Disney?

[houseelf]

Alright, we are trying to plan a trip to Mecca for this year's vacation. Any tips? Should we stay at a Disney hotel or not? I haven't been there since I was seven so ANY advice will be helpful.

Kelly

[migirl]

It's been a few years since I've been to Disney (DH and I went during spring break of our senior year in college), but I remember that we stayed at one of the 'All-Star' hotels (All-Star Sports, I think?). It wasn't the fanciest place, but it was fine for us and relatively inexpensive - I seem to remember a lot of families staying there too. The nice thing about it was that we could just hop on the train and take it to the parks - no driving or parking hassles. I don't know anything about the non-Disney hotels, so I don't know how helpful this is.

[Michele]

Ahhh...Disney! Russ says check out http://www.mousesavers.com He says it has everything you want to know about Disney plus how to save money. The site looks kinda sketchy to me, but Russ says if you take time and read it it'll get you the best deals.

The Disney hotels are really convenient, you can just hop on the train/shuttles that go back and forth. I've stayed at Dixie Landings. I don't know how expensive it was because I didn't pay for it. I've also stay at a family members house and driven to the parks and parked my car and all that stuff. Diving around that part of Orlando can be really annoying, but everything is clearly marked to get to the parks...leaving can be harder. There is a ton of traffic and you can be stuck at a dead stop for a while. I don't think they charge you to park at Disney (but it's been a couple years since I was last there). And the parking lots are HUGE but there are shuttles that come very frequently to pick you up from your cars (almost...you may have to walk 100 yards or so) and willbring you back...and they parking lots are named for disney characters(ie. Goofy 34....the 34th lot for Goofy.....Cinderella 26...).

Other advice....

How long are you going for? I recommend the parkhopper passes (4 day / 4 park pass or something like that)..especially since they hardly ever expire and you can use them later or you might use them all up while you are there. There are several ways to get between the parks. There a monorail (train-like thing that I thought was really awesome when I was younger....it looked space-age-y to me), the ferry (kinda boring when I was little (took too long) but nice now that I appreciate the scenery) and another way that I've forgotten right now...

My favorite Disney park is the Magic Kingdom, with Animal Kingdom close behind. Epcot has all the countries, but not very many rides. I think MGM kinda sucks (maybe it's changed since the last time I was there but it was pretty weak.) There's also Typhoon Lagoon but I've never been there. Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure are NOT Disney parks but they are also in the area. They don't have the same atmosphere and I think they are really only fun the first time you go. Disney gets better every time I've been.

I have to get going now, but if you have more questions I'll have more answers.

We did Disney World last summer and the kids loved it. I don't know when you plan on going but the first thing to remember is that if you're going during the summer be prepared for the heat. That and the rain. Bring ponchos 'cause it seems like it rains every day in FL during the summer even if briefly.

We wanted to stay in a Disney hotel but when I looked into it, it was way out of our budget - somewhere along the lines of $200/night. And we figured since we were going to be partaking in the activities and not at the hotel other than to sleep, we didn't want to fork over the dough. We stayed in nearby Kissimmee and while it is a city away, it was literally a 5 minute drive via highway to Disneyworld for a fraction of the price - like $50/night for a very respectable Holiday Inn.

Since we are pretty frugal and trying to live within our means, we also packed our own lunches & snacks & water because the food is expensive although not more than what you'd pay at your state fair. We did splurge for dinner though. We were there for two and a half days but for the two full days, we were there from the moment it opened until the closing fireworks.

They now have something called "fast pass" where you insert your ticket into these machines in front of select rides (usually the most popular ones). The machine gives you a slip of paper that tells you to come back between such and such time. When you come back, you go to the head of the line instead of waiting for 45 -60 minutes in the heat. In the meantime, you can go on the less popular rides or see Mickey and the kidlet doesn't get impatient waiting. I highly recommend using the fast pass option.

How exciting! You'll have a great time!

We are also going to Disney this year! We are going to stay at a place in Kissimmee called Tropical Palms. They have cottages that fit up to 8 people. Each cottage has its own kitchen (so we hope to save some $$$ by cooking our own meals part of the time). My girlfriend and her family have stayed there for the last 6 years and really enjoy it. The cottages are either $79 or $99 a night. We are going to go to Magic Kingdom and Sea World and then we are just going to hang out and enjoy the warm Florida weather versus being at home in freezing cold Iowa!

[SueC]

We went when our kids were only 22 months and 2 months old, so we skipped the Disney parks, but we absolutely loved Sea World. Our kids don't remember it of course, but we had a great time. It's as expensive as the Disney parks, and there are rides and things as well that we did not go on, but we had a great time just looking at the exhibits.

[Cumberland]

i grew up in Florida so we went at least once a year. we always stayed in Fort Wilderness in the family pop up camper. they also have tent spots and once we stayed in an RV that was permanently parked there. fort wilderness is really cool bc it has a couple gigantic pools, a water park, a petting zoo, disney movies on the lawn every night, the hoop de do revue...... the way you get to the parks is to hop the boats on the lake and they will shuttle you over to whichever one. that was also very exciting as a child- first of all you are in mickey's campground, but then you get to take a boat to the magic kingdom!! my family's rule/budget was that we only visited one park per trip and spent the rest of the time sneaking into the neat-o disney hotels to use the pool- the polynesian, the grand floridian ( although i have stayed there and it was awesome!) and the pacific northwest one with its own geyser kept us busy for days. oh one other thing- we always went on like a tuesday in sept or october- that way it was virtually empty and we didnt have to fight the crowds.

have an awesome time. i have the best memories of visits there....

[peggyfromwastate]

I went to disneyworld with my daughter and lots of family when she was 3, and it worked out great. Even though we went in the busiest time of the year (Christmas vacation), we worked our way through it all. We stayed at a condo close to Disney, but not part of the Disney system. That was good, but if you can get to one that has a shuttle to the park, it may be more convenient because then you could easily catch the shuttle back to the hotel for a nap, and then be able to stay out later at night without your child having a total breakdown! There are lots of fun things to see at night. This is what we did when we went to Disneyland in CA. I would recommend eating at the Rianforest Cafe just outside of Animal Kingdom. If you go to Animal Kingdom for a day (I really like that park-- it's probably my favorite), as soon as you get there, try to make a reservation for dinner or lunch, whatever fits your schedule. I don't know if they added a Rainforest Cafe to the Downtown Disney there, but when I went, the Rainforest Cafe at Animal Kingdom was the only one in town. It's a huge restaurant, and like any other of the chain, but it's nice and pretty affordable and distracting enough for little kids!

What time of the year are you going? I'm so jealous!