper Option or Park Hopper Plus Option on your theme park ticket—or the Ultimate Ticket Option for United Kingdom Guests.

Special Events:
Special events may mean you have to leave early or pay more. If you are there during a Halloween or Christmas party, the parks close around 6pm or 7pm and you need an additional event pass to stay for closing or trick-or-treating.

Resorts:
I've stayed at Arts of Animation, the Caribbean Beach Resort, Saratoga Springs and the Polynesian. We own timeshare at the Polynesian which means we're DVC members. The Saratoga Springs was the most comfortable with a king size bed and a kitchenette.

If I were to do it as non DVC members, I'd choose the Caribbean Beach Resort. It's a great resort and very clean. The food there is quite good and the rooms are more affordable.

If money was no object, I'd stay at The Contemporary resort or The Grand Floridian.

Magic Bands:
I love the magic bands. It's your key to everything. It opens your door, charges food to your room, is your key for fast passes and the newer rides have RFID sensors and know what car of what roller coasters you're riding in. When we ride The Seven Dwarves Mine Ride, it takes our picture and sends it directly to our app. If you get the memory maker, the photographer scans your magic band and takes your picture and they all go to the app.

Rides:
Download the My Disney Experience and look at all the ride wait times. Reserve fast passes for the days you'll be there and get fast passes early in the day for the rides with long wait times. Flight of Passage in Animal Kingdom is one of the rides you should get a fast pass for 60 days in advance. Wait times can be as long as 4 hours. It's a great ride though! The seven dwarves ride is a popular one as is The Rockin' Roller Coaster.

More to come later. I've got to get back to work.

Buy this, and read it through. I have a friend that hates amusement parks, can't stand the lines and all the silly parents; I urged his wife to get the book and use it. After the trip, while relieved, he was also pleasantly surprised that things went as well as they did and sited the book as a huge help.

They've built the algorithm's for figuring out lines which figure into their itineraries and they've charted-out all the accommodations/food options that service the park. Going to WDW is significant time and financial investment for most and planning ahead is the sure way to make the 'financial pain' easier to manage. I get it, it's a fun time and a treat for the kids, just be the smarter-bear, and go in with a plan. You're not the only parent that will get tied-up into knots figuring out on-site/off-site, buy into meal plans, cast breakfast, magic bands, etc...Get the book and start diving into it's planning chapters.

YES, START SUDDENLY INTENSELY RIGHT NOW, SO YOU'LL BE ABLE TO COPE WHEN DISNEYWORLD RAPES YOU FINANCIALLY!!! GO, GET THE BOOK!! STUDY NOW AND DON'T FORGET TO HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!

Para, you ok?

One way you can cut 5% off your expenses is by using a Target debit card to buy Disney gift cards. My wife uses her Target debit card and buys a $50 Disney gift card every payday but gets a 5% discount. So she pays $95 for $100 in Disney gift cards. When we go on our trips, she takes a stack of Disney gift cards that she's been collecting for a year and she uses that to pay whatever we've charged to our room in dining and merchandise, etc...

So over a year, she'll buy $1,200 in Disney gift cards for $1,140.

As far as Universal is concerned, there are shuttle companies that will shuttle you from Disney to Universal on whatever day you schedule them for.

The character dining is super expensive but the food is good and it's all buffet style.

Depending on your stay, pace yourself. We usually go for 10 days and we do a day at the park and a day of rest. We may do two days back to back one time, but that's it. There's plenty to do outside of the parks as well. Disney springs is nice for spending money and eating.

You could just go and wing it, but you'll most likely spend more time waiting in line for virtually everything from rides to food. That's when people have the bad experiences and kids go into meltdown mode.

Again, if it were up to me, we'd go maybe once every 10 or 15 years but my wife and son like to go. I can either play along and have some good times and build good memories with my son, or I can have a bad attitude and ruin it for everyone. I just choose to be a good sport about it.

Its funny; at my job, people approach me to either ask about guns or Disney. After my wife did this kind of planning and our trip was over, she asked me what I thought about the trip. My response was the only thing I can complain about was that there was nothing to complain about.

Tony.

quote:

Originally posted by petr:
Para, you ok?

GMAFB

Yeah, I'm fine, if for no other reason, because I'm not pouring my money down the gullet of DISNEY MEGA CORP, which doesn't give a fuck about you.

Come to think of it, I believe you and I had an exchange like this in the past, yes?