Walt Disney World anyone?

Question

Have you ever been to Disney World in Florida? If so, I hope you can through some tips my way on the cheapest way to go. As far as where to stay with kids (toddlers). Also would it be safe for me to take four children alone or should I ask around for other friends or family to join in the trip. Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I am trying to plan for it now in order to go in February 2009.

Answer 1

Yes I have been to Disney World numerous of times.  It is my #1 vacation destination.  I too would say that flying would be a lot easier on you than if you were to drive.  I have driven with my 2 young children for 3 hours and that was not fun.  Anyway, I do suggest you stay at one of their value resorts on Disney's property.  If you are planning on going to Disney in February, they do have a value rate for $82 a night, which is comparible to any hotel that is outside of Disney's property.  With this you get all of the perks that Disney offers to each of their guests who stay onsite.  For instance, since you are going with little ones, you will definately want to take advantage of their Extra Magic Hours where you can have 1 hour of fun in parks in the morning and up to 3 hours of fun after the parks close to the offsite guests.  This is great because if your little ones get tired, you can hop on the bus and go back to your hotel room and have that mid-day brake and then head back over to the park for evening and not miss much play time.  Another perk is that you wouldn't have to worry about renting a car like you would have to do if you were to stay off site because, if you are going to fly, Disney has their Magical Express Service where they charter you to your Disney resort from Orlando International Airport, and you don't even have to worry about your bags because they will place them in your room for you so if you and your kids want to hit a park on the day you arrive, you can.  And then when your vacation is over, they will charter you back to the airport at no cost.  There are so many other perks that Disney offers to their guests that it is really worth the money to stay on site at one of their resorts.  Go to wdwinfo.com or allearsnet.com and they explain in full all the perks and whether if staying on site is right for you.  Good luck and have fun.

Answer 2

personally i'd book a package deal with disney world.

you can call 1-407-wdisney, go to disney world's website where you can customize your trip and figure the cheapest way:http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/ind... or go to a travel agent.

i would stay at the pop century hotel.

def get the meal plan.

you can only get it if you stay on disney property and its sooo worth it especially if your children are 3-9 years old.

for them it will cost $11 per day. that only a couple bucks more than it would cost to buy one meal for one child.

and its $38 per day for ages 10+.

and i think you may go out of your mind with just you and 4 kids so i'd get a friend or family member to come with you and this way they can pay for some of the expenses like a portion of the hotel room.

so you can get away a bit cheaper.  

Answer 3

ya ive been at least 20 times (no joke ive been going twice a year from age 2-12). i would normally recommend driving there but with gas prices flying is the best way. try staying at a regular hotel (such as a marriott). i recommend a resort because its really great for the kids but if you cant afford it a normal hotel is fine. i would also try and get another adult to join the trip. its gets hectic and keeping track of four kids is hard especially when there are so many kids. plan ahead and look for any deals.

Answer 4

It might be too much for you to take 4 toddlers on your own, I would ask someone to join you.

I recommend staying within disney, booking a package with tickets and the dining plan. The dining plan can allow you to visit some of the more expensive restaurants, such as cinderellas castle within your plan.

My favorite hotels are pop century(value resort) and caribbean beach and port orleans french quarters(moderate resort)

As far as staying outside of disney, I suggest somewhere with a free shuttle to the parks.

http://www.radisson.com/hotels/flkissim ($89-109) has 3 pools, waterslide, kids activities, free shuttle..

http://www.sheratonsafari.com/ (87-127) pool with slide, free shuttle..safari theme..

http://www.clarionwaterpark.com/index.sh... (62-106) free shuttle, hotel/waterpark

http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en... And there is a variety of holiday inn's that are reasonable and offer shuttle service

Do you need airfare? southwest airlines is still offering no extra fees..

If you want more info, I am a travel agent, email me directly or visit: http://www.kellystraveltrips.piczo.com

Good Luck and Enjoy!

Answer 5

I love Disney World. You're so lucky! I think whether you'll need help depends on the ages of your kids. If they're pretty young, it would be way easier with an extra set of hands. Disney has many awesome resorts that cater to all budgets. Check out Mousesavers.com for tons of information on deals. There's also a few books out, they're not by Disney, that are unofficial guides. They give lots of info on which parks to hit when to avoid the crowds. Check your libray! Have fun!

PS-We loved the meal plan.

Answer 6

Hi,

  Our family absolutely loves Disney World and we go every year. I am very cheap and do a lot of research in advance to make sure that our family is getting the best deals. First I start with our hotel, AAA are currently offering great deals for packages. Anytime that you reserve a package with them you can make payments until 45 days before you take your trip (If you are not currently a member you should sign up they offer great deals on a lot of stuff).  Also staying at a Disney property saves you gas when going to the parks because they have shuttle buses (parking at the park is $12 per day). When staying at a Disney hotel they give their guests additional visiting hours approx. one hour in the morning and an addl. hour at night. The value resorts offer no frills (meaning no microwave, fridge or coffee pot in room). But the atmosphere and the value is absolutely awesome. We take a small coffee pot of our own and sometimes a microwave. If you or anyone in your party have any health concerns they will provide you with a free fridge otherwise it is $10 extra dollars a night...we prefer just taking a cooler and loading it with ice. We always eat breakfast at the hotel we are staying at- either continental or we bring stuff for every morning. To find out more about the value resorts go to www.disneyworld.disney.go.com

I always pack lunches and snacks because Disney allows you to bring food into the park. We also take bottled water and add drink mixes throughout the day- that way when our bottles are empty we can refill at a water fountain. We only eat dinner at the park and I am able to calculate my costs in advance on this by going to dining menu prices on http://allears.net/din/dining.htm I also get great ideas from www.mousesavers.com both have been essential in our trip planning. Some dining tips would be to get a 1/2 Rotisserie Chicken w/mashed potatoe and a side veg. for $9.09 and split it with someone. You can also order a 1/4 pound Cheeseburger for $6.09 and split it between two kids, you take the extra cheeseburger off and order an extra hamburger bun for about .79 and you have another meal. Of course drinks are seperate from this. When buying souveniers we always buy Disney bucks in advance for our children (available at all Disney stores and AAA). They are valued at the price you pay for them - if you pay $10 you get 10 Disney bucks. We usually give our children $15 or $20 a piece in Disney bucks so they don't go overboard with their spending and they already know that they have been set a limit in advance. You can also wait to buy souveniers at the outlet stores, which sell a lot of the same merchandise at much cheaper prices.

There are also some great books you can find out there that have also helped us a great deal- I would recommend Disney on a Dime. Since you have some time you could probably buy it off of Amazon at a much cheaper price or just go to the bookstore and just take notes in a notebook that you take with you.

   It might also sound silly to alot of people but because we have small children we like to have an itinerary planned in advance. Although we have been year after year we order a map in advance and decide which rides and shows would be the best for our family. There are several books out that give good recommendations about which rides to start with etc. when you have small children. This has always been a plus for us because everyone gets to do what they want and we are able to bypass things that our children might be to young for.

   Finally, I would not take four children to Disney by myself. It is such a magical place and all of you will miss so much because of trying to keep track of one another. It definitely would be wise on your part to take another adult with you. I am sure that you will have a wonderful time...everything about your visit will be magical. The Disney workers are so cordial and sweet and it is sooo clean there - It is my most favorite place in the world....so magical and beautiful. Have a wonderful trip and enjoy!