Disney World

[bbh]

Need some advice! Never been to Disney World, and we're planning on taking kids and grandkids. Could you guys give me tips on where to stay, packages, etc.? We're not planning on going until Christmas, so we have a LITTLE time before we have to book.

Thanks!

[THEMEANOGRE]

I haven't been since the '70s. We went twice and camped both times. We stayed at the Jellystone campground, Yogi bear themed place. Surrounded by citrus groves, in the summer you had to cover your food to keep the fruit flies off it. But you got plenty of protein with every breath. Also, for a small fee, you could go into the grove and pick a basket of fruit, in season.

[JoAnn Purser]

Need some advice! Never been to Disney World, and we're planning on taking kids and grandkids. Could you guys give me tips on where to stay, packages, etc.? We're not planning on going until Christmas, so we have a LITTLE time before we have to book.

Thanks!

Go to the bookstore and buy a book in the travel section on Disney World.

Call now (what are you waiting on) and book breakfast at the Cinderella's Castle and plan the whole trip around when/where you can get meal reservations. The food is half the trip. When you eat meals on property you get personal time with the characters. It may not seem important now but when you drink the kool aid you become tranfixed on meeting your favorite and having them give you their autograph. Mine was tigger.

Park Hopper passes are a good deal. That allows you to spend the morning at one resort hop over to spend the afternoon at another and then the evening back at Disney for parade and fireworks. You can spend 15 hour days. Get ready.

I have heard that if you are staying an extended time 7 or more days to stay at lesser value property and then move to more luxury property to enjoy different types of properties. You are really not in the room much like a cruise. Transportation is the key. If you are on Disney property you get shuttle, bus, monorail access.

Keep us posted on your plans.

[natashayc]

I may be a reporter by profession, but if this doesn't work out, I can be a Disney tour guide. When I was in grad school at USC in Los Angeles, I had a season pass to the Anaheim location...I am not embarrassed to say that with California and Florida parks combined, I've probably been 25+ times in my life. And I'm in my 20's, so that comes out to about once a year.

I recommend the "Unofficial Guide" above other books.They update it very regularly, they'll give good scheduling advice based on the ages of the kids you're taking, how to pace during the day without getting too tired, where to eat and not blow all your money, etc.

Christmas is a good time to go, but there will be winter break crowds. If I remember correctly, it's the second most popular time of year after August. But if you're able to go slightly earlier in December (first two weeks), that's a really quiet time with fewer crowds. I'm sure it'll depend on your school calendar, though.

If you'll be in Orlando, your kids/grandkids will probably be interested in checking out the new "Wizarding World of Harry Potter" too. That opens this spring, and it's in the Universal Studios park.

Good luck!

[TexMexYum]

I recommend staying at a Disney Property. The transportation is worth it. If you have younger kids, depending on which property you stay, you can even take a mid-day break which is nice. And....yes, the book store travel section is very helpful. I think I bought two different books. The information was priceless. I hope you enjoy your trip!

[bbh]

Thanks so much, guys. This is all really helpful.

Sounds like I need to get in shape before we go...AND take plenty of $$$$$! :)

[Msradar]

I would also recommend getting the meal plan. I went with a meal plan and it was great. Food in the park is expensive but the portions were very generous. Now that was back in 2008, so the portion sizes many have gotten smaller.

The meal plans make it so much easier and there are plenty of places to eat with a wide variety of choices from fast food, to salads to full dinner type meals.

I would also recommend dinner at cinderella's palace, the last setting so you can watch the fireworks while eating dinner.

It is much easier if you stay on property if you want a break in the middle of the day. We did not...and we stayed in the park from open to close and were fine. There was so much to see we just paced ourselves. There were plenty of park benches to rest on and shows to see.

I would also recommend park hopper pass depending on the age of the grandkids.

[Supergirl]

Are you afiliated with the Military at all? If so, check out the Shades of Green hotel on the property. It has been a while since I've been there but it was nice and like others said you don't spend much time in the room. Also, food was expensive so we had breakfast at the hotel every morning which was great and cheap compared to other places.

[THEMEANOGRE]

They didn't offer dinner at the castle when I went, not that I heard, anyway. But I remember a nice sit down dining place in Fantasyland, "Gepetto's". I think they specialized in Italian.

[natashayc]

I believe Disney parks all allow you to bring your own food to the park, so if you're really looking to save money (and time), you can eat on the go by bringing your own sack lunch. Just a thought. Definitely want to stock up on your own water, though - they can charge $4 for bottled water.

[MissElmo]

We went to Disneyworld one year with the meal plan. We stayed 6 nights at one of the Disney properties. The meal plan was great, but we found that the portions for the meals were so large that we weren't able to finish most of the meals.

We had so much fun that we decided to go again the next year, but this time we stayed at the Shades of Green (military hotel) and pay for our meals. My 17 year old daughter and I were able to share most of our meals. This time we saved enough money to stay and visit the park for 10 days.

Make sure you do your research at www.disboards.com One thing you have to research is how to use the Fast Pass. That will help you shorten the time you have to stand in lines for the rides. Also we used a vacation planner for both trips by Tourguide Mike. He is a tourguide that actually works at Disney World and knows exactly which parks will be less crowded on certain days and has strategies for having the best time the parks. I think this will be worth $21 for you since you are visiting there at the most busiest time of the year. http://www.tourguidemike.com/index.asp?promoCode=AG9MF-AQ

We plan on going again in the next year or two, but this time we want rent one of the vacation homes near the parks like this one. http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p205814#rates-bar I Think this will be a great option especially if your traveling with a large group.

[corgifan]

You'll be wasting your money going to Disneyworld. When I went there on my honeymoon in 1982 the park was almost new. Every inch of it was standing tall and sparkling. We were there during the only "off" period (early November) so the lines were not bad at all. Food selections were plentiful and very high quality.
Now skip to present day. We went back between Christmas and New Years for a few days. Lines were insane. Crowds were similar to Octoberfest in Munich, only without the good manners typical of Germans. Food was expensive and cool. The entire park had a well used, tired, run down look. Even the rides seemed old and slow. Don't say you weren't warned.

[theatercool]

Corgifan you said the magic words between Christmas and New Years. Go as soon as school lets out... there won't be so many people.

FASTPASSES! They are your friends! They cut down on the wait time and just make the park experience so much nicer. There is a small trick, when you get a fast past you will notice that at the bottom it will say when the next fast pass will be released, which is about fifteen minutes before the fast pass you have starts. Send one person with all of your tickets to the NEXT ride you want after the one you have the current fast pass for. They get the fastpass tickets for that ride and we had it to where as soon as one ride was done it was time for the next.

Oh in Magic Kingdom? Start from the world of Tomorrow and go counter clockwise.

Also if you are willing to spend 25 extra bucks for each person you can stay in a kingdom after hours and hit all the rides with next to no waiting.

Remember the fast passes...

[Sunshine]

I love Disney even as an adult. My husband and I have gone for the past two years and there is always something new to see. I agree, avoid it at peak holiday times to not deal with the crazy lines. I have stayed at Wilderness Lodge and the Polynesian. I like Wilderness Lodge better, just a different feel to it. With my husband we stay at a resort outside Disney, but they have parking down to a science there, so it is not a big deal. With kids I think it would make sense to stay on the resort property, although if you stay at a hotel that is not on the monorail or boat system, you will be taking a shuttle bus. The buses get crowded, but it is not a big deal. I really like Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. Another thing, if you stay in one of the Magic Kingdom resorts, they have an electrical boat show that travels through the lagoon, kind of cool.

[theatercool]

The buses aren't bad. Me and my family were coming back from the Hoopy Do Review really late at night, and for some reason me and my sister started singing somewhere over the rainbow. The bus gave us a round of applause. Things like that happen in Disney.

[bbh]

You guys are awesome!!! Thanks so much for all the advice. I am taking notes and will definitely take all of your pointers to heart.

Who knew that there was so much strategy needed to do Disney??? lol...

[JoAnn Purser]

You guys are awesome!!! Thanks so much for all the advice. I am taking notes and will definitely take all of your pointers to heart.

Who knew that there was so much strategy needed to do Disney??? lol...

Don't get me started on the Monorails.

[cityboy]

Personally, I'd rather have a sharp stick driven deep into my eye socket ... :-B

[FieryPrincess]

WE really enjoyed Disneyworld last summer.

If you stay at a DW resort, you get the extra hours included without the extra fee. There is a special rate for military ticketes. We stayed at the cheaper one - All-Star Movies/Music/Sports and it was about $89/night.

Get involved with the Hidden Mickeys and see how many you can find.

We went in July and even though it was busy, we didn't really wait too long anywhere. Our favorite was the Hollywood Studios. Make the Toy Story ride your first stop and the wait is about 30 minutes.

If you pre-buy the meal plan - make a reservation as early as you can for the Canadian Steak house. It books WAY early. The Italian food place is usually easy to get into.

We are saving up to go back!

[bbh]

Thanks for the info, FP.

[sasquatch]

Went to Disneyworld for Spring break this year. LOVED IT! At Christmas the crowds are better the week BEFORE Christmas. Once Christms eve gets there it gets really crowded. My advice is to go to www.mousesavers.com for discounts. Allearsnet.com has info on hotels, menus, etc... anything you need to know. I would definitely recommend the dining plan and park hopper tickets. We stayed at the polynesian. If you have younger ones in your group, I'd suggest staying on the monorails due to ease of getting around. Send me a message and I can give you more info.

[FieryPrincess]

ditto the park hopper option. It seems a little pricey, but will be one of the better purchases you make.